1900 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1900 major league baseball season began on April 19, 1900. The regular season ended on October 14, with the Brooklyn Superbas as the regular season champion of the National League. The Superbas and runner-up Pittsburgh Pirates competed in the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, a precursor to the current World Series, over four days, with Game 1 on October 15 and ended with Game 4 on October 18. The Superbas defeated the Pirates in the best-of-five series in four games.
- April 19 â October 14, 1900
- October 15â18, 1900
| 1900 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 140 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Pennant winner | |
| NL champions | Brooklyn Superbas |
| NL runners-up | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Chronicle-Telegraph Cup | |
| Champions | Brooklyn Superbas |
| Runners-up | Pittsburgh Pirates |
The 1900 season saw the return of a postseason championship series (albeit as a one-off), the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, following the end of the Temple Cup in 1897.
The 1900 season saw the aftermath of the National League contracting from 12 to 8 teams, eliminating the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Spiders, Louisville Colonels, and Washington Senators. The elimination of major-league baseball from these cities prompted the minor league American League to declare themselves as a major league the following year.
The St. Louis Perfectos were renamed the St. Louis Cardinals.
Schedule
The 1900 schedule consisted of 140 games for the eight teams of the National League. Each team was scheduled to play 20 games against the other seven teams in the league. This format had previously been used by the National League during their 1888â1891 seasons. This format would last until 1904, which saw an increase of games played.
Opening Day took place on April 19 featuring all eight teams. The final day of the season on October 14. The Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, a precursor to the current World Series, took place between October 15 and October 18.
Rule change
The 1900 season saw the following rule change:
- Home plate is changed from a square to a five-sided figure, as developed by Robert M. Keating.[1][2]
- The balk rule was modified so that a batter was no longer rewarded first base. Runners already on base will move up.[3]
Teams
| League | Team | City | Ballpark | Capacity | Manager[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National League | Boston Beaneaters | Boston, Massachusetts | South End Grounds | 6,600 | Frank Selee |
| Brooklyn Superbas | New York, New York | Washington Park | 12,000 | Ned Hanlon | |
| Chicago Orphans | Chicago, Illinois | West Side Park | 13,000 | Tom Loftus | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | League Park (Cincinnati) | 9,000 | Bob Allen | |
| New York Giants | New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 16,000 | Buck Ewing | |
| George Davis | |||||
| Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | National League Park | 18,000 | Bill Shettsline | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Allegheny, Pennsylvania[A] | Exposition Park | 16,000 | Fred Clarke | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, Missouri | League Park (St. Louis) | 15,200 | Patsy Tebeau | |
| Louie Heilbroner |
- ^ In today's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Standings
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Superbas | 82 | 54 | .603 | â | 43âââ26 | 39âââ28 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 79 | 60 | .568 | 4½ | 42âââ28 | 37âââ32 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 75 | 63 | .543 | 8 | 45âââ23 | 30âââ40 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 66 | 72 | .478 | 17 | 42âââ29 | 24âââ43 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 65 | 75 | .464 | 19 | 40âââ31 | 25âââ44 |
| Chicago Orphans | 65 | 75 | .464 | 19 | 45âââ30 | 20âââ45 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 62 | 77 | .446 | 21½ | 27âââ34 | 35âââ43 |
| New York Giants | 60 | 78 | .435 | 23 | 38âââ31 | 22âââ47 |
Tie games
15 tie games, which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season.
- Boston Beaneaters, 4
- Brooklyn Superbas, 6
- Chicago Orphans, 6
- Cincinnati Reds, 5
- New York Giants, 3
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 1
- St. Louis Cardinals, 2
Postseason
Bracket
| Chronicle-Telegraph Cup | |||||||
| NL1 | Brooklyn Superbas | 5 | 4 | 0 | 6 | ||
| NL2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 2 | 10 | 1 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | John McGraw | Team folded |
| Chicago Orphans | Tom Burns | Tom Loftus |
| Cincinnati Reds | Buck Ewing | Bob Allen |
| Cleveland Spiders | Joe Quinn | Team folded |
| Louisville Colonels | Fred Clarke | Team folded |
| New York Giants | Fred Hoey | Buck Ewing |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Patsy Donovan | Fred Clarke |
| Washington Senators | Arthur Irwin | Team folded |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | Buck Ewing | George Davis |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Patsy Tebeau | Louie Heilbroner |
League leaders
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .381 |
| OPS | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 1.007 |
| HR | Herman Long (BSN) | 12 |
| RBI | Elmer Flick (PHI) | 110 |
| R | Roy Thomas (PHI) | 132 |
| H | Willie Keeler (BRO) | 204 |
| SB | Patsy Donovan (STL) George Van Haltren (NYG) |
45 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Joe McGinnity (BRO) | 28 |
| L | Bill Carrick (NYG) | 22 |
| ERA | Rube Waddell (PIT) | 2.37 |
| K | Noodles Hahn (CIN) | 132 |
| IP | Joe McGinnity (BRO) | 343.0 |
| SV | Frank Kitson (BRO) | 4 |
| WHIP | Rube Waddell (PIT) | 1.107 |
Milestones
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Noodles Hahn (CIN):
- Hahn threw his first career no-hitter and the third no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4â0 on July 12. Hahn walked two, hit one by pitch, and struck out eight.[7][8]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Kid Nichols (BSN):
- Became the sixth member of the 300-win club, defeating the Chicago Orphans on July 7, winning 11â4.[9]
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies[10] | 75 | â20.2% | 301,913 | â22.4% | 4,313 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[11] | 65 | â22.6% | 270,000 | â27.8% | 3,750 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[12] | 79 | 3.9% | 264,000 | 4.8% | 3,771 |
| Chicago Orphans[13] | 65 | â13.3% | 248,577 | â29.4% | 3,228 |
| Boston Beaneaters[14] | 66 | â30.5% | 202,000 | 0.8% | 2,767 |
| New York Giants[15] | 60 | 0.0% | 190,000 | 56.5% | 2,676 |
| Brooklyn Superbas[16] | 82 | â18.8% | 183,000 | â32.1% | 2,507 |
| Cincinnati Reds[17] | 62 | â25.3% | 170,000 | â34.5% | 2,698 |