Indians Surge Ahead as Early Pennant Races Take Shape
By Samuel T. Kingsley, Sporting Times
June 1st 1917
With but two months of the campaign completed, the two great leagues already show strikingly different courses in the race toward the pennants.
In the American League the Cleveland Indians have proven the hottest club in the land, stretching their advantage to a commanding eleven games over the chasing pack. The New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox all sit eleven games behind the leaders, while the Washington Senators trail by eleven and a half games. At the foot of the table the Boston Red Sox continue to endure a trying start, managing only fifteen victories thus far and finding themselves twenty games adrift even at this early stage.
The National League offers a far tighter contest. The Boston Braves hold a narrow lead of two and a half games over the Pittsburgh Pirates, with the Brooklyn Robins a further game back in third place. At the opposite end of the standings the Chicago Cubs have slipped into last position, now sixteen and a half games behind the pace.
Monthly honours reflected the performances shaping the races. In the American League, Cleveland’s Tris Speaker claimed top batter recognition with a .439 mark, thirteen runs batted in and thirty-one runs scored, while teammate Stan Coveleski earned top pitching honours with a perfect 7–0 record and a 1.64 earned run average. Rookie distinction went to Boston’s Hod Eller, who posted a 1–5 record alongside a 1.62 earned run average.
National League accolades saw George Sisler of the Cincinnati Reds named top batter after compiling a .425 average with thirty runs batted in and thirty-four runs scored. Boston’s Fred Toney secured top pitcher honours at 6–1 with a 1.79 earned run average, while Leon Cadore of the New York Giants earned rookie recognition with a 4–2 record and a 1.32 earned run average.
