PENNANT RACES ENTER FINAL MONTH WITH HONORS STILL UNCERTAIN
Athletics Seize American Lead While Pirates and Giants Battle in National Circuit
By Arthur H. Leland
Sporting Times
September 1st 1919
With the base ball season now entering its final and most decisive month, the contests for supremacy in both major leagues remain very much unsettled. August has brought shifts in fortune and sharpened the intrigue, leaving the question of the pennants still to be answered upon the field.
In the American League the month produced a change at the summit of the standings. The Philadelphia Athletics have moved into first place and now hold a slender lead of one game over the Washington Senators. The Cleveland Indians, who previously occupied the leading position, have slipped to third and now trail by four and one-half games.
At the opposite end of the circuit, the Chicago White Sox have endured a difficult campaign and enter the final month with their hopes extinguished. Chicago stands twenty-seven and one-half games behind the leaders and has already been removed from contention.
The situation in the National League promises an even tighter conclusion. The Pittsburgh Pirates presently cling to the narrowest of advantages, holding a lead of only half a game over the New York Giants. The remainder of the field lies seven or more games behind, suggesting that the senior circuit’s pennant may well be decided between these two formidable clubs.
At the bottom of the National standings the Cincinnati Reds have fallen completely out of the race, August’s results leaving them twenty-two and one-half games adrift of the leaders.
With the arrival of September also comes the annual expansion of club rosters. Teams still engaged in the pennant chase will seek fresh legs to sustain the long grind of the closing weeks, while those already eliminated may look to introduce younger players as they begin preparing for the next season.
Monthly Honors
American League
Batting honors for August belong to Harry Hooper of the Philadelphia Athletics, who struck at a .352 clip while adding one home run, thirteen runs batted in, and nineteen runs scored.
Pitching distinction goes to Art Nehf of the Athletics, whose perfect 5–0 record was accompanied by a remarkable 1.00 earned run average.
Among the rookies, Bill Sherdel of the Detroit Tigers gained recognition with a record of four victories against two defeats and a 3.05 earned run average.
National League
The leading batsman of the month was Babe Ruth of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who compiled a .347 average while striking three home runs, driving in twenty-one runs, and scoring twenty times.
Pitching honors were claimed by Leon Cadore of the New York Giants, whose five victories against one defeat came with a 2.70 earned run average.
Rookie distinction again falls to Grover Lowdermilk of the Pirates, who posted a record of five victories against one defeat with a 3.38 earned run average.
With only a month of play remaining, both leagues stand poised for a dramatic finish as the leading clubs strive to secure the coveted pennant before the final out of the season is recorded.
