A Minor Dose of Chaos: A Random Debut League

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Here's the deal. I'm kicking off a random debut alternate history, starting in 1901. I'll sim a year, and then write about it. Rinse and repeat. Always fun to see what bizarre scenarios the random number generator gives us.

I'm using the "MLB Revisited" set by txranger for logos/uniforms/caps. So a big thanks for his fantastic work which helps so much with immersion

Anyway, no further mucking around. Let's kick off with 1901.

Table of Contents

• 1901: The First Year of MLB
• 1902: The Battle for Chicago
• 1903: Invasion from New York
• 1904: The Rise of the Pitcher
• 1905: What Just Happened?
• 1906: Moose & Rod vs the World (Well, Cincinnati)
• 1907: The Reds go for the Repeat
• 1908: The Year of the First (and second, and third) No-Hitter
• 1909: The Reign of the Reds is Over
• The 00's In Review
• 1910: Rod Carew and the Naps go for the Repeat
• 1911: A Familiar Script
• 1912: A New Hit King Emerges
• 1913: .400

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1901: The First Year of MLB

In this reality, the American and National League both get properly established in 1901 and the team owners come to the conclusion that the two leagues will be better off if they cooperated rather than competed as the ground rules were established.

The 8 charter teams of each league will play each other over 140 games. The two winners of each league will then play a best-of-seven against each other for the right to call themselves World Champion.

The charter teams are as follows.

American League
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Americans
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Blues
Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers
Philadelphia Athletics
Washington Senators

National League
Boston Beaneaters
Brooklyn Superbas
Chicago Orphans
Cincinnati Reds
New York Giants
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

Some of the big names of the day include 22 year old Center Fielder Willie Mays of the Chicago White Sox, 33 year old Pitcher Bob Gibson of the Philadelphia Athletics, 22 year old Shortstop Arky Vaughan of the Boston Beaneaters, 30 year old Pitcher Randy Johnson of the Chicago Orphans, 34 year old Third Baseman Pete Rose of the Baltimore Orioles, and 26 year old Pitcher Pedro Martinez of the New York Giants.

Early favourites for the season were the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox in the American League and the Chicago Orphans and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League.

None of them will make it.

In the American League, it's the Cleveland Blues that come out of the gate storming, they finished the month of May with a 27-9 record and a 7 game lead over the 19-15 record of the Washington Senators thanks to some big hitting from 3B Harlond Clift. The Blues will eventually regress and allow some of those early favourites to play catchup, the White Sox get within 2 games by the end of June and the Orioles even grabbed a brief lead on the 17th of August 1901 but alas, the Blues always found a way.

Their 9-6 record in extra-innings games and 24-20 record in one-run games were league leading and aside from a brief moment of Oriole supremacy on the 17th of August, it never looked like the American League was anything but theirs.



Unlike the American League, the National League was a fight from first to last pitch with five teams in contentions for most of the season: the Beaneaters, Giants, Orphans, Phillies, and Pirates.

The Chicago Orphans were the first out of the gate with a 26-14 record by the end of May but by the end of June the race had descended into chaos with no one taking command. The Orphans still led with a 38-28 record but they were closely followed by the Pirates (37-27), Beaneaters (36-27), Giants (36-28), and Phillies (34-29). The Superbas, Reds, and Cardinals had long fell out of contention by this point.

Throughout July, all the contending teams except the Phillies had time on top of the standings. The Phillies, at 44-42 and 5 games behind the Beaneaters were largely written off but Phillies 2B Whit Merrifield had other ideas.

If we go back to the 5th of July, in a game where the Phillies played the Cardinals. Merrifield led off in the top of the 4th and swung at the first pitch from Mark Redman to reach 1st base on an infield hit. He'd be caught stealing in the next at-bat but unknown to anyone in St. Louis that day, he had started something special.

Merrifield had shown off his talent before now. A June game against the Orphans saw the Second Baseman hit three triples and a home run to help secure the win in extra innings. That third triple coming in as a lead-off triple in the top of the 10th with Merrifield scoring in the next at-bat from a sac fly for the winning run.



But after the 5 July game, Merrifield just kept on hitting, as he heated up so did the rest of the team. It wasn't until the 20th of August that the Boston Beaneaters kept Merrifield hitless, and ended his hit streak at 36. By that point, the Phillies were in second in the NL with a 56-48 record just 1.5 games behind the 55-44 Pirates.

Merrifield wasn't done with streaks, he was hit by a pitch against the Beaneaters and continued his on-base streak right to the 28th of September. A massive 64 games. The Phillies took this energy and ran with it, 17-8 in August and 16-8 in September propelled them to the top of the table. Their main obstacle was the Chicago Orphans, who stayed in the hunt right til the last day with a 5 game win streak to finish the season. Fittingly, it was a Whit Merrifield Sac Fly that made the difference for the Phillies to clinch their spot in the first ever World Series.



The stage is set for the first World Series between the Cleveland Blues and Philadelphia Phillies.

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1901 World Series: Cleveland Blues vs Philadelphia Phillies

Game One: In a bizarre decision, the Cleveland Blues hand the ball to Livan Hernandez to be their pitcher for game one rather than their regular ace, Mike Garcia. Hernandez was still easing back into pitching after fracturing his hand back in May. Up til this injury, Hernandez had might lights-out but his three starts since returning had been underwhelming.

The Phillies took full advantage as they ran out to a 7-0 lead before Hernandez was finally pulled off the mound in the 4th. But not before the opposing pitcher hit a triple off him.

The Blues did mount a bit of a comeback but the Phillies kept them at bay to take the first game 9-6.



Game Two: The Blues strike back in Game Two as both pitchers keep the run scoring low. Mike Garcia, in particular able to keep the Phillies off the board until RF Ben Chapman sent him deep with a lead-off home run in the top of the 8th. The Phillies will pull ahead only for the Blues to strike back immediately in the bottom of the 8th to eventually push the game to extras.

It's in the bottom of the 11th that the Blues walk it off via a double from Catcher Bill Killefer that lets the notoriously slow First Baseman Erubiel Durazo score from 1st.



Game Three: Cleveland Pitcher John Smiley gave up two runs in the 1st but shut it down from that point on. He had to wait until the 8th to see his team take the lead thanks to a throwing error from Phillies Catcher Bill Killefer which set up Cleveland LF Kirk Gibson to blast a two run single to drive two runners in for the win.



Game Four: Cleveland tried throwing out Livian Hernandez out there again and this time the results were even worse than game one as he departed the game after the first inning with a 7-0 deficit to his name. The Phillies will tie the series up with a 11-2 win in the end.



Game Five: Third time is the charm for the Livian Hernandez experiment. Since he only pitched 27 pitches in game four (giving up 7 runs in the process), Cleveland decide to put him back on the mound in game five. He finally gets it together and goes the distance. Unfortunately for him, the opposing pitcher Dave Giusti has also come to play as they collectively keep the run count down.

It's Whit Merrifield that ultimately grabs the winning run. He gets a triple in the bottom of the 5th and a Randal Grichuk single proves enough to get him home. Grichuk would provide one more bit of magic at the end, when he throws out the speedy Darby O'Brien at third to end the game and put the Phillies within one game of winning the first World Series.

Livian Hernandez pitched well in this game but ended with a 0-3 record and 10.95 ERA in this series.



Game Six: The Phillies clinch it but it's a rollercoaster of a game to do it. The lead change hands several times over the game. It was looking dire in the top of the 8th with two outs and the Phillies down two runs but they rallied and loaded the bases until finally a Charlie Keller Single got 2 runs home to tie it up, Whit Merrifield narrowly beating the throw from home to score from 2nd base.

The Blues struck back in the bottom of the 8th but a throwing error from Cleveland CF Jim Edmonds let the Phillies tie it back up again in the top of the 9th. Cleveland had no answer in the bottom of the 9th as the game shifted to extras.

Edmonds would be in the spotlight in the top of the 10th. The Phillies were down two outs pretty quickly but Phillies CF Randal Grichuk blasted a line drive straight to Edmonds, who promptly fumbled it and let Grichuk reach first. Sal Bando got a double in the next at-bat which was enough to get Grichuk home for the lead.

Phillies pitcher Scott Oberg only needed 5 pitches to extinguish Cleveland hopes in the bottom of the 10th, the final action of the season being a 3-6-3 double play.



And with that, the Phillies become the first ever World Series Champions. They dwindled around the .500 mark for the first three months of the season but a Whit Merrifield hit streak proved a catalyst for the team to make it's move for the top spot in the National League.

Merrifield was certainly the team MVP but the contributions of the outfield trio of LF Charlie Keller, CF Randal Grichuk, and RF Ben Chapman also proved key.

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1901 Awards



The Boston Americans might have occupied the bottom of the American League table but just imagine how dire they would have been had it not been for the efforts of David Peralta?

Power was the name of the game for Peralta, he lead the American League in Extra Base Hits with 27 doubles, 27 triples, and 6 home runs which granted him a .953 OPS to lead everyone the entire baseball world in pure production at the plate. Double that up with excellent plate discipline and some very solid defense out at left field and you've got your MVP.

A game that was a perfect encapsulation of Peralta's season was a September 20 game against the Cleveland Blues. He went 3-4 with 2 triples and had secured his team a 4-2 lead going into the 6th but the Blues unleashed an onslaught of runs in the the 6th to ultimately take out the game 7-5. Peralta is given player of the game honours while his team takes the loss.

Peralta's main competition was Baltimore 1B Wes Parker, who lead the league in batting average and Chicago White Sox CF Willie Mays.



Whit Merrifield is the unanimous MVP for the National League. The 30 year old was the driving member of the World Champion Phillies side. The Second Baseman led the National League in Runs, Hits, Home Runs, Batting Average, and OPS. Whit was the catalyst of the Phillies push for the pennant starting in July as his team rose from 5th to 1st in the NL. From the 5th of July to the 28th of September he had a 64 game on-base streak going. Included in that time was a 36 game hit streak, a 20 game scoring streak, a 7 game RBI streak, and a 6 game extra-base hit streak.

His main competition for the prize included fellow Phillie, RF Ben Chapman and Boston Beaneater SS Arky Vaughan.



Nick Altrock was the unanimous pick for the AL Pitcher of the Year. He was an iron man, no one played more games and pitched more innings than Altrock. And he was good, he gave away few free passes, and his groundball style ensured that he got through games efficiently. His 25 induced double plays were the most in the league.

He picked up 3 complete game shutouts, the most famous one being a September outing against the Cleveland Blues where his Orioles took a 4-0 win over the league leaders. Altrock was far from the perfect in the game, giving up 10 hits and 2 walks over the game but he always came through to prevent them from getting any one guy around the bases. In fact, his last act of the game was to strike out CF Jim Edmonds with the bases loaded.

The runner-ups to Altrock included Jack Taylor of the Chicago White Sox and Charles Bender of the Boston Americans.



The Pitcher of the Year race in the NL was a pretty tense affair between Chicago's Randy Johnson and New York Giant Pedro Martinez. 11 inches may have separated the two in height but they were much more equal in pitching prowess. Both of these pitchers excelled in the art of the strikeout. Their respective totals of 217 and 213 were well clear of any one else in the conversation (Detroit's Lefty Williams in the AL was the closest with 176).

Pedro might have been the better underlying numbers. His 2.62 ERA and 2.58 FIP were better than Johnson's and while Johnson's Strikeouts came with the cost of a high walk rate, Martinez was a lot more controlled with a 1.8 BB/9 against Johnson's 2.8 BB/9.

Martinez also led the league in complete game shutouts with 5. Three of those coming over a three game span in May where he did it consecutively (with a one inning relief appearance in there as well)

The difference to the voters was Johnson's 23-11 win record against the 17-17 line put up by Martinez. Johnson had an uncanny ability to deliver exactly what his team needed to win. His 4.2 WPA was nearly three times that of the next pitcher. Ultimately that proved the difference.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Jim Whitney (Detroit Tigers)
C Andy Etchebarren (Philadelphia Athletics)
1B Wes Parker (Baltimore Orioles)
2B Buddy Meyer (Cleveland Blues)
3B Pete Rose (Baltimore Orioles)
SS Bobby Wallace (Washington Senators)
LF David Peralta (Boston Americans)
CF Willie Mays (Chicago White Sox)
RF Miguel Cabrera (Milwaukee Brewers)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Gus Krock (Chicago Orphans)
C Scott Bradley (St. Louis Cardinals)
1B Josh Bell (Brooklyn Superbas)
2B Whit Merrifield (Philadelphia Phillies)
3B Whitey Kurowski (New York Giants)
SS Arky Vaughan (Boston Beaneaters)
LF Paul Molitor (Pittsburgh Pirates)
CF Randal Grichuk (Philadelphia Phillies)
RF Ben Chapman (Philadelphia Phillies)

AMERICAN LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Bruce Hurst (Washington Senators)
C Roy Campanella (Detroit Tigers)
1B Mox McQuery (Milwaukee Brewers)
2B Paul DeJong (Milwaukee Brewers)
3B Willie Kamm (Milwaukee Brewers)
SS Ron Hansen (Milwaukee Brewers)
LF Fred Lynn (Philadelphia Athletics)
CF Pop Corkhill (Philadelphia Athletics)
RF Dick Williams (Chicago White Sox)

NATIONAL LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Jeff Tesreau (Boston Beaneaters)
C Scott Bradley (St. Louis Cardinals)
1B Mike Blowers (New York Giants)
2B Jose Altuve (Cincinnati Reds)
3B Pinky May (Boston Beaneaters)
SS ??
LF Paul Molitor (Pittsburgh Pirates)
CF George Davis (Boston Beaneaters)
RF Ben Chapman (Philadelphia Phillies)

Not sure why there wasn't a selection for Shortstop. Arky Vaughan of the Boston Beaneaters would have probably scooped up the award.

AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAM MVPS
Baltimore Orioles 3B Pete Rose
Boston Americans LF David Peralta
Chicago White Sox CF Willie Mays
Cleveland Blues 2B Buddy Meyer
Detroit Tigers LF Yordan Alvarez
Milwaukee Brewers 3B Willie Kamm
Philadelphia Athletics LF Fred Lynn
Washington Senators SS Bobby Wallace

NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAM MVPS
Boston Beaneaters SS Arky Vaughan
Brooklyn Superbas 1B Josh Bell
Chicago Orphans SP Randy Johnson
Cincinnati Reds 1B Adam Dunn
New York Giants SP Pedro Martinez
Philadelphia Phillies 2B Whit Merrifield
Pittsburgh Pirates 2B Ozzie Albies
St. Louis Cardinals 2B Hardy Richardson

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1901: Miscellaneous

Two Way Sensation Jim Whitney
Most players tend to specialise on either hitting or pitching but that's not enough for the grasshopper. When he's not called on to pitch, you can see Whitney pulling duty in Detroit's Right Field (where he provides pretty good defense). He went .282/.357/.375 for a 115 wRC+ with 42 stolen bases as a hitter and 18-11 with a 2.85 ERA as a pitcher. We shall watch the rest of this 28 year old's career with interest.

A Wild Pitch Outshines Meusel's Two Home Runs
Home Runs are rare in this age so when Bob Meusel hit two for the New York Giants against the Chicago Orphans it was certainly noteworthy. The Giants were down most of the game but Meusel's second tied it up 7-all in the bottom of the 8th to eventually force extra innings.

The bottom of the 10th was a nightmare for Chicago Pitcher Will White, who gave up a 4-pitch walk and hit by pitch to start the inning. Meusel got on base via a fielders choice to advance a runner to third and then a wild pitch from White got the runner home to walk it off.

A Pitcher's Duel for the Ages
Cole Hamels and John Smiley combined for 450 pitches as the Cardinals and Reds battled it out for 17 innings until the Reds were finally able to call themselves the owner of a 2-1 victory. Hamels, picked up the loss after conceding two unearned runs. Though he only had himself to blame, a fielding error from himself in the 8th was what let the Reds tie it up in the first place.

Speaking of Long Games
The Boston Americans and Philadelphia Athletics played out a 19 inning marathon with Boston's Charles Bender going for 16.2 innings and 235 pitches before giving in. The Americans thought they were going to edge it in normal time, as they led 4-3 going into the 9th but some smallball antics from the Athletics got them the run they'd need to tie the game up.

The Athletics certainly had chances throughout the game, they left 23 men on base compared to Boston's 11. They thought they had finally done in in the top of the 19th when Pitcher John Danks hit a double, and then a subsequent throwing error in the next at-bat let him score.

The Americans opened up the bottom of the 19th with a double of their own before an error allowed that runner to score and tie the game back up. Luckily, David Peralta finished the game off with a sac fly to get the runner on third home. That's my MVP.

Team Changes
The Cleveland Blues change their name to to the Cleveland Bronchos for 1902 and the Milwaukee Brewers decide to shift their operations over to St. Louis and become the St. Louis Browns.

Some Retirements
Some notable names to retire (who haven't achieved a lot in this version of reality) are Roger Hornsby, Nomar Garciaparra, Fred McGriff, and Edwin Encarnacion.

Philadelphia Trading
The Phillies are keen for another crack at the title and acquire star pitcher Bob Gibson from the Philadelphia Athletics in exchange for three young guys.

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1902: The Battle for Chicago

After good but not great seasons in 1901 both Chicago teams made commitments to their fans that they were in it to win. By the end of May, they were making good on their promise as the pair sat on top of their respective leagues.

The White Sox, with a 23-12 record were just holding off the 21-14 Boston Americans, last placed in 1901 but fueled by outstanding seasons from LF David Peralta and SP Charles Bender. The Orphans held a much more commanding hold on their division with a 28-13 record. 5 games clear of the 23-18 Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Orphans started to fall off the pace over June, their lead had slipped to just one game over last season's World Champ Phillies. A lineup that had largely stayed intact from last season, with the exception of the acquisition of Bob Gibson who was firing on all cylinders at the top of the rotation.

Fearing they were losing control of the season, the Orphans went all in and traded away four young guys to the bottom of the table St. Louis Cardinals for the services of 2B Hardy Richardson to provide a spark to their offense. Richardson was a .316/.371/.383 hitter for the Cardinals with 31 stolen bases,121 wRC+, and average defense.

He improved those numbers for the Orphans: going .346/.410/.425 for a 149 wRC+ with 29 stolen bases over his 73 games with the Orphans. He provided a nice boost to go along with the excellent offense of CF Richie Ashburn and LF Roy Sievers.

Despite that, the Phillies were on a tear. A 16-9 June and 13-8 July put them three games up on the Orphans by the end of July. Over in the American League, the Chicago White Sox held steady.

The Boston Americans would threaten the White Sox, even overtaking at one point but a 11-18 slide over September would kill their chances off. The Baltimore Orioles hit their stride in the last stages of the season with a 20-9 record but it was a little too late for any hopes of securing the pennant. The Orioles would have to settle for second.

Over in the National League, the Phillies felt their season full apart over August, when they went 10-15 and gave the Orphans the chance to regain their hold on the National League. Finally, on the 23rd of September, the Phillies get shutout by the Beaneaters and the Orphans get a big 9-3 win over the Reds. The Orphans will never give up the lead on the National League again and a strong finish saw them take the pennant with a 6 game lead.

The stage was set for an All Chicago World Series.

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1902 World Series: Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Orphans Preview

The White Sox entered this series as the favourite. Unlike the Orphans they had been a model of consistency throughout the season. Their worst month was a 14-12 August. Yes, even in the worst of times. The White Sox were still winning more than they lost.

The star of this outfit was the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays. The 24 year old was having a down season compared to his 1901 campaign where he finished third in MVP voting but he could still provide some moments of magic. One such moment came back on the 7th of September. The White Sox had a 1.5 game lead over the Boston Americans. It was the final game of a three game series and the Americans were close to a sweep.

Imagine how events could have transpired if this game had ended in a Boston win. Could that have motivated the Americans to make the push to take the top spot themselves? Here's what happened.

It was the bottom of the 9th. The White Sox were down 7-5. Catcher Andy Etchebarren came out and flied out, pinch hitter Chippy McGarr came out and with a triple. Unfortunately Chippy's subsequent attempt to steal home was unsuccessful. So here we are, two outs, no one on base. SS Ollie Beard and RF Dick Williams do their job and get singles to load up first and second for Mays who goes on to smash a three run home run for the walk-off victory.



Mays is surrounded by talent, leading off is SS Ollie Beard who has excellent speed and gold glove level defense. The dependable bats of RF Dick Williams, LF Ryan Braun, and 2B Dustin Ackley surround Mays in the lineup.

On the mound, the White Sox have a 4 man rotation who all boast of above average ERA. They are led by Buttons Briggs. The 22 year old has a killer Fastball/Curveball/Slider that has helped him lead the American League in Strikeouts. Some adjustments from his 1901 campaign has enabled him to drop his H/9 from from 9.1 to 7.9 and his BB/9 from 3.7 to 2.8 that now makes him one of the best in the game.

The big names from the Orphans include CF Richie Ashburn and the Big Unit himself, last year's Pitcher of the Year Randy Johnson.

Johnson's had a regression year since 1901. He still leads the National League in Strikeouts but he's let his command slip as he also leads the NL in walks. He'll be nervous going up against the White Sox who boast an absurd record against left handed pitchers. 35-13 vs 51-41 against right handers.

Surrounding Johnson in the rotation are three two way players: Frank Hankinson, Will White, and Dave Foutz who have helped provide some punch to the Orphan offense.

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1902 World Series: Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Orphans



The favourite Chicago White Sox put on a show in the opening game of the World Series as they absolutely shell Orphan Pitcher Frank Harkinson forcing him out after 3 innings with an 8-0 deficit to his name. The Orphans showed some life later in the game but it meant little as the White Sox draw first blood.



Chicago Tops Chicago Again. Good Headline.

The Orphans came out firing with a 4-run second inning thanks to a RF Gerardo Parra Triple and 3B Matt Duffy Home Run but once the game switched over to the 5th, the White Sox hitters starting to figure out Randy Johnson who finally gets pulled during the 6th with his side down 7-4.

The runs kept flowing but the White Sox pulled away for a 2-0 lead in the series.



It was a pitcher's duel to begin the game as neither Will White (Orphans) or Pete Vuckovich (White Sox) give up a run over the first 6 innings. It's the bottom of the order that initially come through for the Orphans as 1B Dave Foutz hit a single, stole a base, and then was driven in by C Frank Synder double. A single from 3B Matt Duffy is enough to then get Synder home for a 2-0 lead after 7 innings.

The Orphans then pile on in the 8th for a 6-0 advantage. The White Sox fight back in the bottom of the 9th but it's not enough as the Orphans pick up their first win of the series. The White Sox are still in the driving seat with a 2-1 lead in the series.



After getting shelled in game one, Frank Hankinson was determined to redeem himself and went for every inning in this 14 inning marathon. His counterpart, Buttons Briggs did the same as the pair combined for 415 pitches.

Both teams let chances slip by, the White Sox finished 4 innings with runners in scoring position while the Orphans finished 8. The White Sox running game was certainly not on point, their 5 stolen base attempts all ended in failure while the 7 attempts by the Orphans all were all successful.

RF Gerardo Parra turned out to be the key run -- not once but twice -- for the Orphans. He lead off the top of the 9th, with the Orphans down 3-2 with a walk. A C Frank Synder bunt gets him to second, and finally a CF Richie Ashburn line drive to left field is enough for him to drive Parra home to tie it all up and force the extras.

Parra featured again in the top of the 14th when he hit a single with two outs on the board. New Catcher Biff Pocoroba then hits a double out to right field to get Parra home for the lead. Aside from a Andy Etchebarren single, the White Sox have no answer in the bottom of the 14th.

Frank Hankinson gets the last out of the game via three strikes without a swing from pinch hitter Ron LeFlore.

That ties the series up at 2-all.



If you thought Game Four was low scoring, then this game was nothing but the two left handers Randy Johnson and Duster Mails pitching shutout ball. Johnson is the one who comes out the victor thanks to a SS Denis Menke run in the 5th driven in by a 3B Matt Duffy sac fly.

After being down 2-0, the Orphans now hold advantage in the series. 3-2.



And the third game in a row that is decided by a single run. Pete Vukovich and Will White battle it out but it's the bat of Chicago Orphan 3B Matt Duffy that proves the difference as he drives in 1B Dave Foutz in the bottom of the 5th. That's the 7th RBI for Duffy over the series as he is awarded MVP.

One nice quirk for Vukovich was his 4th inning which he completed in just 3 pitches.



But anyway, The Chicago Orphans are the 1902 World Champions.

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1902 Award Winners



David Peralta nets himself his second MVP prize in a row. After putting up with the antics of the last place Boston Americans last season, this time round the Americans performed more like a team that boasts the talents of the MVP. Adding the talents of RF Aaron Rowand and 1B Ray Grimes helped the team rise in the standings as well as dominance of starting pitcher Charles Bender (more on him later).

Peralta's .369 batting average led the American League as well as his .934 OPS that translated out to (again), an American League leading wRC+ of 175. That pop in the bat and plus defense in left field saw Peralta cruise to the MVP title. Can he make it a three-peat in 1903? Can he get the Americans over the hump to take the AL pennant?



It's hard to deny the MVP candidacy of Arky Vaughan, not when he leads the National League in hits and RBIs while provide top notch defense at the Shortstop position. Vaughan's main competition came from his own teammate, CF George Davis -- who led the NL in home runs and stolen bases -- and Chicago Orphan CF Richie Ashburn who tied Vaughan for hits.

One particular highlight of Vaughan came in a September 5 game against the Reds. The Reds stormed out to a 5-0 lead but the Beaneaters found their way back and it was Arky Vaughan who twice broke the tie to get his team the lead. Once with a double in the 6th and again with a single in the 8th that ultimately provided the winning run.



Vaughan is only 23 and he's surrounded by other young talent on the Beaneaters including 21 year old CF George Davis, 21 year old LF Sam Crawford, and 24 year old 3B Jose Ramirez. We should be seeing a lot of good things out of this Beaneater side in the years to come.



Part of the rise of the Boston Americans this season from last in 1901 to contenders this season was the complete dominance of Charles Bender. The only grey cloud in the resume for Bender was the end of the season, over his last five starts he went 0-5 and ballooned his ERA from 1.64 to 2.21. That 2.21 still led the American League but what was shaping up to be a unanimous award saw him lose a handful of first place votes to Chicago White Sox Ace Buttons Briggs.

Despite the shaky finish, Bender led the American League in wins (23), ERA (2.21), Innings Pitched (317.0), WHIP (1.15), FIP- (84) and shutouts (5). In addition to his regular starts, he was often called upon to contribute reliever innings which resulted him appearing in an American League leading 48 games.



Bob Gibson found himself traded from the Philadelphia Athletics to the Philadelphia Phillies over the offseason. The Athletics might have been disappointed with Gibson's performance in 1901 but a glance at the peripherals indicated that Gibson was a great pitcher in 1901, alas an unlucky one.

In the new digs, it all came together. Gibson improved his FIP from 3.07 to 2.74 and with it his ERA came tumbling down from 3.49 to 2.64. He'd gone from middling to elite. A 15-20 record in 1901 turned itself around to 22-10. It was certainly too late to count the 34 year old.

Gibson was a near unanimous selection but for one vote for Chicago Orphan Frank Hankinson.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Al Maul (St. Louis Browns)
C Jim O'Rourke (Baltimore Orioles)
1B Wes Parker (Baltimore Orioles) *
2B Buddy Meyer (Cleveland Blues) *
3B Pete Rose (Baltimore Orioles) *
SS George Wright (St. Louis Browns)
LF David Peralta (Boston Americans) *
CF Jacoby Ellsbury (Washington Senators)
RF Miguel Cabrera (St. Louis Browns) *

NATIONAL LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Dave Foutz (Chicago Orphans)
C Dale Murphy (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1B Jeff Bagwell (Brooklyn Superbas)
2B Hardy Richardson (Chicago Orphans)
3B Whitey Kurowski (New York Giants) *
SS Arky Vaughan (Boston Beaneaters) *
LF Charlie Keller (Philadelphia Philles)
CF Richie Ashburn (Chicago Orphans)
RF Carl Everett (New York Giants)

AMERICAN LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Bob Ewing (Washington Senators)
C Bill Killefer (Boston Americans)
1B Wes Parker (Baltimore Orioles)
2B Paul DeJong (St. Louis Browns) *
3B Willie Kamm (St. Louis Browns) *
SS Ollie Beard (Chicago White Sox)
LF Mike Lum (Washington Senators)
CF Pop Corkhill (Philadelphia Athletics) *
RF Aaron Rowand (Boston Americans)

NATIONAL LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Garrett Stephenson (New York Giants)
C Rick Dempsey (Cincinnati Reds)
1B Gregg Jefferies (Philadelphia Phillies)
2B Dale Sveum (St. Louis Cardinals)
3B Pinky May (Boston Beaneaters) *
SS Arky Vaughan (Boston Beaneaters)
LF Lenny Dykstra (Brooklyn Superbas)
CF George Davis (Boston Beaneaters) *
RF Jimmy Ryan (Brooklyn Superbas)

AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAM MVPS
Baltimore Orioles 1B Wes Parker
Boston Americans LF David Peralta *
Chicago White Sox SP Buttons Briggs
Cleveland Bronchos LF Kirk Gibson
Detroit Tigers RF Jim Whitney
St. Louis Browns 2B Paul DeJong
Philadelphia Athletics LF Fred Lynn
Washington Senators CF Jacoby Ellsbury

NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAM MVPS
Boston Beaneaters SS Arky Vaughan *
Brooklyn Superbas CF Harry Bay
Chicago Orphans CF Richie Ashburn
Cincinnati Reds 2B Jose Altuve
New York Giants RF Carl Everett
Philadelphia Phillies SP Bob Gibson
Pittsburgh Pirates SP Jim Devlin
St. Louis Cardinals SP Ed Halicki

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1902: Miscellaneous

Some notable games of the season.



Chicago 1B Mark Teixeira did all he could to win this game against the Boston Americans. He went 4-4 with a walk with his final hit of the game being a 3-run home run to get his team a 6-4 lead going into the bottom of the 9th. But alas, the Americans loaded the bases with no outs and a subsequent error from Gold Glove Right Fielder Dick Williams let the Americans tie it up. All that was left to do was for the pitcher Bobby Jones to get a walk-off sac fly.



The Phillies might have look dead and buried in this game but an single from Philadelphia RF Ben Chapman and fielding error from Pittsburgh LF Bob Bescher let them walk it off.



Giants LF Raul Mondesi was involved in two key moments in this game. The first, back to back home runs in the top of the 5th from 3B Whitey Kurowski and Mondesi which would tie the game up at 5-all.



And then with the Reds up by two runs going into the top of the 9th, Mondesi is the batter involved. A hard hit line drive to the outfield should have been an out but a bad route from Reds CF Paul Hines sees them let two runs to tie the game up. The Giants would get another run for the lead and the Reds will go with a whimper when the inning turns around.



Beaneater 2B Harry Reynolds had an absolute field day this game against the Giants. Stealing a total of 5 bases just to add insult to injury in his side's 8-0 victory.





The pitcher that defined this achievement is not alive yet in this reality for it to be named after him but Cleveland Pitcher Mike Garcia not only managed to get two Madduxes in a season (complete game shutout in 99 pitches or less) but he did it in successive starts.



Iron Man performance of the year went to Chicago White Sox Jack Taylor who went all 15 innings in his side's 3-2 win over the St. Louis Browns.

Fun story though, exact same day. The Detroit Tigers need 15 innings to get past the Cleveland Bronchos. The score? 3-2.

Some Retirements
Not that they did much in this reality but some notable retirements: Craig Biggio, Tommy Cocoran, George Burns, and Paul Derringer.

Changes!
The Baltimore Orioles pack up shop and pop up in New York as the Highlanders. The Cleveland Bronchos also change their name to the Cleveland Naps.

Draft Picks
Some names to watch for. Cardinals got RF Hugh Duffy with the first pick, Tigers got 1B Pedro Guerrero, the Naps got 2B Rod Carew, and the Highlanders pick up SP Noah Syndergaard.

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1903: Invasion from New York

After 1902 saw the two Chicago teams fight it out for supremacy it was looking it was going to be the two Boston teams to fight it out in the World Series.

The Boston Americans, led by two-time MVP LF David Peralta and Pitcher of the Year Charles Bender and the Boston Beaneaters with their own MVP SS Arky Vaughan and his gang of young talent like like CF George Davis and LF Sam Crawford both started the season strong and hold leads going into August.

But it all starts to come crashing down on the 14th of August.

The 57-42 Americans are taking on the 43-55 Philadelphia Athletics. Their starter for the game is Chuck Rose, making his first ever MLB start and with only 1.1 innings under his belt shut the Americans out for the first five innings. He'd eventually give up three runs but the Athletics would take the win 6-3 to give Rose his first win.

Meanwhile, over in New York, the 55-41 Highlanders recorded a win over the Senators behind the pitching of Nick Altrock thus taking over the top spot in the AL standings by half a game. The St. Louis Browns were also right in the mix.

And shifting focus to Philadelphia again, the 61-40 Beaneaters lost to the 37-64 Phillies in a tight 2-1 game that left them tied with the Chicago Cubs. The very next day, the Beaneaters would return home to play those very same Cubs. Inspired by the chance to take control of their destiny, the Cubs jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Boston will pick up some runs in the bottom of the 8th to eventually go down 6-4 but this day will mark the end of the dream of the All-Boston final. The Americans will crash and burn from this point forward. The Beaneaters fought on to take the top spot back but by the end of August, the National League was under control of the Brooklyn Superbas.

Pistol Pete Reiser was a brand new player for the Superbas, the 20 year Left Fielder had provided a bolt of energy for the Brooklyn offense. By the end of August, he was slashing .377/.443/.557 for an OPS of exactly 1.000. Couple Reiser with First Baseman Jeff Bagwell and Brooklyn were engaging in a full out assault on pitchers with extra base hits. A 16-8 July and 18-9 August left everyone else in the dust.

The last opportunity the Beaneaters had against the Superbas came on the 4th of September. Going into the bottom of the 9th, the Beaneaters had a 5-3 lead. The Superbas got a run in early in the inning and proceeded to load the bases with 1B Jeff Bagwell stepping into the batter's box with two outs on the board. He took the first pitch for a strike, fouled the next one off, took for a ball, fouled another, took for another ball, and then fouled off the the next three before finally blooping a fly ball to land safely in left field for the walk-off.



Ultimately this game wouldn't matter but the Beaneaters would spend the rest of the month in the shadow of the Superbas.

Jumping back to the American League, the St. Louis Browns held a half game lead over the New York Highlanders at the end of August but the entire American League would be left with no answer to an incredible month of baseball from the Highlanders team. The Highlanders would go 19-7 over September, which include series sweeps over their main competition in the Browns and White Sox (the Boston Americans went 9-15 to disappear from view).

A year removed from the All Chicago World Series, we now had an all New York World Series between the New York Highlanders and Brooklyn Superbas.

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1903 World Series: New York Highlanders vs Brooklyn Superbas

The Highlanders might be the new kids in the New York market but they are anchored by some old(ish) hands: in particular 31 year old 1B Wes Parker, 37 year old 3B Pete Rose, 29 year old 2B Irv Ray, and 30 year old LHSP NIck Altrock.

Not that they are lacking any youth: Altrock is backed up in the starting rotation by 22 year old RHSP Noah Syndergaard and 21 year old LHSP CC Sabathia.

The Brooklyn Superbas are full of young talent. 20 year old Rookie LF Pete Reiser has been a sensation to lead the league in batting average, slugging, doubles, and RBIs. He is backed up by 23 year old 1B Jeff Bagwell who complements Reiser's talent by leading the league in walks and OBP while also offering plenty of damage when his bat does make contact with the ball.

The theme of youth continues with the pitching rotation. The oldest pitcher they've got is 26 year old Teddy Higuera and Ed Morris. Their ace is 23 year old Jered Weaver who confounds opposing hitters with his 6 pitch arsenal.

For some reason, it's a best of nine this season!



It was a battle of the rookie pitching studs in game one as Jered Weaver took on Noah Sydnergaard. Both pitched well with the only blip being the top of the 5th where a SS Paul Radford Single, LF Pete Reiser Walk, 1B Jeff Bagwell Double, and 3B George Kell Double gets 3 runs on the board. The only runs anyone would score in the game as the Superbas draw first blood in the series.



Brooklyn's Teddy Higuera and New York's Nick Altrock are the next to take the mound and both deliver good performances as they keep the game scoreless in the first five innings before the game got tied up 2-all going into the bottom of the 9th.

Teddy Higuera got into a jam early in the 9th when C Ray Schalk and 3B Jim O'Rourke got two quick singles and then a sac bunt attempt by 2B Rob Andrews worked out better than hoped when Andrews got on safely with no one else out to load the bases. SS Tony Graffanino came in but grounded into a fielders choice at home to keep the game running but also keep the bases loaded.

Now Nick Altrock is not a good hitter, he's gone .146/.168/.155 this season for a -8 wRC+ but none of that mattered when he came up to hit as he smashed a groundball that threaded the small gap between the Third Baseman and Shortstop to get Jim O'Rourke home and secure the walk-off. A well deserved win for Altrock.



After a pair of pitching duels, the bats started to unleash in game three. The Superbas thought they had the game in hand as they went into the bottom of the 9th, up 7-4, but the Highlanders had different ideas. The Superbas put Les Lancaster on the mound to finish the game -- someone who didn't even pitch in the regular season -- and they got punished for it. Two singles by 1B Wes Parker and LF Starling Marte followed by 3B Pete Rose reaching on an error saw the Highlanders load the bases with no outs. C Jim O'Rourke flied out harmlessly, but pinch hitter Skip Schumaker smacked a double out to the Right Field to clear the bases and tie the game up. Schumaker tried to stretch his double into a triple but he was thrown out at third. Nevertheless, job done. He had kept the Highlanders alive and forced extra innings.

The 10th started off well for the Highlanders as 3B George Kell flied out but it started to full apart when they walked 2B Tony Lazzrei. LF Bob Bescher then hit a triple to get him home. This was followed by an intentional walk, error, error, bases loaded walk, double, fly out (phew), and a single to get six runs on the board as the inning flipped over.

The Superbas handed the ball to Jered Weaver to pitch the 10th and he got the next three outs quickly for the Superbas to win the game and regain their advantage in the series. Les Lancaster is awarded the win in his first ever MLB game.



The Brooklyn bats might have been hot in game three but they were dead in game four as Monk Dubiel pitched a complete game shutout. The Superbas only managed to get a runner in scoring position once throughout the game and that was on the penultimate out and only thanks to an error from the Third Baseman.

Dubiel contributed on the other side of the plate as he picked up two hits while his side got 4 runs to secure the victory and tie the series back up again.



The series continues to go tit-for-tat in game five as the Superbas lay a big win on the Highlanders.



New York's Noah Syndergaard not only pitches a complete game but a two run triple in the second proves a key difference as his side comes out with a 4-3 win to tie the series back up again.

Syndegaard absolutely shuts down the big bats of Brooklyn. Pete Resier went 0-5 while Jeff Bagwell goes 0-3 (with a walk and HBP to get him on base).



It's a best-of-nine this season so this isn't the deciding game. Neither CC Sabathia (New York) or Ed Morris (Brooklyn) don't give up hits easy in this game and the score remains tight until the bottom of the 7th when the Superbas pile on for 4 runs to get a 6-1 lead. They add some more insurance in the 8th to go 7-1 into the bottom of the 9th.

Ed Morris looked shaky in the ninth, where a infield hit, hit by pitch, passed ball, and double saw the Highlanders get two runs onto the board but the Brooklyn lead stands and the Superbas are now a win away from winning the World Series!



The Highlanders certainly had their chances to keep their season alive and force the game nine. Down by two in the bottom of the 9th they had 3B Pete Rose on third and 2B Julio Franco on second with SS Tony Graffanino in the batter's box -- down to their final out.

Teddy Higuera was on the mound, 171 pitches deep and not messing around. Graffanino fouled the first off, took the second for a strike, and then fouled off the third. He takes a desperate swing at a slider out of the zone and grounds out in a 5-3 play to seal the deal for the Superbas.

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1903 Award Winners



2B Buddy Meyer has been a consistent pillar of strength for Cleveland these last three seasons. He was the key member of the 1901 side that went to the World Series and this season gets his due as MVP.

Meyer led the American League in hits, RBIs, OBP, OPS, WAR, Runs, wOBA, and wRC+. He was an easy pick for MVP with only the Highlander's 2B Irv Ray also gathering first place votes. Coming up behind them was CF Willie Mays (Chicago White Sox), LF Yordan Alavrez (Detroit Tigers), and 1B Wes Parker (New York Highlanders).

A particular highlight came in a marathon game against the St. Louis Browns where Meyer broke the deadlock in the bottom of the 15th with a hard hit ground ball up the middle to get the runner from second home to walk it off.





Freshly drafted and ready to rock and roll. 20 year old Pistol Pete Reiser put the National League on notice that he was here to ball. His .966 OPS the best that anyone has put up in a single season of this young league as he led his team to the title of World Champion.

He led the National League in Batting Average, RBIs, Slugging, OPS, Doubles, Total Bases, Extra Base Hits, Isolated Power, wOBA, and wRC+. He was second in OBP, just behind his teammate Jeff Bagwell by a whisker.

These kinds of accolades made him an easy unanimous pick with Bagwell and Cubs CF Richie Ashburn picking up the runner-up spots.

One of his most impactful games came during a tense game against the Boston Beaneaters as the two teams bustled and hustled for the top spot. Reiser scored the first run for Brooklyn in the 7th and then hits a double in the top of the 13th to get the runner from second home, and eventually the win.





Nick Altrock might be a jester off the field but once he's on the mound he's all business as he picks up his second pitcher of the year award on an excellent body of work with the World Series bound New York Highlanders.

Altrock led the American League in ERA, Wins, ERA+, rWAR, and Quality Starts. He got 15 out of 16 first place votes, the only contrarian vote went to his teammate: CC Sabathia who put up an impressive resume of his own: leading the AL in strikeouts and WAR. The other voters weren't really in line with this mindset as Sabathia came fourth overall. Jack Powell of the Washington Senators and Noah Syndergaard of the Highlanders picking up 2nd and 3rd.



Only 5'7" and 134 pounds, Devlin doesn't cut an imposing figure on the field but his fastball/slider/changeup pitch mix proved incredibly effective against opposing hitters. Devlin was a reliable starter for the Pirates, as he tied for first in complete games with the Giant's Pedro Martinez. He finished up second in the ERA race behind another Giant (this time David Cone), and first in rWAR.

He was also second in complete game shutouts with 5, behind Brooklyn pitcher Ed Morris who proved to be his main competition with the voters.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Perry Werdern (Cleveland Naps)
C Jim O'Rourke (New York Highlanders) *
1B Rod Carew (Cleveland Naps)
2B Buddy Meyer (Cleveland Naps) **
3B Braggo Roth (Philadelphia Athletics)
SS Jose Reyes (Cleveland Naps)
LF Yordan Alvarez (Detroit Tigers)
CF Willie Mays (Chicago White Sox) *
RF Brandon Lowe (Chicago White Sox)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Frank Harkinson (Chicago Cubs)
C Dale Murphy (Pittsburgh Pirates) *
1B Jeff Bagwell (Brooklyn Superbas) *
2B Ozzie Albies (Pittsburgh Pirates)
3B Edgar Martinez (Pittsbugh Pirates)
SS Arky Vaughan (Boston Beaneaters) **
LF Pete Reiser (Brooklyn Superbas)
CF Richie Ashburn (Chicago Cubs) *
RF Phil Cavarretta (Cincinnati Reds)

AMERICAN LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Bruce Hurst (Washington Senators) *
C Roy Campanella (Detroit Tigers) *
1B Randy Ready (Chicago White Sox)
2B Paul DeJong (St. Louis Browns) **
3B Willie Kamm (St. Louis Browns) **
SS George Wright (St. Louis Browns)
LF Fred Lynn (Philadelphia Athletics) *
CF Pop Corkhill (Philadelphia Athletics) **
RF Aaron Rowand (Boston Americans) *

NATIONAL LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Mark Redman (St. Louis Cardinals)
C Kenji Johjima (Boston Beaneaters)
1B Maikel Franco (St. Louis Cardinals)
2B Harold Reynolds (Boston Beaneaters)
3B Matt Duffy (Chicago Cubs)
SS Arky Vaughan (Boston Beaneaters) *
LF Roy Sievers (Chicago Cubs)
CF George Davis (Boston Beaneaters) **
RF Jimmy Ryan (Brooklyn Superbas) *

AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAM MVPS
Boston Americans LF David Peralta **
Chicago White Sox SP Buttons Briggs *
Cleveland Naps 2B Buddy Meyer *
Detroit Tigers LF Yordan Alvarez *
New York Highlanders2B Irv Ray
St. Louis Browns 3B Willie Kamm *
Philadelphia Athletics SP Bill Lee
Washington Senators 1B Zeke Bonura

NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAM MVPS
Boston Beaneaters SP Jim Maloney
Brooklyn Superbas LF Pete Reiser
Chicago Cubs CF Richie Ashburn *
Cincinnati Reds LF Johnny Hopp
New York Giants SP Pedro Martinez *
Philadelphia Phillies 2B Whit Merrifield *
Pittsburgh Pirates SP Jim Devlin *
St. Louis Cardinals SP Ed Halicki *

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1903: Miscellaneous



New York Giant 3B Whitey Kurowski became the first player to hit 10 home runs in a single season with this two run blast in the top of the 6th in his side's 11-9 win over the Cardinals. Kurowski is currently tied for 2nd in all time dingers with 21 with St. Louis Brown 1B Miguel Cabrera and Philadelphia Athletic LF Fred Lynn. The all time leader after three seasons is Chicago White Sox CF Willie Mays with 24.



Washington CF Jacoby Ellsbury hits for the cycle: a lead-off home run in the 1st, an infield single in the 3rd, an RBI double in the 4th, and a 2-RBI triple in the 6th that tied the game up at 7-all. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to win the game, though it was Ellsbury who provided the throwing error in the bottom of the 10th that let the Tigers walk it off.



Let me present an astonishing 9th inning collapse. The Athletics took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th against the Tigers and were looking pretty comfortable for the win when the first two hitters flied out but consider this sequence of events:

1) Detroit 1B Ryan McMahon singles but Philadelphia RF Chick Hafey lets the ball scoot by him and lets McMahon reach second.
2) Against Detroit 3B Russ Wrightstone, Philadelphia C Bill Plummer lets a ball get passed him and allows McMahon to advance to third.
3) Wrightstone singles and McMahon scores. Remember that he should have only been on first.
4) Detroit C Roy Campanella singles via a hard hit ground ball to get runners on first and second.
5) Up against Detroit RF Jim Hickman, SP Bill Lee sends a pitch way out of the zone to advance Wrightstone and Campanella to third and second.
6) Hickman then sends a useless ground ball straight to Philadelphia 3B Darnell Coles for an easy out but his throw to first sails right over the first baseman allowing Wrightstone and Campanella to score for the walk-off. So that's two errors, a passed ball, and a wild pitch in the inning -- all with two outs.



David Cone went for 16 innings in this game, with 215 pitches to his name. He had to contend with a couple of lead-off triples but managed to pitch himself out of any hairy situation that came up. Finally the Giants managed to score some runs in the top of the 17th thanks to a throwing error (of course) and Cone could finally rest.

A Dose of 420
Each team has played 420 regular season games to date but only one player: Beaneater SS Arky Vaughan has played in all of them. His fellow Beaneater, CF George Davis took a game off in 1903 to slip to 419.

Retirements
Sammy Sosa decided to call it quit. The 37 year old hadn't started a game for the Cardinals since 1901 but he did manage two home runs in that season.

Rookie Draft
The Cardinals pick up Catcher Bill Dickey with the first pick, the Tigers select Right Fielder Tom Brown (from the 1880s) with the second pick, and the Phillies pick pitcher Bert Blyleven with the third.

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Pete Vuckovich Announces Retirement

In what is probably the first notable retirement since the birth of the league. Pete Vuckovich surprises everyone by retiring at the age of 31.







Vuckovich was a member of the Chicago White Sox over his three year career. An All-Star in 1901, with his selection probably helped by a pitcher of the month campaign in June 1901 where he pitched two complete game shutouts.

Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania October 27, 1872. Vuckovich was just 16 during the Great Flood of 1889 that killed 2200 of his fellow townspeople. Inspired by the work of the American Red Cross who supplied critical disaster relief, Pete dedicated himself to humanitarian efforts for the years that followed. Baseball was a hobby until it became Vuckovich's job when the sport went professional in 1901. While the money was good, clearly it left a hole in his soul.

He was an imposing figure on the mound, standing 6'4" and weighing 218 pounds, his best pitch was the slider which helped him get through 8 complete game shutouts throughout his career. Good enough to leave him tied for 6th all time and only 2 off the all-time leader -- and tied for the most shutouts by a member of the Chicago White Sox. His 4 shutouts in 1901 currently stands as a White Sox record.

He was a member of the White Sox team that played in the 1902 World Series against the Chicago Orphans. The White Sox would go down 4-2 in that series with Vuckovich going 0-2 in his starts with a 4.60 ERA. To compound on that, Vuckovich will go down as the White Sox member with the most pitching losses in the short history of the club.

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1904: The Rise of the Pitcher

Over ballparks all over the MLB, conversations like this was happening with owners.

"Hey boss, should we get some new balls? These ones look a bit scuffed up and dirty."

The boss looked at what he was being shown. He initially thought he had been shown a box of rats rather than a box of baseballs but he considered the cost of new baseballs. And then thought of the various rooms he wanted to add to his house.

"No"

League Batting Average and ERA came tumbling down in 1904. In the American League, league wide batting average went from .273 to .252 and ERA from 3.32 to 2.81. You see similar results in the National League as batting average goes from .266 to .251 and ERA from 3.21 to 2.77.

Two pitchers in each league rose to produce numbers never seen before. White Sox Pitcher Buttons Briggs took his game to a whole new level and over in the National League, 18 year old wonder kid Bert Blyleven took the baseball world by storm at the front of the rotation for the Phillies who dismantled lineups with his curveball.

(unfortunately for a Phillies team that never looked like competing)

The St. Louis Browns ran out to a strong start in the American League thanks to strong hitting from SS George Wright and 1B Miguel Cabrera. An 8 game win streak going into the All Star break saw them hold a 4.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Athletics but they'd soon fall from their perch. Straight from the All-Star game, they lost a 3 game series against the Athletics 2-1 and then got swept in a 4 game series by the Boston Americans. By the end of August, it's turned into a six-way race for the pennant. The Chicago White Sox have the lead, spurred on by the efforts of Buttons Briggs, closely followed by the Browns, Athletics, Americans, Highlanders, and Naps.

The Pittsburgh Pirates hold a big lead in the National League at the end of July with the Cubs, Superbas, and Beaneaters nipping at their heels.By the end of August, that lead has disappeared as all three teams start to gain ground on them. Setting it up for a tense finish as we move to the business end of the season.

As we skip ahead to the 5th of October. The Philadelphia Athletics hold a 2.5 game lead over the White Sox, Naps, and Browns. The Athletics hold their nerve, win a series against the Naps 2-1 and then deal with the basement dwelling Washington Senators 3-1 in a 4 game series. Not leaving any chance for anyone to catch them as they pick up their first ever AL pennant.

On that same day -- the 5th of October -- the Pirates hold a 1.5 game lead over the Superbas in the National League. The Pirates drop two out of three against the Phillies while the Superbas do the same against the Reds to keep that 1.5 game lead intact. The Superbas have two games left in the season against the Giants while the Pirates have a three game series against the Cubs.

The Superbas win their final two games to finish off with a record of 84-70 while the Pirates split their first two games against the Cubs to take their record to 84-69. The Pirates are in danger of being forced into a tiebreaker game with the Superbas if they don't get their act together.



They don't get their act together. It all comes apart in the 8th as the Cubs pile on 5 runs to win the game. The Pirates and Superbas will now play a tiebreaker to see who'll represent the National League in the World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics.



The 8th inning is once again the inning that decides things but in this case, its in the favour of the Pirates. Going into the bottom of the 8th with the game tied up 3-all, the Pirates unleash with 6 runs to secure their first ever spot in the big dance.

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1904 World Series: Philadelphia Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Despite the tiebreaker drama, the Pirates come into this World Series as the favourites. They boast a star studded lineup that includes LF Paul Molitor (2x time All-Star, 1x time Sliver Slugger, 1x time Golden Glove), 3B Edgar Martinez (1x time All-Star, 1x time Sliver Slugger), 1B Adam Dunn (leads the league in walks), C Dale Murphy (3x time All-Star, 2x time Sliver Slugger), and 2B Ozzie Albies (3x time All-Star, 1x time Sliver Slugger).

But the true firepower lies within their pitching. The names to know are Jim Devlin (1903's Pitcher of the Year), Milo Candini, and Dummy Tayor. Taylor has been a force of nature for the Pirates once he was given a starting role in June. His ERA never topped 2.00 as he accumulated a 14-6 record and 1.77 ERA, That ERA will go down in the record books as the best of all time, unfortunately that late start will likely count against him when it comes to Pitcher of the Year voting.

The Phildelphia Athletics are anchored by their outfield. LF Fred Lynn (2x time Golden Glove), CF Braggo Roth (2x time All-Star, 1x time Sliver Slugger over his two seasons), and RF Chick Hafey (1x time All-Star and AL leader in sluggging). They are backed up by a solid pitching rotation.



The Athletics have over-preformed against left handed pitching so they thought they had a chance against Jim Devlin but they simply had no answers against the reigning Pitcher of the Year. Their only success came in the top of the 9th, RF Chick Hafey hit a triple with a fly ball out to right field and then scored with a passed ball in the next at-bat. Unfortunately not enough of an impact as the Pirates take it out 3-1.



The Philadelphia bats are unleashed to tie the series back up. The Pirates have their chances, they have ever so slightly more baserunners over the game but it's the Athletics that deliver behind a strong performance from Big Bill Lee on the mound.



The Pirates once again fail to make use of their opportunities as the Athletics take advantage in the series. Dummy Taylor is pitching a gem when he starts the bottom of the 8th but Catcher Joe Astroth gets the ball rolling with a lead-off single on the first pitch and then the Pitcher Claude Hendrix smacks a triple to get a run home. Hendrix would then score on a wild pitch in the next at-bat. Pinch hitter Elmer Valo would then hit a line drive double, RF Chick Hafey bunts Valo over to third and then CF Braggo Roth hits a single to get Valo home and give the Athletics the lead.

The Pirates were't done. They load the bases in the top of the 9th but ultimately get no one home and the Athletics get the advantage.



The Athletics got nervous in the top of the 9th. They were sitting on a comfortable 5-1 lead but Philadelphia pitcher Ham Iburg started to show a lack of control. A single, hit by pitch, and a walk loaded the bases with only one out on the board. Another Hit by Pitch drove in a run and a LF Paul Molitor single drove in another. The pressure finally gave way a little when 3B Edgar Martinez grounded into a fielder's choice, it drove in another run but 1B Adam Dunn grounded out in the next at-bat to finish the game and put the Athletics one win away from the World Champion title.



It's fitting that the combo of Philadelphia CF Braggo Roth and RF Chick Hafey is the duo that provide the winning run in the bottom of the 8th. The two of them have been at the heart of the Athletic's success this season. With one out on the board, Hafey hit a double, LF Fred Lynn will strike out to bring up Roth. He'd watch the first pitch go for a ball, have a swing and miss on the second, and then smack the third for another double to get Hafey -- and the lead -- home.

It was a back-and-forth game. The Athletics got into the run scoring early with 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st but a massive 6-run inning from the Pirates in the 3rd changed the narrative of the game. The Athletics fought back in the bottom of the 3rd to trim the Pirates lead down to a single run.

The lead bounced around until finally settling in Philadelphia's advantage. Willie McGill took the mound for the top of the 9th, he gave up a single to Ozzie Albies but then promptly struck out the next three out to seal it up.

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1904 Award Winners



Year of the pitcher? No one told Rod Carew that. The 22 year old showed plenty of potential in his rookie year last season, picking up a Silver Slugger award at First Base but he truly unleashed the full Rod Carew experience this season as he lead the American League in runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, WAR, total bases, wOBA, WPA, and wRC+. Just whatever stat you want to name really.

He received some stiff competition from St. Louis SS George Wright who tied Carew for doubles while also leading the AL in home runs and throwing in some stolen base action in there as well.





All in all, Carew received 9 first place votes and Wright got 7. But I'm not convinced on why it had to be so close based on the graphic above.



This time we've got an unanimous pick in the National League. We might have been speaking his name last season had it not been for a fractured thumb that took him out of action for 7 weeks as he was putting up numbers to match that season's MVP Pete Reiser. With a full bill of health this season, he lives up to promise on a somewhat disappointing Reds team.



Button Briggs took his game to a whole new level this season as he secured himself the first ever pitching triple crown as he led the American League in wins, ERA, and strikeouts (with his 287 strikeouts a new all time season record). Each season, Briggs has upped his K/9, from 4.4 to 1901, 4.6 in 1902, 6.1 in 1903, and 7.1 this season. At the same time, he's trimmed his BB/9 down from 3.7 to 2.4 since that 1901 season.

There have been 47 games where a pitcher recording 10 strikeouts in the game. Button Briggs alone accounts for 9 for those.

A simple unanimous pick.





When 1902 AL Pitcher of the Year Charles Bender says you're the real deal before you make your debut then you stand up and listen. Bert Blyleven at 18 years old entered the league and dominated with a sub 2.00 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. His curveball proved devastating. A pity that the Phillies haven't surrounded Blyleven with some talent to get this guy to the world series.

Last season's Pitcher of the Year, Jim Devlin of the Pittsburgh Pirates also picked up some first place votes.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Perry Werdern (Cleveland Naps) *
C Jim O'Rourke (New York Highlanders) **
1B Rod Carew (Cleveland Naps) *
2B Buddy Meyer (Cleveland Naps) ***
3B Braggo Roth (Philadelphia Athletics) *
SS George Wright (St. Louis Browns) *
LF David Peralta (Boston Americans) **
CF Willie Mays (Chicago White Sox) **
RF Chick Hafey (Philadelphia Athletics)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD
P Dave Foutz (Chicago Cubs) *
C Charlie Moore (Philadelphia Phillies)
1B Jeff Bagwell (Brooklyn Superbas) **
2B Hardy Richarson (Chicago Cubs) *
3B Jose Ramirez (Boston Beaneaters)
SS Denis Menke (Chicago Cubs)
LF Johnny Hopp (Cincinatti Reds)
CF Pete Reiser (Brooklyn Superbas) *
RF Phil Cavarretta (Cincinnati Reds) *

AMERICAN LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Ed Daily (Chicago White Sox)
C Jim O'Rourke (New York Highlanders)
1B Wes Parker (New York Highlanders) *
2B Paul DeJong (St. Louis Browns) ***
3B Willie Kamm (St. Louis Browns) ***
SS Ollie Beard (Chicago White Sox) *
LF David Peralta (Boston Americans)
CF Willie Mays (Chicago White Sox)
RF Aaron Rowand (Boston Americans) **

NATIONAL LEAGUE GOLDEN GLOVE AWARD
P Frank Harkinson (Chicago Cubs)
C Kenji Johjima (Boston Beaneaters) *
1B Maikel Franco (St. Louis Cardinals) *
2B Dale Sveum (St. Louis Cardinals) *
3B George Kell (Brooklyn Superbas)
SS Kevin Elster (St. Louis Cardinals)
LF Roy Sievers (Chicago Cubs) *
CF Whitey Lockman (St. Louis Cardinals)
RF Phil Cavarretta (Cincinnati Reds)

AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAM MVPS
Boston Americans SP Mike Garcia
Chicago White Sox SP Buttons Briggs **
Cleveland Naps 1B Rod Carew
Detroit Tigers SP Lefty Williams
New York Highlanders SP Jim Perry
St. Louis Browns SP Al Maul
Philadelphia Athletics SP Willie McGill
Washington Senators SP Jack Powell

NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAM MVPS
Boston Beaneaters SP Jim Maloney *
Brooklyn Superbas SP Teddy Higuera
Chicago Cubs SP Randy Johnson *
Cincinnati Reds SP Harvey Haddix
New York Giants SP Eddie Lopat
Philadelphia Phillies SP Bert Blyleven
Pittsburgh Pirates SP Jim Devlin **
St. Louis Cardinals SP Ed Halicki **

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1904 Miscellaneous



Boston Beaneater CF George Davis is the first to 200 stolen bases for his career on the 29th of April, 1904 in a game against the New York Giants (that they lost 12-7). He'll be nearly immediately thrown out trying to get home from second on a fly out.

It took Davis 433 games and 1950 plate appearances to achieve the mark. CF Jacoby Ellsbury (Washington Senators), SS Ollie Beard (Chicago White Sox), and 2B Frankie Frisch (Washington Senators) also reached the mark this season. So far, Davis is the youngest of the bunch to reach this mark and required the least amount of games or PAs to do it.





His 250th career stolen base also happened this season after he drew a lead-off walk in the 1st. Unlike the 200th, this one actually came in a win as the Beaneaters defeated the Cardinals 4-2.



MVP Rod Carew showed his mettle in this game against the New York Highlanders, with his side down 6-3 after the Highlanders unleashed a 5 run inning in the 6th. Carew, hit a double and then a couple at-bats later took advantage of a fielding error from the New York Center Fielder to get himself home.

But the job wasn't done, in the top of the 9th he hit a two-out two-RBI double to give his side the lead.



Speaking of two-out heroics. How about this two run single from LF Paul Molitor to secure the walk-off victory.



Or (again with two outs), this bases clearing double from SS Ernie Banks to get the win for the Americans.

Rookie Draft
Pick 1: Washington Senators pick 18 year old RF Silent Mike Tiernan.
Pick 2: New York Giants pick 22 year old SP Little Bill Sowders.
Pick 3: Detroit Tigers pick 21 year old 1B Don Hurst.
Pick 4: New York Highlanders pick 20 year old 3B Brooky Jacoby.
Pick 5: St. Louis Cardinals pick 22 year old 1B Elbie Fletcher.
Pick 6: Cincinnati Reds pick 21 year old SP Andy Pettitte.
Pick 7: Philadelphia Phillies pick 20 year old RF Paul 'Molly" Meloan.
Pick 8: Boston Americans pick 26 year old RF Smead "Guinea" Jolley.
Pick 9: Chicago Cubs pick 21 year old SP Adam Eaton.
Pick 10: Cleveland Naps pick 21 year old SS Wally Gerber.

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Bob Gibson announces Retirement






Unfortunately the MLB came around too late for Bob Gibson to show off his prodigious talents but it did give us a glimpse of what was possible with this 1902 Pitcher of the Year campaign where he showed the young guns how it was done in his age 34 season.

See: 1902 Award Winners

Bob Gibson started his career with the Philadelphia Athletics where he put up league average numbers and a losing record. 15-20 over his 35 starts with a 3.49 ERA for a 98 ERA+. However his 3.07 FIP suggested that his true talent was beyond that so when he was traded across town to the Philadelphia Phillies then the real Bob Gibson showed up as he went 22-10 with a 2.64 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 123 ERA+ as well as leading the leagues in quality starts (27) and complete games (28) in his first season in Phillie colours.

He was an near unanimous pick for the Pitcher of the Year award. Just a sole first place vote for Frank Harkinson of the Orphans ruined that.

Age would catch up to Gibson next season. He started to lose a hair of control and his strikeout rates started to drop. A bit of lady luck helped to keep his numbers respectable but as the Phillies fell to 55-85 that season, 28 games out of the top spot, you could that see he was losing his drive. Gibson wanted to win and it seemed like his window to do so had opened and closed very suddenly. A 4-hit shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1903 looked like he was back to his old self but those moments were the exception rather than the rule.

Gibson wouldn't pitch at all in 1904. He stayed on the payroll but he wouldn't talk to the press to actually explain the situation. Rumours circulated that he had taken the 18 year old Bert Blyleven under his wing, impart all the knowledge he could on the Dutch kid.