1911 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1911 major league baseball season began on April 12, 1911. The regular season ended on October 12, with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the eighth modern World Series on October 14 and ended with Game 6 on October 26. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup, the Athletics defeated the Giants, four games to two, capturing their second championship in franchise history, and the second team to win back-to-back World Series.
National League (NL)
- April 12 â October 8, 1911 (AL)
- April 12 â October 12, 1911 (NL)
- October 17â26, 1911
| 1911 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 154 |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Ty Cobb (DET) NL: Frank Schulte (CHC) |
| AL champions | Philadelphia Athletics |
| AL runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
| NL champions | New York Giants |
| NL runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Philadelphia Athletics |
| Runners-up | New York Giants |
This was the first of four seasons that the Chalmers Award, a precursor to the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (introduced in 1931), was given to a player in each league.
This is the most recent major league season from which no stadiums remain in use. The Boston Red Sox have used Fenway Park as their home field since the 1912 season. The Boston Doves and Brooklyn Superbas renamed as the Boston Rustlers and Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, respectively.
Schedule
The 1911 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 12 with all but the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers playing. The American League would see its final day of the regular season on October 8, while the National League would see its final day of the regular season was on October 12. The World Series took place between October 14 and October 26.
Teams
An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Athletics | 101 | 50 | .669 | â | 54âââ20 | 47âââ30 |
| Detroit Tigers | 89 | 65 | .578 | 13½ | 51âââ25 | 38âââ40 |
| Cleveland Naps | 80 | 73 | .523 | 22 | 46âââ30 | 34âââ43 |
| Boston Red Sox | 78 | 75 | .510 | 24 | 39âââ37 | 39âââ38 |
| Chicago White Sox | 77 | 74 | .510 | 24 | 40âââ37 | 37âââ37 |
| New York Highlanders | 76 | 76 | .500 | 25½ | 36âââ40 | 40âââ36 |
| Washington Senators | 64 | 90 | .416 | 38½ | 39âââ38 | 25âââ52 |
| St. Louis Browns | 45 | 107 | .296 | 56½ | 25âââ53 | 20âââ54 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 99 | 54 | .647 | â | 49âââ25 | 50âââ29 |
| Chicago Cubs | 92 | 62 | .597 | 7½ | 49âââ32 | 43âââ30 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 85 | 69 | .552 | 14½ | 48âââ29 | 37âââ40 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 79 | 73 | .520 | 19½ | 42âââ34 | 37âââ39 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 75 | 74 | .503 | 22 | 36âââ38 | 39âââ36 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 70 | 83 | .458 | 29 | 38âââ42 | 32âââ41 |
| Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers | 64 | 86 | .427 | 33½ | 31âââ42 | 33âââ44 |
| Boston Rustlers | 44 | 107 | .291 | 54 | 19âââ54 | 25âââ53 |
Tie games
19 tie games (4 in AL, 15 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.
American League
- Chicago White Sox, 3
- Cleveland Naps, 3
- New York Highlanders, 1
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
National League
- Boston Rustlers, 5
- Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, 4
- Chicago Cubs, 3
- Cincinnati Reds, 6
- New York Giants, 1
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 1
- St. Louis Cardinals, 9
Postseason
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The postseason began on October 17 and ended on October 26 with the Philadelphia Athletics defeating the New York Giants in the 1911 World Series in six games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Philadelphia Athletics | 4 | ||
| NL | New York Giants | 2 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Rustlers | Fred Lake | Fred Tenney |
| St. Louis Browns | Jack O'Connor | Bobby Wallace |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Naps | Deacon McGuire | George Stovall |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Jack Coombs (PHA) | 28 |
| L | Jack Powell (SLB) | 19 |
| ERA | Vean Gregg (CLE) | 1.80 |
| K | Ed Walsh (CWS) | 255 |
| IP | Ed Walsh (CWS) | 368.2 |
| SV | Charley Hall (BOS) Eddie Plank (PHA) Ed Walsh (CWS) |
4 |
| WHIP | Vean Gregg (CLE) | 1.054 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .334 |
| OPS | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .930 |
| HR | Frank Schulte (CHC) | 21 |
| RBI | Frank Schulte (CHC) Owen Wilson (PIT) |
107 |
| R | Jimmy Sheckard (CHC) | 121 |
| H | Doc Miller (BSN) | 192 |
| SB | Bob Bescher (CIN) | 81 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Grover Alexander (PHI) | 28 |
| L | Earl Moore (PHI) Bill Steele (STL) |
19 |
| ERA | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 1.99 |
| K | Rube Marquard (NYG) | 237 |
| IP | Grover Alexander (PHI) | 367.0 |
| SV | Mordecai Brown (CHC) | 13 |
| WHIP | Babe Adams (PIT) | 1.006 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Frank Baker (PHA):
- Baker hit for his first cycle and third in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on July 3 against the New York Highlanders.[6]
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Smoky Joe Wood (BOS):
- Wood threw his first career no-hitter and fifth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the St. Louis Browns 5â0 in game one of a doubleheader on July 29. Wood walked two, hit one by pitch, and struck out twelve.[7][8]
- Ed Walsh (CWS):
- Walsh threw his first career no-hitter and fourth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Red Sox 5â0 on August 27. Walsh walked one and struck out eight.[9][10]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Cy Young (BSN):
- Set a major league record for most career wins at 511 on September 22 in a 1â0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last career win.[11]
Miscellaneous
- Detroit Tigers:
- Set a major league record for largest deficit ever overcome to win on June 18. The Tigers in a 12-run deficit, down 13â1 after the top of the fifth inning, would go on to win the game 16â15 over the Chicago White Sox.[12][13]
- Boston Rustlers:
- Set the modern National League record for worst winning percentage with .291. The previous record of .294 was set by the Boston Doves in 1909.
Awards and honors
- Chalmers Award: Frank Schulte (CHC, National); Ty Cobb (DET, American)
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants[14] | 99 | 8.8% | 675,000 | 31.9% | 9,000 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[15] | 101 | -1.0% | 605,749 | 2.9% | 8,077 |
| Chicago White Sox[16] | 77 | 13.2% | 583,208 | 5.6% | 7,477 |
| Chicago Cubs[17] | 92 | -11.5% | 576,000 | 9.5% | 6,857 |
| Boston Red Sox[18] | 78 | -3.7% | 503,961 | -13.8% | 6,631 |
| Detroit Tigers[19] | 89 | 3.5% | 484,988 | 23.9% | 6,381 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[20] | 75 | 19.0% | 447,768 | 25.9% | 5,668 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[21] | 85 | -1.2% | 432,000 | -1.1% | 5,538 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[22] | 79 | 1.3% | 416,000 | 40.3% | 5,474 |
| Cleveland Naps[23] | 80 | 12.7% | 406,296 | 38.5% | 5,277 |
| New York Highlanders[24] | 76 | -13.6% | 302,444 | -15.0% | 3,928 |
| Cincinnati Reds[25] | 70 | -6.7% | 300,000 | -21.2% | 3,659 |
| Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers[26] | 64 | 0.0% | 269,000 | -3.7% | 3,635 |
| Washington Senators[27] | 64 | -3.0% | 244,884 | -3.8% | 3,180 |
| St. Louis Browns[28] | 45 | -4.3% | 207,984 | -16.8% | 2,666 |
| Boston Rustlers[29] | 44 | -17.0% | 116,000 | -22.2% | 1,547 |
Venues
The 1911 season saw three teams play their last seasons at their respective venues.
- The Boston Red Sox would play their last game at the Huntington Avenue Grounds on October 7 against the Washington Senators, moving into Fenway Park for the start of the 1912 season.
- The Cincinnati Reds would play their last game at the Palace of the Fans on October 12 against the Chicago Cubs, moving into Redland Field for the start of the 1912 season.
- The Detroit Tigers would play their last game at Bennett Park on September 10 against the Cleveland Naps, moving into Navin Field for the start of the 1912 season.
The 1911 season saw two teams play in new venues due to fires.
- Prior to the start of the season, the Washington Senators home at National Park burned down on March 17. The Senators played there for seven seasons, and the venue was previously home to the defunct AA/NL Washington Senators from 1891 through 1899. A new venue, also called National Park, was quickly built on the same site, in time for Opening Day on April 12 to play a game with fans in attendance. The Senators would go on to play there for the rest of their tenure in Washington, D.C. for 50 seasons through 1960, before moving to Minnesota as the Minnesota Twins.
- On April 14, after only two home games, much of the New York Giants home, the Polo Grounds, burned down, forcing the team to play 28 home games at the home of the New York Highlanders, Hilltop Park for the remaining April and May home games. Following a month long road trip, the Giants returned to a reconstructed Polo Grounds, now called Brush Stadium after owner John T. Brush, on June 28 and would play their remaining 45 home games there.[30][31]