1916 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1916 major league baseball season began on April 12, 1916. The regular season ended on October 5, with the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Red Sox as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 13th World Series on October 7 and ended with Game 5 on October 12. The Red Sox defeated the Robins, four games to one, capturing their fourth championship in franchise history, and the third team to win back-to-back World Series.
National League (NL)
- April 14 â October 4, 1916 (AL)
- April 14 â October 5, 1916 (NL)
- October 7â12, 1916
| 1916 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 | Boston Red Sox |
| AL runners-up | Chicago White Sox |
| NL champions | Brooklyn Robins |
| NL runners-up | Philadelphia Phillies |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Boston Red Sox |
| Runners-up | Brooklyn Robins |
Interference by the National and American Leagues in their operations caused the two-season Federal League to fold prior to the 1916 season.
Schedule
The 1916 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, April 14, featured all sixteen teams, continuing the trend which started with the 1912 season. The American League would see its final day of the regular season on October 4, while the National League would see its final day of the regular season was on October 5. The World Series took place between October 7 and October 12.
Rule change
The National League ruled that a player's bat was considered part of him until a ball in play is fielded.[1]
Teams
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 91 | 63 | .591 | â | 49âââ28 | 42âââ35 |
| Chicago White Sox | 89 | 65 | .578 | 2 | 49âââ28 | 40âââ37 |
| Detroit Tigers | 87 | 67 | .565 | 4 | 49âââ28 | 38âââ39 |
| New York Yankees | 80 | 74 | .519 | 11 | 46âââ31 | 34âââ43 |
| St. Louis Browns | 79 | 75 | .513 | 12 | 45âââ32 | 34âââ43 |
| Cleveland Indians | 77 | 77 | .500 | 14 | 44âââ33 | 33âââ44 |
| Washington Senators | 76 | 77 | .497 | 14½ | 49âââ28 | 27âââ49 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 36 | 117 | .235 | 54½ | 23âââ53 | 13âââ64 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Robins | 94 | 60 | .610 | â | 50âââ27 | 44âââ33 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 91 | 62 | .595 | 2½ | 50âââ29 | 41âââ33 |
| Boston Braves | 89 | 63 | .586 | 4 | 41âââ31 | 48âââ32 |
| New York Giants | 86 | 66 | .566 | 7 | 47âââ30 | 39âââ36 |
| Chicago Cubs | 67 | 86 | .438 | 26½ | 37âââ41 | 30âââ45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 65 | 89 | .422 | 29 | 37âââ40 | 28âââ49 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 60 | 93 | .392 | 33½ | 36âââ40 | 24âââ53 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 60 | 93 | .392 | 33½ | 32âââ44 | 28âââ49 |
Tie games
20 tie games (10 in AL, 10 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, 2
- Chicago White Sox, 1
- Cleveland Indians, 3
- Detroit Tigers, 1
- New York Yankees, 2
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
- St. Louis Browns, 4
- Washington Senators, 6
National League
- Boston Braves, 6
- Brooklyn Robins, 2
- Chicago Cubs, 3
- Cincinnati Reds, 2
- New York Giants, 3
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 3
Postseason
The postseason began on October 7 and ended on October 12 with the Boston Red Sox defeating the Brooklyn Robins in the 1916 World Series in five games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Boston Red Sox | 4 | ||
| NL | Brooklyn Robins | 1 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Terrapins | Otto Knabe | Team folded |
| Brooklyn Tip-Tops | John Ganzel | Team folded |
| Buffalo Blues | Harry Lord | Team folded |
| Chicago Cubs | Roger Bresnahan | Joe Tinker |
| Chicago Whales | Joe Tinker | Team folded |
| Kansas City Packers | George Stovall | Team folded |
| Newark Peppers | Bill McKechnie | Team folded |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Fred Clarke | Jimmy Callahan |
| Pittsburgh Rebels | Rebel Oakes | Team folded |
| St. Louis Browns | Branch Rickey | Fielder Jones |
| St. Louis Terriers | Fielder Jones | Team folded |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | Buck Herzog | Ivey Wingo |
| Ivey Wingo | Christy Mathewson |
League leaders
Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 25 |
| L | Bullet Joe Bush (PHA) | 24 |
| ERA | Babe Ruth (BOS) | 1.75 |
| K | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 228 |
| IP | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 369.2 |
| SV | Bob Shawkey (NYY) | 8 |
| WHIP | Reb Russell (CWS) | 0.942 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Hal Chase (CIN) | .339 |
| OPS | Cy Williams (CHC) | .831 |
| HR | Dave Robertson (NYG) Cy Williams (CHC) |
12 |
| RBI | Heinie Zimmerman (NYG/CHC) | 128 |
| R | George Burns (NYG) | 105 |
| H | Hal Chase (CIN) | 184 |
| SB | Max Carey (PIT) | 63 |
1 National League Triple Crown pitching winner
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Grover Alexander1 (PHI) | 33 |
| L | Lee Meadows (STL) | 23 |
| ERA | Grover Alexander1 (PHI) | 1.55 |
| K | Grover Alexander1 (PHI) | 167 |
| IP | Grover Alexander (PHI) | 389.0 |
| SV | Red Ames (STL) | 8 |
| WHIP | Grover Alexander (PHI) | 0.959 |
Milestones
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Tom Hughes (BSN):
- Hughes threw his first career no-hitter and fifth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2â0 on June 16. Hughes walked two and struck out seven.[7]
- Rube Foster (BOS):
- Foster threw his first career no-hitter and sixth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the New York Yankees 2â0 on June 21. Foster walked three and struck out three.[8][9]
- Bullet Joe Bush (PHA):
- Bush threw his first career no-hitter and third no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Cleveland Indians 5â0 on August 26. Bush walked one and struck out seven.[10]
- Dutch Leonard (BOS):
- Leonard threw his first career no-hitter and seventh no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the St. Louis Browns 4â0 on August 30. Leonard walked two and struck out three.[11][12]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Grover Alexander (PHI):
- Tied a Major League record for most shutout wins in a season, throwing 16 shutouts.[13]
- Babe Ruth (BOS):
- Tied an American League record for most shutout wins in a season by a left-handed pitcher, throwing nine shutouts.[14]
Miscellaneous
- Detroit Tigers / Philadelphia Athletics:
- New York Giants:
- Set a Major League record for largest winning streak, winning 26 games from September 7, and ending following their September 30 loss to the Boston Braves. The streak broke the 21-game record previously held by the 1880 Chicago White Stockings (now-Chicago Cubs).
- Philadelphia Athletics:
- Set the modern Major League record for most losses in a season on October 2 with 117. The previous record of 113 was set by the Washington Senators in 1904.
- Set the modern Major League record for worst winning percentage with .235. The previous record of .252 was set by the Washington Senators in 1904.
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox[17] | 89 | â4.3% | 679,923 | 26.0% | 8,830 |
| Detroit Tigers[18] | 87 | â13.0% | 616,772 | 29.5% | 8,010 |
| New York Giants[19] | 86 | 24.6% | 552,056 | 40.9% | 7,078 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[20] | 91 | 1.1% | 515,365 | 14.6% | 6,524 |
| Boston Red Sox[21] | 91 | â9.9% | 496,397 | â8.1% | 6,364 |
| Cleveland Indians[22] | 77 | 35.1% | 492,106 | 208.9% | 6,309 |
| New York Yankees[23] | 80 | 15.9% | 469,211 | 83.3% | 5,939 |
| Chicago Cubs[24] | 67 | â8.2% | 453,685 | 109.0% | 5,743 |
| Brooklyn Robins[25] | 94 | 17.5% | 447,747 | 50.4% | 5,740 |
| St. Louis Browns[26] | 79 | 25.4% | 335,740 | 123.3% | 4,250 |
| Boston Braves[27] | 89 | 7.2% | 313,495 | â16.7% | 4,019 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[28] | 65 | â11.0% | 289,132 | 28.1% | 3,707 |
| Cincinnati Reds[29] | 60 | â15.5% | 255,846 | 16.9% | 3,366 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[30] | 60 | â16.7% | 224,308 | â11.2% | 2,951 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[31] | 36 | â16.3% | 184,471 | 26.2% | 2,427 |
| Washington Senators[32] | 76 | â10.6% | 177,265 | 5.9% | 2,188 |
Venues
The Chicago Cubs leave West Side Park from which they played 30 seasons since 1885 (sans 1892) and moved into the home of the former Federal League team, Chicago Whales, at Weeghman Park, where they remain to this day as Wrigley Field.
Following Jim Dunn's purchase of the Cleveland Indians, League Park, home of the team, renamed to Dunn Field.[33][34][35]
The Boston Red Sox played their final two games of the season, an October 3 doubleheader, at the home of the Boston Braves at Braves Field.[36][37] They would also play their World Series home games (game 1 & 2) at Braves Field due to its larger capacity over their home at Fenway Park (40,000 to 27,000). This was the second year in a row where a World Series winning Red Sox used Braves Field.