Let’s get started here
While statistics and information about baseball go back as far as 1871, we chose 1900 as our starting point. 1900 seems like a good place to start for a few good reasons. First, with the contraction down to eight teams from 1899’s twelve, the shape of the league looked like it would for roughly the next 60 years. Second, this season marks the National League’s final time on the self-protected title — mainly because of their stubbornness — as baseball’s only major league. Third, the statistics seem much more reliable and complete, if not perfect. Fourth, the length of the seasons and the rules resemble the modern game and make comparisons and analysis clearer. Finally, the first year of a new century seems as clean a place to start as possible.
ERA leader Rube Waddell was one of the most interesting characters in the history of the game, and was recently immortalized on the Podcast “The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds“. If you want to learn more about Joe McGinnity, I suggest you read “Iron Man McGinnity: A Baseball Biography“
Notable Events
July 12: Noodles Hahn pitches a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cincinnati Reds win, 4–0.
Sources: Baseball Reference — ESPN — This Great Game — Wikipedia
| National League | W | L | W-L% | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Superbas | 82 | 54 | .603 | — |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 79 | 60 | .568 | 4.5 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 75 | 63 | .543 | 8.0 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 66 | 72 | .478 | 17.0 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 65 | 75 | .464 | 19.0 |
| Chicago Orphans | 65 | 75 | .464 | 19.0 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 62 | 77 | .446 | 21.5 |
| New York Giants | 60 | 78 | .435 | 23.0 |
League Leaders
Batting Average: Honus Wagner (PIT), .381
Home Runs: Herman Long (BSN), 12
RBIs: Elmer Flick (PHI), 110
Wins: Joe McGinnity (BRO), 28
ERA: Rube Waddell (PIT), 2.37
Strikeouts: Noodles Hahn (CIN), 132
WAR: Cy Young (STL), 7.3