Baseball – 1908

Baseball in 1908

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January

January 9Frank Navin is named president of the Detroit club. Bennett Field will be renamed Navin Field.

February

February 3Chris Von der Ahe‚ flamboyant former owner of the Browns‚ files for bankruptcy‚ claiming $27‚000 in debts‚ and $200 in assets.
February 7Exasperated Connie Mack sells his talented but eccentric and unreliable hurler Rube Waddell to the St. Louis Browns for $5‚000.
February 27The sacrifice fly rule is adopted. No time at bat is charged if a run scores after the catch of a fly ball. The rule will be repealed in 1931‚ then reinstated or changed several times before permanent acceptance in 1954.

In Fullerton‚ CA‚ Walter Johnson‚ Washington’s young phenom‚ is operated on for an infection of the mastoid area behind the right ear. The doctors remove a section of the bone‚ and the recuperation will keep Johnson sidelined until late May.

March

March 7Near Lexington‚ Kentucky‚ the train carrying the Cleveland Naps is struck by two bricks shattering windows. Elmer Flick‚ Bill Bradley‚ and Harry Bay are hit by the flying glass while playing euchre‚ but no injuries occur. Tomorrow‚ the team will arrive safely in Macon‚ Georgia‚ for spring training.
March 16Pittsburgh’s Honus Wagner‚ 34‚ announces his retirement. An annual rite of spring‚ it will not keep him from playing in 151 games‚ more than in any of the past 10 years‚ and leading the league in hitting (for the 6th time)‚ hits‚ total bases‚ doubles‚ triples‚ RBI‚ and stolen bases. He will miss the Triple Crown by hitting 2 fewer HRs than Tim Jordan’s 12.
March 21Ty Cobb signs for $4‚000 and an $800 bonus if he hits over .300. He will collect the bonus with a league-leading .324‚ one of only 3 AL regulars to top .300 (the NL has 5) in 1908.

April

April 2After a 2-year investigation‚ the Mills Committee‚ formed on the recommendation of Al Spalding and headed by the former NL president A. G. Mills‚ declares that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown‚ NY in 1839. Overwhelming evidence to the contrary is ignored‚ but the designation makes James Fenimore Cooper’s town the most likely site for a Hall of Fame and museum when these establishments are conceived some 30 years later.
April 7The St. Louis clubs play a benefit game‚ raising $5‚000 for the beleaguered Chris Von der Ahe.
April 14At Hilltop Park‚ Slow Joe Doyle scatters four hits in edging the A’s‚ 1-0 in 12 innings. The first hit is by A’s left fielder Topsy Hartsell‚ who has his nose broken by an errant pitch during pre-game warmups. Nick Carter‚ making his major-league debut‚ matches Doyle for 11 innings‚ but in the 12th‚ a ground rule double into the crowd‚ and a single put runners at the corners. A line drive to RF Jack Coombs then scores Red Kleinow with the winner.

Before 17‚000 in Philadelphia‚ Mathewson scatters 4 Phillies hits and drives in 2 of the Giants runs. New York wins‚ 3-1 over George McQuillan.

At Boston‚ Boston plays their first game under their new nickname “Red Sox” defeating Washington‚ 3-1.
April 16Pittsburgh’s Sam Leever tosses a 3-hit shutout over the Cardinals as Pittsburgh sweeps the 3-game series. But the big news for the Pirates is the signing of Honus Wagner for another year. The star SS ends his holdout and will play on the 19th in a 4-3 loss to the Reds.
April 17At Detroit’s Bennett Field‚ Cleveland scores 2 runs in the 11th and 4 in the 12th to beat the host Tigers‚ 12-8. Cleveland collects 20 hits. Cobb leads the Tiger attack with three hits and 2 RBIs‚ while Germany Schaefer has 5 hits.

At Chicago‚ the Browns Rube Waddell makes his first start of the year‚ shutting out the White Sox‚ 1-0‚ on one hit‚ a single by Jake Atz. Only one ball is hit out of the infield. Owen is the loser with 8 innings of work.

At Cincinnati‚ Chicago beats the Reds‚ 1-0. After the game the police escort Reds LF Hans Lobert off the field after a fan charges him with spitting on him and hitting him twice. Lobert was criticized for missing one ball and misjudging another.

At New York‚ the A’s German battery of Schlitzer and Schreckengost beats the Yankees‚ 8-2. Simon Nicholls hits his first ML homer to pace the attack.
April 18In Brooklyn’s home opener‚ the Superbas manage 6 hits against Mathewson and strike out 12 times. Newly acquired 1B Fred Tenney has two hits and a RBI as the Giants win 4-0.
April 19The National Commission reinstates Jake Stahl and Mike Donlin after fining them $100 each for playing with teams outside organized ball in 1907.
April 20“The Father of Baseball‚” Henry Chadwick‚ the leading reporter‚ commentator‚ scorer‚ and indefatigable promoter of the game‚ dies in Brooklyn at age 85.

Bugs Raymond throws a one-hitter or the Cardinals‚ but loses to the Cubs‚ 2-0. Harry Steinfeldt has the only Chicago hit in the 2-run 6th inning. Lundgren is the winner.

At Chicago‚ the White Sox knock the Browns Rube Waddell out of the box with a 5-run 6th and a 2-run 7th to win‚ 7-1. They would have plated more in the inning but Al Shaw’s single results in a double play at the plate as two runners are tagged out on the same play‚ RF Danny Hoffman to C Tubby Spencer.
April 22In the Giants home opener‚ 25‚000 fans watch Brooklyn take a 2-1 lead into the 9th inning against Christy Mathewson. With Fred Tenney on 1B‚ Mike Donlin‚ a hold out all of last year‚ then homers to give the Giants a 3-2 win.
April 27At Boston‚ Mathewson twirls a one-hitter‚ walking none‚ to beat Irv Young‚ 2-0.

At St. Louis‚ White Sox pitcher Frank Owen steals home on a double steal against the Browns in the 9th inning to help himself in a 6-5 win. It is the 3rd time Owen has stolen home‚ a ML record for pitchers.

The A’s trip the Senators‚ 2-1‚ with the help of a triple steal in the 3rd inning to break a 1-1 tie. Harry Davis scores on the trifecta when the throw is too high to catch him. Vickers is the winning pitcher.
April 29The Braves rally to tie the Giants in the 5th‚ then score runs in the 10th and 11th to beat Malarkey‚ 7-6. Winning pitcher Irv Young scores the winning run when former Brave Fred Tenney drops a perfect throw at 1B.
April 30In the 9th inning at Boston‚ the Braves are tied 2-2 with the Giants. With runners on 1B and 2B‚ Boston’s Frank Bowman hits a Doc Crandall pitch into the stands‚ but is credited with only a double in the 3-2 win.

The Pirates game in Pittsburgh against the Reds is canceled because of snow.

May

May 1In New York’s 9-4 win over the Washington Nationals‚ Kid Elberfeld is severely spiked in the foot by Bob Ganley‚ essentially ending his season. He’ll go to bat just 56 times this year.
May 4The Giants jump on Tully Sparks for 5 runs in the first inning and coast to a 12-2 win over the Phillies. Mathewson leaves with a 9-0‚ lead and runs his record to 5-0.
May 9Art Devlin cracks a 1st inning double with the bases loaded and the Giants score 7 runs off Irv Young in the 1st two innings. Mathewson scatters 10 Braves hits in coasting to a 7-3 win.
May 11In Pittsburgh‚ Honus Wagner leads the Pirates to a 5-2 win over the Giants with a triple‚ 2 walks‚ 2 runs and 2 RBI. His delayed break to 2nd allows Fred Clarke to score the 5th run on the front end of a double steal.
May 12Orval Overall of the Cubs absorbs his first loss since August 11‚ 1907‚ as the Phils end his 14-game winning streak‚ 6-2.
May 13At Pittsburgh‚ the Pirates knock out Christy Mathewson in the 5th inning and top the Giants‚ 5-1 behind Howie Comnitz. It is Matty’s first loss of the year. The game takes just 85 minutes to complete.
May 16Andy Coakley gives up 6 hits in beating the Giants in Cincinnati‚ 6-1. Mathewson lasts just 2 innings and McGraw pinch hits for him in the 3rd.
May 17Reds player-manager John Ganzel hits his only homer of the year‚ a grand slam off Hooks Wiltse of the Giants. The blow comes in the 6-run 8th inning and propels the Reds to a 7-2 win over the visiting Giants.

Chicago’s Three Fingered Brown fires a near-perfect game‚ allowing just a 5th inning single to Brooklyn’s Bill Bergan. Bergan‚ one of the worst hitting regulars of all-time‚ will finish the year at .175.
May 18Coming back against the Reds‚ Mathewson is treated poorly again. The Reds pound him for 15 hits and 9 runs in 7 innings to win 9-5‚ handing Matty his 3rd loss in a week.
May 21Pitching for Kansas City (Western Association) Smoky Joe Wood hurls a 1-0 no-hitter against Milwaukee.
May 23Giants 3B Art Devlin ties a record by handling 13 total chances as the Cards beat New York 6-2. Two errors cost him a new record.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Carl Lundgren beats the Boston Nationals‚ 6-4‚ his 10th straight win over them in 4 years. Lundgren will post an 18-7 record this year‚ allowing no homers.
May 25Detroit scores an unearned run in the 3rd against Washington lefty Bill Burns‚ but not until 2 are out in the 9th does a Tiger collect a base hit. Germany Schaefer singles to center off “Sleepy Bill” for the only Bengal hit as Detroit wins‚ 1-0. Washington will lose 29 games this year by shutouts‚ an AL record.

At Chicago‚ the Cubs treat Mathewson rudely‚ roughing him up for 7 hits and 5 runs in 2 innings. The Giants rally but lose in 10 innings‚ 8-7‚ as Hooks Wiltse takes the loss.
May 26Against the Reds‚ Brooklyn’s Nap Rucker strikes out 12‚ but errors do him in and he loses‚ 4-2.
May 29At Ebbets Field‚ Christy Mathewson rights himself and shuts out Brooklyn for a 1-0 Giants win. Matty gives up 4 hits‚ K’s 8‚ in beating Nap Rucker.
May 30In the first game of a Memorial Day doubleheader in Boston‚ Cy Young throws a near-perfect game‚ beating Washington‚ 6-0. Jerry Freeman’s 5th inning single gives Washington its only hit and baserunner. Jesse Tannehill, making his first appearance since last August, starts for the Sox in game 2, but he leaves in the 5th inning with a 2–2 score. The Sox later today suspend him without pay. Tex Pruiett relieves and is less effect than Jesse, taking the loss in a 7-4 game.
May 31Jack Pfiester pitches the Cubs to a 6-3 win over the Pirates‚ but Pittsburgh will win the next 3 games with Chicago by blitzing 33 runs. The Pirates will win the finale‚ 13-3‚ when Wagner connects for a homer and 2 doubles to drive in 6 runs.

June

June 1The first place Cubs fall to the Pirates‚ 8-6‚ as Veach scores 4 runs on 4 hits‚ including a triple and homer.

The first place Highlanders trip Ed Cicotte and the visiting Red Sox‚ 2-0. Jack Chesbro allows just 4 hits in the victory. But the Highlanders‚ 20-15‚ will win just 31 more games to finish in last place with a 51-103 record.
June 2During a game with the Pirates‚ a bottle of ammonia explodes in the face of Cubs outfielder Jimmy Sheckard and only prompt action saves his eyesight. The injury will cause Jimmy to miss 40 games and his average will plummet to .231. The Cubs lose‚ 12-6.
June 3Mathewson fans 11 in whipping the Braves‚ 3-0. Matty is 8-3 but the Giants are in 5th place.
June 6The Athletics hold first place for the last time this year. Tomorrow‚ the Cleveland Naps will replace them‚ and the next day the White Sox will take the lead for the first time. They jump from 7th to first in 4 days‚ as a 13-game winning streak puts them into the race‚ despite being just three games over .500.

At the Polo Grounds‚ Mathewson beats the Cardinals‚ 3-2‚ for his 20th straight win over St. Louis stretching back to June 16‚ 1904. Art Fromme takes the loss. Matty allows 4 hits and strikes out 8‚ including Joe Delahanty 3 times. He also walks two in a row‚ an unusual occurrence.
June 7The Detroit Tigers turn a triple play against the Boston Red Sox for the 2nd day in a row‚ but Boston wins 9-5. The two tri-killings in two games is a unique ML-record.

In Chicago’s 2-1‚ 10-inning win over the Washington‚ Sox pitcher Nick Altrock has 12 assists to tie the AL mark set by teammate Walsh.
June 8Iron Joe McGinnity rights himself and tosses a 4-0 six hitter against the Cards. Joe’s name had been in the trading mills.
June 10In the New York Globe writeup of yesterday’s 8-2 Giants win over Pittsburgh‚ reporter Peter Morris uses the term cup of coffee in referring to a player “It isn’t often that Hank O’Day is caught napping‚ but a young player just getting his cup of coffee in the league put one over on Hank and Mr. Klem yesterday”. According to Paul Dickson‚ this is the first use of the term.
June 11In his first start since his February operation‚ Walter Johnson is hammered by the St. Louis Browns in leaves in the 4th inning. He won’t pitch again until the 23rd.

Vic Willis pitches Pittsburgh to a 5-2 win over the Giants. Mathewson loses his 4th of the year.
June 13Chicago’s Three Fingered Brown pitches a 2-hit victory over the Phillies‚ with both hits coming off the bat of Sherry Magee.

In Chicago’s 5-1‚ 10-inning win over the Yankees‚ Sox pitcher Ed Walsh swipes home in the 7th.

The St. Louis Browns purchase land adjacent to Sportsman’s Park to build additional stands.
June 14Chicago beats the Yankees‚ 5-4‚ with a late rally that puts Moxie Manual in the record books. Moxie‚ pitching in relief‚ is lifted in the 8th inning and his Sox score to go ahead. Commissioner Ban John will rule that Moxie is the winner‚ not the pitcher who succeeds him‚ this establishing a precedent about awarding victories.
June 17The Giants sweep two from the visiting Reds. Mathewson takes the opener‚ 2-1‚ over Andy Coakley‚ and the Giants take the nitecap‚ 4-2.
June 18The Pirates and Braves swap Youngs: Pittsburgh acquires P Irv “Cy the second” Young from Boston (NL) in exchange for Harley Young and P Tom McCarthy. Irv Young‚ who averaged 330+ innings the past three seasons‚ will pitch just 175 this year‚ and fewer the next 2 seasons‚ his last‚ with the White Sox.

20tht The Reds win game 1 of a twinbill against the host Phillies‚ 1-0‚ behind Andy Coakley. It is their 3rd shutout in a row. The Phillies win the 2nd game‚ 7-0 behind Frank Corridon‚ but not before the Reds set a club record for consecutive shutout innings at 32.
June 22Honus Wagner gets hit No. 2‚000 in the 8th against Jake Weimer of the Reds‚ who wins 4-0 over the Pirates. Wagner makes an error when he is struck on the finger in the 1st inning. For the Reds‚ it is their 4th shutout in 5 games.

The Phils lose 1-0 at Brooklyn. Nap Rucker shuts out the Quakers‚ the 4th whitewash in 5 games for the Phillies.
June 23The Braves and Giants split a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds‚ with the Giant taking the opener 6-3 and the Braves winning the nitecap‚ 9-7. Mathewson preserves Joe McGinnity’s win in game 1‚ pitching a perfect 9th inning; in the nitecap‚ he relieves Dummy Taylor in the 9th with the score 7-7‚ but the Braves score twice for the win. Fred Merkle cracks his 1st ML homer‚ against Patsy Flaherty‚ in the nitecap.

In Detroit’s 6-1 win over the White Sox‚ Ty Cobb starts the scoring by swiping home in the first inning with Ed Walsh on the mound. Billy Sullivan Sr. is the catcher.
June 24Charging the Highlander owners with refusing to spend money to build the team‚ manager Clark Grif?th resigns. His Highlanders are 24-32. Kid Elberfeld replaces him following today’s 6-6 tie with the A’s. New York fades fast and will ?nish last with 103 losses.

At Detroit‚ the Browns Rube Waddell refuses to heel and whips the Tigers‚ 7-1. Waddell‚ known as an animal lover‚ ignores the two dogs that the Tigers have in the dugout and is not distracted when Tiger manager Hughey Jennings brings one out to the third base coach’s box.

Honus Wagner does it all today‚ smacking a home run and double‚ then breaking a 3-3 tie with an 8th inning single. He ends his scoring with a steal of home as the Pirates win 5-3 over the Reds.

The Giants sweep 2 games from Boston to move into 3rd place. Hooks Wiltse tosses a 2-hit shutout to win‚ 4-0‚ and Mathewson follows with a 7-1 victory over Irv Young in the 2nd match. Matty leaves after 7 innings.
June 25The Cincinnati Reds debut two college twirlers‚ Jean Dubuc of Notre Dame and Bert Sincock from Michigan. Dubuc starts and Sincock relieves him. Unimpressed by the degrees‚ the Cubs trounce the pair by the score of 7-0 (as noted by Richard Thompson).

In a 15-0 win over Los Angeles (PCL)‚ Portland’s Johnson has 3 doubles and 2 triples.
June 26At Baltimore‚ Rube Waddell loses his first game as a Philadelphia Athletic‚ 7-3. The recently signed Rube will finish the year at 24-7 for the A’s‚ and lead the AL in strikeouts with 210.
June 27At Brooklyn‚ the Giants win two from the Superbas‚ 4-3 and 5-2. Mathewson preserves Wiltse’s game in the opener by relieving in the 9th and fanning the side. Matty then pitches the 2nd game‚ picking up his 13th win‚ beating Irv Wilhelm.
June 30Cy Young’s 3rd career no-hitter is an 8-0 Boston win over host New York. Cy almost duplicates his perfect game of 1904‚ walking just one batter-leadoff hitter Harry Niles. Niles is then caught stealing and the next 27 batters make out. Cy also tallies 3 hits and drives in half the Americans’ runs off Rube Manning. At 41 years and 3 months‚ he is the oldest pitcher to turn the no-hit trick. Nolan Ryan will beat him in 1990 at the age of 43. Young had a near-perfect game exactly a month ago.

July

July 1Jimmy Dygert of the A’s shuts out the Nationals‚ 2-0‚ as Washington concludes a 30 game road trip winning 8. Last year they played 31 straight on the road‚ an AL record.
July 2The Giants rally for two runs in the 7th off Phillies starter Bill Foxen‚ and win‚ 4-3. Mathewson wins his 14th.

Well‚ they didn’t get him to beat Chicago. Pittsburgh’s Irv Young‚ acquired two weeks ago from Boston‚ loses his 11th straight to Chicago‚ 3-0‚ in game 1. His streak dates back to August 6‚ 1905. The Pirates claw back in game 2‚ winning‚ 9-4‚ to stay a half game behind first-place Chicago.
July 4Lefthander Hooks Wiltse pitches a 10-inning no-hitter for the Giants over the Phillies 1-0. He loses his bid for a perfect 9 innings when‚ with 2 outs‚ he hits Phils P George McQuillan with a pitch on a 1-and-2 count. Ump Charles Rigler calls the pitch earlier a ball‚ to the dismay of Hooks and the fans‚ who thought it a strike. Art Devlin scores the winner in the 10th after singling off George McQuillan and coming around on two errors. New York wins the nitecap more easily‚ 9-3‚ behind Dummy Taylor.

In Pittsburgh‚ an A.M.-P.M. doubleheader with the Cubs draws 50‚000 fans. Three Fingered Brown wins the morning game‚ 2-0‚ for his 4th straight shutout. Ed Reulbach takes the afternoon affair‚ 9-3. The Cubs and Bucs play 5 games in 3 days with the Cubs winning three: Three Fingered Brown cops 2‚ tossing two shutouts-a 6-hitter and a 2-hitter.
July 6In Cincinnati‚ Christy Mathewson stops the Reds‚ 2-1‚ beating Andy Coakley for a Giants win. He’ll beat them again by the same score on the 9th. The 3rd place Giants are now 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Pirates. John McGraw misses the game to scout 19-year-old prospect Rube Marquard‚ pitching in Columbus.
July 8Despite 5 hits by Honus Wagner‚ the host Pirates drop a doubleheader to their cross-state rivals‚ the Phillies‚ 4-1 and 8-5. They will split the next two games‚ but lose Deacon Phillippe for the year when he is hit on his pitching hand by a Red Dooin line drive.
July 9Mathewson spins another 4 hitter over the Reds‚ beating them again‚ 2-1. This time the losing hurler is Bob Ewing.

The Cubs win their 2nd in a row from Brooklyn‚ this time in 10 innings‚ 4-3. Three Fingered Brown tops Nap Rucker.
July 10At Pittsburgh‚ the Giants (43-30) take a 4-0 lead‚ but the Pirates claw back on back-to-back triples by Wagner and Clarke. Tommy Leach wins it for the Bucs with a 9th inning home run to deep center.

The Red Sox purchase 1B Jake Stahl from the Highlanders.
July 11The White Sox play their 2nd 16-inning game in 2 days‚ beating Philadelphia 5-4.

Vic Willis gives the Pirates their 2nd win in a row over the Giants‚ winning‚ 6-2. Mike Donlin‘s triple is the only New York hit.
July 13New York sweeps the Pirates‚ beating Lefty Leifeld‚ 7-0‚ on a 3-hitter by Mathewson‚ then taking the nitecap 7-4. Pittsburgh racked up 3 homers-by Wagner‚ Chief Wilson and Alan Storke-but to no avail. McGinnity wins the nitecap with relief help from Hooks Wiltse.
July 15In Chicago‚ the Giants pound Three Fingered Brown and 2 relievers to win‚ 11-0‚ and move into 2nd place. The Cubs drop two places to 3rd.

The Pirates tie the Braves in the 9th and win in the 10th‚ 3-2‚ when Fred Clarke is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The Bucs take the NL lead by a half-game.
July 16At Chicago‚ manager Frank Chicago figures to rattle Giants rookie Otis “Doc” Crandall and elects to bat the Cubs first (this option rule for the home team was changed in 1950). But Crandall is a rock and nurses a 4-1 lead into the last of the 9th. After one out‚ Christy Mathewson‚ warming in the bullpen‚ decides the game is well in hand and goes into the clubhouse to shower. Crandall promptly walks three straight‚ wherein McGraw looks in vain for Matty. The Giants ace quickly dries off‚ throws on a uniform‚ and puts his street shoes on. By the time he arrives on the mound‚ reliever Joe McGinnity has walked in a run. Matty gets a ground out‚ then a strikeout‚ and the Giants win‚ 4-3. Ed Reulbach takes the loss for Chicago.
July 17In another classic matchup‚ Three Fingered Brown and Christy Mathewson pair off with Brown winning 1-0.. The Cubs pitcher allows 6 hits‚ with Matty giving up 7. The only run comes on a 5th inning inside-the-park home run by Matty’s nemesis‚ Joe Tinker‚ who runs through the arms of 3B coach Heinie Zimmerman to score. In the 12 matchups between the two pitchers‚ Brown has won eight. A tragic occurrence happens during Tinker’s home run dash when a boy‚ standing on the roof of a nearby building to view the game‚ falls 50 feet to his death.

It is Honus Wagner Day in Pittsburgh‚ as players from both teams line up to pay homage. Wagner’s tribute was originally scheduled for the 16th‚ but Honus asked that it be moved a day so it would not conflict with the annual benefit picnic for orphans. Wagner is presented with a $700 gold watch. Pittsburgh beats Boston‚ 4-0 to cut the Giants lead to a half game over the Bucs.

Despite hitting no home runs‚ first-place Detroit rolls over the Athletics‚ 21-2. Germany Schaefer scores 5 runs.
July 18The Cubs win by a run‚ beating the Giants‚ 5-4‚ behind Orval Overall. Hooks Wiltse takes the loss as Joe Tinker once again wins the game‚ this time with a two-run double in the 9th inning. Tinker also had a 6th inning triple off Hooks.

Danny Murphy hits a grand slam off Ed Willett to lead the A’s to an 11-5 win over Detroit.
July 19Walter Justis‚ pitching for Lancaster (Ohio State L)‚ hurls the first of his three no-hitters this season‚ beating Mansfield‚ 6-0. He strikes out 5.
July 21In St. Louis‚ the Cards split with the Giants‚ with Harry Sallee losing the opener‚ 4-2. Mathewson wins his 21st straight over St. Louis‚ though he gives up 11 hits in the victory. The Cards beat Dummy Taylor in the nitecap‚ 3-1‚ in 12 innings.

According to a Chicago newspaper contest‚ the Giants’ Mike Donlin‚ the NL’s leading hitter‚ is baseball’s most popular player. Turkey Mike tops Honus Wagner by a wide margin and will be awarded a trophy cup. Donlin was involved in a car accident on the 18th when the car he was riding in on Michigan Avenue‚ collided with another vehicle driven by Chicago Mayor Busse.
July 22In Pittsburgh‚ Brooklyn first sacker Tim Jordan hits an over-the-fence HR‚ the first in 9 years‚ but its all the scoring his team can muster. The Pirates prevail‚ 2-1.
July 24At the Polo Grounds‚ the Giants edge the visiting Pirates‚ 2-1‚ behind Hooks Wiltse. Larry Doyle leads the offense with a single‚ double and RBI triple.
July 25With the Highlanders leading the Tigers 3-2 in the 8th‚ Detroit scores 2 runs on a Ty Cobb triple. With lefty Claude Rossman the next hitter‚ New York’s new manager Kid Elberfeld moves righty pitcher Jack Chesbro to 1B and replaces him with first baseman Hal Chase. Chase allows a fly ball that scores Cobb‚ then goes back to 1B and Chesbro resumes his spot on the mound. It is Chase’s only pitching appearance as the Tigers win 5-3.

Before an overflow crowd of 30‚000 in New York‚ the Pirates Lefty Leifield tops the Giants and Christy Mathewson‚ 7-2. The loss drops New York to 3rd place. Two errors by Larry Doyle-he’ll add another-in the 7th open the gates for 5 Pirate runs. Pittsburgh is lead by Honus Wagner who goes 5-for-5 to take over the batting lead from a hitless Mike Donlin. After each hit‚ Wagner holds up a finger to show the number of safeties to the RF Donlin.

Future Red Sox pitcher Hugh Bedient‚ pitching for a semi-pro Falconer‚ NY team‚ strikes out 42 batters in what is heralded as a world’s record. He does it 23 innings against Corry‚ PA‚ finally winning‚ 3-1. He is matched all the way by Charles Bickford. When the wire services pick up the story‚ Bedient will receive 19 pro offers.
July 27Following the Sunday off‚ Wagner hits doubles in his first 2 at bats to again lead the Pirates to a 4-3 win over New York. Nick Maddox‚ with relief help from Irv Young‚ is the winner over Doc Crandall. Both Maddox and Young plunk two Giant batters.
July 28Hooks Wiltse and Vic Willis lock horns and the Giants and Pirates duel for 16 innings before the game is called‚ 2-2‚ because of darkness. Wagner is 0-for-6 but drives home a run with a “sacrifice fly.”

Walter Johnson‘s (1-5) recuperation from his operation seems complete as he pitches 15 innings against the Browns with neither team scoring. Washington pulls out a 2-1 victory in the 16th as Johnson K’s 15‚ Big Train’s highest strikeout total for his career. He will win 11 of his next 13 decisions.

In a 4-2 win at Boston‚ Bob Ewing of the Reds hits a homer that travels 3 miles (as noted by Rhodes & Snyder). The ball goes over the LF at South Street Grounds and lands in a passing mail car railroad train. The train travels 3 miles before reaching its destination.
July 29Mathewson defeats the Cardinals again‚ beating Harry Sallee‚ 1-0. Sallee allows 4 hits‚ but the one run scores on an error and passed ball.

Rube Waddell continues to haunt Connie Mack‚ fanning 16 A’s in a 5-4 win for the Browns.

John McFarland of Helena (Arkansas State) loses his perfect game when the 27th batter refuses to bat‚ resulting in a 9-0 forfeit.

August

August 3The 2nd-place Cubs stay a half game ahead of New York and 1 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh‚ by beating the Phillies‚ 5-1. Mordecai Brown is the winner picking up his 10th straight win over the Phillies.
August 4The Giants take 2 from Cincinnati‚ winning 4-3 in 12 innings‚ and 4-1. Christy Mathewson wins both‚ relieving McGinnity in the 9th inning of the opener and tossing nine innings in the nitecap; Andy Coakley loses both. New York moves into 2nd place‚ 5 percentage points behind the Pirates. Despite the two losses‚ it is a relief for the Reds to score runs. Cincy (48-50) had endured four straight shutout losses: 5-0 on July 30; 3-0 on the 31st; 6-0 on the 1st and 3rd.

At Brooklyn‚ the Superbas and St. Louis Cardinals play an entire game with one ball. Brooklyn wins 3-0.

In a 7-5 loss to Cleveland‚ the Nationals’ Otis Clymer and Jim Delahanty draw indefinite suspensions for abusing umpire Silk O’Loughlin. Delahanty‚ a Cleveland native‚ is fined $50 by Ban Johnson and barred from the Cleveland ballpark for one year for his unbecoming conduct‚ though he denies that the language he used could be heard all over the park. Washington manager Joe Cantillon then declares that he will not put the other contenders at an unfair advantage and he benches Delahanty for games in Detroit‚ St. Louis and Chicago. Delahanty will miss an additional 13 games because of this but the ban will be lifted at the beginning of the 1909 season.
August 6A scheduled doubleheader in Brooklyn with St. Louis is washed out after 5 innings of the first game‚ but lefty Johnny Lush‚ with one no-hitter over Brooklyn under his belt‚ allows no Brooklyn hits in his outing. The Cards win 2-0‚ on 2 unearned runs‚ as 1B Tim Jordan drops a fly ball with the bases loaded.
August 9Ty Cobb returns from his honeymoon and hits a single and triple in a 5-2 Detroit win over Washington.

The Browns beat the Red Sox with an 8-run 8th inning to win‚ 8-2. Pitcher Rube Waddell helps with a homer and Hobe Ferris belts a grand slam.
August 10Twenty thousand fans‚ the largest ever to watch a Monday game‚ crowd the Polo Grounds to see the matchup of Christy Mathewson and the Cubs Orval Overall. Matty doesn’t disappoint‚ winning 3-2‚ but Overall allows just one hit in the loss. Roger Bresnahan‘s double in the 3-run 1st is the lone safety.
August 11The Cards fall to Boston‚ 2-0‚ as Boston pitcher Tom Tuckey gets his only shutout in his first major league game.
August 13Cy Young Day is celebrated by 20‚000 in Boston. He pitches briefly against an All-Star team that includes Jack Chesbro‚ Hal Chase‚ Willie Keeler‚ Harry Davis‚ and George Mullin. The game is interrupted several times for presentations to the great hurler‚ including a great loving cup from the AL for all his accomplishments. This is Keeler’s last appearance this season‚ as he returns home to Brooklyn‚ partly in protest to Highlander manager Kid Elberfeld‘s surly managerial style (as stated in Jim Reiseler’s book Before They Were Bombers)). Keeler quits without pay saying‚ “I cannot give you a run for your money”‚ He had been ill and muffed a flyball in left field‚ but he will return next season to play under manager George Stallings.

The Giants drop the Superbas‚ 5-3‚ behind Red Ames and Mathewson. Mathewson pitches 7 innings of shutout ball for the win.
August 14The National’s Walter Johnson hurls a 1-0 victory over the White Sox‚ allowing just two hits‚ the first a 9th inning single by Sox P Doc White.
August 15At League Park‚ the Reds edge Brooklyn‚ 2-1‚ with the scoring coming on a 9th inning homer by John Kane and a 10th inning solo HR by Mike Mitchell. The Reds will total just 14 homers for the year.
August 16The last-place Cardinals deal a blow to the Giants’ pennant hopes by defeating them twice in St. Louis‚ 6-5 and 3-2. With Mathewson refusing to pitch on Sundays‚ Red Ames and Joe McGinnity take the losses. Matty will toss a shutout tomorrow for New York.
August 17In a rain-shortened game‚ Christy Mathewson throws his mitt on the field and defeats the Cards‚ 3-0‚ in 6 innings‚ with Harry Sallee taking the loss. With the Giants at bat in the 5th‚ McGraw signals Cy Seymour to steal home-even though Cards C Bill Ludwig has the ball. Jack Barry‚ the next batter‚ then strikes out on 3 pitches‚ as the Giants race to beat the downpour.
August 19The Highlanders Jack Chesbro allows 11 hits‚ but shuts out Detroit‚ 7-0.
August 20Brooklyn collects 15 safeties off three Pirates pitcher and Harry McIntire allows just 4 Buc hits for the 6-1 win. He follows Kaiser Wilhelm’s 4-hitter against the Buccaneers yesterday. Pittsburgh is now tied for first with New York.

The A’s Danny Murphy hits his second grand slam in a month as Philadelphia beats Doc White and the White Sox‚ 6-1.

New York’s Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory.
August 21Pittsburgh regains first place as Nick Maddox (15-5) beats Brooklyn‚ 2-1 for his 8th win in a row. Maddox drives in both runs as well. Maddox‚ who won his last 5 games of 1907‚ has now won 20 games in 30 appearances‚ the quickest twenty-game winner ever (This mark will be tied by Russ Ford‚ in 1910; Boo Ferriss in 1945; and Cal Eldred in 1993).

Nationals catcher Gabby Street stands at the base of the Washington Monument and catches the 13th ball dropped from the top‚ 555 feet up‚ duplicating the feat performed by Pop Schriver of the Chicago Colts on August 24‚ 1894. Billy Sullivan of the Chicago White Sox will repeat the catch on August 24‚ 1910. Street gets a $500 prize for his morning’s efforts‚ then spends the afternoon behind the plate catching Walter Johnson‘s 3-1 win over Detroit.
August 22At League Park‚ veteran Joe McGinnity‚ in relief of Ames who walks the first two batters‚ stops the Reds‚ 5-1‚ beating Buck Ewing. Earlier in the day‚ the Reds turned down McGraw’s offer for McGinnity.
August 24The Giants gain the NL lead by winning two at Pittsburgh‚ after first refusing to play a doubleheader. McGraw protests that only one game was scheduled and he was not given 24 hours notice about the 2nd match. But after polling the players‚ he relents. Hooks Wiltse then tops Willis‚ 4-1 and Mathewson beats Lefty Leifield‚ 5-1. Willis tires in the 8th‚ giving up a 2-run triple to Roger Bresnahan‚ followed by a Mike Donlin homer. In the nitecap‚ Donlin and Larry Doyle each drive home a pair. The doubleheader is watched in New York on electric diamonds known as “Compton’s Baseball Bulletin” at Madison Square Garden and the Gotham Theatre. Bulletins will display all remaining games.

Smokey Joe Wood‚ purchased from KC (AA)‚ debuts for Boston. But the White Sox are the winners‚ 6-4.
August 25The Giants win their 3rd in a row from Pittsburgh‚ stopping Nick Maddox‚ 5-3. Maddox had won 8 in a row. Doc Crandall is the winner. Larry Doyle triples in the 3rd inning‚ then steps off the bag while chatting with Buc third sacker Tommy Leach. Gibson’s throw from home nails Doyle.
August 26The Giants sweep‚ scoring a run in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to trip Irv Young and the host Pirates‚ 4-3. Mathewson‚ in relief‚ is given the win‚ though by today’s scoring he would receive a save. New York’s 8-game win streak puts them ahead of Pittsburgh and Chicago by 3 1/2 games.
August 27With electric bulletin boards also showing the action in Chicago‚ the Colts arrive back home for a three-game sweep to move within one-half game of the lead. Behind Jack Pfiester‚ Chicago wins today over New York‚ 5-1‚ then takes the day off tomorrow.
August 28The Senators give some support to Walter Johnson‚ scoring 8 runs against Cleveland to win 8-0. Johnson’s last outing was a 1-0 loss to the Tigers on the 24th.

In the first of two games‚ Detroit beats the Athletics‚ 1-0‚ in 11 innings‚ then loses‚ 11-2 in game 2. The Tigers set an AL record by not collecting a walk in 20 innings.

The Red Sox replace manager Deacon Maguire with Fred Lake.
August 29In Chicago‚ the Colts beat the Giants again‚ 3-2‚ to record their 8th straight win. It is Three Fingered Brown besting Mathewson again‚ allowing 5 Giants hits and giving up 6 walks.
August 30Jack Pfiester‚ “the Giant Killer”‚ beats New York‚ 2-1‚ for his 2nd win in 4 days and his 3rd straight over the Giants. After the game a cushion fight takes place between some 3‚000 happy fans in the stands and the 5‚000 fans who crowded onto the field. “Many women were injured and their hats demolished‚ “wrote the New York World. Chicago wins its 9th straight to pull to a half game over first-place New York‚ with Pittsburgh is a game in back of the Giants.

The Red Sox invade the Connecticut League and lose to last-place Waterbury, 3–2. Sillery’s spitball tames the Boston club.
August 31The Pirates and Cubs both win by shutouts‚ Chicago beating St. Louis‚ 2-0 for its 10th straight win‚ and the Pirates whitewashing the Reds‚ 5-0. The Giants are traveling today.

September

September 1The month starts with the Giants in 1st in the NL with a 69-45 record‚ followed by Chicago (70-47) and the Pirates (69-47). New York shakes off its 3 losses to Chicago by beating up on Boston‚ winning two at South End Grounds. Hooks Wiltse takes the opener‚ 4-1‚ and Mathewson coasts home in the 2nd game‚ 8-0‚ allowing 3 hits. Dummy Taylor pitches the 9th against the Doves.
September 2In Philadelphia‚ Frank Corridon goes all the way to defeat Brooklyn‚ 2-1‚ in 17 innings. Corridon does not walk a batter.

Pittsburgh’s Lefty Leifield pitches a complete game victory‚ 8-2 over the Reds to leave the 2nd place Pirates just percentage points behind New York. The Bucs steal 6 bases including Fred Clarke‘s steal of home.
September 4In a game‚ the significance of which will not be recognized for another 3 weeks‚ the Pirates and Cubs are tied 0-0 in the last of the 10th at Pittsburgh. With 2 outs and the bases loaded‚ Pittsburgh’s Owen Wilson singles to CF‚ scoring Fred Clarke with the winning run. Warren Gill‚ on 1B‚ does not get to 2B but stops short‚ turns‚ and heads for the dugout‚ a common practice. The Cubs’ Johnny Evers calls for the ball from Jimmy Slagle‚ touches 2B‚ and claims the run does not count as Gill has been forced. The lone umpire‚ Hank O’Day‚ has left the field. When queried‚ he rules that Clarke had already scored‚ so the run counts. The Cubs protest to league president Pulliam‚ but are denied. This is the first time the Cubs try this tactic‚ but not the last.

The Giants sweep two more from the Doves‚ beating Boston 3-0 and 8-5. Joe McGinnity wins the first game‚ while 3 pitchers combine for the 2nd win. Red Ames is the victor.

In New York‚ Walter Johnson opens a series against New York by besting Jack Chesbro‚ 3-0‚ allowing 6 hits in the Washington win.

In the nitecap of a twinbill in Boston‚ Frank Arellanes tosses a one hitter and the Red Sox collect 13 hits to defeat the A’s‚ 10-1. Light-hitting Simon Nicholls clubs his 4th homer of the year for the only A’s hit. Boston takes the opener as well‚ 7-1.
September 5Nap Rucker pitches a no-hitter for Brooklyn against the Boston Doves 6-0‚ striking out 14 and walking none. Three runners reached 1B on errors. The Doves send up 3 righty pinch hitter in the 9th to no avail. The 14 strikeouts tops the previous NL high this season of 12‚ held by Rucker and Mathewson.

Washington and Walter Johnson top the Highlanders‚ 6-0‚ as the New Yorkers manage just 4 hits.

Ed Reulbach allows just 4 Pittsburgh hits as Chicago romps‚ 11-0.

The first-place Giants roll over the Phils‚ 5-1‚ for their 7th straight win. Mathewson is the winner over George McQuillan.
September 6Several thousand are turned away as a “record crowd” is on hand as the Browns lose 6-4 to the Tigers and drop to 3rd place. Ten doubles are hit‚ including three by Matty McIntyre. Detroit’s Wild Bill Donovan sets the AL mark for consecutive strike outs as he fans 6 batters. The Tigers stay a game ahead of the White Sox and 1 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis.

At Chicago‚ the Pirates and Cubs split a Sunday twinbill. Pittsburgh takes the opener‚ 3-0 and the Cubs win game 2 by an 8-7 score. The Pirates stay a game and a half behind the idle first-place Giants‚ and the Cubs are 2 back of New York.
September 7On Labor Day‚ Manager Joe Cantillon starts the Big Train in place of one pitcher who is sick‚ and another who returned to Washington to be with his sick wife. Only 3 Senators’ pitchers made the trip to NY. Johnson shuts out the New York Highlanders for the 3rd time in 4 days‚ 4-0‚ topping Jack Chesbro and allowing just 2 hits and no walks. In the three games‚ Walter allows 12 hits‚ walks one‚ and strikes out 12. Johnson will pitch 130 shutouts during his career‚ 23 more than runner-up Grover Alexander. This is one of a ML record (tied in 1942‚ topped in 1972) 7 shutouts tossed today‚ out of 16 games.

Brooklyn and Boston match 1-0 shutouts to split a doubleheader. McIntire and Chappelle are the winning pitchers.

Bob Spade gives Chicago a split by winning game 2‚ 4-0‚ over Andy Coakley of the Reds. In game 1‚ Jean Dubuc pitches a 2-hitter as the Reds beat host Chicago‚ 6-0. Tinker and Evers have the only singles. In 1919‚ Dubuc will be banned for life when he fails to report he had prior knowledge of the WS fix.

The Pirates sweep an A.M.-P.M. doubleheader against the Cardinals. Honus Wagner is 5-for-5 in the morning game‚ a 9-7 win‚ and 1-for-2 in the afternoon‚ a 7-1 victory.
September 8The Pirates set a couple of records today against the Cardinals. They set ML fielding record by making only 2 assists‚ both by 2B Charlie Starr and set a NL record with only 21 at bats in 8 innings. The Bucs win‚ 2-0‚ with Wagner driving in both runs.

Mathewson’s 30th win is a gem-an 11-inning 1-0 win over the Superbas‚ Nap Rucker. A single by Bridwell drives home Cy Seymour with the winning tally. New York stays a half-game ahead of Pittsburgh.

Boston’s Cy Young defeats Washington‚ 3-1 for his 20th win.

Walter Justis‚ of Lancaster (Ohio State L)‚ pitches his third no-hitter this season‚ beating Portsmouth‚ 6-0. He strikes out 10.
September 9In a 7-3 New York win‚ the Giants steal 9 bases off Brooklyn’s Billy Maloney‚ an outfielder pressed into service as a catcher. That’s enough to make him quit the game. Following the game John McGraw makes his stage debut in a show at the Hippodrome. He has a small part in the show “Sporting Days.”
September 10Detroit takes its 2nd straight extra-inning game from the White Sox‚ 6-5 in 11 innings‚ and the Indians beat the Browns‚ 5-2. The AL race leaves Detroit 75-52‚ Chicago 72-57‚ St. Louis 71-57.

Louie Durham of the Indianapolis Browns pitches and wins both ends of a doubleheader against the Toledo Mud Hens. Historian Fred Schuld notes that this is the 5th doubleheader this season that Durham has accomplished this feat. Previously he beat the Milwaukee Brewers (June 14)‚ Columbus Champs (July 18)‚ St. Paul Saints (July 25)‚ and the Louisville Night Riders (Aug 8).
September 12In the dogfight for the AL pennant‚ the White Sox play their 4th straight extra-inning game at Detroit‚ a total of 43 innings. The White Sox win their 2nd straight‚ while the Browns lose their 2nd in a row to Cleveland.

A day after beating the A’s Eddie Plank‚ 2-1‚ Washington’s Walter Johnson is forced to start again‚ this time replacing sore-armed Charley Smith. Remarkably‚ Johnson records his 5th complete game victory in 9 days.

New York’s Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory.
September 13Browns pitcher Rube Waddell gives up a Detroit run in the first when Ty Cobb triples home Matty McIntyre‚ but ties the game when he singles a run home in the 2nd. Waddell allows nothing after that and the Browns win‚ 2-1‚ when Syd Smith singles in the winner in the bottom of the 11th.

An error by Pitt’s Charlie Starr accounts for all three Reds’ runs as the Pirates lose 3-2. The loss drops the Pirates to 3rd place.

Lancaster (Ohio State League) P Walt “Smoke” Justis hurls his 4th no-hitter of the season‚ defeating Marion 3-0. His other gems came on July 19th‚ August 2nd‚ and September 8th. Justis had no record in 2 ML appearances with Detroit in 1905.
September 14Former ML outfielder Ike Van Zandt‚ age 31‚ commits suicide by shooting himself.
September 15The Cardinals rattle Red Ames for 5 hits in the 8th inning to tie the Giants at 4-4. Cardinal killer Christy Mathewson relieves and when Bridwell scores the go-ahead run‚ Matty stops the Birds for his ML record 24th consecutive win over St. Louis.

The Highlanders Pete Wilson makes his major league debut by shutting out Boston‚ 1-0.
September 18Cleveland’s Bob Rhoads pitches a no-hitter against the Red Sox 2-1‚ beating Frank Arellanes‚ the only Mexican-American pitcher in the ML.

The White Sox stay close to the top when Ed Walsh tops Walter Johnson to win 1-0. The Sox manage just 3 hits off the Senators’ ace.

The largest crowd in the history of the NL-35‚000-cheer as the Giants shove the Pirates to 5 games off the pace by sweeping a doubleheader. Christy Mathewson shuts out the Bucs in the first game‚ 7-0‚ for his 11th shutout and his 33rd win. Then the Giants collect 18 hits to take the nitecap‚ 12-7‚ as Wiltse and McGinnity combine for the win. The other hitting occurred in the first game when Mike Donlin tired of a heckler and punched him in the eye. Police quickly moved in.

The Reds tally 11 runs in the 4th inning to beat host Boston‚ 13-6 for their only double-digit score of the year.
September 19Ed Reulbach pitches 10 innings in the 2nd game of a doubleheader against the Phils before the 0-0 game is called on account of darkness.

More than 30‚000 fans in New York watch the Pirates snap a 2-2 tie in the 10th by scoring 4 runs.. Lefty Leifield picks up the win for Pittsburgh.
September 20in St. Louis‚ Rube Waddell strikes out 17 Washington Nationals in 10 innings to beat Walter Johnson 2-1.

Frank Smith pitches a no-hitter for the White Sox against the A’s‚ winning 1-0 and giving up just one walk. It is Smith’s 2nd no-hitter. The winning run scores in the bottom of the 9th when Freddy Parent‚ whom Eddie Plank is walking intentionally‚ reaches out and pokes a sacrifice to short RF.
September 21Cleveland takes the AL lead‚ beating New York‚ while Detroit takes two at St. Louis. With 2 weeks to go‚ 3 1?2 games separate 4 teams.

In New York‚ Christy Mathewson allows just 3 hits-all in the 3rd inning-and no walks‚ but the Pirates win 2-1. Vic Willis goes one better‚ allowing just 2 New York hits for the victory.
September 22The Cubs sweep a doubleheader at New York‚ 4-3 and 2-1‚ giving them a 90-53 record versus the Giants’ 87-50.

The Pirates move to 1 1/2 games in back of Chicago and New York by edging Brooklyn 3-2 in 11 innings. Al Storke triples home Wagner‚ then scores on an error. Tom Catterson then follows with a homer.
September 23Giants P Mathewson and Cubs P Three Fingered Brown battle in the most controversial game ever played. The score is 1-1‚ with 2 outs in the last of the 9th. The Giants’ Harry McCormick is on 3B‚ and Fred Merkle (19‚ and making his first start of the year‚ is subbing for the sore-legged veteran Fred Tenney)‚ on 1B. Al Bridwell singles‚ scoring McCormick. Halfway to 2B‚ Merkle turns and heads for the clubhouse in CF. Johnny Evers secures a ball (Joe McGinnity swears he picked up the ball that was in play and threw it into the stands) and touches 2B as the crowd overruns the field. Umpire O’Day at 1B claims he didn’t see the play‚ but that evening he rules the run does not count‚ and the game ended with a tie score. (Years later‚ in an interview‚ Merkle will describe it this way: “When Bridwell shot that long single‚ I started across the grass for the clubhouse. Matty was near me. When Evers began shouting for the ball‚ he noticed something was wrong. Matty caught me by the arm and told me to wait a minute. We walked over toward 2B‚ and Matty spoke to Emslie. ‘How about this‚ Bob‚ is there any trouble with the score of the play?’ ‘It’s all right‚’ said Emslie. ‘You’ve got the game. I don’t see anything wrong with the play.’ Matty then took me by the arm and we walked to the clubhouse confident that we had won the game.”)

The Pirates win their 7th victory in 10 games by topping Brooklyn 2-1 behind Lefty Leifield. Wilhelm takes the loss. Pittsburgh is now a game in back of first place.

Cleveland wins its 10th straight game‚ defeating the Yankees and Jack Chesbro‚ 9-3. The Naps score 5 runs in the 7th‚ while Rhoades pitches strong ball until the 9th‚ when he allows 2 runs. Nap Lajoie has no official at bats‚ getting hit by pitched balls 3 times‚ tying a AL record‚ and walking his other time up.
September 24Pulliam upholds O’Day’s delayed decision and declares the game a tie‚ a decision nobody likes. The Cubs demand the game be forfeited to them as the crowd prevented play from continuing‚ although darkness would have soon ended it. Both teams appeal. Pulliam sees no inconsistency with the September 4th incident and claims he has merely upheld his umpire on a question of fact in each case. Meanwhile‚ the Giants beat the Cubs 5-4‚ after almost blowing a 5-0 lead. Hooks Wiltse is relieved Mathewson‚ and the official scorer awards the W to Matty. The L goes to Three Fingered Brown‚ his first loss to Mathewson since June 13‚ 1905.

Washington’s Walter Johnson three-hits Cleveland to win‚ 2-1. The loss stops Cleveland’s win streak at 10.

New York’s Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory.
September 25Detroit’s Ed Summers pitches two complete-game wins over the A’s‚ winning the opener 7-2 The 2nd game is a 10-inning battle with another rookie Bill Schlitzer that ends 1-0 on a Claude Rossman drive for an inside-the-park home run. Summers allows just 2 hits. With the White Sox idle‚ the Tigers move to a half-game out of first.

The Senators score 5 runs in the 9th inning off Cleveland righthander Charlie Chech and beat the Naps‚ 6-1. Former Cleveland owner Frank DeHaas Robison‚ listening on the telephone to a friend’s play-by-play account of the Washington rally collapses with a heart attack. He dies several hours later.

At the Polo Grounds‚ Rube Marquard makes his ML debut and the Reds rough up the Giants $18‚000 rookie for 7 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings. The Reds win‚ 7-1.
September 26With the Cubs just a half game in back of New York‚ Chicago’s Ed Reulbach shoulders a ML record by becoming the only pitcher to throw two shutouts in one day‚ blanking host Brooklyn 5-0 and 3-0. Big Ed allows 5 hits in the a.m. game‚ and is even stingier in the afternoon‚ yielding 3 hits and a walk. He finishes the afternoon contest in 1 hour: 12 minutes. Kaiser Wilhelm and Jim Pastorius are the losing pitchers.

Vic Willis tosses a 6-hit shutout over Boston for a 5-0 Pittsburgh win.

The Giants sweep the Reds‚ 6-2 and 3-1‚ behind victories by Mathewson and Red Ames. For Matty‚ it is his 35th win.

Detroit’s Wild Bill Donovan stops the A’s‚ 3-2‚ while the White Sox are trouncing the Highlanders‚ 12-0. The A’s scores end their ML-record streak of 48 innings without a run: the Cubs will match this in 1968.

Washington’s Walter Johnson loses 5-4 to Cleveland when he makes a throwing error.
September 27At Detroit‚ the Tigers take over first place with a Sunday 5-2 win over the A’s behind righty George Mullin. Ty Cobb swipes home in the 3rd inning with Jack Coombs on the mound and Mike Powers catching. He did in the 1st inning on Thursday to the same pair in a 4-4 tie. All three steals of home this season for Cobb have come on the front end of a double steal.

Ed Walsh blanks the Red Sox‚ 3-0 for a Chicago win. Only 4 percentage points separate the top three AL teams

In the 3rd inning of game 1‚ the Reds’ Hans Lobert steals 2B‚ 3B‚ and home against St. Louis. But the Cardinals win 7-4 before losing game 2‚ 6-1. Lobert will steal 47 bases this year.
September 28Phils C Red Dooin is offered-and rejects-a bribe to lose the final series with the Giants. The incident is not made public until 16 years later. Nothing is proved.
September 29Chicago White Sox ace Ed Walsh is the 3rd pitcher within a week to pitch and win both ends of a doubleheader‚ beating Boston Walsh gives up just one run and 7 hits‚ while fanning 15 in winning 5-1 and 2-0. Walsh did the same thing to the Red Sox in 1905.

The Pirates sweep a doubleheader against the Cardinals at Exhibition Park‚ 7-0 and 6-5. In the opener‚ Howie Camnitz loses a no hitter in the 9th inning on a single by Champ Osteen. The Bucs win game 2 leaving them a half-game in back of New York‚ tied for 2nd with the Cubs.

At the Polo Grounds‚ the Giants split with the Phils‚ winning 6-2 and losing 7-0. Mathewson wins the opener‚ despite giving up 9 hits. Philadelphia then operates on Doc Crandall for a 2nd game win.

In Cincinnati‚ the temporary light towers at the Palace of the Fans contribute to a home run by Chicago’s Joe Tinker (as noted in Redleg Journal). Tinker hits a fly ball that lodges in a tower and he circles the bases before CF Dode Paskert can extricate the ball. Authors Rhodes and Snyder note that the Cincinnati Enquirer speculates that Paskert would have nabbed the fly except for the tower structure. Chicago wins‚ 6-2.
September 30The Pirates top the Cards at home‚ 7-5 as Sam Leever wins in relief of Vic Willis. The win puts the Pirates all alone in 2nd place‚ .004 points behind the Giants.

October

October 1Ed Reulbach shuts out the Reds for a 6-0 Cubs win‚ and Reulbach’s 4th straight shutout‚ tying a mark set by Three Fingered Brown earlier in the year. Big Ed will complete 44 consecutive scoreless innings‚ an NL record until Carl Hubbell‘s 46 in 1933‚ and the 4 straight shutouts will not be tied until another Cub‚ Bill Lee‚ does it in 1938.

With one days’ rest‚ Mathewson pitches the first of two game‚ outlasting Frank Corridon‚ 4-3. Matty is peppered for 10 hits‚ but allows no runs after the 5th. It is Mathewson’s 37th win of the year. The Phils take the 2nd game 6-2‚ but New York is still in 1st place.
October 2In a great pitching duel‚ Ed Walsh is almost perfect‚ giving up 4 hits and striking out 15 in 8 innings‚ but Cleveland’s Addie Joss is perfect‚ setting down 27 straight White Sox for a 1-0 victory. The only run scores on a passed ball by Ossee Schreckengost. It is the high point of Joss’s career. He will ?nish 24-12 with a 1.16 ERA.

In Detroit‚ the Tigers score two runs in the 9th to edge the Browns‚ 7-6. Cobb scores the winning run ‚ but is practically carried across the plate by Hugh Jennings. Cobb had been held at 3B by the umpire who believed Rossman’s double had gone into the crowd. Cobb argued that it had not‚ and Jennings later reminded Cobb to‚ “score first‚ argue later.” The Tigers remain in first by a half-game.

Otis Clymer hits for the cycle to pace the Washington Nationals to a 12-2 pasting of New York.

The Pirates take over first by a half game by sweeping the Cardinals in St; Louis. Lefty Leifield wins the opener 7-4 and Howie Camnitz wins the nitecap 2-1 on homers by Honus Wagner and George Gibson. Only 2 points separate New York‚ Chicago‚ and Pittsburgh‚ as each team takes a turn on top during the final week.
October 3The incident of September 23rd would have become just another odd event in baseball if the Giants had been able to handle the 4th-place Phillies. But rookie lefthander Harry Coveleski‚ just up from the minor leagues‚ earns the nickname “Giant Killer” by beating them 3-2‚ for the 3rd time in 5 days. Mathewson takes the loss.

At a hearing on the September 23rd incident‚ Pulliam does not call Merkle or any other players as witnesses‚ saying he was at the game and saw the events himself. He affirms his earlier decision. Two days later‚ NL directors meet in Cincinnati and order the game replayed on October 8th.

The Tigers roll to their 10th straight win when Wild Bill Donovan shuts out the Browns‚ 6-0 while Cleveland loses‚ 3-2‚ to the White Sox. Detroit leads the AL by 1 1/2 games.

In the finale at Philadelphia’s Columbia Park‚ the A’s split with Boston‚ losing 8-7‚ but winning the nitecap‚ 5-0‚ in 6 innings. Wood allows just a single to Coombs.
October 4The Cubs and Pirates play their last game of the year before 30‚247‚ the largest crowd ever at Chicago’s West Side Grounds. The Cubs win‚ 5-2‚ behind Three Fingered Brown to eliminate the Pirates. Chicago ends the year at 98-55 while the Pirates finish at 98-56. Then they await the results of the 3 Giants games with Boston. Back in Pittsburgh‚ 50‚000 people watch the progress of the Cub’s game on temporary scoreboards. Fans fill New York’s Polo Grounds to watch the action in the same way. Men with megaphones announce each pitch.

On Chicago’s South Side‚ 22‚000 fans jam the grounds for the showdown between the Tigers and the White Sox. The Sox manage to score 3 runs in the 1st inning without a hit‚ and tally just a lone single‚ in the 4th inning‚ off Ed Killian to win‚ 3-1. Frank Smith is the winning pitcher.

In St. Louis‚ Cleveland ends up with a frustrating 3-3 tie with the Browns when umpire Jack Egan makes a controversial out call against the Naps at 1B. Most observers thought that Hinchman beat the 9th inning throw‚ but Egan’s call results in a tie game.
October 5Ed Walsh of the White Sox tops Detroit 6-1 for his 40th victory and forces the AL pennant race to the final day. Detroit’s 24-game winner Eddie Summers takes the loss. Walsh leads the league in games (66)‚ IP (464)‚ K’s (269)‚ complete games (42)‚ saves (6)‚ shutouts (11)‚ and winning percentage (.727). His ERA is 1.42.

The Browns end the Naps’ pennant hopes with a 3-1 win the opener of two. Cleveland takes the 2nd game‚ 5-3‚ to end the season with a 90-64 record. If the Tigers win tomorrow‚ their 90-63 will top Cleveland‚ whereas if the White Sox win‚ their 89-63 record will be 4 points ahead of the Naps.

Boston’s King Brady makes his only AL appearance a good one‚ shutting out the Highlanders. 4-0. King had fashioned 1-1 records for both the Phillies and Pirates in the NL‚ and will go back to the NL with Boston over the winter. Today’s shutout comes in Brady’s last ML start.
October 6Having been in 13 of the last 16 games‚ Ed Walsh does not start the White Sox finale against Detroit. Doc White is hit hard in the 7-0 loss that gives the pennant to the Tigers. Bill Donovan pitches a two hitter.

Detroit OF Sam Crawford leads the AL with 7 HRs. Having led the NL with 16 in 1901‚ he becomes the first player to lead both leagues in that department. The Cardinals have scored 372 runs‚ the lowest season’s total ever.
October 7The Giants complete a 3-game sweep in Boston‚ winning the final‚ 7-2‚ with two wins going to Red Ames and a victory to Joe McGinnity. The season ends with New York and the Cubs each 98-55‚ and Pittsburgh 98-56. The Giants sweep Boston in all three games‚ New York ends tied with Chicago: a playoff game will be held tomorrow.

The last-place New York Highlanders close out the season losing 1-0 in 11 innings to Walter Johnson and the Senators. Johnson‚ who missed 10 weeks ‚ ends up at 14-14‚ with a 1.65 ERA.
October 8According to published reports‚ nearly 250‚000 fans show up at the Polo Grounds to watch the disputed replay of the September 23 game between the Cubs and Giants. The gates were closed at 1:30 for the 3:00 game‚ but still fans tried to storm the gates. Fireman with high pressure hoses knocked down fans that tried to scale the walls. Nearly 40‚000 fans watched from Coogan’s Bluff‚ telephone poles and other vantage points. Two fans are killed when they fall from a pillar on the elevated subway platform. Later admitting he had nothing on the ball‚ Mathewson loses‚ 4-2‚ to the Cubs‚ giving way to Hooks Wiltse in the 8th.: Three Fingered Brown‚ relieving Jack Pfiester in the first‚ gets the win. The Giants played to a record 910‚000 in attendance for the year‚ a figure that will be unmatched until 1920.
October 10In the WS Opener‚ Ed Reulbach‚ coasting with a 5-1 lead‚ tires in the 7th. Brown is unable to stop the Tigers from taking a 6-5 lead in the last of the 8th. But the Cubs jump on reliever Ed Summers‚ a 24-game winner‚ for 6 straight hits and 5 runs in the 9th‚ and Brown gets the win 10-6. For umpire Bill Klem‚ it is the first of 15 WS he will officiate. Detroit’s Ira Thomas‚ batting for Charley O’Leary‚ hits the first WS pinch hit when he singles in the 9th. There had been 12 previous pinch-hit attempts in WS play‚ including the batter before Thomas.
October 11In Chicago for game 2‚ Orval Overall doles out 4 hits‚ and the Cubs break a scoreless deadlock with 6 in the 8th off Bill Donovan for a 6-1 win.
October 12Tiger bats roar for the last time‚ as Jack Pfiester proves an easy target‚ 8-3. Ty Cobb is 4-for-5.
October 13In game 4‚ Three Fingered Brown is in command all the way in a 3-0 four-hit Cub victory.
October 14Before the smallest crowd in WS history-6‚210-the host Tigers are tamed on 3 hits by Overall‚ who fans 10 in a 2-0 win. The Cubs win the series in 5 games.

Upset over seating arrangements at the WS‚ sports reporters form a professional group that will become the Baseball Writers Association of America.
October 18Four days after the finish of the World Series‚ the two teams meet again in Chicago for an exhibition game (as noted by historian Al Kermisch). The game outdraws the last series game in Detroit‚ as 6‚864 watch the Tigers win‚ 7-2. In a pregame field day‚ Ty Cobb wins all three sprint events: he bunts and runs to 1B in 3.2 seconds‚ beating Evers‚ Mordecai Brown‚ and Del Howard. He circles the bases in 13.8 seconds and‚ clad in uniform‚ wins the 100-yard dash in 10.4 seconds‚ beating Jones and Solly Hofman in the latter. Hofman wins the long throw with a toss of 338 feet‚ besting Sam Crawford.
October 24Singing sensation Billy Murray hits the charts with “Take Me Out to the Ball Game‚” the 2nd‚ and most popular‚ of 3 versions to be released within a five-week period. Ironically‚ Murray’s 1903 hit‚ “Tessie‚” is quickly adopted by Boston’s Royal Rooters as their official theme song‚ much to the chagrin of Red Sox’ opponents.

November

November 3An all-star team leaves San Francisco for a tour of Japan‚ China‚ Hawaii‚ and the Philippines. It will play 40 games before returning on February 15.
November 12In Havana‚ the Cincinnati Reds beat a local club‚ 3-1. The Reds are the first ML team to play in Cuba. The game is the first of 12 the team will play during their month-long stay in Cuba. The Reds will finish 6-5 against the Cubans‚ and lose a game to the Brooklyn Royal Giants‚ a Negro team touring the island.
November 16Julia Stahl‚ widow of Chick Stahl‚ is found dead in the doorway of a Boston tenement house. Chick Stahl‚ the Boston manager‚ committed suicide last year during spring training.
November 21In Cuba‚ the Cincinnati Reds get trounced by the Brooklyn Royal Giants, 9-1. Harry Buckner is the pitcher for the Royal Giants. The Royal Giants team includes some black Americans who play for Havana.
November 22The Reach All-Americans defeat Waseda University in Tokyo 5-0‚ in the first game between a Japanese team and American professionals.

December

December 3Cuba’s 21-year-old Jose Mendez of Almendares shuts out Cincinnati‚ 3-0‚ to complete 25 straight shutout innings against the Americans.
December 12The Cardinals are busy. First they get C Admiral Schlei from the Reds for pitchers Ed Karger and Art Fromme. Then they pack off Schlei‚ along with P Bugs Raymond and OF Red Murray‚ to the Giants for veteran catcher Roger Bresnahan. Bresnahan‚ a future Hall of Famer‚ will be the player/manager of the Cardinals for the next 4 years. Raymond lost 25 games in 1908‚ but a ML-record 11 of them were by shutouts (he won 5): Bugs was blanked by Chicago (3); Brooklyn (2); Philadelphia (2); and one each by the Reds‚ Braves‚ Giants‚ and Pirates.