August 1st, 1901
The Brooklyn Superbas put together another winning month, while the rest of the National League struggled, to open up a 7 game lead. Despite several on-field incidents, most notably the brawl with Boston (N), Brooklyn manager Marvin Browder finds no fault with the way his team plays the game. "They want to win, period," said Browder, "and they'll scratch and claw to do it. A lot of these teams crying about it should take a lesson from the way these men play the game."
But American League president Byron Johnson doesn't agree. "These types of incidents undermine the game and keep it from attracting a larger fan base," said Johnson, "no play such as this will be tolerated in the American League and we're better off for it."
But the "clean baseball" played in the American League hasn't taken any excitement away from the game. Cleveland and Washington are deadlocked at 48-38 and Detroit recovered from a subpar June to finish July 17-8 and only one game back. The most suprising development, however, were the fortunes of the Boston (A) Americans. Mired in last place at the beginning of the month, the Americans went 18-8 and climbed the ladder to finish July in fourth place, only 3 games back. Starting pitcher Joseph Dacus led the charge, going 4-1 with an ERA of 1.13 for the month.
In other news, Blues catcher Kelly Hummel became the first player in American League history to hit for the cycle on July 8th, 1901. "As long as we win I don't care how well I play," said Hummel of his accomplishment, "I ain't that good, but I guess it feels good to know I'll be a trivia question someday."
The "Capitol Crew" dominated AL hitters again in July, headlined by the
NO-HITTER thrown by Douglas Trader and the one-hitter from "Wild Bill" Taylor. The Senators lead the American League in every pitching category, but lack the offense to distance themselves from the pack, with only James "Bones" Gullockson supplying any power in the lineup.
Batter of the Month
AL - David Selvidge, CF, Boston (A) Americans - Selvidge helped the Americans to get back into the AL pennant chase, batting .384 with 2 HR and 23 RBI. He also helped out on the basepaths, swiping 12 bases and hitting 6 triples.
NL - James Pounders, RF, Pittsburgh Pirates - Pounders, playing for the last place Pirates, put together a 21-game hitting streak to finish the month with a .390 AVG to go with 14 RBI. He is currently third in the race for the NL batting title with a .347 clip.
Pitcher of the Month
AL - Joseph Dacus, Boston (A) Americans - Dacus made it a sweep of awards for the Americans going 4-1 with an ERA of 1.13
NL - Gary "Killer" Kulikowski, Philadelphia (N) Phillies - "Killer" killed the National League in July, throwing complete games in all 8 games he started and compiling a 5-3 record. He had an ERA of 1.27 for the month, but got little run support from the struggling Phillies. He leads the NL in ERA and strikeouts and is second with 14 wins. (Known as the hardest thrower in the league).
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American League Standings
Cleveland Blues 48-38 .558
Washington Senators 48-38 .558
Detroit Tigers 47-39 .547
Boston (A) Americans 45-41 .523
Milwaukee Brewers 42-46 .477
Chicago (A) White Stockings 41-46 .471
Philadelphia (A) Athletics 39-48 .448
Baltimore Orioles 36-50 .419
National League Standings
Brooklyn Superbas 54-34 .614
Boston (N) Beaneaters 49-43 .533
New York Giants 47-45 .511
St. Louis Cardinals 44-46 .489
Cincinnati Reds 43-46 .483
Philadelphia (N) Phillies 42-47 .472
Chicago (N) Orphans 41-48 .461
Pittsburgh Pirates 39-50 .438