1908 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1908 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1908. The regular season ended on October 8, with the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers as regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In a rematch of the prior year's postseason, the postseason began with Game 1 of the fifth modern World Series on October 10 and ended with Game 5 on October 14. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup (and a rematch of the previous year), The Cubs defeated the Tigers, four games to one, capturing their second championship in franchise history, and the first team to win back-to-back World Series.
National League (NL)
- April 14 â October 8, 1908
- October 10â14, 1908
| 1908 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 154 |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Pennant winners | |
| AL champions | Detroit Tigers |
| AL runners-up | Cleveland Naps |
| NL champions | Chicago Cubs |
| NL runners-up | New York Giants |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Chicago Cubs |
| Runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
The Boston Americans renamed as the Boston Red Sox.
Schedule
The 1908 schedule consisted of 154 games 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 continued the format put in place for the 1904 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 final day of the regular season was on October 8. The World Series took place between October 10 and October 14.
Rule changes
The 1908 season saw the following rule changes:
- The American League made the following rule changes:[1]
- Language on postponed games was adopted, stating "All postponed games of the first series shall be played on the first or succeeding days of the second series; all postponed games of the second and third series shall be played on the next day or succeeding day of the same series."
- A rule stating "restricts the practice of acquiring a player by refusing waiver on him and then immediately turning him over to a club outside the league."
- On February 27, 1908, the three organizations of the National Commission of Baseball Clubs, National League, and American League announced several rule changes, effective immediately.[2]
- The act of rubbing the ball on the ground, clothing, shoes, or dropping the ball and picking it up with a handful of gravel or dirt by the pitcher was prohibited.
- The sacrifice fly rule is adopted. No time at bat is charged if a run scores after the catch of a fly ball. The rule would eventually be repealed in 1931, then reinstated (or changed) several times before gaining permanent acceptance in 1954.
- The trend of each team playing 22 games with every other in-league team was written into the Major League Baseball Constitution, with rules for playing makeup games at the originally scheduled ballpark in the event of tie games, rain delays, and other game-preventing situations being put in place. If the series of all scheduled games has ended with makeup games remaining, if possible, the remaining game(s) can be made up on the opposite team's ballpark, with a date agreed by the two teams.
Teams
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | 90 | 63 | .588 | â | 44âââ33 | 46âââ30 |
| Cleveland Naps | 90 | 64 | .584 | ½ | 51âââ26 | 39âââ38 |
| Chicago White Sox | 88 | 64 | .579 | 1½ | 51âââ25 | 37âââ39 |
| St. Louis Browns | 83 | 69 | .546 | 6½ | 46âââ31 | 37âââ38 |
| Boston Red Sox | 75 | 79 | .487 | 15½ | 37âââ40 | 38âââ39 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 68 | 85 | .444 | 22 | 46âââ30 | 22âââ55 |
| Washington Senators | 67 | 85 | .441 | 22½ | 43âââ32 | 24âââ53 |
| New York Highlanders | 51 | 103 | .331 | 39½ | 30âââ47 | 21âââ56 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 99 | 55 | .643 | â | 47âââ30 | 52âââ25 |
| New York Giants | 98 | 56 | .636 | 1 | 52âââ25 | 46âââ31 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 98 | 56 | .636 | 1 | 42âââ35 | 56âââ21 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 83 | 71 | .539 | 16 | 43âââ34 | 40âââ37 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 73 | 81 | .474 | 26 | 40âââ37 | 33âââ44 |
| Boston Doves | 63 | 91 | .409 | 36 | 35âââ42 | 28âââ49 |
| Brooklyn Superbas | 53 | 101 | .344 | 46 | 27âââ50 | 26âââ51 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 49 | 105 | .318 | 50 | 28âââ49 | 21âââ56 |
Tie games
16 tie games (10 in AL, 6 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season.
American League
- Boston Red Sox, 1
- Chicago White Sox, 4
- Cleveland Naps, 3
- Detroit Tigers, 1
- New York Highlanders, 1
- Philadelphia Athletics, 4
- St. Louis Browns, 3
- Washington Senators, 3
National League
- Boston Doves, 2
- Chicago Cubs, 4
- Cincinnati Reds, 1
- New York Giants, 3
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 1
Postseason
The postseason began on October 10 and ended on October 14 with the Chicago Cubs defeating the Detroit Tigers in the 1908 World Series in five games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Detroit Tigers | 1 | ||
| NL | Chicago Cubs | 4 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Doves | Fred Tenney | Joe Kelley |
| Cincinnati Reds | Ned Hanlon | John Ganzel |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | Deacon McGuire | Fred Lake |
| New York Highlanders | Clark Griffith | Kid Elberfeld |
League leaders
Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
American League
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .354 |
| OPS | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .957 |
| HR | Tim Jordan (BRO) | 12 |
| RBI | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 109 |
| R | Fred Tenney (NYG) | 101 |
| H | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 201 |
| SB | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 53 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Christy Mathewson2 (NYG) | 37 |
| L | Bugs Raymond (STL) | 25 |
| ERA | Christy Mathewson2 (NYG) | 1.43 |
| K | Christy Mathewson2 (NYG) | 259 |
| IP | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 390.2 |
| SV | Mordecai Brown (CHC) Christy Mathewson (NYG) Joe McGinnity (NYG) |
5 |
| WHIP | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 0.827 |
2 National League Triple Crown pitching winner
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Otis Clymer (WSH):
- Clymer hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history, on October 2 against the New York Highlanders.[8]
Pitchers
Perfect games
- Addie Joss (CLE):
- Pitched the fourth perfect game in major league history and the first in franchise history on October 2 against the Chicago White Sox. Joss threw 74 pitches (the lowest known pitch count ever for a perfect game) and struck out three in the 1â0 victory.[9]
No-hitters
- Cy Young (BOS):
- Young threw his third career no-hitter and the fourth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the New York Highlanders 8â0 on June 30. Young walked one and struck out two.[10]
- Hooks Wiltse (NYG):
- Wiltse threw his first career no-hitter and the fourth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 1â0 in 10 innings on the first game of a doubleheader on July 4. Wiltse hit one batter by pitch and struck out five.[11]
- Nap Rucker (BRO):
- Rucker threw his first career no-hitter and the sixth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Doves 6â0 on the second game of a doubleheader on September 5. Rucker walked zero batters by pitch and struck out 14, though two batters would reach base via error.[12]
- Bob Rhoads (CLE):
- Rhoads threw his first career no-hitter and the first no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Red Sox 2â1 on September 18. Rhoads walked two, hit one by pitch, and struck out two.[13]
- Frank Smith (CWS):
- Smith threw his second career no-hitter and the third no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Philadelphia Athletics 1â0 on September 20. Smith walked one and struck out two, though allowed two runners on base.[14]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Ed Reulbach (CHC):
- Reulbach pitched two shutouts in a doubleheader against the Brooklyn Superbas on September 26, winning both games 5â0 and 3â0.
Miscellaneous
- St. Louis Cardinals:
- Set a Major League record for least runs scored in a full season, by scoring only 372 runs.[15]
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants[16] | 98 | 19.5% | 910,000 | 69.0% | 11,375 |
| Chicago Cubs[17] | 99 | â7.5% | 665,325 | 57.5% | 8,530 |
| Chicago White Sox[18] | 88 | 1.1% | 636,096 | â4.5% | 8,155 |
| St. Louis Browns[19] | 83 | 20.3% | 618,947 | 47.7% | 7,935 |
| Boston Red Sox[20] | 75 | 27.1% | 473,048 | 8.3% | 6,143 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[21] | 68 | â22.7% | 455,062 | â27.3% | 5,834 |
| Detroit Tigers[22] | 90 | â2.2% | 436,199 | 46.8% | 5,592 |
| Cleveland Naps[23] | 90 | 5.9% | 422,262 | 10.5% | 5,414 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[24] | 83 | 0.0% | 420,660 | 23.3% | 5,393 |
| Cincinnati Reds[25] | 73 | 10.6% | 399,200 | 25.7% | 5,184 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[26] | 98 | 7.7% | 382,444 | 19.7% | 4,967 |
| New York Highlanders[27] | 51 | â27.1% | 305,500 | â12.7% | 3,968 |
| Brooklyn Superbas[28] | 53 | â18.5% | 275,600 | â11.8% | 3,579 |
| Washington Senators[29] | 67 | 36.7% | 264,252 | 19.1% | 3,388 |
| Boston Doves[30] | 63 | 8.6% | 253,750 | 24.9% | 3,253 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[31] | 49 | â5.8% | 205,129 | 10.7% | 2,664 |
Venues
The Philadelphia Athletics would play their final game at Columbia Park with a doubleheader on October 3 against the Boston Red Sox, moving into Shibe Park for the start of the 1909 season.