1908 Pittsburgh Pirates season
Baseball season
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The 1908 Pittsburgh[b] Pirates season was the 27th season for the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. The team finished in a tie for second place in the National League with the New York Giants, one game behind the Chicago Cubs.
| 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | National League |
| Ballpark | Exposition Park |
| City | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[a] |
| Record | 98â56 (.636) |
| League place | Tâ2nd |
| Owners | Barney Dreyfuss |
| Managers | Fred Clarke |
Background
The Pirates spent 46 days in first place, and were on top on October 3; however, the team lost its last game to the Cubs, which set up a replay of the infamous "Merkle" game between the Cubs and the Giants. The Cubs took it to win the pennant. Pittsburgh finished tied for second place with the Giants, just one game back. It was one of the closest races in baseball history.
Shortstop Honus Wagner had one of the most dominating hitting performances of all-time. The "Flying Dutchman" led the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs batted in, and stolen bases. He missed the triple crown by two home runs. For his efforts, Wagner was paid $5,000, possibly the most on the team.
Regular season
Season summary
The Pirates opened the season by winning three straight games in St. Louis. On Opening Day, the Pirates committed four errors while the Cardinals committed six.[1]
Fans were concerned because Honus Wagner, who had led the National League in hitting, slugging, and stolen bases in 1907, was not at the game; many worried that he was taking the year off. On April 17, Charlie Starr, who was Wagner's replacement, committed two errors. After that game, Wagner signed with the Pirates.
The home opener for the Pirates was a 5â1 victory for the Pirates over the Cardinals. From April 26 to May 9, the Pirates played only 3 games due to poor weather.[2]
On June 30, the Pirates took first place, as the Chicago Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds.[3]
On July 2, the Pirates began a critical five-game series against the Cubs. During the first game, Mordecai Brown threw a six-hit, no-walk shutout, winning the game 3â0.[4] The Pirates scheduled a doubleheader on the Fourth of July and more than 30,000 fans showed up. The Cubs won the first game 2â0 as Mordecai Brown only allowed two hits.[5]
Season standings
| 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 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BSN | BRO | CHC | CIN | NYG | PHI | PIT | STL | |||||
| Boston | â | 12â10 | 6â16â2 | 8â14 | 6â16 | 10â12 | 7â15 | 14â8 | |||||
| Brooklyn | 10â12 | â | 4â18 | 6â16 | 6â16 | 5â17 | 9â13 | 13â9 | |||||
| Chicago | 16â6â2 | 18â4 | â | 16â6 | 11â11â1 | 9â13â1 | 10â12 | 19â3 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 14â8 | 16â6 | 6â16 | â | 8â14â1 | 10â12 | 8â14 | 11â11 | |||||
| New York | 16â6 | 16â6 | 11â11â1 | 14â8â1 | â | 16â6 | 11â11â1 | 14â8 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 12â10 | 17â5 | 13â9â1 | 12â10 | 6â16 | â | 9â13 | 14â8 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 15â7 | 13â9 | 12â10 | 14â8 | 11â11â1 | 13â9 | â | 20â2 | |||||
| St. Louis | 8â14 | 9â13 | 3â19 | 11â11 | 8â14 | 8â14 | 2â20 | â | |||||
Opening Day lineup
Roster
| 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers
Infielders |
Outfielders
Other batters |
Manager | ||||||
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | George Gibson | 143 | 486 | 111 | .228 | 2 | 45 |
| 1B | Harry Swacina | 53 | 176 | 38 | .216 | 0 | 13 |
| 2B | Ed Abbaticchio | 146 | 500 | 125 | .250 | 1 | 61 |
| SS | Honus Wagner | 151 | 568 | 201 | .354 | 10 | 109 |
| 3B | Tommy Leach | 152 | 583 | 151 | .259 | 5 | 41 |
| LF | Fred Clarke | 151 | 551 | 146 | .265 | 2 | 35 |
| CF | Roy Thomas | 102 | 386 | 99 | .256 | 1 | 24 |
| RF | Chief Wilson | 144 | 529 | 120 | .227 | 3 | 43 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Storke | 64 | 202 | 51 | .252 | 1 | 12 |
| Jim Kane | 55 | 145 | 35 | .241 | 0 | 22 |
| Spike Shannon | 32 | 127 | 25 | .197 | 0 | 12 |
| Danny Moeller | 36 | 109 | 21 | .193 | 0 | 9 |
| Warren Gill | 27 | 76 | 17 | .224 | 0 | 14 |
| Beals Becker | 20 | 65 | 10 | .154 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Phelps | 34 | 64 | 15 | .234 | 0 | 11 |
| Charlie Starr | 20 | 59 | 11 | .186 | 0 | 8 |
| Paddy O'Connor | 12 | 16 | 3 | .188 | 0 | 2 |
| John Sullivan | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunky Shaw | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Cy Neighbors | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vic Willis | 41 | 304.2 | 23 | 11 | 2.07 | 97 |
| Nick Maddox | 36 | 260.2 | 23 | 8 | 2.28 | 70 |
| Howie Camnitz | 38 | 236.2 | 16 | 9 | 1.56 | 118 |
| Lefty Leifield | 34 | 218.2 | 15 | 14 | 2.10 | 87 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Leever | 38 | 192.2 | 15 | 7 | 2.10 | 28 |
| Irv Young | 16 | 89.2 | 4 | 3 | 2.01 | 31 |
| Harley Young | 8 | 48.1 | 0 | 2 | 2.23 | 17 |
| Chick Brandom | 3 | 17.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.53 | 8 |
| Bob Vail | 4 | 15.0 | 1 | 2 | 6.00 | 9 |
| Tom McCarthy | 2 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deacon Phillippe | 5 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 11.25 | 1 |
| Homer Hillebrand | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
Awards and honors
League top five finishers
- #4 in NL in ERA (1.56)
- #4 in NL in runs scored (83)
- #3 in NL in runs scored (93)
- MLB leader in batting average (.354)
- MLB leader in RBI (109)
- MLB leader in stolen bases (53)
- MLB leader in on-base percentage (.415)
- MLB leader in slugging percentage (.542)
- #2 in NL in home runs (10)
- #2 in NL in runs scored (100)
Notes
- From 1882-1906, the team played in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which became annexed by Pittsburgh as the North Side in 1907.
- In the early 20th century and earlier, the name of Pittsburgh was spelled with and without the final 'h'.