1928
Changes- Change secondary (larger) - The secondary roster will now allow up to 42 players.
- 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. Carlton Fisk was imported. He signed with the Browns, but was assigned to AA.
- Rename team - The New Jersey Nationals were renamed to the Newark Bears.
Off-Season
- Veteran Ty Cobb signed with the White Sox, whom he previously played for in 1920.
- Ace Smokey Joe Wood moved from Milwaukee to their rival, Cleveland.
American League
Minnesota Twins (90-64)
Milwaukee Brewers (87-67)
Providence Angels (86-68)
Cleveland Indians (83-71)
Boston Red Sox (80-74)
New York Yankees (80-74)
Baltimore Orioles (76-78)
Kansas City Athletics (73-81)
Washington Senators (73-81)
St. Louis Browns (71-83)
Chicago White Sox (64-90)
Detroit Tigers (61-93)
AL MVP: Rogers Hornsby (Milwaukee) (8th award)
AL CYA: Lefty Grove (Washington)
AL ROY: Chuck Klein (Minnesota)
National League
Boston Braves (89-65)
Montreal Expos (87-67)
St. Louis Cardinals (87-67)
Texas Rangers (85-69)
Brooklyn Dodgers (78-76)
Louisville Colonels (78-76)
Pittsburgh Pirates (76-78)
New York Giants (75-79)
Philadelphia Phillies (74-80)
Chicago Cubs (69-85)
Newark Bears (67-87)
Cincinnati Reds (59-95)
NL MVP: Babe Ruth (Boston) (12th award)
NL MOP: Pete Donohue (Newark) (4th award)
NL ROY: Don Hurst (Pittsburgh)
Statistical Leaders
Batting Average: Rogers Hornsby (Milwaukee) .279, Babe Ruth (Boston) .257
Home Runs: Rogers Hornsby (Milwaukee) 64, Babe Ruth (Boston) 67
Runs Batted In: Rogers Hornsby (Milwaukee) 119, Babe Ruth (Boston) 127
Stolen Bases: George Grantham (Baltimore) 15, Carl Reynolds (New York) 15
WAR: Rogers Hornsby (Milwaukee) 17.3, Babe Ruth (Boston) 16.2
Wins: Hugh McQuillan (Minnesota) 22, Duster Mails (St. Louis) 21
ERA: Guy Morton (Providence) 1.37, Dixie Leverett (Texas) 1.04
Strikeouts: Lefty Grove (Washington) 237, George Earnshaw (New York) 195
Saves: Moses Yellow Horse (Milwaukee) 32, Epp Sell (St. Louis) 39
WAR: Lefty Grove (Washington) 11.5, Pete Donohue (Newark) 11.5
Notes
- The Twins rode an excellent pitching staff to the best record in baseball, and their first pennant.
- The Braves won their 11th pennant in 13 years.
- Hornsby was the first AL hitter to win the Triple Crown since Jack Fournier in 1916.
- Ruth won his fourth straight Triple Crown.
Achievements & Milestones
- Babe Ruth (Braves) and Don Hurst (Pittsburgh) hit three homers in a game. It is the fifth time that Ruth has done so.
- Ray Kremer (Providence) threw a perfect game on April 4th against the White Sox.
- Hod Eller (Texas) threw three no-hitters, including two in back-to-back starts.
- Burleigh Grimes (Cubs), Eddie Rommel (Newark), Joe Wood (Cleveland), Pete Donohue (Newark) and Tommy Thomas (Cubs) all threw their third career no-hitters.
- High Pockets Kelly (White Sox), Rogers Hornsby (Milwaukee), Charlie Deal (Louisville), and Whitey Witt (Cleveland) reached 2000 hits.
- Babe Ruth (Boston) picked up his 2500th hit. He also became the first man to hit 600 home runs.
- Rogers Hornsby (Milwaukee) joined Ruth in the 300 homer club.
- Hod Eller (Texas) won his 200th game.
- Bullet Joe Bush (Cardinals) won game #250.
- Bill James (Philadelphia) struck out his 2000th batter.
- Harry Krause (Brooklyn) became the first pitcher to reach 3500 Ks.
- George Dumont (Braves) saved his 300th game.
- Joe Jackson (Milwaukee) and Ty Cobb (White Sox) broke the 600 doubles barrier.
World Series
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Boston defeated Minnesota, 5 games to 2.
- Babe Ruth was the World Series MVP. He was 9-23 with an amazing six home runs.
- Rube Foster (Boston) allowed only one hit, a solo homer to rookie Chuck Klein, as the Braves won Game One 2-1.
- Harry Harper (Minnesota) threw a shutout in Game Three, as the Twins took the lead in the World Series for the first time.
- Ruth hit two homers in Game Six, as the Braves won 5-3 and took a 4-2 lead in the series.
- Ruth hit two more homers in Game Seven, as the Braves took the series.
- Rube Foster won both of his starts.
- Chuck Klein was 9-25 for Minnesota.
- The Braves win back-to-back rings.
Retirements
- Max Carey. Reliable center fielder who totaled 2584 hits and 357 steals. Three All-Star games for the Browns and Yankees star.
- Ray Collins. Workhorse starter for nearly two decades. 265-215 record, 2.97 ERA. Championship with the Braves in 1927. Also had long stretches with Washington and Minnesota.
- Jack Fournier. Fearsome deadball era slugger who won the AL Triple Crown in 1916. 2413 hits, and five All-Star games, though he was often let down by lackluster fielding.
- Walter Johnson. One of the finest pitchers of all-time. Three-time MOP, 16-time All-Star, two-time WS MVP, for a 372-256 record with a 2.26 ERA. 417 complete games are most ever.
- Dutch Leonard. Three-time AL Cy Young winner, as ace of Cleveland's dynasty, winning four rings. Led league in wins three times, ERA three times, and strikeouts twice. 270-159, 2.59 ERA.
- Hi Myers. 2323 career hits and six Gold Gloves in center field for Louisville, Cincinnati, and the Browns.
- Eddie Plank Jr. 221-188 record for a career that surpassed his father. Excelled in his late 30s for Buffalo/Montreal.
- Del Pratt. Doubles machine at second base. 2221 hits, and 458 two base blows. Two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, three All-Stars.
- Fred Snodgrass. Veteran outfielder known for fine plate discipline. 2396 career hits, and a .410 OBP. Four All-Star bids, and a ring in 1909 with the A's.
- Amos Strunk. 2731 hits and three Gold Gloves for the center fielder. Four world championships in long career anchored by stints with the White Sox, Orioles, and Red Sox.
- Ben Van Dyke. Star closer who was his league's Reliever of the Year three times. Championship with Providence in 1914, Detroit in 1917, and the Braves in 1920. 381 career saves.
Draft
- Cincinnati selected Earl Averill first overall.
- Outfielder Johnny Frederick went second to Detroit.
- The White Sox picked Dale Alexander third.
Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby won their respective leagues' Triple Crowns.
Chuck Klein was AL Rookie of the Year, and led the Twins to the pennant.