[Kaumeyer]

I know what you're saying: not another one!

I'm aware that there are a lot of dynasties similar to the one I'm about to start, but I really feel this will help me learn more about baseball's history. Please excuse me for my redundancy!

First of all, I want to both thank AND apologize to TigerFan. Thanks for the wonderful dynasties that you've created: they've inspired me to do something similar. Thanks also for your historical facepacks, which add so much from an immersion standpoint for me while doing this.

However, I also must apologize to you as well: they say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery and I hope you believe that statement. Your dynasty writing is superb and I have a feeling I'm going to borrow quite liberally from your style - I hope that's okay.

I will start things in 1901, the so-called start of the modern era of baseball. I will start off each year with some facts and memorable moments from the real season in question and then move to my replay season. I'm not planning on copying a bunch of stats at this time, but if it's something that a reader would like to see, let me know.

There are certain liberties that I'll take with my recreation in order to keep things as realistic as possible - for example, expansion and city changes will be handled as they were in real life. Baseball was filled with politics in the early years, and I'll have my recreation of baseball history reinact many major moments from real life (ie: Nap Lajoie being forced to move to Cleveland in 1902 in order to keep him away from the National League). The one I won't touch, however, will be real life player deaths (ie: Ed Delahanty, Thurman Munson, Roberto Clemente, etc) - they will live on in my recreation if they haven't retired in-game. To help keep things clear, I will bold face anything that happened both in real life and in my recreation when reporting.

On to the show...

[Kaumeyer]

1901 Season

Real Life -
The modern era of baseball begins with the formation of the eight-team American League. The A.L. boldly placed franchises in Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston - National League strongholds. Among a series of rule changes was the declaration that all foul balls will count as strikes, except when the batter already has two.

On April 24th, Chicago played host to the A.L.'s first major league game, defeating Cleveland 8-2. The next day, Detroit would celebrate its A.L. debut by scoring 10 runs in the ninth to beat Milwaukee 14-13. On July 15th, Christy Mathewson, the Giants 21-year old rookie righthander, held the Cardinals hitless in a 5-0 New York victory in St. Louis.

The White Stockings captured the first A.L. pennant with an 83-53 record while the Pittsburgh Pirates won the N.L. with a 90-49 record. Nap Lajoie recorded Triple Crown totals of .426, 14 homers and 125 RBI. Cy Young was dominant for Boston in winning 33 games.

The Recreation -
March 28, 1901: In a move to keep Napoleon Lajoie from jumping to the A.L.'s Athletics, the Phillies filed for an injunction to keep him from playing for any other team. Ultimately, this was rejected, and Lajoie would in fact move to the new A.L. franchise led by Connie Mack.

April 1, 1901: The Chicago White Stockings defeat Cleveland 3-2 in 11 innings in the first American League contest behind a complete game performance from Nixey Callahan.

April 4, 1901: Cincinnati's Jake "Eagle Eye" Beckley reaches the 2000 hit plateau in an 11-4 win over Brooklyn.

April 29, 1901: Tobie Pittinger from the Boston Beaneaters throws the first modern day no-hitter in a 1-0 triumph over the Chicago Orphans.

September 19, 1901: The baseball schedule was cancelled due to the funeral of President William McKinley, who was killed by an assassin's bullet.

September 29, 1901: Detroit wins the first American League pennant with an 87 win season, while the Pittsburgh Pirates triumph in the N.L. with an 89-51 record. Second place finishers in the N.L., the Philadelphia Phillies take solace in the fact that young right fielder Elmer Flick wins the National League's Triple Crown with a .351 average, 13 homers and 90 RBI.

November 20, 1901: A.L. President Ban Johnson shifted his Milwaukee franchise to St. Louis for a head-to-head battle with the N.L.'s Cardinals. Seven Cardinals, including top hitters Jesse Burkett and Bobby Wallace, jumped to the American League's St. Louis franchise.

Final Standings

American League           W    L    PCT   GB
Detroit Tigers           87   53   .621    -
Baltimore Orioles        78   62   .557    9
Chicago White Stockings  77   63   .550   10
Milwaukee Brewers        77   63   .550   10
Philadelphia Athletics   71   69   .507   16
Boston Americans         67   73   .479   20
Washington Senators      55   85   .393   32
Cleveland Blues          48   92   .343   39

National League           W    L    PCT   GB
Pittsburgh Pirates       89   51   .636    -
Philadelphia Phillies    85   55   .607    4
St. Louis Cardinals      76   64   .543   13
Brooklyn Superbas        69   71   .493   20
Boston Beaneaters        65   75   .464   24
New York Giants          65   75   .464   24
Chicago Orphans          60   80   .429   29
Cincinnati Reds          51   89   .364   38

Leaders
American League                    National League
BA: Nap Lajoie, PHI, .419          BA: Elmer Flick, PHI, .351
Runs: Nap Lajoie, PHI, 105         Runs: Elmer Flick, PHI, 94
                                         Tommy Leach, PIT, 94
Hits: Nap Lajoie, PHI, 229         Hits: Elmer Flick, PHI, 179
TB: Nap Lajoie, PHI, 319           TB: Elmer Flick, PHI, 273
HR: Mike Grady, WAS, 17            HR: Elmer Flick, PHI, 13
                                         Sam Crawford, CIN, 13
RBI: Nap Lajoie, PHI, 104          RBI: Elmer Flick, PHI, 90
SB: John McGraw, BAL, 69           SB: Joe Kelley, BRO, 69
Wins: Dale Gear, WAS, 23           Wins: Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 27
      Ned Garvin, MIL, 23
ERA: Cy Young, BOS, 2.07           ERA: Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 2.18
CG: Dale Gear, WAS, 39             CG: Jack Chesbro, PIT, 34
                                       Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 34
                                       Dummy Taylor, NYG, 34
                                       Al Orth, PHI, 34
IP: Dale Gear, WAS, 371.2          IP: Al Orth, PHI, 319.1
SO: Dale Gear, WAS, 138            SO: Bill Donovan, BRO, 134
    Cy Young, BOS, 138

20-Game Winners
American League                    National League
Ned Garvin, MIL, 23-12             Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 27-8
Dale Gear, WAS, 23-16              Al Orth, PHI, 23-13
Joe Yeager, DET, 22-11             Jack Chesbro, PIT, 21-13
Joe McGinnity, BAL, 20-16          Jesse Tannehill, PIT, 21-12
                                   Red Donahue, PHI, 21-10
                                   Brickyard Kennedy, BRO, 21-12
                                   Jack Powell, STL, 20-13
                                   Doc White, PHI, 20-9

100 RBIs
American League                    National League
Nap Lajoie, PHI, 104

Notable Rookies
Socks Seybold, PHA, .325, 163 hits, 32 doubles, 9 HR, 82 RBI
Roger 'Duke of Tralee' Bresnahan, BAL, .262, 81 hits, 15 doubles, 16 SB
Dale Gear, WAS, 2.20, 23-16, 371.2 IP, 290 H, 49 BB, 138 SO
Christy 'Big Six' Mathewson, NYG, 2.49, 14-13, 246 IP, 217 H, 39 BB, 121 SO

[metsgeek]

I never get tired of these types of threads. You're off to a great start. Will you be importing players to their actual teams? Or holding drafts?

[Kaumeyer]

originally posted by metsgeek:
I never get tired of these types of threads. You're off to a great start. Will you be importing players to their actual teams? Or holding drafts?

Thanks! I'll be just importing players to their original teams. Trades are on for the replay though, so players will move to teams they didn't play on in real life.

I may throw a curveball when I reach the 70s by taking over the Blue Jays when they come into the league. We'll see!

[metsgeek]

One more thing.....what are you doing about Babe Ruth? Are you using Ankit's database where he come in as 2 players?

If not, I would manually switch him to RF in '18 or earlier.

[Kaumeyer]

I'll manually edit Ruth's position when he becomes a full time fielder.

I'll be posting my 1902 results this evening: it was an interesting year for Nap Lajoie in my replay, to say the least and really changes the course of history for the Cleveland franchise...

[Kaumeyer]

1902 Season

Real Life -
In a stirring Major League debut on April 26th, Cleveland's Addie Joss fired a one-hitter and beat the Browns 3-0. One of the biggest political scandals in baseball history culminated in the decision to shift the contract of star Athletics infielder Nap Lajoie to Cleveland. This would effectively keep him from returning to the National League. The team welcomed their new player with open arms, even naming themselves 'The Naps' starting in 1903 in his honor. Lajoie would play 12 more seasons with the Cleveland franchise before ending his career back in Philadelphia in 1916.

On July 19th, The New York Giants, en route to a last-place finish in the N.L., dropped a 5-3 decision to Philadelphia in the managerial debut of John McGraw. On September 26th, Philadelphia Athletics star Socks Seybold completed the American League season with a Major League single-season record 16 home runs. On October 4th, the Pirates completed their 103-36 season with a 27 1/2 game lead over second-place Brooklyn in the N.L. The Athletics won the A.L. pennant with an 83-53 record.

New Cleveland Bronchos star Nap Lajoie won the A.L. batting crown with a .378 average, Buck Freeman knocked in 121 runs with Boston and teammate Cy Young continued his dominance over the junior circuit with a 32-11 record. On the N.L. side, Ginger Beaumont's .357 average and 193 hits led the way, with Pirate teammate Honus Wagner leading the RBI and SB race with 91 & 42 respectively. Jack Chesbro of Pittsburgh, Jack Taylor of the Orphans and Vic Willis from the Beaneaters led the pitching categories.

The Recreation -
The 1902 season began with many 'cosmetic' changes. The Boston Americans would now be known as the Somersets and the Cleveland Blues were now called the Bronchos. The A.L.'s Milwaukee franchise was now in St. Louis and nicknamed the Browns. They would play their home games in the 8,000 seat Sportsman's Park. The National League also saw the Cincinnati Reds move to the Palace of the Fans from League Park.

April 21, 1902: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court granted an injunction barring league-jumper Napoleon Lajoie from playing for any team but the the Phillies.

April 26, 1902: Athletics centerfielder Dave Fultz had his 35 game hitting streak snapped in a game against the Somersets.

May 27, 1902: Nap 'Larry' Lajoie's contract is shifted to Cleveland. He would not be able to play games in Pennsylvania and would therefore not make those road trips.

June 11, 1902: 21-year old New York hurler Christy Mathewson tosses a no-hitter in a 4-0 triumph over Boston. 'Big Six' struck out 3 and walked 3 on the day.

June 16, 1902: Beaneater shortstop Herman 'Germany' Long reached the 2000 hit plateau in a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

July 8, 1902: The A.L. lost Baltimore manager John McGraw, who jumped to the N.L. as manager of the Giants and took five players with him.

July 11, 1902: In an earth shattering move for the American League, the Bronchos traded disgruntled star Nap Lajoie back to the National League and Cincinnati in return for Tim 'Parson' Lewis and Buck Hooker. Cleveland went 11-25 with Lajoie in their lineup, including a 12-game losing streak.

July 23, 1902: Dummy Hay, the veteran centerfielder for the White Sox, collected his 2000th career hit in a game against the Athletics.

July 30, 1902: Nap Lajoie was moved to his fourth different team in 1902 when the Reds dealt him to the Brooklyn Superbas for pitcher Brickyard Kennedy.

August 19, 1902: The 2000 hit club was joined by New York Giants 32-year old star shortstop George Davis in a game against the Phillies.

September 26, 1902: The Pittsburgh Pirates win a second consecutive N.L. crown behind a superlative pitching staff while the brand new St. Louis franchise wins the American League pennant.

December 9, 1902: The A.L. announced plans to relocate the Baltimore franchise to New York for the 1903 season.

December 12, 1902: Owners elected Harry Pulliam as N.L. president.

Final Standings

American League           W    L    PCT   GB
St. Louis Browns         87   53   .621    -
Detroit Tigers           81   59   .579    6
Philadelphia Athletics   71   69   .507   16
Baltimore Orioles        68   72   .486   19
Chicago White Sox        67   73   .479   20
Washington Senators      63   77   .450   24
Boston Somersets         62   78   .443   25
Cleveland Bronchos       61   79   .436   26

National League           W    L    PCT   GB
Pittsburgh Pirates       90   50   .643    -
Philadelphia Phillies    82   58   .586    8
New York Giants          75   65   .536   15
Chicago Orphans          72   68   .514   18
St. Louis Cardinals      65   75   .464   25
Cincinnati Reds          62   78   .443   28
Boston Beaneaters        57   83   .407   33
Brooklyn Superbas        57   83   .407   33

Leaders
American League                    National League
BA: Jesse Burkett, STL, .341       BA: Willie Keeler, BRO, .343
Runs: Dave Fultz, PHI, 88          Runs: Honus Wagner, PIT, 105
      Patsy Dougherty, BOS, 88
Hits: Ducky Holmes, DET, 162       Hits: Honus Wagner, PIT, 172
TB: Ducky Holmes, DET, 232         TB: Honus Wagner, PIT, 242
HR: Buck Freeman, BOS, 13          HR: Ed Delahanty, PHI, 11
RBI: Emmet Heidrick, SLB, 88       RBI: Ginger Beaumont, PIT, 104
SB: Patsy Dougherty, BOS, 70       SB: Honus Wagner, PIT, 66
Wins: Jack Powell, STL, 24         Wins: Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 22
                                         Sam Leever, PIT, 22
ERA: Addie Joss, CLE, 2.17         ERA: Christy Mathewson, NYG, 1.88
CG: Dale Gear, WAS, 37             CG: Alex Pearson, STL, 34
                                       Al Orth, PHI, 34
IP: Dale Gear, WAS, 342.1          IP: Al Orth, PHI, 320.0
SO: Doc Newton, BOS, 108           SO: Bill Donovan, BRO, 143

20-Game Winners
American League                    National League
Jack Powell, STL, 24-11            Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 22-11
Ed Siever, DET, 23-7               Sam Leever, PIT, 22-11
Eddie Plank, PHI, 22-12            Jesse Tannehill, PIT, 21-13
Tully Sparks, STL, 21-10           Al Orth, PHI, 21-14
Joe McGinnity, BAL, 21-14          Bob Ewing, CIN, 20-14 
Roscoe Miller, DET, 20-14          Mike O'Neill, STL, 20-13
                                   Red Donahue, PHI, 20-12
                                   Jack Chesbro, PIT, 20-9

100 RBIs
American League                    National League
                                   Ginger Beaumont, PIT, 104

Notable Player Performances
LF Jesse 'Crab' Burkett, 33, St. Louis Browns
.341 AVG, 457 AB, 156 H, 79 R, 22 2B, 8 3B, 6 HR, 73 RBI, 42 BB, 24 K, 28 SB 

CF Ginger Beaumont, 26, Pittsburgh Pirates
.290 AVG, 559 AB, 162 H, 79 R, 22 2B, 14 3B, 8 HR, 104 RBI, 45 BB, 44 K, 30 SB

Notable Pitching Performances
SP Christy 'Big Six' Mathewson, 22, New York Giants
19-10, 1.88 ERA, 35 GS, 273.1 IP, 191 H, 54 BB, 99 K, 8 CG, 4 SHO

SP Jack 'Red' Powell, 28, St. Louis Browns
24-11, 2.41 ERA, 36 GS, 314 IP, 273 H, 47 BB, 96 K, 31 CG, 2 SHO

Notable Rookie Performances
LF Patsy Dougherty, 25, Boston Somersets
.329 AVG, 487 AB, 160 H, 88 R, 14 2B, 18 3B, 1 HR, 51 RBI, 48 BB, 33 K, 70 SB

SP 'Long Bob' Ewing, 29, Cincinnati Reds
20-14, 3.57 ERA, 34 GS, 300.1 IP, 306 H, 92 BB, 93 K, 32 CG, 1 SHO

[Kaumeyer]

Player Profile: Nap 'Larry' Lajoie

Napoleon Lajoie (pronunced lazh-way) was born in the industrial town of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the son of French Canadian immigrants. By age 10 he had dropped out of school and was working in a textile mill. He eventually quit the mill to work as a cab driver, guiding a team of horses around Woonsocket delivering goods and passengers. He devoted weekends to his favorite pastime, playing catcher on a semipro baseball team. In 1896, he was discovered by a nearby minor league team, and a few months later found himself in the middle of the Philadelphia Phillies’ batting order.

Lajoie quickly became one of the best hitters in the National League. His stance appeared lazy and nonchalant, but he was able to whip his bat through the strike zone with extraordinary quickness. Other teams tried to pitch around Lajoie so much that he eventually mastered the art of throwing his bat at a pitch to thwart intentional walks. One of the most versatile players in history, he played four positions regularly during his pro career – catcher, first base, second base, and center field – and filled in at the other four when needed. He eventually found a permanent home at second base, where one sportswriter described him as “graceful as an antelope.” At 6’1” and 195 pounds, Lajoie was unusually large for a second baseman, but he was also a tremendous athlete – so physically fit that he received offers from carnival promoters to serve as a model of the human physique.

A quiet, shy man, Lajoie somehow still managed to become involved in most of the baseball controversies of his day. He could also let his temper get the best of him: once he missed over a month when he tried to punch teammate Elmer Flick. Flick ducked and Lajoie hit a wall instead, breaking his hand. That sort of aggressiveness appealed to the new American League, and in 1901, when the upstart circuit was trying to establish itself as a legitimate major league by raiding the N.L. of its best players, Lajoie was one of the first they pursued. He was already making the N.L. maximum of $2,400 per year, plus another $200 under the table. But when Connie Mack offered him a reported $4,000 salary to jump to the new Philadelphia Athletics, Lajoie accepted. Because he was skeptical that the new league would stay in business, he required Mack to deposit the entire amount in his bank account first. The Phillies were hit especially hard by the A.L. raids, losing five other stars in addition to Lajoie. Left in shambles, the team filed lawsuit against its former players, seeking an injunction to prevent them from playing in the American League.

While the two leagues battled it out in court during 1901, Lajoie quietly went about his business, putting together one of the greatest seasons in baseball history. He batted .419 and led the majors in runs, RBI, TB, hits, doubles, slugging, and on-base percentage. But on Opening Day 1902, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court finally handed down its decision: Lajoie had to return to the National League because the reserve clause in his contract bound him to the Phillies for life. But since the court only had jurisdiction over the state of Pennsylvania, A.L. president Ban Johnson found a way around the decision: he simply took Lajoie away from the Athletics and gave him to the Cleveland Bronchos. Because Lajoie was a fugitive in Pennsylvania, he didn’t accompany the Bronchos on any of their road trips to Philadelphia. Sheriff’s deputies routinely met the team train at the station to search for Lajoie. They never found him, and he would always re-join the team on its next stop. The Phillies, meanwhile, only ended up shooting themselves in the foot with all their legal wrangling. With Lajoie and several other stars unable to make road trips to Philadelphia, the Athletics beat up on their opponents, posting a 56-17 home record and drawing four times as many fans as the beleaguered Phils. Ultimately, the pressure got to Lajoie and the new team, who buckled and traded the star to the senior circuit and the Cincinnati Reds for Tim Lewis and Buck Hooker. He would get traded again a few weeks later and finish his season with the Brooklyn Superbas.

In 1903, the two leagues would agree to peacefully coexist, and Lajoie would again be allowed to play in Pennsylvania.

[Tiger Fan]

Great start. A very interesting read. I look forward to following your dynasty. Thanks for the compliments in your first post, and no apology necessary.

[Kaumeyer]

Thanks Tiger Fan...much appreciated!

[Kaumeyer]

1903 Season

Real Life -
A peace treaty was signed with the N.L. agreeing to recognize the A.L. as a Major League and both parties agreeing to honour the reserve clause in player contracts. On April 22nd, the A.L.'s new New York franchise officially opened play in a 3-1 loss at Washington. They would open up new Hilltop Park a week later by defeating the Senators 6-2.

Washington star Ed Delahanty died on July 2nd when he fell off a railroad bridge spanning the Niagara River in Fort Erie, Ontario. More tragedy occured on August 8th, when a bleacher overhang at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl collapsed, killing 12 and injuring 282 more.

Boston clinched the A.L. pennant which set up the first ever championship playoff with N.L. winner Pittsburgh. The presidents of both franchises agreed to a best-of-nine series, which ultimately was won by Boston 5 games to 3.

Nap Lajoie's .344 average won the A.L. batting crown while Boston's Buck Freeman continued to power Boston's lineup with an A.L. leading 13 homers and 104 RBI. Cy Young led the A.L. with a 28-9 record. In the N.L., Ginger Beaumont's 137 Runs, 209 Hits and 272 TB led the way while fellow teammate Honus Wagner won the batting title with a .355 average. The Giants Joe McGinnity went 31-20 on the season with an amazing 434 innings to lead the N.L., while Christy Mathewson continued his climb to stardom with a 30-13 record and an N.L. leading 267 strikeouts.

The Recreation -
The biggest change to start 1903 would be the new A.L. franchise in New York, called the Highlanders. They would start play in 16,000 seat Hilltop Park. This move prompted several stars to jump ship from their old team to the new squad, including Pittsburgh's Jack Chesbro, Jack O'Connor and Jesse Tannehill, Brooklyn's Willie Keeler and the Beaneater's Herman Long.

The Boston Somersets would now be known as 'The Pilgrims', while the Chicago Orphans changed their name to 'The Cubs'. The Cleveland franchise, looking to change their fortunes after the failed experiment with Nap Lajoie from the previous year, took on the 'Indians' nickname to start fresh.

April 20, 1903: Lave Cross from the Philadelphia Athletics gets his 2000th career hit in a 4-2 win over the Highlanders.

May 3 & May 9 1903: St. Louis Browns starters Ned Garvin and Bert Husting become the first teammates to throw no-hitters within a week of each other, with Garvin stifling the Tigers and Husting shutting down Washington for their no-no's.

May 4, 1903: Topsy Hartsel of the Chicago Cubs turned in the best hitting performance of the year in a 20-3 destruction of the Brooklyn Superbas. Hartsel went 3-5 with 6 RBI and 4 runs in the victory.

June 4, 1903: The first big trade of the year sees Philadelphia Phillies stalwart 'Smiling Al' Orth going to Cleveland for starter Bill Reidy.

June 24, 1903: The top pitching performance of the year was by Pilgrims George Winter, who threw a 14-inning, 4 hit CG gem versus the Chicago White Sox in a 3-2 victory.

July 30, 1903: The Highlanders trade 'Iron Man' Joe McGinnity to Cleveland for 2nd year starter Gus Dorner.

August 7, 1903: Cubs second baseman Cupid Childs reached the 2000 hit plateau in a win over the Phillies.

August 19, 1903: Bill Carrick throws the third A.L. no-hitter on the year for Washington in a win over the Chicago White Sox.

September 3, 1903: 'Wee Willie' Keeler notches his 2000th career hit for the New York Highlanders in a 7-2 win over the Senators.

September 11, 1903: The Chicago Cubs end the Pirates' dominance over the National League and the St. Louis Browns win the American League pennant for the second consecutive year. The presidents of both clubs agree to a best-of-nine series to decide baseball's ultimate champion.

September 23, 1903: The Chicago Cubs win the first modern day World Series with a 7-2 victory over the Browns. Chicago won the series 5 games to 3. Top guns for the Cubs included SP 'Long Tom' Hughes, who went 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA and 3 CG, and 3B Jack Delahanty, who hit .355 in the series with 1 HR, 5 RBI and 7 runs scored.

Final Standings

American League           W    L    PCT   GB
St. Louis Browns         78   62   .557    -
Detroit Tigers           76   64   .543    2
New York Highlanders     74   66   .529    4
Philadelphia Athletics   71   69   .507    7
Boston Pilgrims          67   73   .479   11
Cleveland Indians        66   74   .471   12
Washington Senators      65   75   .464   13
Chicago White Sox        63   77   .450   15

National League           W    L    PCT   GB
Chicago Cubs             80   60   .571    -
New York Giants          79   61   .564    1
Pittsburgh Pirates       77   63   .550    3
Brooklyn Superbas        73   67   .521    7
Philadelphia Phillies    70   70   .500   10
Boston Beaneaters        69   71   .493   11
Cincinnati Reds          66   74   .471   14
St. Louis Cardinals      46   94   .329   34

World Series Championship
Game 1: Chicage 4, St. Louis 2 (W: T. Hughes, L: B. Husting) 
Game 2: Chicago 6, St. Louis 5 (W: J. Menefee, L: J. Powell)
Game 3: St. Louis 6, Chicago 4 (W: T. Sparks, L: J. Weimer)
Game 4: Chicago 3, St. Louis 1 (W: T. Hughes, L: B. Husting)
Game 5: Chicago 5, St. Louis 1 (W: J. Menefee, L: J. Powell)
Game 6: St. Louis 8, Chicago 6 (W: T. Sparks, L: J. Weimer)
Game 7: St. Louis 3, Chicago 2 (W: B. Husting, L: T. Hughes)
Game 8: Chicago 7, St. Louis 2 (W: B. Rhoads, L: N. Garvin)
Chicago Cubs win World Series 5-3

Regular Season Leaders
American League                    National League
BA: Jimmy Collins, BOS, .321       BA: Billy Hamilton, BOS, .329
Runs: Mike Grady, WAS, 95          Runs: John McGraw, NYG, 104 
Hits: Lave Cross, PHI, 162         Hits: Terry Leach, PIT, 167
      Emmet Heidrick, STL, 162           Elmer Flick, PHI, 167
TB: Emmet Heidrick, STL, 229       TB: Ed Delahanty, PHI, 243
HR: Mike Grady, WAS, 15            HR: Ed Delahanty, PHI, 13
                                       Sam Crawford, CIN, 13
                                       Tom McCreery, BRO, 13
RBI: Harry Davis, PHI, 82          RBI: Ed Delahanty, PHI, 102   
SB: Mike Donlin, NYH, 52           SB: John McGraw, NYG, 73 
Wins: Eddie Plank, PHI, 22         Wins: Bill Dineen, BOS, 24
      George Winter, BOS, 22
ERA: Addie Joss, CLE, 1.64         ERA: Tom Hughes, CHI, 2.02
CG: Case Patten, WAS, 36           CG: Jake Weimer, CHI, 33 
                                       Harry Howell, NYG, 33
IP: Case Patten, WAS, 321.0        IP: Jake Weimer, CHI, 327.1
SO: Bert Husting, STL, 141         SO: Noodles Hahn, CIN, 164

20-Game Winners
American League                    National League
Eddie Plank, PHI, 22-13            Bill Dineen, BOS, 24-8
George Winter, BOS, 22-12          Christy Mathewson, NYG, 22-6
Jack Chesbro, NYH, 21-11           Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 22-8
Roscoe Miller, DET, 20-14          Tom Hughes, CHI, 21-13
Bert Husting, STL, 20-13           Red Donahue, PHI, 20-12

100 RBIs
American League                    National League
None                               Ed Delahanty, PHI, 102

Notable Player Performances
3B Jimmy Collins, 33, Boston Pilgrims
.321 AVG, 498 AB, 160 H, 78 R, 30 2B, 8 3B, 5 HR, 69 RBI, 34 BB, 27 K, 6 SB 

LF 'Big Ed' Delahanty, 35, Philadelphia Phillies
.311 AVG, 515 AB, 160 H, 92 R, 32 2B, 6 3B, 13 HR, 102 RBI, 44 BB, 34 K, 10 SB

Notable Pitching Performances
SP Bert 'Pete' Husting, 25, St. Louis Browns
20-13, 2.25 ERA, 34 GS, 307.1 IP, 201 H, 103 BB, 141 K, 33 CG, 4 SHO

SP 'Big Bill' Dineen, 27, Boston Beaneaters
24-8, 2.25 ERA, 34 GS, 307.2 IP, 249 H, 51 BB, 94 K, 32 CG, 4 SHO

Notable Rookie Performances
SP Chief Bender, 19, Philadelphia Athletics
16-8, 2.97 ERA, 35 GS, 264.0 IP, 241 H, 53 BB, 84 K, 5 CG, 1 SHO

SP 'Tornado Jake' Weimer, 29, Chicago Cubs
19-14 2.36 ERA, 36 GS, 327.1 IP, 291 H, 81 BB, 125 K, 33 CG, 4 SHO

[swampdragon]

I have noticed that Boston and Chicago never seem to do very well in these replays, even though they were in the first division in RL during the period and Boston won two of the first three pennants. Do you have any insight on that from your replay?

[Kaumeyer]

Originally posted by swampdragon
I have noticed that Boston and Chicago never seem to do very well in these replays, even though they were in the first division in RL during the period and Boston won two of the first three pennants. Do you have any insight on that from your replay?

An interesting question. I'm going to do some analysis and post the answers for you. Nothing jumped out at me originally, although Cy Young certainly hasn't been anywhere near as dominant in my replays as he was in real life (some injury problems along with limited run support). Another major thing that differs in my replay is that Bill Dineen did not move to the Red Sox from the Beaneaters-he was quite the stud for the Pilgrims/Red Sox in the early 1900's, with three consecutive 20-win seasons and he's doing very well with the Beaneaters in my replay. Haven't looked at the White Sox yet but as I said, I'll do a bunch of number crunching and post here!

ps: White Sox are doing quite well so far in my 1904 season (43-34) while the Red Sox continue to play poor baseball with a record of 31-46.

[Kaumeyer]

Alrighty, I've done a bit of research regarding your question on the poor play of Boston and Chicago in the American League. I'll only take a quick look at Chicago, because I feel their performance in my replay has been pretty close to what happened in real life:

                    Batting     Runs         ERA       Fielding     Record
1901 White Sox     .276 (5th)  819 (1st)  2.98 (1st)  .941 (5th)    83 - 53
1901 REPLAY        .243 (8th)  633 (3rd)  3.46 (5th)  .965 (2nd)    77 - 63

1902 White Sox     .268 (6th)  675 (5th)  3.41 (5th)  .955 (2nd)    74 - 60
1902 REPLAY        .231 (8th)  522 (8th)  2.92 (2nd)  .965 (1st)    67 - 73

1903 White Sox     .247 (6th)  516 (6th)  3.02 (6th)  .949 (7th)    60 - 77
1903 REPLAY        .226 (8th)  546 (8th)  3.09 (3rd)  .965 (1st)    63 - 77

The White Sox of my replay are a very poor offensive ballclub, with their batting average at the bottom of the league in each of the first three seasons. Their pitching has been better in 02 & 03, keeping them relatively competitive. The real life White Sox won 217 games in these three years while the replay had them winning 207...pretty close, I think.

Now the Americans/Somersets/Pilgrims...quite a different story:

                    Batting     Runs         ERA       Fielding     Record
1901 Americans     .278 (4th)  760 (3rd)  3.04 (2nd)  .943 (1st)    79 - 57
1901 REPLAY        .258 (4th)  576 (6th)  3.29 (4th)  .959 (6th)    67 - 73

1902 Somersets     .278 (4th)  664 (6th)  3.02 (1st)  .956 (1st)    77 - 60
1902 REPLAY        .249 (5th)  544 (6th)  3.52 (5th)  .961 (5th)    62 - 78

1903 Pilgrims      .272 (1st)  708 (1st)  2.57 (1st)  .959 (2nd)    91 - 47
1903 REPLAY        .237 (7th)  565 (5th)  3.07 (2nd)  .956 (8th)    67 - 73

The A.L. Boston franchise had spectacular pitching in these early years, which just hasn't been duplicated in my replay. Take 1903, for example - here's a look at the real life pitchers versus the Boston staff in my replay:

Real Life 1903                         Replay 1903
Cy Young 28-9 2.08                 Cy Young 16-19 2.86
Bill Dineen 21-13 2.26             Win Kellum 9-22 3.43
Tom Hughes 20-7 2.57               Doc Newton 9-9 3.63
George Winter 9-8 3.08             George Winter 22-12 2.81
Norwood Gibson 13-9 3.19           Norwood Gibson 10-11 2.88

The fact that Hughes and Dineen haven't been traded to Boston in my replay has been a huge factor in the record of the OOTP Boston franchise. George Winter has stepped up and played well but Kellum and especially Young are not performing.

I really feel that Cy Young's real-life dominance in his late-30s and early-40s is something that is tough to replicate in this game with the way Marcus codes the aging process. Maybe someone who has run more dynasties is better prepared to argue this point - I could run 1000 simulations and Young would probably never get to 500 career wins. As it stands now, he likely won't even reach 400 in my replay, as he's dropped all the way down to '1 star' at the end of 1904.

Hope this has helped swampdragon! Let me know if you'd like some more numbers!

[swampdragon]

Thanks. It does make a difference when you're missing two-thirds of a 3 man rotation. I was always curious, because it seems like Baltimore wins as often in 1901 as Chicago does.

[Kaumeyer]

1904 Season

Real Life -
Boston great Cy Young pitched the century's first perfect game, retiring all 27 Athletics he faced in a 3-0 victory on May 5th. In July, the Phillies defeated the Giants 6-5 in 10 innings, ending New York's winning streak at 18 games.

On October 6th, Cardinals pitcher Jack Taylor pitched his Major League record 39th consecutive complete game, but dropped a 6-3 decision to Pittsburgh. Later that week, the Pilgrims would capture their second straight A.L. pennant when New York's Jack Chesbro uncorked a final day wild pitch that allowed the winning run to score in a 3-2 victory. However, Boston would not get to capitalize further on their divisional win, as the N.L. winning Giants owner John Brush and manager John 'Mugsy' McGraw refused to meet the A.L. champ in a second 'World Series'.

Cleveland's Nap Lajoie once again won the A.L. batting crown with a .376 average and also was first with 102 RBI while Philadelphia's Harry Davis led the league in homers with 10. Jack Chesbro was a monster right up until the unfortunate last game, mowing down batters on his way to an unbelievable 41-12 record. In the N.L., Honus Wagner's .349 average led the league, with Harry Lumley from Brooklyn winning the Home Run crown with 9 and Bill Dahlen from the Giants knocking in a league leading 80 runs. Joe McGinnity was almost as dominating for the Giants as Chesbro was for the A.L.'s New York squad, as the 'Iron Man' went 35-8 with a stellar 1.61 ERA to led the senior circuit.

The Recreation -
The Washington Senators start 1904 in 32,000-seat Griffith Stadium. Patsy Donovan jumped to the Senators to manage the squad from the Cardinals. George Davis also left his team, moving from the New York Giants to the Chicago White Sox.

Key Retirements:
Gus 'Cannonball' Weyhing, SP
Career Stats: 267-246, 3.93 ERA 1716 K, 454 CG, 29 SHO (#16 All-Time ERA, #4 Wins, #3 K's, #3 CG, #4 SHO)
Best Season: 1888 Philadelphia A.A. (28-18, 2.25 ERA, 45 CG)

Top Preseason Prospects:
1. Otto Hess, SP, Cleveland Indians, 25
2. Chick Robitaille, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates, 25
3. 'Big Ed' Walsh, SP, Chicago White Sox, 22
4. Hooks Wiltse, SP, New York Giants, 23
29. Larry Schlafly, RF, Chicago Cubs, 25 (Top Fielder)

April 9, 1904: Brooklyn's Nap Lajoie turns in a spectacular hitting performance in a 10-9 extra inning win over Philadelphia, going 4-4 with 3 runs, 4 RBI and a home run. Also that day, Beaneaters superstar CF 'Sliding Billy' Hamilton slaps his 2500th career hit in an 8-3 victory over Dummy Taylor and the Giants.

April 26, 1904: Cincinnati pitcher Brickyard Kennedy arguably tosses the best pitching performance of the year in a 1-0 14-inning loss to Boston, as he only allowed 3 hits on 184 pitches.

May 25, 1904: Cincinnati Reds veteran first baseman Jake 'Eagle Eye' Beckley strokes career hit 2500 in a 10-3 win over Brooklyn.

June 1, 1904: CF Steve Brodie from the Highlanders notches hit 2000 of his career in a 7-4 loss versus the Senators.

July 23, 1904: The Pilgrims start dismantling their disappointing roster, first unloading Win Kellum to the Highlanders for superstar Jack Chesbro and also moving Norwood Gibson to Cincinnati for Bob Ewing.

July 30, 1904: Cleveland trades star hurler Joe McGinnity and Buck Hooker to the Phillies in return for SP Fred Burchell.

September 23, 1904: The St. Louis Browns win their third straight A.L. pennant with style, overcoming second place New York by 16 games. The Pittsburgh Pirates return to the top of the National League with a 91-win season. Manager Fred Clarke refuses to meet the Browns in a playoff series, saying that the American League isn't in the same class as the opposition in the N.L.

Final Standings

American League           W    L    PCT   GB
St. Louis Browns         99   55   .643    -
New York Highlanders     83   71   .539   16
Washington Senators      81   73   .526   18
Cleveland Indians        80   74   .519   19
Chicago White Sox        76   78   .494   23
Detroit Tigers           75   79   .487   24
Boston Pilgrims          65   89   .422   34
Philadelphia Athletics   57   97   .370   42

National League           W    L    PCT   GB
Pittsburgh Pirates       91   63   .591    -
Brooklyn Superbas        84   70   .545    7
Chicago Cubs             83   71   .539    8
Boston Beaneaters        77   77   .500   14
New York Giants          77   77   .500   14
Cincinnati Reds          75   79   .487   16
Philadelphia Phillies    72   82   .468   19
St. Louis Cardinals      57   97   .370   34

Regular Season Leaders
American League                    National League
BA: Mike Donlin, NYH, .322         BA: Honus Wagner, PIT, .331
Runs: Sammy Strang, NYH, 99        Runs: Honus Wagner, PIT, 99 
Hits: Jimmy Collins, BOS, 174      Hits: Honus Wagner, PIT, 190
TB: Emmet Heidrick, STL, 246       TB: Bunk Congalton, CHI, 269
HR: Pop Foster, WAS, 13            HR: Sam Crawford, CIN, 15
RBI: Pop Foster, WAS, 89           RBI: Bunk Congalton, CHI, 97  
SB: Sam Mertes, CHI, 59            SB: Fred Clarke, PIT, 67 
Wins: Bert Husting, STL, 28        Wins: Sam Leever, PIT, 26
ERA: Addie Joss, CLE, 1.62         ERA: Jack Menefee, CHI, 1.87
CG: Jack Katoll, CHI, 37           CG: Bill Dineen, BOS, 37 
    Barney Wolfe, NYH, 37              Happy Townsend, PHI, 37
    Frank Smith, CHI, 37               Sam Leever, PIT, 37
                                       Mordecai Brown, STL, 37
                                       Red Donahue, PHI, 37
                                       Tom Hughes, CHI, 37
IP: Eddie Plank, PHI, 340.2        IP: Tom Hughes, CHI, 353.1
SO: Bert Husting, STL, 169         SO: Noodles Hahn, CIN, 199

20-Game Winners
American League                    National League
Bert Husting, STL, 28-10           Sam Leever, PIT, 26-12
Jack Powell, STL, 24-12            Christy Mathewson, NYG, 24-11
Jack Katoll, CHI, 23-14            Tom Hughes, CHI, 24-13
Addie Joss, CLE, 22-15             Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 23-13
Dale Gear, WAS, 22-16              Bill Donovan, BRO, 22-14
Jack Tannehill, NYH, 22-15         Bill Dineen, BOS, 21-16
Al Orth, CLE, 21-15                Noodles Hahn, CIN, 21-16
Jack Chesbro, BOS, 20-16           George Winter, BRO, 20-16
Watty Lee, WAS, 20-8               Jack Menefee, CHI, 20-6

100 RBIs
American League                    National League
None                               None

Notable Player Performances
CF Emmet 'Snags' Heidrick, 28, St. Louis Browns
.312 AVG, 555 AB, 173 H, 89 R, 29 2B, 10 3B, 8 HR, 78 RBI, 32 BB, 33 K, 25 SB 

RF Bunk Congalton, 29, Chicago Cubs
.302 AVG, 580 AB, 175 H, 81 R, 34 2B, 12 3B, 12 HR, 97 RBI, 27 BB, 32 K, 9 SB

Notable Pitching Performances
SP Bert 'Pete' Husting, 26, St. Louis Browns
28-10, 1.80 ERA, 38 GS, 339.2 IP, 197 H, 73 BB, 169 K, 36 CG, 7 SHO

SP Sam 'Deacon' Leever, 32, Pittsburgh Pirates
26-12, 2.36 ERA, 38 GS, 339.1 IP, 278 H, 57 BB, 129 K, 37 CG, 2 SHO

Notable Rookie Performances
SP Otto Hess, 25, Cleveland Indians
18-11, 2.97 ERA, 30 GS, 263.2 IP, 230 H, 55 BB, 102 K, 29 CG, 2 SHO

SP Hooks Wiltse, 24, New York Giants
15-14 3.94 ERA, 38 GS, 281.0 IP, 282 H, 89 BB, 103 K, 7 CG, 0 SHO

Prospect Watch
Otto Hess: See above
Chick Robitaille: (AAA-Level)
4-4, 1.95 ERA, 9 GS, 78.1 IP, 48 H, 25 BB, 77 K, 6 CG, 1 SHO 
'Big Ed' Walsh: Chicago White Sox
13-16, 3.28 ERA, 36 GS, 266.0 IP, 245 H, 59 BB, 92 K, 5 CG, 1 SHO
Hooks Wiltse: See above
Larry Schlafly: Chicago Cubs
.256 AVG, 78 AB, 20 H, 6 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 6 BB, 13 K, 2 SB

[swampdragon]

One of the fun things about these is the unexpected stars. Yours are Husting and Congalton. At this point the teams are so different from RL you can't really compare the results. I may try one where I turn off trades and duplicate the historical player movement. I see what you mean about Cy Young. The current replays have the same issues with a lot of the older great pitchers such as Clemens and Randy Johnson.

[Kaumeyer]

originally posted by swampdragon
One of the fun things about these is the unexpected stars. Yours are Husting and Congalton. At this point the teams are so different from RL you can't really compare the results. I may try one where I turn off trades and duplicate the historical player movement. I see what you mean about Cy Young. The current replays have the same issues with a lot of the older great pitchers such as Clemens and Randy Johnson.

There have been some surprising performances and Husting has been excellent, for sure. The ones that upset me the most are the poor performers, like Young and Mordecai Brown, who's still pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals in my replay, is their #1 guy, but can't get wins because of how poor the team is. I'm not optimistic that he'll get to turn things around.

I do like how this replay has turned into 'an alternate reality' though, and it is interesting to see how a few trades throw everything out of kilter, compared to what happened in real life.

[Kaumeyer]

1905 Season

Real Life -
New York great Christy Mathewson pitched his second career no-hitter, but the Giants needed a ninth-inning run off Chicago's Mordecai Brown to post a 1-0 victory in June. On August 30th, Detroit's Ty Cobb made his Major League debut, doubling off New York pitcher Jack Chesbro in a 5-3 Tigers victory.

On September 27th, Boston's Bill Dineen pitched the fourth no-hitter of the season, beating Chicago 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader. On October 6th, despite losing to Washington 10-4, the Philadelphia Athletics clinched the A.L. pennant when the Browns defeated the White Sox 6-2 on the second last day of the season. The New York Giants would prevail in the N.L. by 9 games over the Pirates.

The Giants would prevail 4 games to 1 over the Athletics in an all-shutout fall classic, with 'Big Six' Christy Mathewson compiling a perfect 3-0 record with a 0.00 ERA in his 27 innings of work!

Elmer Flick from Cleveland won the A.L. batting crown with a .308 average while Philadelphia's Harry Davis again led the league in homers with 8 and also led in RBI with 83. Rube Waddell from Philadelphia was the top pitcher, with a 27-10 record, 1.48 ERA and 287 strikeouts, all league-leading totals. In the N.L., Cy Seymour from the Reds led the league with a .377 average, 219 hits and 121 RBI. Teammate Fred Odwell won the homer crown with 9. Christy Mathewson continued to run over the opposition with a 31-9 record, 1.28 ERA and 206 strikeouts to lead those categories.

The Recreation -

Key Retirements:
Patsy Donovan, RF
Career Stats: .299, 2127 H, 22 HR, 728 RBI, 554 SB (#25 All-Time AVG, #13 H, #15 R, #8 SB)
Dummy Hoy, CF
Career Stats: .275, 2217 H, 40 HR, 859 RBI, 615 SB (#9 H, #19 RBI, #15 2B, #10 3B, #4 BB, #7 R, #5 SB)
Herman 'Germany' Long, SS
Career Stats: .280, 2186 H, 102 HR, 1072 RBI, 554 SB (#10 H, #3 HR, #8 RBI, #5 2B, #17 3B, #6 R, #8 SB)
Steve Brodie, CF
Career Stats: .296, 2060 H, 29 HR, 1004 RBI, 428 SB (#14 H, #10 RBI, #23 2B, #21 3B, #19 BB, #17 R, #17 SB)
Duke Farrell, C
Career Stats: .272, 1809 H, 56 HR, 1012 RBI, 180 SB (#21 H, #19 HR, #9 RBI, #24 2B, #13 3B, #19 RBI, #24 R)
Bobby 'Link' Lowe, 3B
Career Stats: .280, 1773 H, 78 HR, 970 RBI, 290 SB (#22 H, #7 HR, #12 RBI, #15 BB, #23 SB, #19 R)

Top Preseason Prospects:
1. Jake Thielman, SP, St. Louis Cardinals, 25
2. Orval Overall, SP, Cincinnati Reds, 24
3. Cy Falkenberg, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates, 24
4. 'Big Ed' Reulbach, SP, Chicago Cubs, 22
5. Ty 'The Georgia Peach' Cobb, CF, Detroit Tigers, 18

May 20, 1905: Chicago Cubs rookie hurler Ed Reulbach tosses a no-hitter versus the Brooklyn Superbas.

June 8, 1905: Pink Hawley from the St. Louis Browns turns in a 13 inning, 7 hit, 0 run gem versus Detroit in a 1-0 win.

June 13, 1905: Pop Foster from the Washington Senators has one of the biggest offensive games of the season, going 4-4 with 2 R, 5 RBI and 2 HR in a 11-2 win over the Boston Pilgrims.

July 19, 1905: Jesse Tannehill, the Highlanders star hurler, gets traded across town to the Giants for Harry Howell. Tannehill would get traded again a week later, going to Cincinnati.

July 25, 1905: Another star pitcher changed teams, with Sam Leever going to Brooklyn from Pittsburgh for Oscar Jones. Pittsburgh would also get superstar second baseman Nap Lajoie from Brooklyn for Snake Wiltse.

September 12, 1905: Highlander's first baseman Frank Chance hits for the cycle versus Philadelphia.

September 15, 1905: Athletics pitcher Eddie Plank becomes the second hurler to throw a no-hitter on the year in a game versus Cleveland.

September 23, 1905: Chicago Cubs 'Dirty Jack' Doyle strokes hit number 2000 in his career in a 6-1 loss to the Pirates.

September 24, 1904: The St. Louis Browns continue their dynasty, wining their fourth A.L. pennant in a row. The Pittsburgh Pirates also repeat, although they needed a one-game playoff win over the Cubs to do it. Chick Robitaille tossed a complete game 3-hitter to send the Pirates to the World Series. It would be a best-of-seven format, with four umpires, two from each league and include a revenue sharing formula for the participants.

October 6, 1905: The Pirates win the second World Championship of baseball in a thrilling 4-3 series victory. Stars in the series included new 2B Nap Lajoie, who hit .310 with 10 RBI and Deacon Phillippe, who went 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA in the series.

Final Standings

American League           W    L    PCT   GB
St. Louis Browns         96   58   .623    -
New York Highlanders     88   66   .571    8
Cleveland Indians        79   75   .513   17
Chicago White Sox        77   77   .500   19
Detroit Tigers           75   79   .487   21
Washington Senators      72   82   .468   24
Philadelphia Athletics   66   88   .429   30
Boston Pilgrims          63   91   .409   33

National League           W    L    PCT   GB
Pittsburgh Pirates       98   57   .632    -
Chicago Cubs             97   58   .626    1
Philadelphia Phillies    84   70   .545   13.5
Boston Beaneaters        74   80   .481   22.5
Brooklyn Superbas        72   82   .468   24.5
Cincinnati Reds          67   87   .435   29.5
St. Louis Cardinals      63   91   .409   33.5
New York Giants          62   92   .403   34.5

World Series Championship
Game 1: Pittsburgh 9, St. Louis 2 (W: D. Phillippe, L: B. Husting)
Game 2: St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 2 (W: J. Powell, L: O. Jones)
Game 3: Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 3 (W: C. Falkenberg, L: T. Sparks)
Game 4: St. Louis 5, Pittsburgh 4 (W: B. Husting, L: D. Phillippe)
Game 5: Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 1 (W: O. Jones, L: J. Powell)
Game 6: St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 1 (W: T. Sparks, L: C. Falkenberg)
Game 7: Pittsburgh 3, St. Louis 1 (W: D. Phillippe, L: B. Husting)
Pittsburgh Pirates win World Series 4-3

Regular Season Leaders
American League                    National League
BA: Willie Keeler, NYH, .342       BA: Ginger Beaumont, PIT, .329
Runs: Mike Donlin, NYH, 103        Runs: Honus Wagner, PIT, 95 
Hits: Willie Keeler, NYH, 175      Hits: Ginger Beaumont, PIT, 183
TB: Mike Donlin, NYH, 253          TB: Sam Crawford, CIN, 250
HR: Mike Grady, WAS, 19            HR: Sam Crawford, CIN, 15
RBI: Bill Coughlin, WAS, 89        RBI: Ginger Beaumont, CIN, 106
SB: Mike Donlin, NYH, 64           SB: Otis Clymer, PIT, 68
    Patsy Dougherty, BOS, 64
Wins: Bert Husting, STL, 28        Wins: Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 30
ERA: Jack Powell, STL, 1.69        ERA: Ham Iburg, PHI, 2.06
CG: Jack Chesbro, BOS, 38          CG: Bill Dineen, BOS, 38 
    Bert Husting, STL, 38              Sam Leever, BRO, 38
    Frank Smith, CHI, 38               
IP: Frank Smith, CHI, 346.0        IP: Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 349.2
SO: Bert Husting, STL, 199         SO: Noodles Hahn, CIN, 193

20-Game Winners
American League                    National League
Bert Husting, STL, 28-10           Deacon Phillippe, PIT, 30-7
Addie Joss, CLE, 24-11             Tom Hughes, CHI, 25-12
Jack Powell, STL, 24-13            Ham Iburg, PHI, 23-10
George Disch, DET, 22-14           Sam Leever, BRO, 22-16
Barney Wolfe, NYH, 21-17           Happy Townsend, PHI, 22-14
Beany Jacobsen, WAS, 20-15         Bill Dineen, BOS, 21-17
Dale Gear, WAS, 20-14              Snake Wiltse, BRO, 20-16

100 RBIs
American League                    National League
None                               Ginger Beaumont

Notable Player Performances
RF 'Wee Willie' Keeler, 33, New York Highlanders
.342 AVG, 512 AB, 175 H, 71 R, 20 2B, 12 3B, 0 HR, 77 RBI, 14 BB, 31 K, 14 SB 

CF Ginger Beaumont, 29, Pittsburgh Pirates
.329 AVG, 556 AB, 183 H, 76 R, 14 2B, 13 3B, 8 HR, 106 RBI, 39 BB, 25 K, 25 SB

Notable Pitching Performances
SP Jack 'Red' Powell, 31, St. Louis Browns
24-13, 1.69 ERA, 37 GS, 335.1 IP, 249 H, 44 BB, 106 K, 37 CG, 6 SHO

SP Deacon Phillippe, 33, Pittsburgh Pirates
30-7, 2.11 ERA, 38 GS, 349.2 IP, 248 H, 40 BB, 122 K, 35 CG, 8 SHO

Notable Rookie Performances
SP George Disch, 26, Detroit Tigers
22-14, 2.15 ERA, 37 GS, 334.1 IP, 264 H, 52 BB, 91 K, 35 CG, 2 SHO

SP 'Big Ed' Reulbach, 22, Chicago Cubs
19-14 2.13 ERA, 39 GS, 313.1 IP, 201 H, 74 BB, 116 K, 18 CG, 4 SHO

Prospect Watch
Jake Thielman: St. Louis Cardinals
16-21, 2.59 ERA, 37 GS, 326.2 IP, 303 H, 69 BB, 100 K, 34 CG, 2 SHO
Orval Overall: New York Giants
18-19, 3.29 ERA, 38 GS, 325.1 IP, 314 H, 111 BB, 117 K, 32 CG, 2 SHO 
Cy Falkenberg: Pittsburgh Pirates
3-2, 3.86 ERA, 5 GS, 46.2 IP, 50 H, 11 BB, 13 K, 5 CG, 0 SHO
'Big Ed' Reulbach: See above
Ty 'Georgia Peach' Cobb: Detroit Tigers
.214 AVG, 243 AB, 52 H, 21 R, 12 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 13 BB, 22 K, 2 SB

[Kaumeyer]

1906 Season

Real Life -
The Pilgrims would run up an incredible 20 game losing streak that was finally snapped by Jesse Tannehill in a 3-0 victory over the White Sox. Their National League counterpart, the Beaneaters, would run up a 19 game losing streak themselves that finally ended on June 9, 1906 in a win over St. Louis. On August 13th, when Chicago's Jack Taylor failed to last through the third inning of a game against Brooklyn, it ended his record complete game streak at 187.

On August 23, the Washington Senators ended Chicago's 19 game winning streak. On September 1st, the Philadelphia Athletics scored three times in the top of the 24th inning and claimed a 4-1 victory over Boston in the longest game in Major League history. The White Sox clinched the A.L. pennant for the first time since 1901 while their citymates in the N.L. notched an incredible 116 wins and a team ERA of 1.76 to win the senior circuit.

The White Sox would stun the Cubs in an intra-city World Series, posting a six-game victory. The turning point in the series was an eight-run explosion in game five by the light hitting White Sox, led by Frank Isbell's four doubles and 2 RBI. Leading the way for the White Sox were 'Big Ed' Walsh (2-0, 1.80 ERA) and George Rohe (.333, 4 RBI) while Ed Reulbach (Game Two 1-hitter) starred for the Cubs.

George Stone from St. Louis won the A.L. batting crown with a .358 average while Philadelphia's Harry Davis led the power categories for the third year in a row, notching 12 HR and 96 RBI. Al Orth from New York was dominating with a 27-17 record and 338.2 IP. Chicago's Doc White led the circuit with a 1.52 ERA and Rube Waddell from Philadelphia was the strikeout leader again with 196. In the N.L., Honus Wagner's .339 average and 103 runs were league leaders. Brooklyn's Tim Jordan was the homerun king with 12 while Pittsburgh's Jim Nealon and Chicago's Harry Steinfeldt led the way with 83 RBI. The Cubs Mordecai Brown was incredible in 1906, with a 26-6 record and an amazing 1.04 ERA.

The Recreation -

Key Retirements:
Cy Young, SP
343-233, 2.97 ERA, 632G, 572 GS, 5161.2 IP, 5163 H, 968 BB, 1633 K, 534 CG, 38 SHO
#2 All-Time W, #6 ERA, #4 K, #2 CG, #2 SHO
Jesse 'Crab' Burkett, LF
.340, 8105 AB, 2755 H, 1624 R, 329 2B, 171 3B, 77 HR, 1054 RBI, 923 BB, 402 K, 454 SB
#2 All-Time AVG, #4 H, #5 R, #11 2B, #6 3B, #14 HR, #9 RBI, #6 BB, #16 SB
Hugh Duffy, CF
.314, 8500 AB, 2673 H, 1730 R, 384 2B, 141 3B, 111 HR, 1446 RBI, 761 BB, 332 K, 631 SB
#8 All-Time AVG, #5 H, #4 R, #4 2B, #13 3B, #2 HR, #3 RBI, #12 BB, #5 SB
'Sliding Billy' Hamilton, CF
.331, 8030 AB, 2660 H, 1931 R, 311 2B, 124 3B, 51 HR, 925 RBI, 1421 BB, 435 K, 1101 SB
#3 All-Time AVG, #6 H, #1 R, #17 2B, #19 3B, #19 RBI, #1 BB, #1 SB
George 'Rip' Van Haltren, CF
.313, 8967 AB, 2807 H, 1753 R, 325 2B, 184 3B, 76 HR, 1164 RBI, 886 BB, 448 K, 601 SB
#10 All-Time AVG, #3 H, #3 R, #13 2B, #4 3B, #16 HR, #7 RBI, #7 BB, #7 SB
Lave Cross, 3B
.292, 7835 AB, 2289 H, 1126 R, 350 2B, 123 3B, 54 HR, 431 BB, 258 K, 271 SB
#10 All-Time H, #6 RBI, #8 2B, #20 3B, #19 R
Tommy 'Corky' Corcoran, SS
.248, 7826 AB, 1941 H, 1053 R, 238 2B, 154 3B, 27 HR, 386 BB, 419 K, 330 SB
#22 All-Time H, #18 RBI, #9 3B, #24 R
Brickyard Kennedy, SP
224-183, 3.89 ERA, 470 G, 410 GS, 3535.2 IP, 3800 H, 1267 BB, 1003 K, 347 CG, 14 SHO
#21 All-Time ERA, #5 W, #7 K, #7 CG
Nig Cuppy, SP
178-107, 3.47 ERA, 338 G, 286 GS, 2522.0 IP, 2764 H, 659 BB, 626 K, 245 CG, 11 SHO
#16 All-Time ERA, #10 W, #18 CG

Top Preseason Prospects:
1. Ed 'Rube' Kinsella, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates, 24
2. Lefty Leifield, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates, 22
3. Babe Adams, SP, St. Louis Cardinals, 23
4. Carl 'Collie' Druhot, SP, Cincinnati Reds, 23
27. Mike Mowrey, 3B, Cincinnati Reds, 21

April 10, 1906: LF Jimmy Sheckard from the Brooklyn Superbas hits for the cycle in a 6-3 victory over the Phillies.

June 8, 1906: 'Big Ed' Delahanty from the Phillies becomes the first Major Leaguer to reach the magical 3000 hit mark in a 5-2 victory over Brooklyn.

July 3, 1906: Washington LF Elmer Smith nails career hit 2000.

July 9, 1906: The Senators Beany Jacobson pitches a beauty, giving up only 7 hits in 14 shutout innings in a 1-0 win over Philadelphia.

July 29, 1906: Pittsburgh manager/LF Fred Clarke strokes his 2000th career hit in a 7-6 victory over the Giants.

September 13, 1906: Giants manager/LF John 'Mugsy' McGraw becomes the third player this season to reach 2000 career hits.

September 23, 1906: St. Louis Cardinals 1B Roy Brashear goes 3-5 with 4 runs, 2 HR and 6 RBI in a 13-4 victory over the Beaneaters.

September 24, 1906: Detroit ends St. Louis' dominance in the American League by winning their first pennant by 7 games over the Browns. The Pirates win their third pennant in a row with a Major League record tying 99 wins (St. Louis Browns 1904).

October 1, 1905: Pittsburgh wins their second straight World Championship in 5 games over the young Detroit Tigers. Stars for Pittsburgh included CF Ginger Beaumont (.389, 2 HR, 3 RBI) and rookie hurler Ed Karger (2-0 1.80 ERA). 1B Chris 'Pinky' Lindsay (.375, 2 RBI) was the lone bright spot for the Tigers.

Final Standings

American League           W    L    PCT   GB
Detroit Tigers           91   63   .591    -
St. Louis Browns         84   70   .545    7
Philadelphia Athletics   83   71   .539    8
New York Highlanders     75   79   .487   16
Chicago White Sox        73   81   .474   18
Boston Pilgrims          71   83   .461   20
Washington Senators      71   83   .461   20
Cleveland Indians        68   86   .442   23

National League           W    L    PCT   GB
Pittsburgh Pirates       99   55   .643    -
Chicago Cubs             92   62   .597    7
Philadelphia Phillies    78   76   .506   21
Brooklyn Superbas        77   77   .500   22  
New York Giants          76   78   .494   23  
Cincinnati Reds          69   85   .448   30
St. Louis Cardinals      63   91   .409   36
Boston Beaneaters        62   92   .403   37

World Series Championship
Game 1: Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 0 (W: D. Phillippe, L: F. Owen)
Game 2: Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 2 (W: E. Karger, L: J. Dunleavy)
Game 3: Pittsburgh 6, Detroit 4 (W: O. Jones, L: B. Raymond)
Game 4: Detroit 2, Pittsburgh 0 (W: F. Owen, L: D. Phillippe)
Game 5: Pittsburgh 5, Detroit 3 (W: E. Karger, L: J. Dunleavy)
Pittsburgh Pirates win World Series 4-3

Regular Season Leaders
American League                    National League
BA: Willie Keeler, NYH, .330       BA: Del Howard, PIT, .324
Runs: Patsy Dougherty, BOS, 93     Runs: Fred Clarke, PIT, 101
Hits: Willie Keeler, NYH, 187      Hits: Nap Lajoie, PIT, 179
TB: Benny Bowcokc, STL, 245        TB: Nap Lajoie, PIT, 277
HR: Buck Freeman, BOS, 21          HR: Roy Brashear, STL, 17
                                       Joe Kelley, BRO, 17
RBI: Willie Keeler, NYH, 80        RBI: Nap Lajoie, PIT, 104
SB: Patsy Dougherty, BOS, 49       SB: Danny Green, CHI, 58
    Doc Casey, DET, 49
Wins: Eddie Plank, PHI, 26         Wins: Tully Sparks, BOS, 22
                                         Tom Hughes, CHI, 22
                                         Oscar Jones, PIT, 22
                                         Ed Pinnance, CHI, 22
ERA: Chief Bender, PHI, 1.93       ERA: Tom Hughes, CHI, 1.69
CG: Eddie Plank, PHI, 37           CG: Oscar Jones, PIT, 36 
IP: Frank Smith, CHI, 352.1        IP: Oscar Jones, PIT, 338.2
SO: Jake Weimer, PHI, 187          SO: Noodles Hahn, CIN, 128
                                       Mordecai Brown, STL, 128

20-Game Winners
American League                    National League
Eddie Plank, PHI, 26-13            Tully Sparks, BOS, 22-14
Bert Husting, STL, 22-12           Tom Hughes, CHI, 22-11
Frank Owen, DET, 21-15             Oscar Jones, PIT, 22-16
Addie Joss, CLE, 21-16             Ed Pinnance, CHI, 22-14
Frank Smith, CHI, 20-16            Ed Reulbach, CHI, 20-10   
Jake Weimer, PHI, 20-15            Christy Mathewson, NYG, 20-13

100 RBIs
American League                    National League
None                               Nap Lajoie, PIT, 104

Notable Player Performances
RF 'Wee Willie' Keeler, 34, New York Highlanders
.330 AVG, 567 AB, 187 H, 71 R, 16 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 80 RBI, 24 BB, 40 K, 11 SB 

2B Nap 'Larry' Lajoie, 32, Pittsburgh Pirates
.311 AVG, 576 AB, 179 H, 86 R, 32 2B, 12 3B, 14 HR, 104 RBI, 30 BB, 42 K, 18 SB

Notable Pitching Performances
SP 'Gettysburg Eddie' Plank, 31, Philadelphia Athletics
26-13, 2.49 ERA, 39 GS, 343.0 IP, 260 H, 46 BB, 126 K, 37 CG, 3 SHO

SP 'Long Tom' Hughes, 27, Chicago Cubs
22-11, 1.69 ERA, 36 GS, 320.0 IP, 237 H, 46 BB, 117 K, 33 CG, 5 SHO

Notable Rookie Performances
SP Ralph Glaze, 24, Boston Pilgrims
19-17, 2.47 ERA, 37 GS, 320.2 IP, 282 H, 86 BB, 105 K, 35 CG, 2 SHO

SP 'Loose' Ed Karger, 23, Pittsburgh Pirates
17-10, 2.45 ERA, 36 GS, 268.2 IP, 226 H, 60 BB, 95 K, 7 CG, 1 SHO

Prospect Watch
Ed 'Rube' Kinsella: AAA (Pirates System)
11-3, 3.39 ERA, 25 G, 11 GS, 106.1 IP, 96 H, 28 BB, 146 K, 5 CG, 2 SHO
Lefty Leifield: Pittsburgh Pirates
10-6, 2.78 ERA, 24 G, 19 GS, 142.1 IP, 116 H, 42 BB, 33 K, 1 CG, 0 SHO 
Babe Adams: AA (Cardinals System)
8-7, 2.65 ERA, 19 GS, 142.2 IP, 102 H, 30 BB, 122 K, 5 CG, 1 SHO
Carl 'Collie' Druhot: St. Louis Browns (traded in-season)
16-15, 4.07 ERA, 38 GS, 278.1 IP, 295 H, 97 BB, 87 K, 9 CG, 1 SHO
Mike Mowrey: Cincinnati Reds
.246 AVG, 61 AB, 15 H, 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K, 0 SB

Records Set in 1906
In the American League, Buck Freeman of the Pilgrims became the first Major Leaguer to crack the 20-Home Run barrier, nailing 21 on the season. Washington Senators CF Roy Thomas set the 'modern day' mark for walks in the A.L. with 101.

In the N.L., the Pirates set the record for team wins with 99. Roy Brashear from St. Louis nailed 17 home runs to set that league mark, while Johnny Evers from Chicago set the rookie home run record with 6. Phillies hurler Andy Coakley's 39 complete games set a record as well.