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Year in Review – 1901
The National League
The first season of the newly formed Major League began on April 18th when Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants fired a called strike to Boston Beaneaters second-baseman, Gene DeMontreville. The Giants, behind a stellar performance from Mathewson, would go on to log a 2-1 victory after an 11-inning contest. Though Mathewson would continue to dominate the league for the remainder of the season, his efforts would not be enough to propel the Giants to the top of the National League standings. That honor would belong to the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team led by a 24 year-old ace named Rube Waddell. Waddell dominated hitters by mixing an overpowering fastball with an excellent sweeping curve. The combination was enough to earn Rube the National League Pitching Triple Crown as he finished with an impressive line of 29 wins against only 5 losses; a 1.57 ERA; and 251 strikeouts. Rube also logged 32 complete games and 4 shutouts while setting records in numerous pitching categories: .853 Winning %; 6.77 Hits Allowed per 9 IP; 7.02 Strikeouts per 9 IP; 0.94 WHIP; and .248 OPP OBP. Offensively, the Pirates were sparked by a duo of young outfielders. Rightfielder Lefty Davis, (.323 3 62), and centerfielder Ginger Beaumont (.308 6 93), packed the punch in the wake of superstar Fred Clarke’s early season-ending injury.
Though pitchers like Rube, Mathewson (18-14 2.19), Philadelphia’s Doc White (22-12 2.36), and Pittsburgh’s Jesse Tannehill (20-13 1.81) would hold most of the National League hitters at bay, none of their efforts were good enough to stifle Elmer Flick, a 25 year-old outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies. Flick would log numbers good enough to win the Triple Crown, finishing with a .369 AVG, 12 HRs, and 119 RBI while also leading the league in OBP (.454), SLG (.565), OPS (1.019), Hits (202), Total Bases (309), and the highest WAR ever recorded by a position player (8.6).
Other Notes:
Cincinnati Reds first-baseman Jake Beckley records hit number 2000.
New York Giants shortstop George Davis becomes the 4th player to tally 1000 RBIs.
Standings
Pittsburgh Pirates............88-52 .629
Cincinnati Reds...............79-61 .564
St. Louis Cardinals...........78-62 .557
Philadelphia Phillies...........77-63 .550
Brooklyn Superbas...........69-71 .493
New York Giants..............64-76 .457
Chicago Orphans.............61-79 .436
Boston Beaneaters...........44-96 .314
Awards
MVP – Elmer Flick PHI .369 AVG 12 HR 119 RBI
Top Pitcher – Rube Waddell PIT 29-5 1.97 ERA 251 K
Rookie of the Year – Doc White P PHI 22-12 2.36 ERA 205 K
Manager of the Year – Fred Clark, Pittsburgh Pirates
Top 5 Hitters
1. Elmer Flick RF Phi
2. Bobby Wallace SS Stl
3. Billy Hamilton CF Bos
4. Claude Ritchey 2B Pit
5. George Davis SS NY
Top 5 Pitchers
1. Rube Waddell Pit
2. Doc White Phi
3. Christy Mathewson NY
4. Jesse Tannehill Pit
5. Noodles Hahn Cin
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