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The Chicago White Sox quickly clinched the American League West Division in mid-September and finished with Major League Baseball’s best record at 102-60. They did end the season going 3-7 in their last ten, but they still easily took the top seed. The White Sox +209 run differential and 538 runs allowed were both the best in all of MLB. Their pitching staff had the top two arms in ERA with Tony Mullane at 2.20 and John Clarkson at 2.40. Chicago also had LF Oscar Walker lead the AL in home runs (42) and RBI (122). They were 13 games ahead of second place Kansas City, while the rest of the West finished below .500. Milwaukee had MLB’s worst record at 60-102.

Washington entered September with a three game lead in the AL East over New York and a four game advantage over Boston. The Nationals went 8-8 to start the month, while allowed both the Red Sox and Yankees to gain ground. With 14 games to go, all three were tied at 82-66.

The big turning point was the final series of September, which saw Boston host and sweep Washington in four games; each by a one run margin. Concurrently, New York got swept in four games at Philadelphia; two of the games in extra innings. Boston’s final four games were at Cleveland and they took three of four, although two of the wins needed extra innings. That slammed the door shut, giving the Red Sox first place at 92-70. Both NY and DC were 87-75 and the Athletics were 82-80.

Boston was the AL’s top scoring team with 854 runs and went 29-18 in one-run games. It was an impressive 52-27 run after the all-star break, erasing a nine-game deficit to the Nationals. Washington ended up 38-41 after the break. The AL’s final Batter of the Month was Royals LF Henry Larkin, going .414 with seven homers, 32 RBI, and 30 runs. Baltimore’s Guy Hecker was Pitcher of the Month with a 1.80 ERA, 6-0 record, and 27 strikeouts over 50 innings. Hecker was also May’s POTM and finished as the AL’s leader in wins (26-9) and complete games (31), making him a contender for Pitcher of the Year.