1893
Code:
Team W L % GB
Cleveland Spiders 82 58 .586 -
Chicago Colts 81 59 .579 1
Pittsburgh Pirates 76 64 .543 6
Boston Beaneaters 74 66 .529 8
Cincinnati Reds 74 66 .529 8
Philadelphia Phillies 66 74 .471 16
New York Giants 64 76 .457 18
Baltimore Orioles 63 77 .450 19
Brooklyn Grooms 60 80 .429 22
Louisville Colonels 60 80 .429 22
Cleveland Spiders
The Spiders did it again, winning their 5th pennant in 6 years (and 6th in 8 years) which dates back to their days in Detroit. They have clearly become the most dominant team in the early years of baseball history. RF Sam Thompson led the offensive charge with a .329 average and 96 RBI. LF Buttercup Dickerson hit .303 with 10 HR and 89 RBI while 1B Jake Virtue contributed a .324 average. Pitching continued to be their biggest strength. Lady Baldwin won his 5th Top Pitcher Award by going 24-12 with a 2.46 ERA. Teammate Cy Young was right behind him, going 24-12 with a 2.87 ERA. George Derby chipped in 15 wins and a 2.82 ERA.
Chicago Colts
With six games left in the season Chicago trailed Cleveland by 4 games. The Colts went on to gain two games over the next two days, trimming the lead to two games. Both Chicago and Cleveland won their final two games, and with two days left, the Colts still trailed by two games.
On September 1st, Cleveland lost to Baltimore 4-3 and Chicago defeated Cincinnati 5-1. Now with only the final game left to play, Chicago needed a win and a Cleveland loss to force a tiebreaking game for the pennant. Baltimore helped the cause by beating Cleveland 4-1, but Chicago was unable to live up to the pressure as the Reds dispatched them easily 9-0.
The Colts offense was #1 in the NL, hitting .301 and scoring a league leading 723 runs. Catcher Sy Sutcliffe finished 2nd in the NL batting race with a .365 average. RF Sam Dungan hit .341, and four other regulars hit over .300. Plus four batters with 100 or more at-bats hit above .300. Gus Krock had a great season, leading the pitching staff with a 2.61 ERA and 25 wins. Laurie Reis had his first 20-win season (21-12) since 1879. He is now 2nd all-time with 270 career victories.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates were a big surprise this season and you can give credit to the pitching staff. Silver King fulfilled his promise, going 25-10 with a 2.99 ERA. Jock Menafee was named Top Rookie, going 22-11 with a 3.16 ERA. Offensively, 1B Jake Beckley had a breakout season at age 26, hitting .338 with 10 HR and 79 RBI. CF Pete Browning hit .356 with 67 RBI. Four other regulars hit between .303-.319. 38-year-old 2B Hardy "Old True Blue" Richardson led the team with 81 RBI despite a .261 average.
Boston Beaneaters
3B Billy Nash hit .333 with 99 RBI to lead the team. No other regular hit .300. LF Tommy McCarthy hit .291 with 10 HR. 23-year-old Kid Nichols had his best season to date, going 23-11 with a 2.71 ERA. Joe Borden went 20-17 with a 3.88 ERA at age 39. He now has 282 career wins, #1 all-time.
Cincinnati Reds
2nd year man Elton "Icebox" Chamberlain led the team with a 2.98 ERA but had just a 14-13 record. "Handsome Henry" Boyle (22-14, 3.34) and Billy Rhines (19-16, 3.48) led the team in wins. The offense was one of the better units in the league. LF Willie Halligan hit .332 with 63 RBI and Jocko Halligan hit .318. 3B George Pinkney hit .317 with 63 RBI. 2B Fred Dunlap led the team with 73 RBI and hit .294. All eight of their starters had between 50-73 RBI.
Philadelphia Phillies
Offense was this team's only strength. Ed Delahanty was moved to 1B and he led the team with a .335 average and 7 HR and drove in 84 RBI. RF Dan Brouthers hit .330 with 76 RBI. LF "Sliding Billy" Hamilton led the team with 89 RBI while hitting .302 and stealing 72 bases. Pitching was a big problem, however. Gus Weyhing won 16 games, but the team's best ERA was Bill Vinton's 3.39.
New York Giants
The heart of the Giants offense was lethal at time. LF Jesse Burkett hit .361 with 78 RBI. CF Mike Tiernan hit .350 with 12 HR and 101 RBI and was named the league's Top Batter. John Clarkson (18-12, 2.79) and Bill George (18-16, 2.96) had good seasons. Both John Ewing (11-20, 4.21) and Harry McCormick (10-17, 4.03) gained 1.00 on their ERA from last season and were key reasons why the team fell below .500.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles posted a huge 25 game improvement from last season. Of course, they set a record with 102 losses last season but they ended April in 2nd place before sliding later in the year. LF Jack McGeachy led the team with a .299 average, and SS "Voiceless Tim" O'Rourke was tops with 64 RBI. The pitching staff made some small improvements from last season, and Ted Breitenstein (20-11, 3.00) became the team's 1st ever 20-game winner.
Brooklyn Grooms
In his 2nd season, 3B "Scrappy Bill" Joyce led the team with a .316 average and 67 RBI. 2B Hub Collins hit .296 with a mighty 11 homeruns. Oyster Burns continued his role as clutch hitter, driving in 92 RBI with just a .261 average. Charlie Sweeney posted a 2.81 ERA but went just 15-14. Adonis Terry (3.91 ERA) lost 27 games. George Keefe, however, managed 18 wins with a 3.37 ERA.
Louisville Colonels
Pitching wasn't too bad for the 2nd year team. Phil Knell had a 2.71 ERA but got no offensive help on his way to a sad 11-18 record. Jouett Meekin went 16-16 with a 3.18 ERA. Scott Stratton (12-22, 3.73) now has 45 losses in two years despit solid ratings (5/9/10). 1B Harry Taylor was the team's only .300 hitter at .305 but drove in just 28 RBI. SS Hughie Jennings led the team with 62 RBI but had just a .269 average.
Batting AVG
.361 Jesse Burkett, NYG
.356 Sy Sutcliffe, CHC
.356 Pete Browning, PIT
.350 Mike Tiernan, NYG
.341 Sam Dungan, CHC
HOMERUNS
12 Mike Tiernan, NYG
11 Hub Collins, BRO
10 Jake Beckley, PIT
10 Tommy McCarthy, BSN
10 Buttercup Dickerson, BSN
10 Jimmy Cooney, CHC
RBI
101 Mike Tiernan, NYG
99 Billy Nash, BSN
96 Sam Thompson, CLS
92 Oyster Burns, BRO
89 Billy Hamilton, PHI
89 Buttercup Dickerson, CLS -1st player ever to 1000 career RBI
OPS
.923 Jesse Burkett, NYG
.923 Billy Joyce, BRO
.910 Mike Tiernan, NYG
.888 Pete Browning, PIT
.882 King Kelly, CLS
STEALS
72 Billy Hamilton, PHI (72-24, 74.74%)
61 Darby O'Brien, BRO (61-22, 73.49%)
60 Hub Collins, BRO (60-19, 75.95%)
56 Mike Tiernan, NYG (56-22, 71.79%)
54 Hughie Jennings, LVC (54-12, 81.82%)
ERA
2.46 Lady Baldwin, CLS (24-12)
2.61 Gus Krock, CHC (25-10)
2.71 Phil Knell, LVC (11-18)
2.71 Kid Nichols, BSN (23-11)
2.79 John Clarkson, NYG (18-12)
WINS
25 Silver King, PIT (25-10, 2.99)
25 Gus Krock, CHC
24 Cy Young, CLS (24-12, 2.87)
24 Lady Baldwin, CLS
23 Kid Nichols, BSN
STRIKEOUTS
184 Lady Baldwin, CLS
178 Laurie Reis, CHC (21-12, 3.33)
174 Bill Vinton, PHI (14-18, 3.39)
168 Silver King, PIT
162 Kid Nichols, BSN
POY: Lady Baldwin, CLS, 24-12, 2.46 ERA, 38 BB, 184 K, .236 OAVG, 1.03 WHIP
BOY: CF Mike Tiernan, NYG, .350, 12 HR, 101 RBI, 56 SB, .910 OPS
ROY: Jock Menefee, PIT, 22-11, 3.16 ERA, 42 BB, 89 K, .290 OAVG, 1.30 WHIP