1915
Changes- Import HoFer - I chose a random member of the Hall, not including any non-players, or anyone whose career would likely overlap with his real self if I included him. Eddie Plank, who just retired, was chosen, and I re-imported him, as if it were 1901. Eddie Plank Jr. signed with the New Jersey Nationals.
- Change DH - The American League will now use the designated hitter.
- Change triples (more) - Triples will now happen more frequently than in real life.
American League
Chicago White Sox (86-54)
Providence Angels (85-55)
Boston Red Sox (80-60)
Cleveland Indians (78-62)
Philadelphia Athletics (77-63)
Washington Senators (75-65)
Detroit Tigers (74-66)
Minnesota Twins (72-68)
Baltimore Orioles (71-69)
Milwaukee Brewers (66-74)
New York Yankees (62-78)
St. Louis Browns (57-83)
Philadelphia Quakers (49-91)
Rochester Red Wings (48-92)
AL MVP: Rabbit Maranville (Chicago)
AL CYA: Harry Krause (Providence) (4th award)
AL ROY: Rogers Hornsby (Rochester)
National League
Boston Braves (88-52)
Pittsburgh Pirates (84-56)
New York Giants (80-60)
Buffalo Bisons (78-62)
Brooklyn Dodgers (76-64)
Cincinnati Reds (70-70)
Philadelphia Phillies (69-71)
St. Louis Cardinals (64-76)
Chicago Cubs (60-80)
Louisville Colonels (60-80)
New Jersey Nationals (56-84)
Kansas City Packers (55-85)
NL MVP: Ivey Wingo (Chicago)
NL MOP: Joe Wood (Brooklyn)
NL ROY: George Sisler (St. Louis)
Statistical Leaders
Batting Average: Jimmy Johnston (Milwaukee) .347, Edd Roush (Buffalo) .357
Home Runs: George Burns (Minnesota) / Jack Fournier (St. Louis) 11, Sherry Magee (Chicago) 10
Runs Batted In: Sam Crawford (Chicago) 85, Birdie Cree (Boston) 87
Stolen Bases: Donie Bush (Cleveland) 40, Tillie Shafer (Brooklyn) 37
WAR: Rabbit Maranville (Chicago) 9.0, Edd Roush (Buffalo) 8.3
Wins: Carl Weilman (Providence) 23, Frank Lange (Pittsburgh) / Joe Wood (Brooklyn) 23
ERA: Rube Manning (Chicago) 1.74, Harry Suter (New York) 1.58
Strikeouts: Harry Krause (Providence) 219, Vean Gregg (Kansas City) 189
Saves: Rube Kroh (Athletics) 32, Ralph Caldwell (New York) / Fred Olmstead (Cincinnati) 27
WAR: Dutch Leonard (Baltimore) 8.6, Heinie Berger (Boston) 7.9
Notes
- The last two World Series winners, Chicago and Providence, battled all year at the top of the American League.
- The Braves returned to the postseason after a two year absence, and they boasted the strongest batting lineup in baseball.
- Harry Hooper (Athletics) batted .318/.434/.492, the best OPS in the AL.
- Roush emerged as a star for the Bisons, leading the NL in hits, doubles, triples, batting average, slugging, OPS, and WAR.
- Babe Ruth (Buffalo) improved from his rookie season, batting .249, but he still lead the league in strikeouts. Brother George Ruth (Phillies) went 12-12 with a 2.31 ERA as he became a core member of Philadelphia's rotation.
- Rookie Eddie Plank Jr. (New Jersey) went 10-19 with a 3.30 ERA.
- The Red Wings and Quakers fared better than previous expansion teams had.
- Rogers Hornsby batted .293/.347/.435 for the Red Wings, good for 6.3 WAR.
- The Quakers traded starter Jack Quinn to Milwaukee for three prospects.
- The Senators traded Hippo Vaughn to Milwaukee for infielders Possum Whitted and Ike McAuley, as the Brewers tried to solidify their pitching.
Achievements & Milestones
- Zip Collins (Providence), Jack Barry (Washington) and Howie Shanks (Athletics) all hit for the cycle.
- Harry Coveleski (Cubs), Pete Schneider (Baltimore), and Ed Walsh (Cleveland) threw no-hitters.
- Pete Hill (Red Sox), Jimmy Sheckard (Tigers), and Honus Wagner (Pirates) all reached 2000 hits.
- Bill Donovan (Brooklyn), Red Ames (Braves), and Hooks Wiltse (Brooklyn) won their 200th games.
- Red Ames also became the first pitcher to pass 2000 career strikeouts.
- Babe Ruth broke his own record from last year by striking out 127 times.
ALCS
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Chicago defeated Providence, 3 games to 2.
- Rube Manning was the series MVP. He threw a shutout in Game One, and also took the victory in Game Four, defeating Providence ace Harry Krause both times.
- Joe Lake (Chicago) threw a series-winning shutout in Game Five.
- Sam Crawford (Chicago) went 7-20, with 3 RBI.
NLCS
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Boston defeated Pittsburgh, 3 games to 1.
- Larry Gardner was MVP, adding to his 1911 World Series MVP trophy. He went 6-13, and drove in four men.
- Eddie Collins (Boston) was 6-14.
- Stuffy McInnis (Pittsburgh) struggled, batting only 2-16.
World Series
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Chicago defeated Boston, 5 games to 1.
- Sam Crawford was MVP, batting 9-24 with 4 RBI.
- The White Sox were dominant, winning the first four games of the series.
- Rube Manning and Joe Lake both won both of their starts, with Manning having a perfect 4-0 record in the postseason.
- Boston star Eddie Collins struggled, going only 5-23 with no RBI.
- Chicago's second World Series.
Retirements
- Cy Falkenberg (Chicago Cubs) suffered a career-ending shoulder injury. He had a 173-147 career record, with a 2.59 ERA. He was an excellent defensive pitcher, winning seven Gold Gloves. He lead the NL in wins and strikeouts in 1908, and was an All-Star in 1911.
- Buttons Briggs (Cubs) retired at 40. He was a 166-137 pitcher with a 3.06 ERA, mostly for the Pirates, with whom he won two World Series.
- Starter Jack Pfiester retired. He mostly pitched for the Senators and Phillies, though he also played for Kansas City and Pittsburgh in 1915. He won 157 games, and was an NL All-Star in 1911.
Off-Season
- Rochester picked George Harper with the first overall pick.
- Hack Miller went second to the Quakers.
- The Packers chose catcher Verne Clemons #3.
- Burleigh Grimes was the eleventh pick for the Phillies.
- The Reds picked Urban Shocker next, at twelve.
- Kansas City traded ace Vean Gregg, who led the NL in strikeouts, to the Boston Braves for two prospects.
Walter "Rabbit" Maranville was the AL MVP, and a World Series winner.
"Smokey Joe" Wood was the NL Most Outstanding Pitcher, and batted .318 as a left fielder.