1923 in MLB
The best record in the National Association in 1923 went to Baltimore atop the Eastern League at 102-60. Philadelphia took the wild card at 97-65, finishing three ahead of Buffalo and five over Ottawa. In the Midwest League, Columbus took the first place spot at 92-70. Kansas City got the other plyoff spot at 90-72, one better than Cincinnati and four over Chicago and Minneapolis.
The notable individual seasons came from non-playoff teams. St. Louis first baseman Elijah Cashman set the Major League record with 61 home runs in his second MVP season. Cashman’s 12.3 WAR was the most ever in a single season by any MLB player to that point, hitting a 1.060 OPS with league bests in runs (138) and RBI (145) along with Gold Glove winning defense. Despite this, the Cardinals were 74-88, tied for seventh In the Midwest.
Brooklyn was 10th in the Eastern League at 75-87 but had Pitcher of the Year Bailey Johnson. The 26-year old left was one ERA point from the Triple Crown at 23-7, 2.34 ERA, and 313 strikeouts. The man one point better was Dylan D’Ippolito of Washington at 2.33, the 1923 Rookie of the Year. Very soon, D’Ippolito became notable as a legitimate two-way success on the mound and in the outfield.
In the playoffs, Baltimore swept Kansas City and Columbus beat Philadelphia in four in the first round. The NACS went to the Orioles in six games for their second Association title in three years.
The defending World Series champ Houston improved upon their 1922 record by nine games, the best in the American Association at 112-50. The Hornets had by far the best pitching staff in the AA, allowing 592 runs with a fifth Pitcher of the Year Award for Newton Persaud. Charlotte placed second in the SL at 93-69, beating out Atlanta for second by two games.
SL Sixth place Oklahoma City had the league MVP in Ethan “Socks” Lewin. The 26-year old designated hitter became the first MLB hitter ever to land the Triple Crown at .368 with 52 home runs and 143 RBI.
San Francisco advanced to the playoffs for the sixth straight season with their fifth Western League title in that run. The Gold Rush finished at 95-67. Six teams were within five games of the second place spot with Calgary and Denver tying for the spot at 89-73. Oakland was one back at 88-74, then Vancouver (86-76), Phoenix (85-77), San Diego (85-77), and Los Angeles (84-78). In a one-game playoff, the Cheetahs beat the Dragons to send Calgary to the playoffs for the first time since 1905.
The Cheetahs used that momentum to stun Houston in the first round in five games. Charlotte also swept San Francisco on the road, setting up both second place teams in the AACS. The Canaries won their first Association title in a seven-game classic over the Cheeaths. The World Series went seven as well with the home team winning each game; this time leading to Baltimore’s first overall title. Journeyman catch Russel Dennis won the World Series MVP, picking up 19 hits and 11 runs over the postseason.
Other Notes: Phoenix’s Marc Hutson had a 35-game hit streak, the second-longest only behind Condela Gurrola’s 40-game streak for Seattle in 1902. Seattle’s Del Klassen became the second hitter to 3000 career hits. Archie Meredith of Toronto was the 5th to 500 career home runs and Newton Persaud the fourth to 3500 career strikeouts.
Last edited by FuzzyRussianHat; 09-12-2022 at 06:23 PM.
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