SPORTING TIMES — May 1st, 1914
By Samuel T. Kingsley
Early Pennant Races Bunched Tightly as April Gives Way to May
With the season’s opening contests now behind them and the calendar turning from April to May, the two major leagues find themselves in a state of remarkable congestion, offering early promise of hard-fought pennant races.
The American League presents the most striking picture of parity. Every club is separated by the narrowest of margins, with the entire circuit covered by just one game. The Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox currently share the top rung at 8–7, yet even the New York Yankees, resting at 7–8, remain very much within reach. At so early a stage, no club can be dismissed from contention.
Conditions in the National League are only marginally less compressed. The Pittsburgh Pirates hold a slim one-and-a-half game lead over a closely packed group of four pursuers, an advantage that could vanish in the span of a single series. At the foot of the table, the St. Louis Cardinals have stumbled out of the gate and find themselves four games adrift in last place.
As April closed, individual excellence has already begun to assert itself, with the month’s honors duly awarded.
In the American League, Owen Wilson of the New York Yankees claimed top batting honors by striking for a .368 average, along with three home runs, ten runs batted in, and ten runs scored. On the mound, Fritz Coumbe of the Boston Red Sox was untouchable, posting a 4–1 record and a sparkling 0.88 earned run average, a performance that earned him both Top Pitcher and Rookie distinctions.
The National League saw Jack Fournier of the Chicago Cubs lead all batsmen with a .338 average, four home runs, twelve RBIs, and fourteen runs scored. Pitching honors went to Eddie Plank of the Cincinnati Reds, whose 4–2 record and 1.66 ERA anchored his club, while fellow Red Charlie Schmutz captured Rookie of the Month honors with a 2–1 mark and a 1.19 ERA.
With the standings crowded and form still unsettled, the opening weeks of May promise to bring clarity—or further confusion—to races that have begun in the tightest of fashions.
