1896 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1896 major league baseball season began on April 16, 1896. The regular season ended on September 26, with the Baltimore Orioles as the pennant winner of the National League and the Cleveland Spiders as runner-up. In a rematch of the previous season, the postseason began with Game 1 of the third Temple Cup on October 2 and ended with Game 4 on October 8. The Orioles swept the Spiders, capturing their first Temple Cup.
- April 16 â September 26, 1896
- October 2â8, 1896
| 1896 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 132 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Pennant winner | |
| NL champions | Baltimore Orioles |
| NL runners-up | Cleveland Spiders |
| Temple Cup | |
| Champions | Baltimore Orioles |
| Runners-up | Cleveland Spiders |
The 1896 Temple Cup was the only one of four Temple Cups which saw the NL pennant winner win the championship series.
Schedule
The 1896 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 since 1893 and would be used until 1898.
Opening Day took place on April 16 featuring all twelve teams. The final day of the season was on September 26, featuring ten teams.[1] The Temple Cup took place between October 2 and October 8.
Tripleheader
The 1896 season featured an extremely rare tripleheaderâthe second of three in National League and major-league history, having previously occurred only in 1890âwhen the Baltimore Orioles hosted the Louisville Colonels on September 7 for three games. The Orioles swept the Colonels.[2]
Rule changes
The 1896 season saw the following rule changes:
Teams
- ^
- ^ In today's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Standings
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 90 | 39 | .698 | â | 49âââ16 | 41âââ23 |
| Cleveland Spiders | 80 | 48 | .625 | 9½ | 43âââ19 | 37âââ29 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 77 | 50 | .606 | 12 | 51âââ15 | 26âââ35 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 74 | 57 | .565 | 17 | 42âââ24 | 32âââ33 |
| Chicago Colts | 71 | 57 | .555 | 18½ | 42âââ24 | 29âââ33 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 66 | 63 | .512 | 24 | 35âââ31 | 31âââ32 |
| New York Giants | 64 | 67 | .489 | 27 | 39âââ26 | 25âââ41 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 62 | 68 | .477 | 28½ | 42âââ27 | 20âââ41 |
| Washington Senators | 58 | 73 | .443 | 33 | 38âââ29 | 20âââ44 |
| Brooklyn Bridegrooms | 58 | 73 | .443 | 33 | 35âââ28 | 23âââ45 |
| St. Louis Browns | 40 | 90 | .308 | 50½ | 27âââ34 | 13âââ56 |
| Louisville Colonels | 38 | 93 | .290 | 53 | 25âââ37 | 13âââ56 |
Tie games
14 tie games, which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season.
- Baltimore Orioles, 3
- Boston Beaneaters, 1
- Brooklyn Bridegrooms, 2
- Chicago Colts, 4
- Cincinnati Reds, 1
- Cleveland Spiders, 7
- Louisville Colonels, 3
- New York Giants, 2
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 2
- St. Louis Browns, 1
- Washington Senators, 2
Postseason
Bracket
| Temple Cup | |||||||
| NL1 | Baltimore Orioles | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | ||
| NL2 | Cleveland Spiders | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | Harvey Watkins | Arthur Irwin |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Arthur Irwin | Billy Nash |
| St. Louis Browns | Lou Phelan | Harry Diddlebock |
In-season
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 | Jesse Burkett (CLE) | .410 |
| OPS | Ed Delahanty (PHI) | 1.103 |
| HR | Ed Delahanty (PHI) Bill Joyce (NYG/WAS) |
11 |
| RBI | Ed Delahanty (PHI) | 126 |
| R | Jesse Burkett (CLE) | 160 |
| H | Jesse Burkett (CLE) | 240 |
| SB | Joe Kelley (BAL) | 87 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Frank Killen (PIT) Kid Nichols (BSN) |
30 |
| L | Bill Hart (STL) | 29 |
| ERA | Billy Rhines (CIN) | 2.45 |
| K | Cy Young (CLE) | 140 |
| IP | Frank Killen (PIT) | 432.1 |
| SV | Cy Young (CLE) | 3 |
| WHIP | Billy Rhines (CIN) | 1.231 |
Milestones
Batters
Four home runs in one game
- Ed Delahanty (PHI):
- Became the second player to hit four home runs in one game in a 9â8 loss against the Chicago Colts on July 13. He remains the only player to achieve this feat by having an inside-the-park home run (of which two were).[7][8]
Cycles
- Herman Long (BSN):
- Long hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history, on May 9 against the Louisville Colonels.[9]
- Bill Joyce (NYG/WAS):
- Joyce hit for his first cycle and third in franchise history as a part of the Washington Senators, in game one of a doubleheader on May 30 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[9]
Miscellaneous
- Baltimore Orioles / Louisville Colonels:
- Play in the second of three Major League tripleheader in history on September 7. Baltimore sweeps Louisville.[2]
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds[10] | 77 | 16.7% | 373,000 | 32.7% | 5,652 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[11] | 62 | â20.5% | 357,025 | â24.8% | 5,174 |
| Chicago Colts[12] | 71 | â1.4% | 317,500 | â17.0% | 4,669 |
| New York Giants[13] | 64 | â3.0% | 274,000 | 14.2% | 4,152 |
| Baltimore Orioles[14] | 90 | 3.4% | 249,448 | â14.9% | 3,723 |
| Boston Beaneaters[15] | 74 | 4.2% | 240,000 | â0.8% | 3,582 |
| Washington Senators[16] | 58 | 34.9% | 223,000 | 45.8% | 3,279 |
| Brooklyn Bridegrooms[17] | 58 | â18.3% | 201,000 | â12.6% | 3,092 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[18] | 66 | â7.0% | 197,000 | 4.8% | 2,985 |
| St. Louis Browns[19] | 40 | 2.6% | 184,000 | 8.2% | 2,968 |
| Cleveland Spiders[20] | 80 | â4.8% | 152,000 | 6.3% | 2,375 |
| Louisville Colonels[21] | 38 | 8.6% | 133,000 | 44.6% | 2,078 |