1929 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1929 major league baseball season began on April 16, 1929. The regular season ended on October 6, with the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Athletics as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 26th World Series on October 8 and ended with Game 5 on October 14. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup, the Athletics defeated the Cubs, four games to one, capturing their fourth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1913. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Yankees from the 1928 season.
National League (NL)
- April 16 â October 6, 1929
- October 8â14, 1929
| 1929 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 | NL: Rogers Hornsby (CHC) |
| AL champions | Philadelphia Athletics |
| AL runners-up | New York Yankees |
| NL champions | Chicago Cubs |
| NL runners-up | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Philadelphia Athletics |
| Runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
This was the last of eight seasons that "League Awards", a precursor to the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (introduced in 1931), were issued. Only a National League award was given in 1929.
Schedule
The 1929 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 16 and saw eight teams across both leagues play. The final day of the regular season was on October 6. The World Series took place between October 8 and October 14.
Rule changes
The 1929 season saw the following rule changes:
- For all ballparks, foul poles must be constructed to be at least 25 feet above the outer barrier, to aid umpires in calling balls fair or foul. The poles were to be constructed either on top of the grandstand roof, or the outer fence of the ballpark. This was coupled with the home run rule, the interpretation of which follows the early-1920 rule, which states that balls are to be called based on where the ball crosses the outfield fence. This rule now accounts for all balls which leave the ballpark, including those which completely leave the ballpark. The American League would implement this home run rule in 1931.[1]
- The American League implements the ground rule double rule, which states that balls that bounce over the fence entitle the batter to two bases. The rule would be implemented by the National League in 1931.[2][3]
- The Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees are the first teams to make uniform numbers on the back of the jersey permanent. In the past teams, such as the St Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians, had experimented with numbers before, but only on the sleeves and only for a few weeks.
- A rule change ended the practice of minor-league teams selling a star prospect to a friendly major-league club for a high price, having the player returned at a later date and then, when it put him back on the open market, forcing another big-league club to pay the already established price.[4]
- The signing of any player under the age of 17 was banned.[4]
- A price tag of $7,500 (equivalent to $140,625 in 2025) on any first-year player was implemented.[4]
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 | 104 | 46 | .693 | â | 57âââ16 | 47âââ30 |
| New York Yankees | 88 | 66 | .571 | 18 | 49âââ28 | 39âââ38 |
| Cleveland Indians | 81 | 71 | .533 | 24 | 44âââ32 | 37âââ39 |
| St. Louis Browns | 79 | 73 | .520 | 26 | 41âââ36 | 38âââ37 |
| Washington Senators | 71 | 81 | .467 | 34 | 37âââ40 | 34âââ41 |
| Detroit Tigers | 70 | 84 | .455 | 36 | 38âââ39 | 32âââ45 |
| Chicago White Sox | 59 | 93 | .388 | 46 | 35âââ41 | 24âââ52 |
| Boston Red Sox | 58 | 96 | .377 | 48 | 32âââ45 | 26âââ51 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 98 | 54 | .645 | â | 52âââ25 | 46âââ29 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 88 | 65 | .575 | 10½ | 45âââ31 | 43âââ34 |
| New York Giants | 84 | 67 | .556 | 13½ | 39âââ37 | 45âââ30 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 78 | 74 | .513 | 20 | 43âââ32 | 35âââ42 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 71 | 82 | .464 | 27½ | 39âââ37 | 32âââ45 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 70 | 83 | .458 | 28½ | 42âââ35 | 28âââ48 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 66 | 88 | .429 | 33 | 38âââ39 | 28âââ49 |
| Boston Braves | 56 | 98 | .364 | 43 | 34âââ43 | 22âââ55 |
Tie games
8 tie games (3 in AL, 5 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
- Detroit Tigers, 1
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
- St. Louis Browns, 2
- Washington Senators, 1
National League
- Chicago Cubs, 4
- Cincinnati Reds, 1
- New York Giants, 1
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 1
- St. Louis Cardinals, 2
Postseason
The postseason began on October 8 and ended on October 14 with the Philadelphia Athletics defeating the Chicago Cubs in the 1929 World Series in five games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Philadelphia Athletics | 4 | ||
| NL | Chicago Cubs | 1 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Braves | Rogers Hornsby | Emil Fuchs |
| Detroit Tigers | George Moriarty | Bucky Harris |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Bill McKechnie | Billy Southworth |
| Washington Senators | Bucky Harris | Walter Johnson |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | Miller Huggins | Art Fletcher |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Donie Bush | Jewel Ens |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Billy Southworth | Gabby Street |
| Gabby Street | Bill McKechnie |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Lew Fonseca (CLE) | .369 |
| OPS | Babe Ruth (NYY) | 1.128 |
| HR | Babe Ruth (NYY) | 46 |
| RBI | Al Simmons (PHA) | 157 |
| R | Charlie Gehringer (DET) | 131 |
| H | Dale Alexander (DET) Charlie Gehringer (DET) |
215 |
| SB | Charlie Gehringer (DET) | 27 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | George Earnshaw (PHA) | 24 |
| L | Red Ruffing (BOS) | 22 |
| ERA | Lefty Grove (PHA) | 2.81 |
| K | Lefty Grove (PHA) | 170 |
| IP | Sam Gray (SLB) | 305.0 |
| SV | Firpo Marberry (WSH) Wilcy Moore (NYY) |
9 |
| WHIP | Firpo Marberry (WSH) | 1.206 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Lefty O'Doul (PHI) | .398 |
| OPS | Rogers Hornsby (CHC) | 1.139 |
| HR | Chuck Klein (PHI) | 43 |
| RBI | Hack Wilson (CHC) | 159 |
| R | Rogers Hornsby (CHC) | 156 |
| H | Lefty O'Doul (PHI) | 254 |
| SB | Kiki Cuyler (CHC) | 43 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Pat Malone (CHC) | 22 |
| L | Watson Clark (BRO) | 19 |
| ERA | Bill Walker (NYG) | 3.09 |
| K | Pat Malone (CHC) | 166 |
| IP | Watson Clark (BRO) | 279.0 |
| SV | Guy Bush (CHC) Johnny Morrison (BRO) |
8 |
| WHIP | Red Lucas (CIN) | 1.204 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Mel Ott (NYG):
- Ott hit for his first cycle and ninth in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on May 16 against the Boston Braves.[10]
- Ski Melillo (SLB):
- Melillo hit for his first cycle and fourth in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on May 23 against the Cleveland Indians.[11]
- Joe Cronin (WSH):
- Cronin hit for his first cycle and third in franchise history, in game one of a doubleheader on September 2 against the Boston Red Sox.[12]
Other batting accomplishments
- Babe Ruth (NYY):
- Became the first player in Major League history to hit 500 home runs in the second inning against the Cleveland Indians on August 11.[13][14]
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Carl Hubbell (NYG):
- Hubbell threw his first career no-hitter and the eighth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 11â0 on May 8. Hubbell walked one and struck out four.[15]
Miscellaneous
- New York Giants:
- Set a major league record for most runs scored in the 14th inning, by scoring eight runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 15.[16]
- Chicago Cubs / Philadelphia Athletics:
- For the first time since 1912, that both pennant winners won by more than 10 games.[17]
- Philadelphia Athletics:
- On October 12, Game 4 of the World Series featured a historic 10-run rally by the Athletics in the seventh inning to comeback from a 8â0 deficit, nicknamed "The Mack Attack," after the team's manager, Connie Mack.[18] He commented that it was "The greatest thrill [he] had in 29 years of managing."[19] At the time, this was a record.
Awards and honors
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs[21] | 98 | 7.7% | 1,485,166 | 29.9% | 19,041 |
| New York Yankees[22] | 88 | â12.9% | 960,148 | â10.4% | 12,469 |
| Detroit Tigers[23] | 70 | 2.9% | 869,318 | 83.3% | 11,290 |
| New York Giants[24] | 84 | â9.7% | 868,806 | â5.2% | 11,283 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[25] | 104 | 6.1% | 839,176 | 21.7% | 11,340 |
| Brooklyn Robins[26] | 70 | â9.1% | 731,886 | 10.1% | 9,505 |
| Cleveland Indians[27] | 81 | 30.6% | 536,210 | 42.6% | 7,055 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[28] | 88 | 3.5% | 491,377 | â0.7% | 6,465 |
| Chicago White Sox[29] | 59 | â18.1% | 426,795 | â13.6% | 5,616 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[30] | 78 | â17.9% | 399,887 | â47.5% | 5,193 |
| Boston Red Sox[31] | 58 | 1.8% | 394,620 | â0.6% | 5,059 |
| Boston Braves[32] | 56 | 12.0% | 372,351 | 64.0% | 4,836 |
| Washington Senators[33] | 71 | â5.3% | 355,506 | â6.1% | 4,558 |
| Cincinnati Reds[34] | 66 | â15.4% | 295,040 | â39.8% | 3,783 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[35] | 71 | 65.1% | 281,200 | 54.4% | 3,700 |
| St. Louis Browns[36] | 79 | â3.7% | 280,697 | â17.3% | 3,645 |
Venues
Across 78 homes games, the Boston Red Sox played their Monday, September 2 doubleheader against the Washington Senators, as well as all 15 of their Sunday games at the Boston Braves home field of Braves Field (the remaining 61 home games were played at Fenway Park).[37][38] This was the 1st of three consecutive seasons playing all Sunday games at Braves Field and 1st of four consecutive season playing some games at Braves Field.