1905
The Skipper's dynasty in Kansas City was still at full throttle, as Kansas City won a franchise-record 97 games and won the Western League (for the fifth year running) by a dozen games.
The other leagues, though, all saw new blood come to life. The Baltimore Terrapins also won 97 games, outgunning their rival Washington Senators by three games. The Midwest Association title stayed in Chicago, but moved to the West Side, as the Chicago Whales won their first league title. Lastly, the Boston Beaneaters gobbled up the New England League, winning a Federation-record 99 games.
The Beaneaters, though, went down at the hands of Chicago, who knocked off Boston in seven games. In the other semifinal, Baltimore bested the Blues in six games in a battle of 97-win teams. That set up a matchup and turtles and whales, and the Terrapins came out ahead in a battle of slow-moving creatures, winning their first National Championship in a six-game series win.
After a strong rookie season, Indianapolis Hoosiers outfielder
Zane Black was even better as a sophomore, slashing .322/.385/.497 with a league-leading 30 triples, and 97 stolen bases. He took home MVP honors, a trophy he would get very acquainted with...
Speaking of getting acquainted, Kansas City's
John Mosley began the Eastern Baseball Federation's first repeat Pitcher of the Year. Mosley was simply dominant: 31-9 record, 1.78 ERA, 209 strikeouts. He did it all in a USBF-leading 42 starts and 369.1 innings.
In a season where he hit a nondescript .274 with no power (.357 slugging), Boston Pilgrims outfielder
Chris Colgin posted a 7-for-11 line on April 6 (how long was that game?!), the first seven-hit game in USBF history and the only one for over two decades.
Minor League Champions
Pacific Coast League: San Francisco Missions, 116-84
Southeastern League: Atlanta Crackers, 96-44 (3rd straight)
Colonial League: Lowell Blue Sox, 76-50, defeats Albany
Texas League: Fort Worth Cats, 76-50, defeats Galveston
River Valley League: Fort Wayne Westerns, 86-54, defeats Toledo