1911
For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Athletics win exactly 101 games. Last year, it put them four games back of Baltimore. This year, they finish four games ahead of the reigning champs to win the Eastern League. In New England, New York breezes to an 11-game finish over New Haven (is that sentence "New" enough?).
Out west, Indianapolis wins their fifth Midwest Association title in six years, squeezing two games ahead of the Chicago Whales. The upstart Omaha Golden Spikes, meanwhile, win their first Western League title, finishing three games ahead of both Kansas City and St. Paul.
As it turns out, the bright lights were not too bright for the Golden Spikes. They ran roughshod over the New York Gothams in a four-game sweep. After Philadelphia downed St. Louis in five games, Omaha flipped the tables with a five-game series win, giving the Golden Spikes their first National Championship.
For the second year in a row,
Le-Song Si earns MVP, joining Indianapolis' Zane Black as the only multiple-time (and repeat) winners. Si slashed .346/.431/.559, swatting a league-high 42 triples while earning Great Glove recognition for the fourth time in as many years in the majors.
We're seeing double on the mound as well as
Justin Rodrigues made it two POTY honors in two big-league seasons. A career-best 26 wins, a USBF-leading 1.86 ERA and 209 punchouts in 343.2 innings did the trick for the 27-year-old righty.
This season saw history in the form of Indianapolis Hoosiers 2B
Josh Adams, who hit for the cycle on August 1 vs. Minneapolis, just shy of five years after he did so for Denver against Newark. In doing so, Adams becme the first USBF player to hit for the cycle twice.
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With the South starting to grow more, there was burgeoning demand for more baseball south of the Mason-Dixon. Thus, the
Coastal League was born this year.
Coastal League
Charleston Cannons
Charlotte Hornets
Jacksonville Tars
Macon Peaches
Miami Gators
Mobile Marines (from Southeastern League)
Norfolk Admirals (from Southeastern League)
Tampa Tarpons
Notable in the new league is the presence of two former Southeastern League clubs. Frustrated by Atlanta and New Orleans' dominance, the Mobile Marines (freshly re-named from the Greenhorns) and Norfolk Admirals made the jump. Interestingly, Mobile won the CL pennant...Norfolk finished last.
In turn, the SEL re-loaded with the establishment of the Shreveport Captains and Chattanooga Lookouts.
Minor League Champions
Pacific Coast League: San Francisco Seals, 135-65
Southeastern League: Atlanta Crackers, 100-40
Colonial League: Reading Keystones, 78-48, defeats Binghamton
Texas League: Galveston Hurricanes, 79-47, defeats Dallas (2nd straight)
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 91-49, defeats St. Joseph (2nd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Ogden Railroaders, 79-47, defeats Salt Lake City (2nd straight)
Coastal League: Mobile Marines, 97-43, defeats Tampa