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1919 Major League Baseball season

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1919 MLB season
LeagueAmerican League (AL)
National League (NL)
SportBaseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 23 – September 29, 1919 (AL)
  • April 19 – September 28, 1919 (NL)
World Series:
  • October 1–9, 1919
Number of games140
Number of teams16 (8 per league)
Pennant Winners
AL championsChicago White Sox
  AL runners-upCleveland Indians
NL championsCincinnati Reds
  NL runners-upNew York Giants
World Series
ChampionsCincinnati Reds
  Runners-upChicago White Sox
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1915–1922 American League seasons
American League

The 1919 major league baseball season began on April 19, 1919. The regular season ended on September 29, with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 16th World Series, known for the infamous Black Sox Scandal, on October 1 and ended with Game 8 on October 9. The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Chicago White Sox, five games to three.

The Black Sox Scandal, for which the 1919 season is best remembered for, saw the Chicago White Sox throw (purposely lose) the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, 5–3, in order to illegally gain money from gambling. This scandal resulted in the dissolution of the National Baseball Commission and the creation of the office of the Commissioner of Baseball. The new commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, banned eight players from baseball for life.[1]

Schedule

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The 1919 schedule consisted of 140 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 20 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This 140-game schedule format had been previously used in 1903. The 154-game schedule was re-instituted for the 1920 season.

National League Opening Day took place on April 19, when the Brooklyn Robins defeated the Boston Braves 5–2 at Braves Field in the first game of a doubleheader.[2] American League Opening Day (and most other National League teams' Opening Day) wouldn't take place until April 23, where each league saw six of their teams play. This continued the trend from the previous season which saw both leagues' Opening Day start on different days. The National League regular season ended on September 28, while the American League regular season ended on September 29 with the New York Yankees defeating the Philadelphia Athletics 4–2 at Shibe Park.[3] This was the first season since 1915 which saw both leagues end on different days, as well as the first season since 1903 that saw the leagues begin and conclude on different days. The World Series would begin in Cincinnati on October 1, before concluding on October 9.

Teams

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League Team City Stadium Capacity Manager
American League Boston Red Sox Boston, Massachusetts Fenway Park 35,000 Ed Barrow
Chicago White Sox Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park 28,000 Kid Gleason
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio League Park 21,414 Lee Fohl, Tris Speaker
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Navin Field 23,000 Hughie Jennings
New York Yankees New York, New York Brush Stadium 36,000 Miller Huggins
Philadelphia Athletics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Shibe Park 23,000 Connie Mack
St. Louis Browns St. Louis, Missouri Sportsman's Park 18,000 Jimmy Burke
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. Griffith Stadium 27,000 Clark Griffith
National League Boston Braves Boston, Massachusetts Braves Field 40,000 George Stallings
Brooklyn Robins New York, New York Ebbets Field 30,000 Wilbert Robinson
Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois Weeghman Park 15,000 Fred Mitchell
Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati, Ohio Redland Field 20,696 Pat Moran
New York Giants New York, New York Brush Stadium 36,000 John McGraw
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania National League Park 18,000 Jack Coombs, Gavvy Cravath
Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Forbes Field 25,000 Hugo Bezdek
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Robison Field 21,000 Branch Rickey

Standings

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American League

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American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Chicago White Sox 88 52 .629 48‍–‍22 40‍–‍30
Cleveland Indians 84 55 .604 44‍–‍25 40‍–‍30
New York Yankees 80 59 .576 46‍–‍25 34‍–‍34
Detroit Tigers 80 60 .571 8 46‍–‍24 34‍–‍36
St. Louis Browns 67 72 .482 20½ 40‍–‍30 27‍–‍42
Boston Red Sox 66 71 .482 20½ 35‍–‍30 31‍–‍41
Washington Senators 56 84 .400 32 32‍–‍40 24‍–‍44
Philadelphia Athletics 36 104 .257 52 21‍–‍49 15‍–‍55

National League

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National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cincinnati Reds 96 44 .686 51‍–‍19 45‍–‍25
New York Giants 87 53 .621 9 46‍–‍23 41‍–‍30
Chicago Cubs 75 65 .536 21 40‍–‍31 35‍–‍34
Pittsburgh Pirates 71 68 .511 24½ 39‍–‍31 32‍–‍37
Brooklyn Robins 69 71 .493 27 36‍–‍34 33‍–‍37
Boston Braves 57 82 .410 38½ 29‍–‍38 28‍–‍44
St. Louis Cardinals 54 83 .394 40½ 34‍–‍35 20‍–‍48
Philadelphia Phillies 47 90 .343 47½ 26‍–‍44 21‍–‍46

Postseason

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Bracket

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World Series
   
AL Chicago White Sox 3
NL Cincinnati Reds 5

Managerial changes

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Off-season changes

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Only one team announced a new manager in the offseason:

Date Team New manager Replaced Former job
December 31 Chicago White Sox Kid Gleason Pants Rowland Coach for the Chicago White Sox (19121914, 19161917)
January 30 Cincinnati Reds Pat Moran Christy Mathewson & Heinie Groh Won the 1915 World Series as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Philadelphia Phillies Jack Coombs Pat Moran Pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Brooklyn Robins
St. Louis Cardinals Branch Rickey Jack Hendricks General manager for the St. Louis Cardinals (19171918)

In-season changes

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One team replaced their manager during the season:

Date Team New Manager Replaced Previous Job
July 8 Philadelphia Phillies Gavvy Cravath Jack Coombs Right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies (became player-manager)
July 18 Cleveland Indians Tris Speaker Lee Fohl Center fielder for the Cleveland Indians (became player-manager)

League leaders

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American League

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National League

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Home field attendance

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Team name Wins Home attendance Per game
New York Giants[4] 87 22.5% 708,857 176.2% 10,273
Detroit Tigers[5] 80 45.5% 643,805 216.0% 9,197
Chicago White Sox[6] 88 54.4% 627,186 221.5% 8,960
New York Yankees[7] 80 33.3% 619,164 119.5% 8,482
Cleveland Indians[8] 84 15.1% 538,135 82.1% 7,799
Cincinnati Reds[9] 96 41.2% 532,501 226.7% 7,607
Chicago Cubs[10] 75 -10.7% 424,430 25.8% 5,978
Boston Red Sox[11] 66 -12.0% 417,291 67.2% 6,323
Brooklyn Robins[12] 69 21.1% 360,721 330.3% 5,153
St. Louis Browns[13] 67 15.5% 349,350 186.2% 4,991
Pittsburgh Pirates[14] 71 9.2% 276,810 29.6% 3,954
Philadelphia Phillies[15] 47 -14.5% 240,424 96.6% 3,386
Washington Senators[16] 56 -22.2% 234,096 28.5% 3,251
Philadelphia Athletics[17] 36 -30.8% 225,209 26.6% 3,217
Boston Braves[18] 57 7.5% 167,401 97.1% 2,462
St. Louis Cardinals[19] 54 5.9% 167,059 51.0% 2,421

Significant events

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Raymond Benjamin Caldwell, Yankee pitcher, full-length portrait, facing right, with right arm extended outward after throwing baseball.
Pictured is Ray Caldwell before his move from the Yankees to the Indians, whose eventful 1919 season included throwing a no-hitter and being struck by lightning during the 9th inning of a game.
New York Yankees outfielder George Halas is pictured on a signed baseball card, waiting for the ball to land in his outstretched mitt.
George Halas during his brief and unsuccessful tenure as a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees
  • April 19 – Legislation is passed by future New York City mayor Jimmy Walker that allows teams in the state of New York to play baseball on Sundays. The New York Giants were the first team to take advantage of this change, losing 4–3 to the Philadelphia Phillies in front of 35,000 fans at the Polo Ground.[20]
  • May 11 – Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hod Eller pitches a 6–0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals.[21]
    • Walter Johnson retires 28 consecutive batters during a 12-inning scoreless tie against Jack Quinn and the New York Yankees. Future football immortal George Halas, batting leadoff for New York, goes 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.[22]
  • May 20 – Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth hit his first career grand slam home run; the bomb comes against Dave Davenport of the St. Louis Browns in St. Louis. Boston wins 6–4.[23]
  • August 11 – Cleveland Indians center fielder Tris Speaker ties the AL record for run scoring, crossing the plate five times in 15–9 win at New York.[24]
  • July 1 – Going 5-for-5 in a 9–4 win over the Phillies, Brooklyn's Ed Konetchy gets his 10th straight hit, tying Jake Gettman's record set with Washington in 1897. Both will be topped by Walt Dropo in 1952.
  • August 14 – Babe Ruth hits his 17th home run, the first of seven homers in 12 days, which will include his fourth grand slam, setting an AL record until 1959.[25]
  • August 24 – Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell is hit by lightning during the ninth inning of his début for the tribe. He quickly recovered, reportedly saying "Give me that danged ball and turn me toward the plate", before pitching the final out of the game.[26]
  • September 2 – The National Commission recommends a best-of-nine World Series, abandoning the traditional seven-game series. However, the change was reverted three years later, and the seven-game format has remained ever since.
  • September 10 – Ray Caldwell, the pitcher hit by lightning just a couple of weeks before, throws a no hitter in the Cleveland Indians 3–0 victory over his former team, the New York Yankees.[27]
  • September 16 – Dutch Ruether beats the New York Giants, 4–3, to clinch the Cincinnati Reds first NL pennant and their first pennant of any kind since their American Association days.[28]
  • September 21 – In a period of rapidly played games, the Cubs beat the Braves 3–0 in 58 minutes of playing time.[29] It takes the Robins 55 minutes to beat the Reds 3–1,[30] with Slim Sallee throwing 65 pitches, managing to top Christy Mathewson's 69-pitch complete game.
  • September 24:
    • The Chicago White Sox's 6–5 win over the St. Louis Browns clinches the AL pennant; the final margin will be 3½ games over the Cleveland Indians.[31]
    • The Brooklyn Robins defeat the Phillies twice on Fred Luderus Day in Philadelphia. The second game is the 525th in a row played by the Phillies first baseman, who is presented with a diamond stickpin and gold watch between the games to commemorate his endurance effort. He will end the season with a consecutive-game streak of 553.[32]
    • Boston Red Sox pitcher Waite Hoyt throws nine perfect innings against the New York Yankees, but they score in the 13th in which he gives up 5 hits, ruining his perfect game, and losing the game 2–1.[33]
  • September 27 – Babe Ruth hit his 29th home run and his first of the year in Washington, to become the first player to hit at least one home run in every AL park in the same season.[23]
  • September 28 – The New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies set a record for the quickest nine-inning game in Major League history – 51 minutes for a Giants 6–1 victory at the Polo Grounds.[34]

References

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  1. ^ Purdy, Dennis (2006). The Team-by-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. New York City: Workman. ISBN 0-7611-3943-5.
  2. ^ "April 19, 1919 Brooklyn Robins at Boston Braves Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  3. ^ "September 29, 1919 New York Yankees at Philadelphia Athletics Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  4. ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  6. ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  7. ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Cleveland Guardians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  10. ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  11. ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  12. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  15. ^ "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  16. ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  17. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  18. ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "May 4, 1919 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  21. ^ "May 11, 1919 St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  22. ^ "May 11, 1919 Washington Senators at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Babe Ruth Career Home Runs – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  24. ^ "August 11, 1919 Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  25. ^ "August 14, 1919 Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  26. ^ "Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame – Special Features – 35 Years Ago Today Ray Caldwell Survived Lightning To Beat A's". Chautauquasportshalloffame.org. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  27. ^ "September 10, 1919 Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  28. ^ "Regular Season Standings". Major League Baseball. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  29. ^ "September 21, 1919 Boston Braves at Chicago Cubs Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  30. ^ "September 21, 1919 Brooklyn Robins at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  31. ^ "Regular Season standings". Major League Baseball. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  32. ^ "The Ballplayers – Fred Luderus – baseballbiography.com". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  33. ^ "September 24, 1919 Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  34. ^ "September 28, 1919 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
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