1921 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1921 major league baseball season began on April 13, 1921. The regular season ended on October 2, with the New York Giants and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 18th World Series on October 5 and ended with Game 8 on October 13. In the first Subway Series World Series, the Giants defeated the Yankees, five games to three, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1905. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Cleveland Indians from the 1920 season.
National League (NL)
- April 13 â October 2, 1921
- October 5â13, 1921
| 1921 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 | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Cleveland Indians |
| NL champions | New York Giants |
| NL runners-up | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| World Series | |
| Champions | New York Giants |
| Runners-up | New York Yankees |
1921 was the first of three straight seasons in which the Yankees would lead the majors in wins. Babe Ruth broke the single season home run record for the third consecutive season by hitting 59 home runs in 152 games. Ruth also broke Roger Connor's record for the most home runs all time when he hit his 139th home run on July 18 against Bert Cole.[1] The record for career strikeouts, previously held by Cy Young was also broken in 1921 by Walter Johnson; Johnson led the league in strikeouts with 143 and ended the season with 2,835 strikeouts. Young struck out 2,803 during his career.[2] The Cincinnati Reds set a Major League record for the fewest strikeouts in a season, with only 308.[3] Future Hall of Famers Kiki Cuyler and Goose Goslin both debuted in September 1921.[4]
Schedule
The 1921 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 since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.
Opening Day took place on April 13 with all but the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers playing. The final day of the regular season was on October 2. The World Series took place between October 5 and October 13.
Teams
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 98 | 55 | .641 | â | 53âââ25 | 45âââ30 |
| Cleveland Indians | 94 | 60 | .610 | 4½ | 51âââ26 | 43âââ34 |
| St. Louis Browns | 81 | 73 | .526 | 17½ | 43âââ34 | 38âââ39 |
| Washington Senators | 80 | 73 | .523 | 18 | 46âââ30 | 34âââ43 |
| Boston Red Sox | 75 | 79 | .487 | 23½ | 41âââ36 | 34âââ43 |
| Detroit Tigers | 71 | 82 | .464 | 27 | 37âââ40 | 34âââ42 |
| Chicago White Sox | 62 | 92 | .403 | 36½ | 37âââ40 | 25âââ52 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 53 | 100 | .346 | 45 | 28âââ47 | 25âââ53 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 94 | 59 | .614 | â | 53âââ26 | 41âââ33 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 90 | 63 | .588 | 4 | 45âââ31 | 45âââ32 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 87 | 66 | .569 | 7 | 48âââ29 | 39âââ37 |
| Boston Braves | 79 | 74 | .516 | 15 | 42âââ32 | 37âââ42 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 77 | 75 | .507 | 16½ | 41âââ37 | 36âââ38 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 70 | 83 | .458 | 24 | 40âââ36 | 30âââ47 |
| Chicago Cubs | 64 | 89 | .418 | 30 | 32âââ44 | 32âââ45 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 51 | 103 | .331 | 43½ | 29âââ47 | 22âââ56 |
Tie games
3 tie games (2 in AL, 1 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.
American League
The Philadelphia Athletics had two tie games. The Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators had one tie game each.
- April 29, Washington Senators vs. Philadelphia Athletics, tied at 3 after 10 innings due to rain.[6]
- July 26, Detroit Tigers vs. Philadelphia Athletics, tied at 3 after the top of the 11th inning due to rain.[7]
National League
- October 1, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals, tied at 4 after nine innings on account of darkness.[8]
Postseason
The postseason began on October 5 and ended on October 13 with the New York Giants defeating the New York Yankees in the 1921 World Series in eight games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | New York Yankees | 3 | ||
| NL | New York Giants | 5 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | Johnny Evers | Bill Killefer |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Bill Donovan | Kaiser Wilhelm |
League leaders
American League
1 Modern (1901âpresent) single-season runs record
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Rogers Hornsby (STL) | .397 |
| OPS | Rogers Hornsby (STL) | 1.097 |
| HR | George Kelly (NYG) | 23 |
| RBI | Rogers Hornsby (STL) | 126 |
| R | Rogers Hornsby (STL) | 131 |
| H | Rogers Hornsby (STL) | 235 |
| SB | Frankie Frisch (NYG) | 49 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Wilbur Cooper (PIT) Burleigh Grimes (BRO) | 22 |
| L | George Smith (PHI) | 20 |
| ERA | Bill Doak (STL) | 2.59 |
| K | Burleigh Grimes (BRO) | 136 |
| IP | Wilbur Cooper (PIT) | 327.0 |
| SV | Lou North (STL) | 7 |
| WHIP | Babe Adams (PIT) | 1.081 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Bob Meusel (NYY):
- Meusel hit for his first cycle and second in franchise history, on May 7 against the Washington Senators.[13]
- Dave Bancroft (NYG):
- Bancroft hit for his first cycle and sixth in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on June 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies.[14]
- George Sisler (SLB):
- Sisler hit for his second cycle and second in franchise history, on August 13 against the Detroit Tigers.[15]
- Dave Robertson (PIT/CHC):
- Robertson hit for his first cycle and sixth in franchise history as a part of the Pittsburgh Pirates, on August 30 against the Brooklyn Robins.[16]
Other batting accomplishments
- Ty Cobb (DET):
- Became the fourth member of the 3,000-hit club with a single in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox in game two of a doubleheader on August 19.[17]
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees[18] | 95 | 18.8% | 1,289,422 | 108.3% | 16,746 |
| New York Giants[19] | 86 | â1.1% | 929,609 | 31.1% | 11,620 |
| Cleveland Indians[20] | 98 | 16.7% | 912,832 | 69.6% | 11,703 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[21] | 79 | 11.3% | 429,037 | 55.0% | 5,500 |
| Detroit Tigers[22] | 61 | â23.8% | 579,650 | â10.0% | 7,431 |
| Brooklyn Robins[23] | 93 | 34.8% | 808,722 | 124.2% | 10,368 |
| Chicago White Sox[24] | 96 | 9.1% | 833,492 | 32.9% | 10,825 |
| Washington Senators[25] | 68 | 21.4% | 359,260 | 53.5% | 4,727 |
| Chicago Cubs[26] | 75 | 0.0% | 480,783 | 13.3% | 6,244 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[27] | 75 | 38.9% | 326,836 | 95.6% | 4,300 |
| St. Louis Browns[28] | 76 | 13.4% | 419,311 | 20.0% | 5,376 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[29] | 48 | 33.3% | 287,888 | 27.8% | 3,739 |
| Boston Braves[30] | 62 | 8.8% | 162,483 | â2.9% | 2,196 |
| Cincinnati Reds[31] | 82 | â14.6% | 568,107 | 6.7% | 7,378 |
| Boston Red Sox[32] | 72 | 9.1% | 402,445 | â3.6% | 5,295 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[33] | 62 | 31.9% | 330,998 | 37.7% | 4,299 |
Media
Radio
Local
On August 5, the Pittsburgh Pirates 8â5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field was the first Major League game to be broadcast on radio. Harold Arlin calls the game for Pittsburgh station KDKA.[34]