PENNANT RACES TAKE SHAPE AS SUMMER WANES
By Samuel T. Kingsley, Sporting Times
September 1st, 1901
With the calendar turning to September and the summer drawing to its close, the two great leagues of professional base ball find themselves on markedly different paths. In the American League, a struggle most stirring keeps the fans in a fever of excitement, while in the National League the race appears all but run.
In the junior circuit, the Baltimore Orioles continue to press their claim with relentless vigor. Their mark of 73 victories against 39 defeats gives them a two and a half game advantage over the determined Boston Americans. Not far behind, the Chicago White Sox, with their own brand of grit and guile, remain four games distant and ever ready to pounce should the leaders falter. Beyond these three, however, the remainder of the clubs find themselves well adrift, each at least ten games back, their hopes for this season now little more than mathematical.
The story is of a wholly different nature in the senior loop. There, the Pittsburgh Pirates have seized the banner of supremacy and carried it beyond the reach of mortal pursuit. With a record of 79 wins against 33 losses, they now command an astounding 18-game margin over their nearest rival. For the rest of the National League, the contest is no longer for the pennant, but merely for the honor of finishing a distant second. The steel town nine march on with the inevitability of champions elect.
Meanwhile, the close of August brought the announcement of the monthly laurels, with several players being rightly commended for their performances. In the American League, Jimmy Williams of Baltimore earned the distinction of Batter of the Month, his heavy stick yielding a .416 average, with one home run, 23 runs driven in, and 21 tallies scored. On the mound, the honor fell to Chick Fraser of the Philadelphia Athletics, whose 7 victories without a defeat and an earned run average of 2.07 made him the class of his peers.
In the National League, Sam Crawford of the Cincinnati Reds swung the hottest bat, compiling a .389 mark with 5 circuit clouts, 29 runs batted in, and 16 runs scored. The laurels for pitching went to Bill Dinneen of the Boston Beaneaters, who posted a record of 5 victories against 2 defeats, all while baffling batsmen to the tune of a 1.48 earned run average.
Thus the stage is set for September. The American League offers all the intrigue of a three-horse race, while the National League finds itself awaiting the coronation of the mighty Pirates. Fans of base ball shall not be lacking for drama as the season barrels toward its close.
