Season Wrap-up
It may not look like it when you see the final standings, but the pennant race was heated throughout the summer. At the end of July, the Phillies had just a 2-game lead over the Cubs. Three weeks later on August 22nd, the Cubs and Dodgers were both just 1 game out. However, on August 23rd, the Phillies began a 7-game win streak that included a 3-game sweep of the Dodgers. L.A. never really recovered and no one really got close to the Phillies over the final four weeks of the season as they went on to become the first team to win four straight pennants.
Despite winning "only" 100 games, the Phillies had a phenomenal season. All nine offensive regulars hit 11 or more home runs.
Ed Delahanty (.328, 29 HR, 129 RBI) and rookie
Nap Lajoie (.271, 21 HR, 129 RBI) tied for the league lead in RBI.
Billy Hamilton (.333, 15 HR, 71 RBI, 130 R, 108 BB, 57 SB) won his first batting title while also leading the league in steals and becoming just the seond player to reach 600 career steals.
Cupid Childs (.312, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 136 R, 121 BB) nearly tied the MLHR record for both walks and runs, finishing just fourteen shy of
Jack Burdock's record for walks set in 1876 and 5 runs shy of
Dan Brouthers' 1880 record. On the pitching side, rookie
Ned Garvin (18-6, 2.25 ERA) exceeded all expectations by leading the league in ERA and tying teammate
Jimmy Callahan (18-7, 2.93 ERA) for the league lead in wins. Meanwhile, rookie
Jerry Nops took over the closer's role at the beginning of July and recorded an astonishing 24 saves over the final three months.
The Cardinals had a fine season, despite falling short of the Phillies. They scored the 3rd most runs behind
Charlie Frank (.299, 22 HR, 92 RBI),
John McGraw (.293, 54 RBI, 96 R, 43 SB) and
Jimmy Bannon (.282, 25 HR, 91 RBI), who had a bounce back season. Their pitching rotation improved after a slow start to finish ranked #2. No starting pitcher had an ERA over 4.00.
Conversely, the Cubs were ranked #2 in offense and #3 in pitching. Rookie
Buttons Briggs (17-10, 3.56 ERA) had a lot to do with Chicago's pitching resurgence, while
Jake Stenzel (.289, 21 HR, 99 RBI, 45 SB),
Hugh Duffy (.302, 28 HR, 107 RBI, 27 SB) and
Tom Parrott (.295, 28 HR, 110 RBI) led the offensive charge. After moving to centerfield,
Bill Lange played fantastic defense and even put himself in the Gold Glove conversation. He also had a fine offensive season, hitting .278 with 17 HR, 74 RBI, 108 Runs and 53 SB.
The Dodgers, despite a late season slump, fared well overall.
Bill Joyce (.254, 38 HR, 100 RBI) and
Denny Lyons (.260, 29 HR, 94 RBI) slugged the team to the second highest home run total of the season, but the Dodgers scored only the 5th most runs. 27-year-old right fielder
George Treadway (.282, 22 HR, 78 RBI) had the best season of his young career. Like the Cardinals, the Dodgers didn't have a single starting pitcher with an ERA above 4.00. 33-year-old
Adonis Terry (12-6, 3.06 ERA) continued to prove the naysayers wrong with one of the best seasons of his 13-year-career.
As for Atlanta, their offense improved from worst in the league last season to 4th this season. Their .267 team batting average was 2nd best in the league. They had productive seasons for players throughout the lineup, from shortstop
Herman Long (.286, 25 HR, 88 RBI) who is the veteran at age 30 on a team of youngsters, to rookie of the year candidate
Dan McGann (.277, 17 HR, 67 RBI).
Cincinnati's
Sam Thompson became the 9th member of the 400 home run club with a blast against the Giants on July 23rd. Pirates closer
Will Sawyer became the first pitcher to record his 400th save in a 3-1 win at Chicago on August 25th.
Standings
Batting Leaders
Pitching Leaders
Records
Games pitched: 81, Bill Daley, ATL and Pink Hawley, STL