The 1906 season may have signaled the beginning of a changing of the guard in the top level of the base ball world. For years the New York Giants and Washington Senators were the twin titans of the game, winning pennant after pennant and sparking arguments not only about which of the two was the best in that particular season but also which of the two was the best of all-time. Well, in '06, the first chinks in the armor of the juggernauts may have been exposed.
The National League pennant, long the singular possession of the Giants, went to the Pittsburgh Pirates, whose 87-67 record was four games better than that of New York. And the Pirates weren't even the most talented nine to take on the champions - that particular accolade would likely belong to the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis posted the league's top pitching and top hitting, but faulty fielding relegated them to a 77-77 record and fifth-place standing.
In the American League, the Washington club again rolled home with the pennant. But this time they did not put away their competition early, as first the Boston and then the Cleveland clubs hung on the Senators' heels all season long. And it was Cleveland, not Washington, who was the circuit's best club after the season's opening month. A dismal performance in April doomed Cleveland, who finished stronger than Washington, but had dug themselves too deep a hole to climb out of in that poor start. In 1907, things may be different.
Individual accolades for the 1906 campaign went to Pittsburgh's Jeremiah Thiel as the top batsman in the National League. Thiel hit .314 for the league champions, with 29 doubles, 19 triples and 133 bases on balls. The American League's top hitter was Cleveland's Nat Caudle. Caudle scored 105 runs in a season where he hit .303 and recorded 21 doubles, 15 triples and 9 home runs while also stealing 67 bases. Top rookie honors went to Cleveland's Henry Lazarus who recorded a .317 average in his freshman campaign. His National League counterpart as top rookies was Pittsburgh pitcher Nat Davis who recorded a 19-19 record with a 2.70 ERA for the league champions. Pitching honors went to Cardinal pitcher Tommy Powell (26-11, 1.51 ERA) in the National League and Cleveland's Larry Singer (28-14, 1.58 ERA) in the American League.
JEREMIAH THIEL, PITTSBURGH