1913 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1913 major league baseball season began on April 9, 1913. The regular season ended on October 5, 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 tenth World Series on October 7 and ended with Game 5 on October 11. In the third iteration of this World Series matchup, the Athletics defeated the Giants, four games to one, capturing their third championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1911. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Boston Red Sox from the 1912 season.
National League (NL)
- April 10 â October 5, 1913 (AL)
- April 9 â October 5, 1913 (NL)
- October 7 â October 11, 1913
| 1913 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: Walter Johnson (WSH) NL: Jake Daubert (BRO) |
| AL champions | Philadelphia Athletics |
| AL runners-up | Boston Red Sox |
| NL champions | New York Giants |
| NL runners-up | Philadelphia Phillies |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Philadelphia Athletics |
| Runners-up | New York Giants |
This was the third 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.
The Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers shortened its name to the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Highlanders renamed as the New York Yankees.
Schedule
The 1913 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.
National League Opening Day took place on April 9 with a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers, while American League Opening Day took place the following day, with all AL teams but the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Naps, playing. The final day of the regular season was on October 5. The World Series took place between October 7 and October 11.
Rule change
The National League ruled that umpires could no longer scout for teams, as was the case when Umpire Cy Rigler was being paid $2,200 (equivalent to $71,700 in 2025) by the Philadelphia Phillies for his role in having the team sign a pitcher, Eppa Rixey.
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 | 96 | 57 | .627 | â | 50âââ26 | 46âââ31 |
| Washington Senators | 90 | 64 | .584 | 6½ | 42âââ35 | 48âââ29 |
| Cleveland Naps | 86 | 66 | .566 | 9½ | 45âââ32 | 41âââ34 |
| Boston Red Sox | 79 | 71 | .527 | 15½ | 41âââ34 | 38âââ37 |
| Chicago White Sox | 78 | 74 | .513 | 17½ | 40âââ37 | 38âââ37 |
| Detroit Tigers | 66 | 87 | .431 | 30 | 34âââ42 | 32âââ45 |
| New York Yankees | 57 | 94 | .377 | 38 | 27âââ47 | 30âââ47 |
| St. Louis Browns | 57 | 96 | .373 | 39 | 31âââ46 | 26âââ50 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 101 | 51 | .664 | â | 54âââ23 | 47âââ28 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 88 | 63 | .583 | 12½ | 43âââ33 | 45âââ30 |
| Chicago Cubs | 88 | 65 | .575 | 13½ | 51âââ25 | 37âââ40 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 78 | 71 | .523 | 21½ | 41âââ35 | 37âââ36 |
| Boston Braves | 69 | 82 | .457 | 31½ | 34âââ40 | 35âââ42 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 65 | 84 | .436 | 34½ | 29âââ47 | 36âââ37 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 64 | 89 | .418 | 37½ | 32âââ44 | 32âââ45 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 51 | 99 | .340 | 49 | 25âââ48 | 26âââ51 |
Tie games
21 tie games (5 in AL, 16 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, 1
- Cleveland Naps, 3
- New York Yankees, 2
- St. Louis Browns, 2
- Washington Senators, 1
National League
- Boston Braves, 3
- Brooklyn Dodgers, 3
- Chicago Cubs, 2
- Cincinnati Reds, 3
- New York Giants, 4
- Philadelphia Phillies, 8
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 6
- St. Louis Cardinals, 3
Postseason
The postseason began on October 7 and ended on October 11 with the Philadelphia Athletics defeating the New York Giants in the 1913 World Series in five games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Philadelphia Athletics | 4 | ||
| NL | New York Giants | 1 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | Jake Stahl | Bill Carrigan |
| St. Louis Browns | George Stovall | Jimmy Austin |
| Jimmy Austin | Branch Rickey |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Ty Cobb (DET) | .389 |
| OPS | Joe Jackson (CLE) | 1.011 |
| HR | Home Run Baker (PHA) | 12 |
| RBI | Home Run Baker (PHA) | 117 |
| R | Eddie Collins (PHA) | 125 |
| H | Joe Jackson (CLE) | 197 |
| SB | Clyde Milan (WSH) | 75 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Walter Johnson1 (WSH) | 36 |
| L | Jim Scott (CWS) | 21 |
| ERA | Walter Johnson1 (WSH) | 1.14 |
| K | Walter Johnson1 (WSH) | 243 |
| IP | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 346.0 |
| SV | Charles Bender (PHA) | 13 |
| WHIP | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 0.780 |
1 American League Triple Crown pitching winner
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Jake Daubert (BRO) | .350 |
| OPS | Gavvy Cravath (PHI) | .974 |
| HR | Gavvy Cravath (PHI) | 19 |
| RBI | Gavvy Cravath (PHI) | 128 |
| R | Max Carey (PIT) Tommy Leach (CHC) |
120 |
| H | Gavvy Cravath (PHI) | 179 |
| SB | Max Carey (PIT) | 61 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Tom Seaton (PHI) | 27 |
| L | Dan Griner (STL) | 22 |
| ERA | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 2.06 |
| K | Tom Seaton (PHI) | 168 |
| IP | Tom Seaton (PHI) | 322.1 |
| SV | Larry Cheney (CHC) | 11 |
| WHIP | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 1.020 |
Milestones
Batters
- Harry Hooper (BOS):
- Became the first player to hit a home run as the lead-off hitter in both games of a doubleheader, against the Washington Senators on May 30.[6]
Pitchers
- Washington Senators:
- The Washington Senators used eight pitchers including infielder Germany Schaefer, catcher Eddie Ainsmith, outfielder Joe Gedeon and manager Clark Griffith, against the Boston Red Sox on October 4. Despite the use of these non-pitchers, the Senators win the game 10â9.[7]
Miscellaneous
Awards and honors
- Chalmers Award: Jake Daubert (BRO, National); Walter Johnson (WSH, American)
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox[9] | 78 | 1.3% | 602,241 | 3.3% | 7,721 |
| New York Giants[10] | 103 | 4.0% | 638,000 | â5.5% | 8,395 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[11] | 90 | â10.9% | 517,653 | â14.5% | 6,723 |
| Cleveland Naps[12] | 75 | â6.3% | 336,844 | â17.1% | 4,375 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[13] | 73 | â7.6% | 250,000 | â39.9% | 3,333 |
| Boston Red Sox[14] | 105 | 34.6% | 597,096 | 18.5% | 7,655 |
| Chicago Cubs[15] | 91 | â1.1% | 514,000 | â10.8% | 6,590 |
| Detroit Tigers[16] | 69 | â22.5% | 402,870 | â16.9% | 5,301 |
| New York Yankees[17] | 50 | â34.2% | 242,194 | â19.9% | 3,187 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers[18] | 58 | â9.4% | 243,000 | â9.7% | 3,197 |
| Washington Senators[19] | 91 | 42.2% | 350,663 | 43.2% | 4,496 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[20] | 93 | 9.4% | 384,000 | â11.1% | 5,120 |
| Cincinnati Reds[21] | 75 | 7.1% | 344,000 | 14.7% | 4,468 |
| St. Louis Browns[22] | 53 | 17.8% | 214,070 | 2.9% | 2,710 |
| Boston Braves[23] | 52 | 18.2% | 121,000 | 4.3% | 1,532 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[24] | 63 | â16.0% | 241,759 | â46.0% | 3,140 |
Venues
The 1913 season saw two teams move to two venues.
- The Brooklyn Dodgers leave Washington Park (where they played for 15 seasons) and opened Ebbets Field, where they would go on to play for 45 seasons through 1957.
- The New York Highlanders leave Hilltop Park (where they played for ten seasons) and moved into the home of the New York Giants, where they would go on to play for ten seasons through 1922. The move prompted the official name of the team to change from the Highlanders to the New York Yankees.
The Chicago White Sox renamed White Sox Park to Comiskey Park, named after team owner Charles Comiskey.
The Boston Braves play two doubleheaders on April 19 and May 30 at the home of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park to accommodate large crowds.[25][26]