1920 Season Summary
Code:
NATIONAL W L PCT GB
Philadelphia 88 66 .571 --
Cincinnati 87 67 .565 1
Brooklyn 82 72 .532 6
Pittsburgh 79 75 .513 9
Milwaukee 77 77 .500 11
St. Louis 75 79 .487 13
New York 67 87 .435 21
Chicago 60 94 .390 28
AMERICAN W L PCT GB
New York 84 71 .542 --
Baltimore 83 72 .535 1
Chicago 82 72 .532 1.5
Detroit 73 81 .474 10.5
Kansas City 72 82 .468 11.5
Washington 69 85 .448 14.5
Cleveland 63 91 .409 20.5
Boston 60 94 .390 22.5
PACIFIC W L PCT GB
San Francisco 98 56 .636 --
San Diego 91 63 .591 7
Sacramento 84 70 .545 14
Portland 80 74 .519 18
Los Angeles 80 74 .519 18
Seattle 76 78 .494 22
Oakland 74 80 .481 24
Hollywood 65 89 .422 31
The 1920 season featured a thrilling three-team pennant race in the American Division that required a one-game playoff to settle, a classic National Division battle that was nearly as exciting, and the rise of a powerhouse out on the Pacific Coast.
As the last day of the regular season dawned, the
New York Yankees and
Baltimore Orioles were tied for first, with the
Chicago White Sox a game behind. All three teams did what they had to do, winning their games that afternoon; that meant the White Sox were eliminated, while the Yankees and Orioles met in a one-game playoff.
The Yankees won and advanced to the Division Series, where they met the powerful
San Francisco Seals, champions of the Pacific Division. The Seals dispatched of the Yankees, 4 games to 2, while the
San Diego Padres, winners of 91 regular season games and the wild card berth, beat the National Division champion
Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 1.
The World Series, therefore, matched the two teams with the best regular-season records, both from the Pacific Coast Division. The Padres' bats blazed during the Series, producing 29 runs in five games and powering a 4-1 Series win.
Cincinnati CF
Mitsuo Nakada, a 33-year-old Japanese import, was the hitting star of the year, batting .404 and drawing 114 walks for a .484 OBP. Nakada also drove in 117 runs and won the
Outstanding Hitter Award. He barely won the batting title, as Oakland's slugging catcher,
Tim Stephens, hit .402.
Other offensive stars included Milwaukee 1B
Owen Hall (.371-2-132, 67 2B), the league's RBI king; Cleveland's dynamic duo, LF
Ken Rich (.370-0-92) and 3B
Pat O'Hartigan (.367-2-80), and young Brooklyn 1B
Mike Dickey (.367-2-100, 234 hits, 58 2B). Home runs were few and hard to come by, as no batter connected for more than six.
The league's Outstanding Pitcher was San Francisco's ace lefty,
Roger Skinner. He went 23-8 with a 3.26 ERA, in a league that posted a 4.60 ERA overall. At 38, Skinner might not have many more productive seasons, but in 1920, he was as good as it got.
Hefty Argentine righthander
Constantin L'Archibudelli of the White Sox matched Skinner's 23 wins and posted a 3.27 ERA.
Emilio Romano of the Portland Beavers won the ERA title with an even 3.00, and won 17 games.
In the June draft, the
Boston Red Sox made pitcher
Pete Donohue the #1 overall pick. Donohue, only 19, reported immediately to Boston, but was hit hard (7-12, 5.84 ERA). Another pitcher,
Ray Kolp, went #2 to the Giants, followed by three position players: OF
Kiki Cuyler (#3, Cubs), OF
Goose Goslin (#4, Stars) and 3B-OF
Riggs Stephenson (#5, Indians). Goslin was the only one of the trio to make any impact at the big league level, hitting a crisp .370 in 54 AB for Hollywood.