EARLY PENNANT RACES TAKE SHAPE AS MAY DAWNS
By George F. Winthrop, Sporting Times
May 1st, 1911
With April now behind us, the first full month of the baseball campaign is set to begin, and already both major leagues show the effects of winter’s changes. The standings reveal surprises at the top and bottom, offering early intrigue as the season settles into its long stride.
In the American League, the Chicago White Sox hold a narrow advantage, sitting a half-game ahead of the surging Philadelphia Athletics. The Athletics, who languished in the cellar a year ago, have begun this season with unexpected vigor. Meanwhile, last season’s champions, the Washington Senators, find themselves mired in sixth place. They are spared the bottom only because the Cleveland Naps have played—and lost—a pair of extra contests, placing them last in the standings.
Across the way in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies are the early pacesetters, maintaining a half-game edge over the rejuvenated St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals, who finished at the foot of the table last year, have opened with uncommon strength. Four additional clubs lurk within one to one-and-a-half games of the lead, adding to the spirited competition of the early phase. At the rear, the Chicago Cubs sit three and a half games adrift. Though their start has been unsteady, the season is young, and the Cubs are far from counted out of the pennant chase.
Monthly Awards
American League
Top Batter: Josh Devore, Detroit Tigers — .493 average, 1 home run, 13 runs batted in, 14 runs scored.
Top Pitcher: Ray Collins, Philadelphia Athletics — 3 wins, 1 loss, 1.00 earned run average.
Top Rookie: Tom Johnson, Detroit Tigers — 3 wins, 1 loss, 3.06 earned run average.
National League
Top Batter: Ty Cobb, Philadelphia Phillies — .414 average, 2 home runs, 17 runs batted in, 18 runs scored.
Top Pitcher: Tom Hughes, St. Louis Cardinals — 5 wins, 0 losses, 2.72 earned run average.
Top Rookie: Ray Caldwell, Pittsburgh Pirates — 3 wins, 1 loss, 3.63 earned run average.
With the long summer stretch still ahead, the early surprises promise a lively race in both circuits as May’s contests get underway.
