1919 Major League Baseball season

The 1919 Major League Baseball season, is best remembered for the Black Sox Scandal, in which the Chicago White Sox threw (purposely lost) the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, 5–3, in order to illegally gain money from gambling. This scandal resulted in the dissolution of the National Baseball Commission and the creation of the office of the Commissioner of Baseball. The new commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, banned eight players from baseball for life.[1] The season began on April 19, 1919, when the Brooklyn Robins defeated the Boston Braves 5–2 at Braves Field in the first game of a doubleheader.[2] The regular season ended on September 29 with the New York Yankees defeating the Philadelphia Athletics 4–2 at Shibe Park,[3] with the infamous 1919 World Series opening two days later in Cincinnati.

This article is about the 1919 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1919 in baseball.
1919 MLB season
LeagueMajor League Baseball
SportBaseball
DurationApril 19 – October 9, 1919
Number of games140
Number of teams16
Pennant Winners
AL championsChicago White Sox
  AL runners-upCleveland Indians
NL championsCincinnati Reds
  NL runners-upNew York Giants
World Series
ChampionsCincinnati Reds
  Runners-upChicago White Sox

Each team played a 140-game schedule, facing the seven other teams in the same league 20 times apiece. A 140-game schedule had last been used in 1903; the 154-game schedule was re-instituted in 1920.

Standings

Postseason

Bracket

World Series
   
AL Chicago White Sox 3
NL Cincinnati Reds 5

League Leaders

American League

National League

Significant Events
Raymond Benjamin Caldwell, Yankee pitcher, full-length portrait, facing right, with right arm extended outward after throwing baseball.
Pictured is Ray Caldwell before his move from the Yankees to the Indians, whose eventful 1919 season included throwing a no-hitter and being struck by lightning during the 9th inning of a game.
New York Yankees outfielder George Halas is pictured on a signed baseball card, waiting for the ball to land in his outstretched mitt.
George Halas during his brief and unsuccessful tenure as a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees
  • April 19 – Legislature is passed by future New York City mayor Jimmy Walker that allows teams in the state of New York to play baseball on Sundays. The New York Giants were the first team to take advantage of this change, losing 4–3 to the Philadelphia Phillies in front of 35,000 fans at the Polo Ground.[4]
  • May 11 – Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hod Eller pitches a 6–0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals.[5]
    • Walter Johnson retires 28 consecutive batters during a 12-inning scoreless tie against Jack Quinn and the New York Yankees. Future football immortal George Halas, batting leadoff for New York, goes 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.[6]
  • May 20 – Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth hit his first career grand slam home run; the bomb comes against Dave Davenport of the St. Louis Browns in St. Louis. Boston wins 6–4.[7]
  • August 11 – Cleveland Indians center fielder Tris Speaker ties the AL record for run scoring, crossing the plate five times in 15–9 win at New York.[8]
  • July 1 – Going 5-for-5 in a 9–4 win over the Phillies, Brooklyn's Ed Konetchy gets his 10th straight hit, tying Jake Gettman's record set with Washington in 1897. Both will be topped by Walt Dropo in 1952.
  • August 14 – Babe Ruth hits his 17th home run, the first of seven homers in 12 days, which will include his fourth grand slam, setting an AL record until 1959.[9]
  • August 24 – Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell is hit by lightning during the ninth inning of his début for the tribe. He quickly recovered, reportedly saying "Give me that danged ball and turn me toward the plate", before pitching the final out of the game.[10]
  • September 2 – The National Commission recommends a best-of-nine World Series, abandoning the traditional seven-game series. However the change was reverted three years later and the seven game format has remained ever since.
  • September 10 – Ray Caldwell, the pitcher hit by lightning just a couple of weeks before, throws a no hitter in the Cleveland Indians 3–0 victory over his former team, the New York Yankees.[11]
  • September 16 – Dutch Ruether beats the New York Giants, 4–3, to clinch the Cincinnati Reds first NL pennant and their first pennant of any kind since their American Association days.[12]
  • September 21 – In a period of rapidly played games, the Cubs beat the Braves 3–0 in 58 minutes of playing time.[13] It takes the Robins 55 minutes to beat the Reds 3–1,[14] with Slim Sallee throwing 65 pitches, managing to top Christy Mathewson's 69-pitch complete game.
  • September 24:
    • The Chicago White Sox's 6–5 win over the St. Louis Browns clinches the AL pennant; the final margin will be 3½ games over the Cleveland Indians.[15]
    • The Brooklyn Robins defeat the Phillies twice on Fred Luderus Day in Philadelphia. The second game is the 525th in a row played by the Phillies first baseman, who is presented with a diamond stickpin and gold watch between the games to commemorate his endurance effort. He will end the season with a consecutive-game streak of 553.[16]
    • Boston Red Sox pitcher Waite Hoyt throws nine perfect innings against the New York Yankees, but they score in the 13th in which he gives up 5 hits, ruining his perfect game, and losing the game 2–1.[17]
  • September 27 – Babe Ruth hit his 29th home run and his first of the year in Washington, to become the first player to hit at least one home run in every AL park in the same season.[7]
  • September 28 – The New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies set a record for the quickest nine-inning game in Major League history – 51 minutes for a Giants 6–1 victory at the Polo Grounds.[18]

Managing changes

Off-season changes

Only one team announced a new manager in the offseason:

Date Team New manager Replaced Former job
January 30 Cincinnati Reds Pat Moran Christy Mathewson Won the 1915 World Series as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Regular Season changes

One team replaced their manager during the season:

Date Team New Manager Replaced Previous Job
July 8 Philadelphia Phillies Gavvy Cravath Jack Coombs Played right field for the Philadelphia Phillies (became player manager)

References
  1. Purdy, Dennis (2006). The Team-by-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. New York City: Workman. ISBN 0-7611-3943-5.
  2. "April 19, 1919 Brooklyn Robins at Boston Braves Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  3. "September 29, 1919 New York Yankees at Philadelphia Athletics Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  4. "May 4, 1919 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  5. "May 11, 1919 St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  6. "May 11, 1919 Washington Senators at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  7. "Babe Ruth Career Home Runs – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  8. "August 11, 1919 Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  9. "August 14, 1919 Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  10. "Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame – Special Features – 35 Years Ago Today Ray Caldwell Survived Lightning To Beat A's". Chautauquasportshalloffame.org. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  11. "September 10, 1919 Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  12. "Regular Season Standings". Major League Baseball. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  13. "September 21, 1919 Boston Braves at Chicago Cubs Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  14. "September 21, 1919 Brooklyn Robins at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  15. "Regular Season standings". Major League Baseball. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  16. "The Ballplayers – Fred Luderus – baseballbiography.com". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  17. "September 24, 1919 Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  18. "September 28, 1919 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
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