1928 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1928 major league baseball season began on April 10, 1928. The regular season ended on September 30, with the St. Louis Cardinals 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 25th World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 4 on October 9. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup, the Yankees swept the Cardinals in four games, capturing their third championship in franchise history, and the fifth team to win back-to-back World Series.
National League (NL)
- April 10 â September 30, 1928
- October 4â9, 1928
| 1928 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: Mickey Cochrane (PHA) NL: Jim Bottomley (STL) |
| AL champions | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Philadelphia Athletics |
| NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL runners-up | New York Giants |
| World Series | |
| Champions | New York Yankees |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Cardinals |
This was the seventh of eight seasons that "League Awards", a precursor to the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (introduced in 1931), were issued.
Schedule
The 1928 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.
American League Opening Day took place on April 10 with the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators playing, while National League Opening Day took place the following day. The final day of the regular season was on September 30. The World Series took place between October 4 and October 9.
Rule change
The 1928 season saw the following rule change:
- The National League reimplemented the early-1920 home run rule, which states that balls are to be called based on where the ball crosses the outfield fence regarding home runs. This rule was only for balls which landed in the stands. Balls which completely left the ballpark were to be judged based on where the ball flew out of sight. The American League would implement the outfield fence portion of the home run rule in 1931, and would extend this interpretation to balls which leave the ballpark completely.[1]
Teams
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 101 | 53 | .656 | â | 52âââ25 | 49âââ28 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 98 | 55 | .641 | 2½ | 52âââ25 | 46âââ30 |
| St. Louis Browns | 82 | 72 | .532 | 19 | 43âââ34 | 39âââ38 |
| Washington Senators | 75 | 79 | .487 | 26 | 37âââ43 | 38âââ36 |
| Chicago White Sox | 72 | 82 | .468 | 29 | 37âââ40 | 35âââ42 |
| Detroit Tigers | 68 | 86 | .442 | 33 | 36âââ41 | 32âââ45 |
| Cleveland Indians | 62 | 92 | .403 | 39 | 28âââ49 | 34âââ43 |
| Boston Red Sox | 57 | 96 | .373 | 43½ | 26âââ47 | 31âââ49 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 95 | 59 | .617 | â | 42âââ35 | 53âââ24 |
| New York Giants | 93 | 61 | .604 | 2 | 51âââ26 | 42âââ35 |
| Chicago Cubs | 91 | 63 | .591 | 4 | 52âââ25 | 39âââ38 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 85 | 67 | .559 | 9 | 47âââ30 | 38âââ37 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 78 | 74 | .513 | 16 | 44âââ33 | 34âââ41 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 77 | 76 | .503 | 17½ | 41âââ35 | 36âââ41 |
| Boston Braves | 50 | 103 | .327 | 44½ | 25âââ51 | 25âââ52 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 43 | 109 | .283 | 51 | 26âââ49 | 17âââ60 |
Tie games
4 tie games (2 in AL, 2 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.
American League
The Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Washington Senators had one tie game each.
- April 13, Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago White Sox, tied at 1 after a shortened game of six innings due of rain.[3]
- April 14, Washington Senators vs. Boston Red Sox, scoreless tie after a shortened game of five innings due to rain.[4]
National League
The Brooklyn Robins had two tie games. The Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants had one tie game each.
- May 30 (game 2), New York Giants vs. Brookln Robins, tied at 2 after a shortened game of six innings due to rain.[5]
- July 12, Brooklyn Robins vs. Cincinnati Reds, scoreless tie after nine innings due to rain.[6]
Postseason
The postseason began on October 4 and ended on October 9 with the New York Yankees sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1928 World Series in four games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 | ||
| NL | St. Louis Cardinals | 0 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Braves | Jack Slattery | Rogers Hornsby |
| Chicago White Sox | Ray Schalk | Lena Blackburne |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Lefty Grove (PHA) George Pipgras (NYY) |
24 |
| L | Red Ruffing (BOS) | 25 |
| ERA | Garland Braxton (WSH) | 2.51 |
| K | Lefty Grove (PHA) | 183 |
| IP | George Pipgras (NYY) | 300.2 |
| SV | Waite Hoyt (NYY) | 8 |
| WHIP | Garland Braxton (WSH) | 1.012 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Rogers Hornsby (BSN) | .387 |
| OPS | Rogers Hornsby (BSN) | 1.130 |
| HR | Jim Bottomley (STL) Hack Wilson (CHC) |
31 |
| RBI | Jim Bottomley (STL) | 136 |
| R | Paul Waner (PIT) | 142 |
| H | Freddie Lindstrom (NYG) | 231 |
| SB | Kiki Cuyler (CHC) | 37 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Larry Benton (NYG) Burleigh Grimes (PIT) |
25 |
| L | Ed Brandt (BSN) | 21 |
| ERA | Dazzy Vance (BRO) | 2.09 |
| K | Dazzy Vance (BRO) | 200 |
| IP | Burleigh Grimes (PIT) | 330.2 |
| SV | Hal Haid (STL) Bill Sherdel (STL) |
5 |
| WHIP | Dazzy Vance (BRO) | 1.063 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Bill Terry (NYG):
- Terry hit for his first cycle and eighth in franchise history, on May 29 against the Brooklyn Robins.[11]
- Bob Meusel (NYY):
- Meusel hit for his third cycle and fourth in franchise history, in game one of a doubleheader on July 26 against the Detroit Tigers.[12]
Miscellaneous
- New York Yankees:
- Set a major league record for most runs scored in the 12th inning, by scoring 11 runs against the Detroit Tigers in game one of a doubleheader on July 26.[13]
- Philadelphia Phillies:
- Set the modern National League record for most losses in a season on September 30 with 109. The previous record of 108 was set by the Boston Doves in 1909.
- Set the modern National League record for worst winning percentage with .283. The previous record of .291 was set by the Boston Rustlers in 1911.
Awards and honors
- League Award: Jim Bottomley (STL, National); Mickey Cochrane (PHA, American)
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs[14] | 91 | 7.1% | 1,143,740 | â1.3% | 14,854 |
| New York Yankees[15] | 101 | â8.2% | 1,072,132 | â7.9% | 13,924 |
| New York Giants[16] | 93 | 1.1% | 916,191 | 6.8% | 11,899 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[17] | 95 | 3.3% | 761,574 | 1.6% | 9,891 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[18] | 98 | 7.7% | 689,756 | 13.9% | 8,958 |
| Brooklyn Robins[19] | 77 | 18.5% | 664,863 | 4.3% | 8,635 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[20] | 85 | â9.6% | 495,070 | â43.1% | 6,429 |
| Chicago White Sox[21] | 72 | 2.9% | 494,152 | â19.6% | 6,335 |
| Cincinnati Reds[22] | 78 | 4.0% | 490,490 | 10.9% | 6,288 |
| Detroit Tigers[23] | 68 | â17.1% | 474,323 | â38.7% | 6,160 |
| Boston Red Sox[24] | 57 | 11.8% | 396,920 | 30.0% | 5,364 |
| Washington Senators[25] | 75 | â11.8% | 378,501 | â28.4% | 4,731 |
| Cleveland Indians[26] | 62 | â6.1% | 375,907 | 0.7% | 4,882 |
| St. Louis Browns[27] | 82 | 39.0% | 339,497 | 37.0% | 4,409 |
| Boston Braves[28] | 50 | â16.7% | 227,001 | â21.4% | 2,987 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[29] | 43 | â15.7% | 182,168 | â40.4% | 2,429 |
Venues
The Cleveland Indians' Dunn Field reverts to the name League Park, following the sale of the team by team owner Jim Dunn.