EARLY RETURNS SHOW TIGERS, SENATORS AND BEANEATERS SETTING THE PACE
By Charles H. Wentworth, Sporting Times
May 1st, 1903
The young base ball season is only just finding its rhythm, yet already patterns are beginning to emerge in both major circuits.
In the National League, the clubs have had a fuller slate of contests, and the Boston Beaneaters presently stand atop the heap with a record of 10 wins against 5 defeats. Their advantage is a narrow one, however, with the Cincinnati Reds lurking but a single game back, and the Chicago Cubs close behind at a game and a half. At the other end of the table, the Brooklyn Superbas and the St. Louis Cardinals have stumbled badly from the start, but with the summer still stretching long before us, both retain opportunity to recover their footing.
The American League, meanwhile, remains too tight to draw firm conclusions, with but a week’s worth of games completed. The Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators have shown the briskest pace, each carrying a mark of five victories and three defeats. Whether this is but the flourish of early form or a signal of genuine strength remains to be seen. The Cleveland Naps, however, will need to stir themselves quickly, having managed but two wins in their opening seven contests.
Though the season has scarcely opened, the leagues have nevertheless moved to issue their first monthly honors, providing fans with the early standouts.
American League Honors
Top Batter: Hobe Ferris, Boston Americans — .409 batting, 3 home runs, 18 runs batted in, and 13 runs scored.
Top Pitcher: Ned Garvin, St. Louis Browns — unbeaten at 3–0, and remarkably yet to allow an earned run.
Top Rookie: Mordecai Brown, Detroit Tigers — 2–0 record, 3.50 ERA, already showing the makings of a future ace.
National League Honors
Top Batter: Charlie Hickman, New York Giants — .315 at the plate, with 5 home runs, 13 runs driven in, and 14 tallies scored.
Top Pitcher: Doc White, Philadelphia Phillies — off to a sterling start at 3–1 with a stingy 1.25 ERA.
Top Rookie: Chappie McFarland, Philadelphia Phillies — 2–2, 3.09 ERA, a promising young hurler holding his own against seasoned batsmen.
It is still early days, yet with clubs and players already setting marks of note, the campaign of 1903 promises much in the way of intrigue and contest as the weeks advance.
