1894 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1894 major league baseball season began on April 19, 1894. The regular season ended on September 30, with the Baltimore Orioles as the pennant winner of the National League and the New York Giants as runner-up. The postseason began with Game 1 of the first Temple Cup on October 4 and ended with Game 4 on October 8. The Giants swept the Orioles, capturing their first Temple Cup.
- April 19 â September 30, 1894
- October 4â8, 1894
| 1894 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 132 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Pennant winner | |
| NL champions | Baltimore Orioles |
| NL runners-up | New York Giants |
| Temple Cup | |
| Champions | New York Giants |
| Runners-up | Baltimore Orioles |
The 1894 season saw the return of a postseason championship series, the Temple Cup, following the end of the World's Championship Series with the demise of the American Association in 1891 and the one-off, split-season 1892 World's Championship Series.
Schedule
The 1894 schedule consisted of 132 games for the twelve teams of the National League. Each team was scheduled to play 12 games against the other eleven teams in the league. This continued the format put in place in the previous season and would be used until 1898.
Opening Day took place on April 19 featuring eight teams. The final day of the season was on September 30, also featuring eight teams.[1] The Temple Cup took place between October 4 and October 8.
Rule changes
The 1894 season saw the following rule changes:
- Foul bunts are now classified as strikes.[2]
- The sacrifice hit rule, which is when a batter deliberately gets out in an effort to advance a baserunner to another base, is implemented.[2]
- Sacrifice hits, which exempt a batter from a time at bat (including sacrifice bunts), is implemented.[2]
- A precursor to the Infield fly rule is implemented, stating "the batsman is out if he hits a fly ball that can be handled by an infielder while first base is occupied, with only one out."[3]
Teams
An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at. Ballparks listed in chronological order.
- ^ Initial stadium of the season burned in a fire (Boston: May 16, Philadelphia: August 6)
- ^ Temporary stadium.
- ^
- ^ Makeshift stands built for remainder of the season, from August 18.
- ^ In today's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Standings
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 89 | 39 | .695 | â | 52âââ15 | 37âââ24 |
| New York Giants | 88 | 44 | .667 | 3 | 49âââ17 | 39âââ27 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 83 | 49 | .629 | 8 | 44âââ19 | 39âââ30 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 71 | 57 | .555 | 18 | 48âââ20 | 23âââ37 |
| Brooklyn Grooms | 70 | 61 | .534 | 20½ | 42âââ24 | 28âââ37 |
| Cleveland Spiders | 68 | 61 | .527 | 21½ | 35âââ24 | 33âââ37 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 65 | 65 | .500 | 25 | 46âââ28 | 19âââ37 |
| Chicago Colts | 57 | 75 | .432 | 34 | 35âââ30 | 22âââ45 |
| St. Louis Browns | 56 | 76 | .424 | 35 | 34âââ32 | 22âââ44 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 55 | 75 | .423 | 35 | 37âââ28 | 18âââ47 |
| Washington Senators | 45 | 87 | .341 | 46 | 32âââ30 | 13âââ57 |
| Louisville Colonels | 36 | 94 | .277 | 54 | 24âââ38 | 12âââ56 |
Tie games
16 tie games, which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season.
- Baltimore Orioles, 1
- Boston Beaneaters, 1
- Brooklyn Grooms, 4
- Chicago Colts, 5
- Cincinnati Reds, 4
- Cleveland Spiders, 1
- Louisville Colonels, 1
- New York Giants, 7
- Philadelphia Phillies, 4
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 3
- St. Louis Browns, 1
Postseason
Bracket
| Temple Cup | |||||||
| NL1 | Baltimore Orioles | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | ||
| NL2 | New York Giants | 4 | 9 | 4 | 7 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | Harry Wright | Arthur Irwin |
| St. Louis Browns | Bill Watkins | George Miller |
| Washington Senators | Jim O'Rourke | Gus Schmelz |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Al Buckenberger | Connie Mack |
League leaders
Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Hugh Duffy (BSN) | .440 |
| OPS | Hugh Duffy (BSN) | 1.196 |
| HR | Hugh Duffy (BSN) | 18 |
| RBI | Sam Thompson (PHI) | 149 |
| R | Billy Hamilton1 (PHI) | 198 |
| H | Hugh Duffy (BSN) | 237 |
| SB | Billy Hamilton (PHI) | 100 |
1 All-time single-season runs record
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Amos Rusie1 (NYG) | 36 |
| L | Pink Hawley (PIT) | 27 |
| ERA | Amos Rusie1 (NYG) | 2.78 |
| K | Amos Rusie1 (NYG) | 195 |
| IP | Theodore Breitenstein (STL) | 447.1 |
| SV | Tony Mullane (CLE/BAL) | 4 |
| WHIP | Amos Rusie (NYG) | 1.410 |
1 National League Triple Crown pitching winner
Milestones
Batters
Four home runs in one game
- Bobby Lowe (BSN):
- Became the first player to hit four home runs in one game in a 20â11 win against the Cincinnati Reds on May 30.[7][8]
Cycles
- Lave Cross (PHI):
- Cross hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history, on April 24 against the Brooklyn Grooms[9]
- Bill Hassamaer (WAS):
- Hassamaer hit for his first cycle and fifth in franchise history, on June 13 against the St. Louis Browns.[9]
- Sam Thompson (PHI):
- Thompson hit for his first cycle and second in franchise history, on August 17 against the Louisville Colonels.[9]
- Tom Parrott (CIN):
- Parrott hit for his first cycle and fifth in franchise history, on September 28 against the New York Giants.[9]
Other batting accomplishments
- Billy Hamilton (PHI):
- Tied a record for most stolen bases in a single game, stealing seven bases in game 2 of a doubleheader on August 31 against the Washington Senators.[10]
Miscellaneous
- Baltimore Orioles:
- Set a major league record for most runs scored in the ninth innings, by scoring 14 runs against the Boston Beaneaters on April 24.[11]
- Boston Beaneaters:
- Set a major league record for most runs scored in the first inning, by scoring 16 runs against the Baltimore Orioles on June 18.[11]
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants[12] | 88 | 29.4% | 387,000 | 33.4% | 5,451 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[13] | 71 | â1.4% | 352,773 | 20.4% | 4,969 |
| Baltimore Orioles[14] | 89 | 48.3% | 328,000 | 129.4% | 4,896 |
| Chicago Colts[15] | 57 | 1.8% | 239,000 | 6.9% | 3,515 |
| Brooklyn Grooms[16] | 70 | 7.7% | 214,000 | â8.9% | 3,101 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[17] | 65 | â19.8% | 159,000 | â13.6% | 2,120 |
| Cincinnati Reds[18] | 55 | â15.4% | 158,000 | â18.7% | 2,394 |
| St. Louis Browns[19] | 56 | â1.8% | 155,000 | â20.5% | 2,348 |
| Boston Beaneaters[20] | 83 | â3.5% | 152,800 | â21.0% | 2,425 |
| Washington Senators[21] | 45 | 12.5% | 125,000 | 38.9% | 2,016 |
| Cleveland Spiders[22] | 68 | â6.8% | 82,000 | â36.9% | 1,390 |
| Louisville Colonels[23] | 36 | â28.0% | 75,000 | 39.7% | 1,210 |
Venues
There were two instances of conflagration causing the temporary relocation of teams before returning to a rebuilt ballpark:
- In what was only the fifth home game of the Boston Beaneaters' season, their home of the South End Grounds burned down during the third inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 15, forcing the team to play at the Congress Street Grounds, the former home of the Players' League/American Association Boston Reds from May 16 until the South End Grounds could be rebuilt.[24] The team would play 27 home games at the Congress Street Grounds through June 20, before going on a month-long road trip and returning to a rebuilt South End Grounds on July 20, where they would go on to play another 31 home games for the rest of the season.[25]
- During a practice session on August 6, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds burned down.[26] The Phillies would play six games from August 11 through August 17 at University of Pennsylvania Athletic Field before returning to the Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds the following day, where temporary bleachers had been installed.
Prior to the start of the season, the Cincinnati Reds' home as League Park saw major changes. A new grandstand in what was left field was built, as well as an ampitheater. The baseball diamond was shifted from the southeast corner of the lot to the southwest corner, with the original seating retained as right field seating.[27]