1904 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1904 major league baseball season was contested from April 14 to October 10, 1904. The Boston Americans and New York Giants finished atop the standings for the American League and National League, respectively. There was no postseason: with still no formal arrangement in place between the two leagues, the Giants declined to meet the Americans in the 1904 World Series. Going into the season, the Americans were the defending World Series from the 1903 season.
National League (NL)
April 14 â October 9, 1904 (NL)
| 1904 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 14 â October 10, 1904 (AL) April 14 â October 9, 1904 (NL) |
| Games | 154 |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Pennant winners | |
| AL champions | Boston Americans |
| AL runners-up | New York Highlanders |
| NL champions | New York Giants |
| NL runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
The St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers played 11 consecutive games against each other in Septemberâthe first six in Detroit and the final five in St. Louis[1]âthe most games played consecutively between two teams in major league history.[2] The Chicago White Stockings shortened their name to the Chicago White Sox.
Schedule
The 1904 schedule consisted of 154 games (an increase from 140 from the previous season) for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This format was an adjustment to the 140-game, 20-games-each format that had been in place from the 1901 season. This format would last until 1919.
Opening Day took place on April 14 with all but the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals playing. The National League and American League would see their final day of the regular season on October 9 & 10, respectively.
Teams
Sunday games
Blue laws restricted Sunday activities in several localities, causing the New York Highlanders, in a rescheduled game, to play at a ballpark in a different locality.
| Team | City | Ballpark | Capacity | Games played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Highlanders[4] | Newark, New Jersey | Wiedenmeyer's Park | 7,000 | 1 |
- ^ In today's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Americans | 95 | 59 | .617 | â | 49âââ30 | 46âââ29 |
| New York Highlanders | 92 | 59 | .609 | 1½ | 46âââ29 | 46âââ30 |
| Chicago White Sox | 89 | 65 | .578 | 6 | 50âââ27 | 39âââ38 |
| Cleveland Naps | 86 | 65 | .570 | 7½ | 44âââ31 | 42âââ34 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 81 | 70 | .536 | 12½ | 47âââ31 | 34âââ39 |
| St. Louis Browns | 65 | 87 | .428 | 29 | 32âââ43 | 33âââ44 |
| Detroit Tigers | 62 | 90 | .408 | 32 | 34âââ40 | 28âââ50 |
| Washington Senators | 38 | 113 | .252 | 55½ | 23âââ52 | 15âââ61 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 106 | 47 | .693 | â | 56âââ26 | 50âââ21 |
| Chicago Cubs | 93 | 60 | .608 | 13 | 49âââ27 | 44âââ33 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 88 | 65 | .575 | 18 | 49âââ27 | 39âââ38 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 87 | 66 | .569 | 19 | 48âââ30 | 39âââ36 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 75 | 79 | .487 | 31½ | 39âââ36 | 36âââ43 |
| Brooklyn Superbas | 56 | 97 | .366 | 50 | 31âââ44 | 25âââ53 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 55 | 98 | .359 | 51 | 34âââ45 | 21âââ53 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 52 | 100 | .342 | 53½ | 28âââ43 | 24âââ57 |
Tie games
29 tie games (18 in AL, 11 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season.
American League
- Boston Americans, 3
- Chicago White Sox, 2
- Cleveland Naps, 3
- Detroit Tigers, 10
- New York Highlanders, 4
- Philadelphia Athletics, 4
- St. Louis Browns, 4
- Washington Senators, 6
National League
- Boston Beaneaters, 2
- Brooklyn Superbas, 1
- Chicago Cubs, 3
- Cincinnati Reds, 4
- New York Giants, 5
- Philadelphia Phillies, 3
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 3
- St. Louis Cardinals, 1
Postseason
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | Chief Zimmer | Hugh Duffy |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Patsy Donovan | Kid Nichols |
| Washington Senators | Tom Loftus | Malachi Kittridge |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Stockings | Jimmy Callahan | Fielder Jones |
| Detroit Tigers | Ed Barrow | Bobby Lowe |
| Washington Senators | Malachi Kittridge | Patsy Donovan |
League leaders
Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Nap Lajoie (CLE) | .376 |
| OPS | Nap Lajoie (CLE) | .959 |
| HR | Harry Davis (PHA) | 10 |
| RBI | Nap Lajoie (CLE) | 102 |
| R | Patsy Dougherty (NYH/BOS) | 113 |
| H | Nap Lajoie (CLE) | 208 |
| SB | Harry Bay (CLE) Elmer Flick (CLE) |
38 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Jack Chesbro1 (NYH) | 41 |
| L | Happy Townsend (WSH) | 26 |
| ERA | Addie Joss (CLE) | 1.59 |
| K | Rube Waddell (PHA) | 349 |
| IP | Jack Chesbro (NYH) | 454.2 |
| SV | Casey Patten (WSH) | 3 |
| WHIP | Cy Young (BOS) | 0.937 |
1 Modern (1901âpresent) single-season wins record
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .349 |
| OPS | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .944 |
| HR | Harry Lumley (BRO) | 9 |
| RBI | Bill Dahlen (NYG) | 80 |
| R | George Browne (PIT) | 99 |
| H | Ginger Beaumont (PIT) | 185 |
| SB | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 53 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Joe McGinnity (NYG) | 35 |
| L | Vic Willis (BSN) Oscar Jones (BRO) |
25 |
| ERA | Joe McGinnity (NYG) | 1.61 |
| K | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 212 |
| IP | Joe McGinnity (NYG) | 408.0 |
| SV | Joe McGinnity (NYG) | 5 |
| WHIP | Joe McGinnity (NYG) | 0.963 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Duff Cooley (BSN):
- Cooley hit for his first cycle and second in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on June 20 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Sam Mertes (NYG):
- Mertes hit for his first cycle, the fourth cycle in franchise history, and the third reverse cycle in major league history, in game one of a doubleheader on October 4 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Other batting accomplishments
- Frank Chance (CHC):
- Chance is hit by a pitch five times in a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on May 30, by Jack Harper and Win Kellum.[11][12]
Pitchers
Perfect games
- Cy Young (BOS):
- Young pitched the third perfect game in major league history and the first in franchise history on May 5 against the Philadelphia Athletics. Young struck out eight in the 3â0 victory.[13]
No-hitters
- Jesse Tannehill (BOS):
- Tannehill threw his first career no-hitter and the second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Chicago White Sox 6â0 on August 17. Tannehill walked one, hit one by pitch, and struck out four.[14]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Cy Young (BOS):
- Became the first member of the 400-win club, defeating the Philadelphia Athletics on September 20, winning 11â1.
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Americans[15] | 95 | 4.4% | 623,295 | 64.3% | 7,695 |
| New York Giants[16] | 106 | 26.2% | 609,826 | 5.2% | 7,260 |
| Chicago White Stockings[17] | 89 | 48.3% | 557,123 | 94.7% | 7,143 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[18] | 81 | 8.0% | 512,294 | 21.3% | 6,485 |
| Chicago Cubs[19] | 93 | 13.4% | 439,100 | 13.7% | 5,629 |
| New York Highlanders[20] | 92 | 27.8% | 438,919 | 107.2% | 5,852 |
| Cincinnati Reds[21] | 88 | 18.9% | 391,915 | 11.4% | 4,961 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[22] | 75 | 74.4% | 386,750 | 70.7% | 5,089 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[23] | 87 | â4.4% | 340,615 | 4.2% | 4,367 |
| St. Louis Browns[24] | 65 | 0.0% | 318,108 | â16.4% | 4,078 |
| Cleveland Naps[25] | 86 | 11.7% | 264,749 | â14.9% | 3,394 |
| Brooklyn Superbas[26] | 56 | â20.0% | 214,600 | â4.5% | 2,824 |
| Detroit Tigers[27] | 62 | â4.6% | 177,796 | â20.8% | 2,251 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[28] | 52 | 6.1% | 140,771 | â7.2% | 1,928 |
| Boston Beaneaters[29] | 55 | â5.2% | 140,694 | â1.7% | 1,781 |
| Washington Senators[30] | 38 | â11.6% | 131,744 | 2.2% | 1,689 |
Venues
The Washington Senators leave American League Park (where they played three seasons) and move into a new American League Park, where they would go on to play seven seasons through 1910.
The New York Highlanders play one game at Wiedenmeyer's Park in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday, July 17, as a makeup between them and the Detroit Tigers and to avoid New York City's blue laws.[31][32]