1917 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1917 major league baseball season began on April 11, 1917. The regular season ended on October 4, with the New York Giants and Chicago White Sox as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 14th World Series on October 6 and ended with Game 6 on October 15. The White Sox defeated the Giants, four games to two, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1906. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Boston Red Sox from the 1916 season.
National League (NL)
- April 11 â October 4, 1917
- October 7â15, 1917
| 1917 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 | Chicago White Sox |
| AL runners-up | Boston Red Sox |
| NL champions | New York Giants |
| NL runners-up | Philadelphia Phillies |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Chicago White Sox |
| Runners-up | New York Giants |
Schedule
The 1917 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 11, featured all sixteen teams, continuing the trend which started with the 1912 season. The final day of the regular season was on October 4. The World Series took place between October 7 and October 12.
Rule changes
The 1917 season saw earned run statistics and definitions added to the rules.[1]
Teams
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 100 | 54 | .649 | â | 56âââ21 | 44âââ33 |
| Boston Red Sox | 90 | 62 | .592 | 9 | 45âââ33 | 45âââ29 |
| Cleveland Indians | 88 | 66 | .571 | 12 | 44âââ34 | 44âââ32 |
| Detroit Tigers | 78 | 75 | .510 | 21½ | 34âââ41 | 44âââ34 |
| Washington Senators | 74 | 79 | .484 | 25½ | 42âââ35 | 32âââ44 |
| New York Yankees | 71 | 82 | .464 | 28½ | 35âââ40 | 36âââ42 |
| St. Louis Browns | 57 | 97 | .370 | 43 | 31âââ46 | 26âââ51 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 55 | 98 | .359 | 44½ | 29âââ47 | 26âââ51 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 98 | 56 | .636 | â | 50âââ28 | 48âââ28 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 87 | 65 | .572 | 10 | 46âââ29 | 41âââ36 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 82 | 70 | .539 | 15 | 38âââ38 | 44âââ32 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 78 | 76 | .506 | 20 | 39âââ38 | 39âââ38 |
| Chicago Cubs | 74 | 80 | .481 | 24 | 35âââ42 | 39âââ38 |
| Boston Braves | 72 | 81 | .471 | 25½ | 35âââ42 | 37âââ39 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 70 | 81 | .464 | 26½ | 36âââ38 | 34âââ43 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 51 | 103 | .331 | 47 | 25âââ53 | 26âââ50 |
Tie games
22 tie games (9 in AL, 13 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, 5
- Chicago White Sox, 2
- Cleveland Indians, 2
- Detroit Tigers, 1
- New York Yankees, 2
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
- St. Louis Browns, 1
- Washington Senators, 4
National League
- Boston Braves, 4
- Brooklyn Robins, 5
- Chicago Cubs, 3
- Cincinnati Reds, 3
- New York Giants, 4
- Philadelphia Phillies, 2
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 3
- St. Louis Cardinals, 2
Postseason
The postseason began on October 7 and ended on October 15 with the Chicago White Sox defeating the New York Giants in the 1917 World Series in six games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Chicago White Sox | 4 | ||
| NL | New York Giants | 2 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | Bill Carrigan | Jack Barry |
| Chicago Cubs | Joe Tinker | Fred Mitchell |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Jimmy Callahan | Honus Wagner |
| Honus Wagner | Hugo Bezdek |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Eddie Cicotte (CWS) | 28 |
| L | Bob Groom (SLB) Allen Sothoron (SLB) |
19 |
| ERA | Eddie Cicotte (CWS) | 1.53 |
| K | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 188 |
| IP | Eddie Cicotte (CWS) | 346.2 |
| SV | Dave Danforth (CWS) | 9 |
| WHIP | Eddie Cicotte (CWS) | 0.912 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Edd Roush (CIN) | .341 |
| OPS | Rogers Hornsby (STL) | .868 |
| HR | Gavvy Cravath (PHI) Dave Robertson (NYG) |
12 |
| RBI | Heinie Zimmerman (NYG) | 100 |
| R | George Burns (NYG) | 103 |
| H | Heinie Groh (CIN) | 182 |
| SB | Max Carey (PIT) | 46 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Grover Alexander (PHI) | 30 |
| L | Jesse Barnes (BSN) Eppa Rixey (PHI) |
21 |
| ERA | Fred Anderson (NYG) | 1.44 |
| K | Grover Alexander (PHI) | 200 |
| IP | Grover Alexander (PHI) | 388.0 |
| SV | Slim Sallee (NYG) | 4 |
| WHIP | Fred Anderson (NYG) | 0.963 |
Milestones
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Eddie Cicotte (CWS):
- Cicotte threw his first career no-hitter and sixth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating St. Louis Browns 11â0 on April 14. Cicotte walked three and struck out five.[7]
- George Mogridge (NYY):
- Mogridge threw his first career no-hitter and first no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Red Sox 2â1 on April 24. Mogridge walked three and struck out three.[8]
- Fred Toney (CIN):
- Toney threw his first career no-hitter and fourth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Chicago Cubs 1â0 on May 2. Toney walked two and struck out three.[9]
- Ernie Koob (SLB):
- Koob threw his first career no-hitter and second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Chicago White Sox 1â0 on May 5. Koob walked five and struck out two.[10]
- Bob Groom (SLB):
- Groom threw his first career no-hitter and third no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Chicago White Sox 3â0 in game 2 of a doubleheader on May 6. Groom walked three, hit one by pitch, and struck out four.[11]
- Babe Ruth / Ernie Shore (BOS):
- The two pitchers combined to throw the eighth no-hitter in franchise history by defeating the Washington Senators 4â0 in game 1 of a doubleheader on June 23. It was accomplished with two strikeouts and one walk. Ruth only faced one batter, walking the first batter of the game, before being thrown out for arguing balls with the umpire. Shore would face the last 26 batters (the first batter was caught stealing). It is the first combined no-hitter in league history.[12]
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox[13] | 100 | 12.4% | 684,521 | 0.7% | 8,665 |
| New York Giants[14] | 98 | 14.0% | 500,264 | â9.4% | 6,253 |
| Cleveland Indians[15] | 88 | 14.3% | 477,298 | â3.0% | 6,119 |
| Detroit Tigers[16] | 78 | â10.3% | 457,289 | â25.9% | 6,017 |
| Boston Red Sox[17] | 90 | â1.1% | 387,856 | â21.9% | 4,848 |
| Chicago Cubs[18] | 74 | 10.4% | 360,218 | â20.6% | 4,678 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[19] | 87 | â4.4% | 354,428 | â31.2% | 4,664 |
| New York Yankees[20] | 71 | â11.3% | 330,294 | â29.6% | 4,404 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[21] | 82 | 36.7% | 288,491 | 28.6% | 3,699 |
| Cincinnati Reds[22] | 78 | 30.0% | 269,056 | 5.2% | 3,363 |
| Brooklyn Robins[23] | 70 | â25.5% | 221,619 | â50.5% | 2,841 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[24] | 55 | 52.8% | 221,432 | 20.0% | 2,914 |
| St. Louis Browns[25] | 57 | â27.8% | 210,486 | â37.3% | 2,699 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[26] | 51 | â21.5% | 192,807 | â33.3% | 2,441 |
| Boston Braves[27] | 72 | â19.1% | 174,253 | â44.4% | 2,263 |
| Washington Senators[28] | 74 | â2.6% | 89,682 | â49.4% | 1,121 |