The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward

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The Red Sox remained the American League’s best team through May 1904 and took over the best record in the majors at 37-18. However, the second-best record is right behind them in the AL East with the 35-20 Nationals. Both New York and Cleveland are eight back at 29-26. Detroit holds the AL West lead at 32-22, but Kansas City (30-25), St. Louis (29-26), and Minnesota (27-28) each aren’t too far away. Chicago still has the worst record at 14-41, but their May was ‘regular bad’ instead of historically bad like their 3-24 April.

Defending World Series champ New Orleans had an impressive 20-9 month to move into the National League’s top spot narrowly at 33-22. The Pelicans are four games up in the NL West on the 29-26 Cubs, followed by the 28-27 Cardinals. Buffalo ended the month on a five-game losing streak, but still holds the NL East lead at 32-22. Pittsburgh is 1.5 back at 31-24, while the rest of the division is within fewer than eight games from first.

Royals LF Mike Donlin took AL Batter of the Month on a .388 average, 6 home runs, 17 RBI, and 26 runs. Cardinals RF/P Charlie Hickman was the best NL bat with a .402 average, 5 home runs, 17 RBI, and 27 runs. Hickman is having a banner year ranking second in average (.357), homers (10), and RBI (45) while also leading the majors on the mound with a 1.80 ERA.

Cleveland’s Addie Joss was AL Pitcher of the Month with a 6-0 record, 1.59 ERA, and 34 strikeouts in 51 innings. Clowns veteran Tom Vickery won in the NL on a 5-0 record, 1.71 ERA, and 27 Ks in 52.2 innings. The best AL rookie was Nationals RHP Orval Overall with a 4-1 record, 2.32 ERA, and 26 Ks in 42.2 innings. NL Rookie of the Month was Indianapolis RF Ty Cobb with a .343 average, 10 doubles, 4 homers, 17 runs, and 10 RBI.

The first cycle of the season came May 25 by Brooklyn’s John Titus facing Chicago. In milestones, Buffalo’s Denny Lyons reached 1100 career stolen bases; the third in MLB history behind Jim Fogarty (1147) and Billy Hamilton (1137). Minnesota’s Hugh Duffy and Indy’s Bob Pettit both reached 900 steals. Hamilton notably scored his 1500th run with the Clowns. Giants 3B Charlie Irwin reached 2000 hits. Pitchers earning strikeout #2000 in May was the Braves’ Rube Waddell and Yankees’ Jim Gardner.

Elsewhere in the world, United States Army engineers began work on the Panama Canal. In sports, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was formed to oversee international soccer competition.

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The Boston Red Sox maintain the best record in Major League Baseball as they enter the 1904 all-star break at 54-31. The American League East Division remains very competitive though with Washington only four back at 50-35. New York (46-39) and Cleveland (44-41) both go into the break with winning records as well.

In the AL West, reigning AL champ Detroit went into the break on a six-game losing streak, including getting swept by last place Chicago. Kansas City meanwhile ended on a seven-game win streak, putting the Royals in first at 49-36. The Tigers (45-44), Browns (44-41), and Twins (43-42) are each within striking distance. The White Sox have had a notably bizarre season as they entered the break with a six-game winning streak and have also had a seven-game win streak. However, their 16-game losing streak in April is a big reason they’re 30-55.

Buffalo holds the National League’s best record at 50-34 atop the East. Pittsburgh is giving chase at 47-38 and is the only other team in the division above .500. Chicago passed defending World Series champ New Orleans for the NL West lead. The Cubs sit at 49-36, followed by the 47-38 Pelicans and 43-42 Cardinals.

AL Batter of the Month in June was a repeat for Royals LF “Turkey Mike” Donlin with a .387 average, 11 home runs, 29 RBI, and 18 runs. Yet again, Donlin and Baltimore’s Sam Crawford are dominating the offensive leaderboards. Donlin leads in batting average (.372) and OPS (1.143) while Crawford tops the charts for homers (28) and RBI (78). NL Batter of the Month was Cubs CF Ginger Beaumont with a .389 average, 7 homers, 29 RBI, and 29 runs. Beaumont leads the NL with 77 RBI.

Cleveland’s Dale Gear was AL Pitcher of the Month with a 5-0 record, 2.39 ERA, and 22 strikeouts over 49 innings. Braves lefty Ed Killian won in the NL on a 5-1 record, 1.58 ERA, and 46 Ks in 51.1 innings. AL Rookie of the Month was Royals 1B George Stovall. A second round pick, he hit .347 in June with 10 doubles, 4 homers, 14 runs, and 13 RBI. Clowns RF Ty Cobb repeated as the NL’s top rookie as the #1 pick hit .343 with 35 hits, 4 homers, and 20 RBI.



In bad news for the Tigers, SS Honus Wagner is out for the season with a broken bone in his elbow from June 2. The 30-year old Wagner has been a four-time Silver Slugger winner in his eight-year career, but this will be the fourth time he’s missed half or more of a season due to injury.



Buffalo’s Silver King made history on June 24, becoming only the second pitcher to record 300 career wins. He did it with a complete game in a 6-5 win over Pittsburgh, giving up 11 hits and two walks with zero strikeouts. King joined Mickey Welch, who has 322 wins and is still bouncing around as a reliever at age 45 for Brooklyn. King is the career leader in shutouts with 46, while Welch leads in complete games (355) and innings (5123).

Elsewhere, long-time Browns pitcher Bob Black became the first to 3500 career strikeouts. He’s been reduced to sporadic relief at age 41 in his 21st season in St. Louis. Black is the all-time leader in pitching WAR (103.47), but also losses (303), hits allowed (5214), and homers allowed (445).

In other milestones, reaching 2500 career hits were Reds 1B Spider Clark and Cubs LF/P George Van Haltren. Louisville C Fred Carroll passed both 1500 RBI and 1500 runs scored on consecutive days. Browns 1B Scott Stratton breached 1000 RBI and his teammate LF Bug Holliday reached 800 stolen bases. Yankees RF Dick Johnston became the second player to 3000 career games, joining hit king Pete Browning. Browning enters the break at 1999 runs and barring injury will be the first to 2000.

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The 21st MLB All-Star Game was Tuesday, July 5, 1904 at Cincinnati’s Palace of the Fans. Below are the rosters for the event. The annual Home Run Challenge went to Yankees CF Danny Green, who defeated Kansas City’s Bill Lange 12-6 in the final round. Green previously won the event in 1898, joining Charlie Duffee and Jimmy Ryan as the only two-time winners.



For the third straight year, the National League was victorious, this time by a 7-5 margin over their American League foes. The AL still leads the all-time series 14-7. Cardinals LF/P Charlie Hickman earned MVP honors, scoring twice with a solo homer and double.

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Boston made more gains towards the American League East Division title, going 14-8 since the all-star break. Their top rival Washington meanwhile struggled to 9-13 to close July 1904. The Red Sox have MLB’s best record at 68-39 while both the Nationals and Yankees are nine back at 59-48. Kansas City had the best post-break record at 15-7, growing their AL West lead to 6.5 games. The Royals are 64-43, while three other teams are within eight games. St. Louis is second at 57-49, followed by Detroit at 57-50 and Minnesota at 56-50.

The National League didn’t see anyone go on a major tear since the break. Buffalo remains the top team overall at 63-44 with Pittsburgh three back on them in the East at 60-47. New Orleans did gain two games on Chicago, tying the Cubs for the West lead at 59-48. St. Louis (56-51), Indianapolis (52-55), and Louisville (51-56) each aren’t out of the hunt quite yet.

Reigning AL MVP Sam Crawford won AL Batter of the Month for July with a .376 average, 8 home runs, 23 RBI, and 15 runs. Through 2/3 of the season, Crawford leads the majors in homers (34) and RBI (99). Clowns RF Ty Cobb was NL Batter and Rookie of the Month at age 17, hitting .430 with 9 homers, 22 RBI, and 27 runs. Cobb also had the season’s first six-hit game on July 10 facing Chicago. He leads the majors entering August with a .362 average.

AL Pitcher of the Month was Browns righty William Sutch with a 5-1 record, 1.87 ERA, and 25 strikeouts in 53 innings. Indianapolis righty Red Ames was the NL’s best with a 1.57 ERA, 6-0 record, and 44 Ks in 51.2 innings. AL Rookie of the Month was Royals reliever Walter Clarkson with a 2.61 ERA and 11 Ks in 10.1 innings, recording 11 saves in 12 tries. In other notables, New Orleans 1B Frank Chance had a 28-game hitting streak snapped on July 30. This was the longest streak for anyone since 1901.

Hit king Pete Browning became the first player to score 2000 career runs. The 43-year old 3B with the Pirates is the career leader in runs (2011), hits (3797), games (3121), total bases (5903), singles (2531), and doubles (5903). Despite his age, Browning is second in the NL this season in batting average at .355 through July.

The home run and RBI king Mike Tiernan is chasing Browning for the total bases record with 5879, 30 away. Tiernan has 635 homers, 2124 RBI, and 130.11 WAR, the career leader among only position players. Also in July, Twins OF Hugh Duffy joined Tiernan as the only guys with 2000+ RBI. Duffy is the only other 600+ homer guy with 618.

In other hitting milestones, Washington IF Frank Grant reached 2500 career hits. Phillies LF Joe Kelley reached 300 homers. Cleveland 1B Jim McTamany crossed 1000 stolen bases, while Cincinnati CF Eddie Burke and Yankees RF Jack O’Connor both got to 800 swipes.

George Davies became the tenth pitcher to 250 career wins with the Braves. He has been a reliever this season with little success and was traded to Brooklyn for prospects. Overall, the deadline came and went without any blockbuster deals. Elsewhere in the world, the third modern Olympic Games opened in St. Louis as part of the World’s Fair.

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The Red Sox went on a 20-9 tear in August to further solidify their hold on the best record in the majors. Boston sits at 88-48, growing their American League East Division lead to 14 games over both Washington and New York at 74-62. Kansas City maintains the AL West lead at 79-57, but they were around .500 for August. Detroit gained the most ground, now four back at 75-61. Still in the fight are the Browns (73-62) 5.5 back and the Twins (71-64) 7.5 back.

Buffalo still holds the National League’s best record at 80-56, but only gained one game on Pittsburgh in the NL East. The Pirates are four back at 76-60, while Brooklyn is still a long shot candidate nine back at 71-65. The NL West had a shakeup after St. Louis went 18-11, vaulting into first place at 74-62. New Orleans played around .500 despite ending the month on a seven-game winning streak. The Pelicans are one back at 73-63, but Chicago (71-65), Indianapolis (69-67), and even Louisville (67-69) could still make a late push.

AL Batter of the Month was Orioles LF Sam Crawford with a .373 average, 10 home runs, 26 RBI, and 21 runs. Wahoo Sam leads the majors with 44 home runs and 125 RBI and could make a run at a Triple Crown. His .345 average is second in the AL to Kansas City’s Mike Donlin at .352. Louisville 3B Jim Delahanty was NL Batter of the Month on a .384 average, 9 homers, 32 RBI, and 27 runs. Delahanty also hit for the cycle on August 17 facing Chicago.

Red Sox righty Frank Smith was AL Pitcher of the Month with a 6-0 record, 1.72 ERA, and 41 strikeouts over 52.1 innings. Clowns righty Red Ames took the NL’s honor on a 6-0 record, 1.74 ERA, and 42 Ks over 51.2 innings. Royals 1B George Stovall was AL Rookie of the Month with a .311 average, 4 homers, 14 RBI, and 21 runs. Clowns RF Ty Cobb took the NL’s rookie honor again with a .442 average, 3 homers, 22 RBI, and 18 runs. Cobb leads the majors with a .377 average.



The 3000 hit club grew to seven members with two additions in late August. Buffalo 3B Denny Lyons reached the milestone on the 23rd against Pittsburgh, while Detroit 1B Jake Beckley did it two days later facing Baltimore. Also on the all-time leaderboard, Mike Tiernan took the #1 spot for total bases at 5936, although hit king Pete Browning is only one behind him.



There hadn’t been a no-hitter since September 1902, but the Yankees’ Jack Powell changed that on August 30. In a 4-0 win against Philadelphia, Powell tossed the no-no on the road with four walks and two strikeouts over 103 pitches. It was only his third start of the season as he’s been used primarily as an occasional reliever. Yankees CF Danny Green had the season’s second six-hit game on August 23 facing Baltimore. Detroit SP/1B Rube Foster hit for the cycle on 8/1 against Cleveland. Foster also had 7 RBI, tying the record for most RBI in a cycle.

In other milestones, Yankees C Deacon McGuire reached 2000 hits, as did Nationals RF Jimmy Bannon. Reds RHP Bill Hawke earned strikeout #2000. Browns 1B Scott Stratton stole his 700th base.

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The Boston Red Sox kept rolling through September 1904 and finished with the best record in Major League Baseball at 106-56. This was tied for the second-best record in American League history. Boston also had 342 doubles as a team, the third-best in AL history. They’re tied for the most playoff berths of any team with six, but this ended a 14-year AL East drought going back to their 1880s dynasty. The Red Sox finished with the fewest runs allowed (626) and best differential (+205) in MLB.

The gap was too far despite a solid finish for Washington, who was second in the AL East at 94-68. The Nationals led the AL with 836 runs scored as they bounced back from a terrible 67-win 1903 campaign. New York was 89-73 for their seventh straight winning season, but their playoff streak ended at four. Baltimore had their first losing campaign in five years at 72-90. Philadelphia notably at 63-99 had their seventh straight losing season since their 1897 pennant.

Kansas City quickly left no doubt in the AL West with a four-game sweep of Detroit mid-month. The Royals earned their third division title in four years with a 99-63 finish, while the defending-AL champ Tigers took second at 89-73. St. Louis (86-76) and Minnesota (82-80) also posted winning records. The Twins set an MLB record with ten straight winning seasons, although it was their sixth year in-a-row outside of the playoffs.

Chicago ended at 50-112 for the worst record in AL history and the second-worst in MLB history behind only 1900 Buffalo’s 48-114. The White Sox set MLB all-time worsts for team batting average (.226), hits (1238), runs (554), and team slugging (.318). They also had the second-worst OBP (.287) in AL history and the third-fewest homers (87). In other team stats, Detroit’s offense drew an MLB-record low 350 walks. Cleveland (197) and Philadelphia (200) had the second/third lowest team stolen base total in MLB history.

Orioles LF Sam Crawford was September’s AL Batter of the Month with a .384 average, 11 home runs, 33 RBI, and 33 runs. Wahoo Sam is likely to repeat as AL MVP as he led in homers (55), RBI (158), slugging (.742), OPS (1.161), WAR (10.9), hits (211), and runs (129). He had a .352 average, just missing the Triple Crown by Kansas City’s Mike Donlin (.358). Crawford now has four seasons of 150+ RBI and three with 50+ homers. He’s led in homers in all five of his seasons with a low of 47. Crawford has also led in runs, OPS, and wRC+ in three consecutive seasons.

Red Sox lefty Doc White was Pitcher of the Month with a 4-1 record, 1.70 ERA, and 32 strikeouts over 42.1 innings. Kansas City’s Walter Clarkson was Rookie of the Month on a 2-0 record, 0.98 ERA, and 12 Ks over 18.1 innings. Detroit’s Ed Walsh is the favorite for Pitcher of the Year with by far the top ERA at 1.97, only the fifth sub-two qualifying ERA in MLB history.



In milestones, Minnesota’s Herb Goodall reached 200 career wins. Tigers 1B Jake Beckley crossed 1500 runs scored and Yankees CF Danny Green made it to 300 home runs.

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The 1904 division races in the National League were the tightest in MLB history. In the NL East, Buffalo’s lead had dropped to two games over Pittsburgh heading into their penultimate series against each other. The Pirates took three of four, including a six-run ninth inning rally in a 6-5 win and a 12-inning win in game three. With one series remaining, they were tied at 88-68.

Tiebreaker games aren’t used, although the situation hadn’t come up yet for a division title in MLB’s first two decades. The first tiebreaker used is head-to-head record; the Bisons and Pirates were an even 12-12 against each other. The next one is run differential in those games; that favored Buffalo 117-103. So they knew that a tie was as good as a win in the final standings, while Pittsburgh would need to finish up a game.

The Pirates ended at Boston, starting with a 7-6 win, followed by a 10-3 loss and 4-3 win (10 innings). Buffalo hosted Philadelphia and lost the opener 2-1, but won the next two 7-5 and 3-2 to keep the division tied. The Bisons lost their finale 3-0 to the Phillies to open the door, but the Pirates were defeated 9-6 in their finale by the Braves. With both teams at 91-71, this clinched Buffalo’s fifth division title (1884, 87, 92, 93, 1904).

Buffalo’s young core helped a turnaround, as they had been below .500 in the prior six seasons including their record-worst 48-112 in 1900. It ended a decade-long playoff drought. The Bisons allowed the NL’s fewest runs (644) while the Pirates scored the most (889). Brooklyn was third at 86-76. Last year’s division champ Boston was 76-88 to end a six-year run of winning seasons.

Entering September, three teams were close in the NL West race; defending World Series champ New Orleans, St. Louis, and Chicago. Indianapolis and Louisville both had outside shots, but the Colonels ultimately were fourth at 83-79 while the Clowns took fifth at 79-83. Early in September, the Cubs took three of four hosting the Cardinals. The next week, St. Louis grabbed three of four over the Pelicans. Chicago would be set to host New Orleans in the final series of the season.

With eight games to go, the Cardinals had a two game lead on both the Cubs and Pelicans. St. Louis split their penultimate series at Indianapolis while Chicago split at Cincinnati. New Orleans meanwhile won three of four over Louisville, putting them a game back on the lead. The Cubs took a 2-1 walkoff win in their series opener with the Pelicans, then won the next night 6-1.



The Cardinals began their final series hosting the Colonels with a 2-0 win, getting the season’s second no-hitter by Cy Morgan. He had four strikeouts and two walks over 107 pitches. But St. Louis lost game two by a 7-2 margin, putting the standings with two games remaining at Cardinals 87-73, Cubs 86-74, and Pelicans 85-75. St. Louis dropped their penultimate contest 5-3 in 11 innings against Louisville to further crack the door open.

Chicago’s hopes were dashed as New Orleans ended the season with 6-5 and 15-4 road wins over the Cubs, giving the Pelicans an 87-75 final record with Chicago at 86-76. The Cardinals eked out a 2-1 win in their closer with Louisville, giving St. Louis first place outright at 88-74. This ended a nine-year playoff drought and was the fourth division title for the Cardinals (1886, 87, 94, 1904). St. Louis had the NL’s best run differential at +159, but underperformed their expected win/loss by eight thanks to a 14-22 record in one-run games. However, the Cardinals’ 42-28 record after the all-star break was the best in the NL.

Cardinals RF/P Charlie Hickman was the final NL Batter of the Month with a .436 average, 41 hits, 9 home runs, 29 RBI, and 26 runs. He’s the favorite for MVP as offensively he led in slugging (.644) and was top five in most of the major offensive stats. Simultaneously, Hickman had the second-best ERA at 2.39 with an 18-6 record, 125 Ks, and 3.7 WAR on the mound. Hickman had a combined 12.1 WAR. Defending MVP SS Jimmy Williams of New Orleans had the highest WAR for just position players (11.0) and set a single-season defensive record for zone rating at 38.7.

The final NL Rookie of the Month was Clowns RF Ty Cobb with a .344 average, 32 hits, 4 home runs, 16 RBI, and 18 runs. Two rookies had league-leading debuts in the NL with Cobb winning the batting title (.372) while also leading in hits (221), doubles (58), and OPS (1.046). Meanwhile, Buffalo RF Pete Hill led with 38 homers and 369 total bases in his debut. Cobb had the best OPS+ (180) but Hill led in win probability added (7.25), making for an intriguing Rookie of the Year race.

September’s Pitcher of the Month with Colonels ace Christy Mathewson with a 2.41 ERA, 4-1 record, and 37 strikeouts over 41 innings. He had another stellar showing with league bests for strikeouts (305) and WAR (11.2). Mathewson is the only pitcher with an 11+ WAR season (he’s done it thrice) and he has four of the six 300+ strikeout seasons. Still, he’s not a lock for Pitcher of the Year as he was third in ERA (2.55) with a 21-9 record. Buffalo’s Barney Pelty led in ERA (2.22), wins (23-9) and innings (300.1) while also breaking the single-season record for shutouts with 10.



In milestones, Louisville RF Charlie Duffee reached 2500 career hits while Indianapolis LF Tom Gettinger and Cubs 1B Ollie Smith both got to 2000 hits. In a bad milestone, Duffee also became the first batter to strike out 2000+ times. Giants 3B Heinie Reitz crossed 1000 runs scored. Bisons SP Silver King earned strikeout #2500.

Hit king Pete Browning with Pittsburgh became the first to 800+ career doubles. He finished the season as the all-time leader in doubles (807), games (3167), runs (2030), and hits (3844). Braves legend Mike Tiernan did finish ahead of Browning for total bases (5984 to 5973). Tiernan leads in homers (643) and RBI (2152). However, he did narrowly lose the top spot for WAR among position players, passed by Nationals 2B Ed Delahanty (131.68 to 131.61).

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Boston was making its sixth trip to the American League Championship Series in 1904, but they hadn’t been there since the 1880s dynasty run. The Red Sox won three World Series titles in four years from 1886-89, but bounced between the middle and bottom tiers since. Kansas City had the inverse as the last team to earn a playoff berth in 1901, but they won their first World Series that year. The Royals were the ALCS loser in 1902 as well.

Game one was 2-2 after the third inning. The Red Sox went ahead with a two-run fifth inning and held onto a 4-2 win. LF Bill Gray doubled twice and singled with two RBI and a run. Doc White was the winning pitcher with 7.2 innings, six hits, two runs, one walk, and six strikeouts.



Boston secured game two at home 9-6 with the key explosion coming in a six-run sixth inning. DH Moose McCormick was 4-5 with a run and RBI. Eight of the nine Red Sox players in the lineup scored a run and eight had a hit.



Game three was a pitcher’s duel with the only regulation scoring coming with solo runs for both squads in the seventh inning. In the bottom of the tenth, Kansas City C Doggie Miller drew a leadoff walk, then was doubled to third by Bill Lange with one out. CF Curt Bernard sent it deep enough to right to score Miller on a sacrifice fly without a throw for a 2-1 Royals walkoff win. Starting pitcher Earl Zook went seven innings with three hits, one run, one walk, and one K. Rookie Walter Clarkson pitched the final three innings of clean relief. Boston’s Bob Wicker gave up one run over 8.2 innings in a no decision.



Kansas City evened the series at 2-2 after a 2-0 pitcher’s duel home win in game four. 40-year old Adonis Terry tossed a five-hit gem with five strikeouts and no walks. In defeat, Boston’s George Pfanmiller had a complete game with seven hits, two runs, one walk, and five strikeouts.



The trend of only home winners continued in game five. Kansas City took a 3-2 series lead on an 11-4 win, getting three straight wins at home. Both teams combined for 26 hits, but the Royals made theirs count with everyone in the lineup getting on base. RF Matty McIntyre scored thrice, Doggie Miller had three hits, and Gene DeMontreville had two hits, two runs, and three RBI. Brownie Foreman tossed a complete game, giving up 11 hits and four walks, but only four runs with eight strikeouts.



Back at home in Boston, the Red Sox returned to their winning ways 5-2 in game six. Frank Smith pitched a complete game, giving up only two runs with four hits, five walks, and nine strikeouts. The home team has won all six games of the series and only once in ALCS history has the series gone seven games with all home wins (1899, Washington versus Detroit).

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Game seven of the 1904 American League Championship Series was Sunday, October 9 on a beautiful clear 50 degree afternoon at Boston’s Huntington Avenue Grounds. Kansas City opened hot, going up 2-0 in the first inning off a pair of RBI doubles. The Royals added to the lead as Earl Zook kept the Red Sox in check. Zook tossed a complete game allowing six hits, two runs, three walks, and five strikeouts. KC took the finale 8-2, the only road win of the entire series.



Gene DeMontreville had four hits and two runs. Ernie Courtney homered and singled with two runs and three RBI. They upset the top-seeded Red Sox, making them the team with the best record (106-56) to fail to make the World Series in MLB history. The Royals previously held that distinction having failed in 1902 at 104-58. This was KC’s second pennant, joining the 1901 triumph.

LF Mike Donlin took ALCS MVP, going 9-29 with five RBI and five runs. Turkey Mike was the World Series MVP back in 1901, making him the third player in MLB history to have an LCS MVP and World Series MVP to his name. Tony Mullane did both in 1884 for Chicago, while Bug Hamilton had them in different seasons like Donlin.

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The 1904 National League Championship Series was the second NLCS meeting between St. Louis and Buffalo. Back in 1887, the Cardinals won 4-1 for their only pennant to date. They also took losses in 1886 and 1894. For the Bisons, they repeated as champ in 1892-93 with a loss back in 1884. They split their six regular season meetings.

Buffalo won the opener at home 5-2 on a quality start by Charles Bender, who went seven innings with two runs, eight hits, three walks, and seven strikeouts. St. Louis’ Cy Morgan gave up four runs over his seven innings, although three were earned with five hits.



The Bisons took a 2-0 series lead on a 3-2 victory with all of the scoring coming after the sixth inning. Silver King was the winning pitcher allowing one run and three hits over 7.2 innings with one walk and five Ks. Willie Brandt picked up back-to-back saves. In defeat, Cardinals righty George Stultz gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings. Percy Griffin had the game’s first runs with a two-run homer in the seventh.



St. Louis snagged their first win 5-2 in game three at home. MVP candidate Charlie Hickman pitched 6.2 innings allowing four hits, two runs, and four walks with nine strikeouts. In the loss, Buffalo’s Barney Pelty went the distance allowing eight hits, five runs (four earned) and two walks with two Ks.



Game four was tied 3-3 after the third inning and stayed there until the ninth. A Mike Grady RBI double put Buffalo up in the top of the ninth, but Charlie Hickman countered with his own RBI double in the bottom half. In the 11th, Hickman got a two-out single and scored from first on a RBI walkoff double by Regino Garcia. The 5-4 Cardinals win evened the series at two apiece.



The first road win of the NLCS went to Buffalo 4-2 in game five. Three hits and two walks gave the Bisons a critical three-run sixth inning. Charles Bender tossed a complete game with ten strikeouts, three hits, two runs, and one walk.



The Cardinals clobbered the Bisons 11-1 on the road in game six to force game seven. Leadoff man Solly Hofman was 3-5 with a homer, three runs, and three RBI. Regino Garcia and Johnny Kling both had three hit games. George Stultz gave up only five hits and one run with five Ks over eight innings.

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Game seven of the 21st National League Championship Series was Sunday, October 9, 1904 on a beautiful 60 degree afternoon in front of 15,637 at Buffalo’s Olympic Park. The Bisons got to Charlie Hickman, who allowed five runs over three innings. Buffalo lost started Barney Pelty to injury after two innings, but Charlie McCullough came in to allow three runs over six innings. Buffalo scored eight runs between the third and fourth innings, allowing them to prevail 8-3 for the team’s third pennant.



LF Fred Clarke had four RBI between a three-run homer and a single. Charles Bender won NLCS MVP having won his game one and game five starts, posting a 2.25 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 16 innings. The Bisons are the sixth team to have 3+ pennants (1892, 1893, 1904) and join the Braves and Clowns in the National League.

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The 21st World Series was the second trip for Kansas City, who won the title back in 1901 over the New York Giants. Buffalo was making a third trip, having lost back-to-back years against the New York Yankees in 1892 and Baltimore Orioles in 1893. The Royals had home field advantage having won eight more games than the Bisons.

Kansas City won the opener 2-1 in a pitcher’s duel. Brownie Foreman, their big free agent signing in the winter, pitched 7.2 innings with two hits, one run, one walk, and nine strikeouts. Walter Clarkson allowed three baserunners in 1.1 innings but escaped with the save and three strikeouts. Charles Bender had a strong outing in defeat for the Bisons with a complete game, eight innings, six hits, two runs, one walk, and three Ks. Both KC runs came on solo homers.



The Royals claimed the 2-0 series lead on a 9-5 home win in game two. Leadoff man Bill Lange went 4-5 with a double, three runs, and two RBI. DH Curt Bernard was 3-5 with a triple, three RBI, and two runs.



Game three went to extra innings tied at 5-5. Three hits plated two runs for Kansas City in the top of the 11th en route to a 7-5 road win for the 3-0 series lead. Both starting pitchers went 7.1 innings with five runs (three earned). Mike Donlin was 3-5 with a double, two RBI, and one run.



Buffalo avoided a sweep in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in game four. The lone run came on the game’s final at-bat, a RBI walkoff single by Jack Gilbert. Silver King tossed a four-hit shutout with five strikeouts and two walks. Kansas City’s Earl Zook in defeat gave up seven hits, six walks, and one run in 8.2 innings with three Ks.



The Bisons claimed game five at home 6-3 to force the series back to Missouri. Charles Bender got the complete game win, scattering ten hits and two walks with three runs and seven strikeouts. SS Percy Griffin was 4-4 with a solo homer, four RBI, and two runs.



Kansas City clinched a second World Series title in four years with a 15-7 home win in the game six finale. The Royals unloaded with a 13-1 lead by the end of the third inning. Mike Donlin homered twice with five RBI and three runs. Curt Bernard homered and singled with four RBI and two runs. Everyone in the Royals lineup scored. MVP honors went to rookie 1B George Stovall, who went 10-25 with a solo homer and five runs.



The Royals join the Boston Red Sox (3), Indianapolis Clowns (3), and Washington Nationals (2) as the teams with multiple titles through MLB’s 21 seasons. They’re the second to win two in four years, joining the Red Sox (three from 1886-89) and Clowns (repeat in 1896-97). Buffalo joins the Boston Braves (1-3) as the only teams with three World Series defeats. The American League leads the National League 13-8 in the Fall Classic.

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Sam Crawford’s big year earned repeat American League Most Valuable Player honors for the Baltimore LF. He didn’t win unanimously, getting 20 first place votes while Kansas City LF Mike Donlin had four. Donlin won his third batting title with a .358 average to deny Crawford’s Triple Crown bid. The Royals notably gave Turkey Mike an eight-year, $600,000 extension although he has an opt-out after 1906.

Wahoo Sam led in runs (129), hits (211), home runs (55), RBI (158), total bases (445), slugging (.742), OPS (1.161), wRC+ (215), and WAR (10.9). He added 55 doubles, .352 average, and .420 OBP. Crawford has led the AL in homers in all five of his seasons, thrice hitting 50+. He’s also the only player in MLB history with four seasons of 150+ RBI. Crawford is signed through 1910 for the Orioles and is still only going to be 25 next year.

Pitcher of the Year was a very tight battle with Detroit’s Ed Walsh edging out Boston’s Doc White. Walsh got 13 first place votes and 132 points while White had 11 first place nods and 129 points. Big Ed in his third season won the ERA title at 1.97, only the sixth qualifying sub-two ERA season in MLB history. Walsh added a 20-9 record, 288.1 innings, 218 strikeouts, 228 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 7.7 WAR. The runner-up White in his fourth year for the Red Sox led in strikeouts (222) and FIP- (64). He had a 21-9 record, 2.76 ERA, and 8.1 WAR over 271 innings.

World Series MVP George Stovall won Rookie of the Year unanimously for Kansas City. He was an old debutant at 26, picked 47th in the last draft by the Royals in the second round. Nicknamed “Firebrand, Stovall led with 61 doubles; tied for the second-best single season in MLB history. He had 176 hits, 86 runs, 13 homers, 82 RBI, .313/.327/.498 slash, 122 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR.

Washington 2B Ed Delahanty became the first 12-time Silver Slugger winner in MLB history. Twins 1B Fred Tenney won his seventh while Yankees CF Danny Green got his fifth. Sam Crawford and Browns 3B Bill Bradley became four-time Slugger winners while Nationals RF Jimmy Bannon and Red Sox DH Moose McCormick both won their third.

Yankees 3B Tommy Corcoran won his ninth Gold Glove, the fourth to do so. He has six wins at third base and three at second base. Royals C Doggie Miller won his seventh Gold Glove while the Twins’ Tenney got his sixth. Yankees SS Al Cabrera and Orioles RF Jimmy Barrett earned their fourth Gold Gloves and Twins LF Emil Batch snagged his third.

Although the Red Sox were ousted in the American League Championship Series, their skipper Harry Smith won Manager of the Year off their 106-56 season. Boston ended a lengthy playoff drought in his sixth season as manager. The 45-year old Smith took over a rebuild in 1899 and got them back above .500 since 1902, although 1904 was the first playoff berth.

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For the second time in three years, Cardinals two-way star Charlie Hickman won National League Most Valuable Player honors. He took it unanimously in 1904 with a combined 12.1 WAR season, tied for the third-best by a two-way player. Playing RF, “Piano Legs” led in triples (16), slugging (.644), and wRC+ (185) over 142 games. Hickman had 192 hits, 112 runs, 43 doubles, 29 home runs, 126 RBI, .349 average, 1.027 OPS, and 8.4 WAR.

On the mound, Hickman had the best BABIP at .215. He posted an 18-6 record over 244.2 innings, 2.39 ERA, 104 walks, 125 strikeouts, 167 ERA+, 96 FIP-, and 3.7 WAR. He again had a wide gap between a great ERA and middling FIP at 3.81. Soon to be 29, Hickman is signed through 1910 for St. Louis. He also won his seventh Silver Slugger with five as a pitcher and two as an outfielder.

Pitcher of the Year was also unanimous to second-year Buffalo righty Barney Pelty, who set a single-season record with 10 shutouts. Nicknamed “The Yiddish Curver,” he also led in wins (23-9), ERA (2.22), innings (300.1), quality starts (29), and complete games (17). Pelty struck out 201 with a 183 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 7.1 WAR. He was the #19 pick in the 1902 draft for the Bisons, who have an impressive young core of talent with the likes of Pelty, Charles Bender, and Pete Hill.

As a rookie, the Bisons RF Hill led the majors with 38 home runs and 369 total bases. The #12 pick also had 112 RBI, 211 hits, 111 runs, .343/.383/.599 slash, 173 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR. Hill was third in MVP voting with this effort, but he took second in Rookie of the Year voting with six first place votes.

The rest of the first place votes went to Indianapolis RF Ty Cobb, who led in hits (221), doubles (58), batting average (.372), OBP (.430), and OPS (1.046) in his debut at age 17. The Georgia Peach was the #1 pick by the Clowns and also scored 111 runs with 27 homers, 102 RBI, 184 wRC+, and 9.4 WAR. Cobb was second in MVP voting and won both a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in his debut.

New Orleans SS Jimmy Williams won his seventh Silver Slugger and fifth Gold Glove. Pirates 2B Reddy Mack won his fifth Slugger as did Cubs CF Ginger Beaumont. Phillies LF Joe Kelley got his fourth Slugger as he heads into free agency and Louisville 3B Jim Delahanty got his third. Pirates 1B Dan McGann and Pelicans LF Davy Jones both became three-time Gold Glove winners.

By ending the Cardinals’ playoff drought, 44-year old Joseph Keenan won NL Manager of the Year. He took over the Cardinals job in 1900 with no previous experience. After four middling seasons, St. Louis earned a division title in 1904.

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The big name retirement was Mickey Welch, the all-time career leader in wins (322), games (775), and innings (5153). He’s also fifth in pitching WAR (86.86) and fourth in strikeouts (3063). Smiling Mickey never won Pitcher of the Year, but was tenured and consistent with a 322-253 record, 3.66 ERA, 111 ERA+, and 92 FIP-. Welch pitched for six teams, but debuted and spent the longest time in Brooklyn with 230 starts. The Dodgers retired his #31 uniform.

Peak-A-Boo Veach was another notable retiring pitcher, finishing with a 240-133 record, 3.15 ERA, 3336.2 innings, 1914 strikeouts, 128 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 72.7 WAR. He spent all but three of his 21 seasons with Washington with his #64 becoming the first jersey retired by the Nationals.

Several “Hall of Pretty Good” or possible fringe Hall of Fame batters retired as well. CF Jim McTamany had his #83 retired after ten seasons with Pittsburgh. He played with six teams and was a seven-time All-Star with one Gold Glove, one Silver Slugger, 2744 hits, 1739 runs, 625 doubles, 169 homers, 1219 RBI, 781 OPS, 128 wRC+, and 91.9 WAR. Below are the major retirements from after the 1904 season.



The big manager firing for 1904 was Hugh Daily, who had led the Twins since 1892 with a World Series win in 1895. Minnesota just set an MLB record for consecutive winning seasons with ten, but their 1904 was the weakest of the bunch at 82-80 and it was the sixth straight year out of the playoffs. “One Arm” Daily made the playoffs twice with the Twins and had an 1153-953 record and .547 win percentage. The 57-year old Irishman ranks third all-time in wins. Replacing him was the unproven 45-year old Frank McIntyre, his first coaching job.

Baltimore fired manager Doc Landis after six seasons at the helm. The Orioles had winning records from 1900-03 but couldn’t make it beyond third place in the standings. 1904 was the last straw with a 72-90 finish for the 50-year old. He had a 480-492 record and .494 win percentage. Taking the Orioles job was James Hillery, an unproven 45-year old making his coaching debut.

The Philadelphia Athletics gave Cyclone Miller four years, but after three straight years below 70 wins, he got the boot. He finished with a .397 win percentage. The A’s replaced him with 39-year old Bill Fagan, who spent the last three years as the bench coach in Buffalo.

The White Sox didn’t Monk Cline after 12 seasons as the manager. They remained loyal to him despite never making the playoffs and peaking with an 87-75 win season in 1894. Cline had an 875-1069 record, the third-most losses and the most by someone with a losing career record. Chicago gave the gig to 38-year old Tom Daly, who spent the last four seasons managing AAA Scranton with average results. Below are the managers entering 1905.

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The 1904 First-Year Player Draft had enough prospects to justify 25 rounds worth of picks. Last year, RF Sherry Magee was a top draw with an 80 overall/80 potential grade. He was picked #2 by Milwaukee, but refused to sign with the Brewers. Magee was back for 1904 and was this time picked by the Chicago White Sox.

Milwaukee had the #2 and #3 pick (the extra one from compensation for not getting Magee last year). They picked a pair of outfielders with George Whiteman (25/70) and Owen Wilson (30/65). The Philadelphia Athletics took 40/65 pitcher Tom Hughes #4. Another 60 potential SP Eddie Cicotte went #7 to Baltimore. Also notable with a 60/60 grade was #12 pick John Kane to Minnesota, but he was the top selection that refused to sign. Below are the top 50 picks.



The top-rated free agent was LF Joe Kelley, a ten-time all-star and four-time Silver Slugger winner with the Phillies. Now 33, he stayed in the NL East on a five-year, $530,000 deal with the New York Giants. Kelley becomes the first player to earn a six-figure yearly salary at $106,000.

Perhaps a bigger name on the market was SP Rube Waddell, a two-time Pitcher of the Year winner with the Braves. He was only 28, but had just posted his weakest ERA of his career at 3.21; although he was still good for 6.3 WAR and 231 strikeouts. Waddell switched leagues and joined Washington on a six-year, $557,000 deal. The $85,000 annual salary makes Waddell the highest-ever paid pitcher and the fourth-highest in MLB entering 1905.

Most of the rest of the names on the market were solid veteran pieces. All-time hit king Pete Browning at age 43 joined the Philadelphia Athletics on a one-year deal. 41-year old RF Dick Johnston went to New Orleans. Gold Glove catcher Doggie Miller at age 40 joined Pittsburgh. 38-year old OF Bug Holliday notably signed with Baltimore, returning where he started his career and rose to fame more than a decade prior. Below are the top free agent signings of the 1904-05 offseason.



In trade news, home run king Mike Tiernan was traded for a pitching prospect. Tiernan became a star from 1885-94 with the Braves, then played 1895-1902 in Pittsburgh. After two years back in Boston, the Braves traded Tiernan to the Pirates for a second stint there.

Two-time Silver Slugger CF Fielder Jones had a career low 2.0 WAR season in 1904 in the fifth year of a mammoth $668,000 deal with the New York Yankees. NY decided to trade the 33-year old to their rival Red Sox for veteran 3B/1B Duke Farrell and two prospects. The 38-year old Farrell is a nine-time Silver Slugger winner, but has been below average in his last two seasons.

Another notable trade saw SP William Sutch on the move, who quietly had a breakout 6.9 WAR season in his fifth year with the Browns after forgettable results prior. St. Louis sent him to Brooklyn for prospect RP Lew Brockett and a first round draft pick.

Below are the gains/losses made by each team via trades and free agency. Based on the prior season’s WAR, the New York Giants made the biggest gain (+10.1) and the Boston Braves had the biggest loss (-16.0).



In other news, the 1904 presidential election was won by Republican incumbent Theodore Roosevelt in November, defeating the Democrats’ Alton B. Parker 336-140 in the electoral college. This was Roosevelt’s first presidential election, having taken office in 1900 as William McKinley’s Vice President. Roosevelt ascended to the top job after McKinley’s September 1901 assassination.

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1905 saw the first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame with the addition of two-way stars Guy Hecker and Charlie Ferguson. Both were no-doubt additions, although it was somewhat surprising that Hecker (98.7%) got a slightly higher share than Ferguson (97.8%) considering the latter’s far more impressive resume. Prior to the 1905 ballot, the highest number anyone had received was 1B Cap Anson with his 42.6% debut in 1903.

On his third try, Anson did see a boost up to 56.2%, although he was still some distance to the 75% induction threshold. C Emil Gross also notably debuted at 53.0%. Two other debuts were above the ¼ mark with SP Charlie Sweeney at 32.2% and CF Harry Stovey with 26.8%.

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Guy Hecker – Starting Pitcher/First Base – Baltimore Orioles – 98.7% First Ballot

Guy Hecker was a 6’0’’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher and first baseman born in Youngsville, Pennsylvania in 1856. It is a tiny borough in the northwest of the state that only had around 400 people when Hecker was born and never grew much beyond 2,000. Hecker’s family moved to nearby Oil City when he was young, unsurprisingly to chase petroleum jobs. He cut his baseball teeth in the area and was already a seasoned pro at age 28 when Major League Baseball officially formed beginning with the 1884 season.

In the inaugural player draft, Hecker was a late first round pick, taken #22 overall by the Baltimore Orioles. He was a full-time two-way starter for his entire six-year tenure in Baltimore. On the mound, Hecker was known for excellent durability and stamina along with strong control and movement, plus above average stuff. He only had two pitches, a fastball and curveball, with a peak velocity around 90-92 mph.

At the plate, Hecker was a fairly well-rounded bat with average-to-above average grades across the board. He graded as a below average glove at first base, but he was by no means a liability. Hecker did have a disruptive personality, which played a role in him bouncing between seven different franchises across his 16 Major League seasons.

Hecker’s stamina proved evident right away, as he led the American League in five of six seasons with Baltimore. At induction, there’s only been six seasons in MLB history of 30+ complete games and Hecker has three of them. His inning count gave him 6+ WAR from pitching in all six Orioles seasons. Hecker also led the AL in wins in both 1884 (26-9) and 1887 (24-10). 1887 was his top season by pitching WAR at 8.1, a league-best. That year, he also led in innings (305.1) and shutouts.

While never an overwhelmingly dominant bat, Hecker was regularly good for 2-4 WAR offensively with Baltimore. His offense peaked in 1888 with 4.1 WAR, .806, and 127 wRC+. Hecker was a league leader once with 10 triples in 1889. He thrice had 10+ WAR combined seasons with a peak of 11.8 in 1886. He was an all-star from 1884-87 in Baltimore and was second in 1887’s Pitcher of the Year voting.

Hecker didn’t get the MVP press though like his Hall of Fame classmate Charlie Ferguson as far as two-way guys go. The Red Sox also had the first MLB dynasty during the 1880s and largely controlled the AL East in Hecker’s time. Baltimore took second in 1887 at 92-70, then notably won their first division title in 1888 at 99-63. The Orioles were defeated in the American League Championship Series 4-1 by Milwaukee. Hecker got shelled in his two ALCS starts with a 10.50 ERA over 12 innings and two losses while struggling to 2-18 at the plate.

Baltimore fell to 80-82 the next year and the soon-to-be 34-year-old Hecker opted for free agency. On the mound, he had a 135-73 record, 3.11 ERA, 1822.1 innings, 965 strikeouts, 396 walks, 176 complete games, 22 shutouts, 132 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 42.4 WAR. At the plate, Hecker had 840 games, 1026 hits, 552 runs, 133 doubles, 29 triples, 100 home runs, 476 RBI, 166 stolen bases, .293/.334/.433 slash, 116 wRC+, and 18.1 WAR.

Hecker went south and into the National League for 1890 on a five-year, $187,200 deal with New Orleans. The Pelicans had been the NLCS runner-up in 1889 and stayed above .500 in Hecker’s first four seasons, but they couldn’t make the playoffs. He was an all-star in 1891 and 1892 and his best year in the Bayou was 1890 with 6.8 WAR and career bests for ERA (2.91) and strikeouts (184). Hecker also led that year in complete games with 29.

His innings and overall efficiency pitching dropped the next three years from his peaks, but Hecker was still a rock solid starter on the mound. At the plate, he was still a decent bat in the first few years, but was reduced to a part-time role in 1893. Hecker had been incredibly durable initially, but started running into injuries in his late 30s. He missed most of September 1891 with a herniated disc. Then in May 1894, his season ended with radial nerve compression.

With New Orleans though, Hecker notably became the first pitcher to reach 200 career wins in June 1893. Overall on the mound with the Pelicans, Hecker had a 76-51 record, 3.35 ERA, 1156.1 innings, 651 strikeouts, 298 walks, 79 complete games, 4 shutouts, 128 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 22.2 WAR. At the plate, he had 502 games, 522 hits, 248 runs, 64 doubles, 11 triples, 54 homers, 278 RBI, 106 steals, .295/.338/.436 slash, 112 wRC+, and 7.9 WAR.

After his 1894 injury, Hecker was done with playing the field. The now 39-year old signed in 1895 with the Red Sox, who were now rebuilding. Hecker was split between occasional starting and the bullpen, posting a 13-5 record, 8 saves, 3.26 ERA, 143.2 innings, 72 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, 102 FOP-, and 1.3 WAR. Hecker joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 1896, but missed most of the season to a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He only tossed 44 innings for the Phillies with a 3.07 ERA and 21 Ks.

Now 41, Hecker signed with Cincinnati for 1897. He missed three months to a herniated disc and only pitched four innings in the majors, spending the rest of his time between AAA Akron and AA Youngstown. For 1898, Hecker joined Minnesota who put him into the closer role. He had a 40-save season, only the second in MLB history, although he still recorded -0.5 WAR. Hecker had a 9-8 record, 3.42 ERA, 76.1 innings, 25 Ks, 114 ERA+, and 114 FIP-. The Twins made the ALCS but were defeated by Washington. Hecker’s lone playoff appearance was lousy, giving up five runs over 2.1 innings.

Hecker was signed for spring training 1899 by the St. Louis Browns but cut on opening day. The New York Giants gave him a look in 1899 as a reliever with poor results, posting -0.6 WAR and a 6.00 ERA over 24 innings. He was released in July, but still received a World Series ring for his brief time with the Giants. The Yankees organization picked him up for the rest of the year and he returned to batting with AA Jersey City.

His MLB career was done, but he had two more years in the minors primarily back as a hitter. Hecker was actually an excellent bat in 1900 for Jersey City with 7.7 WAR, 1.222 OPS; taking second place in MVP voting with a Silver Slugger. He was only used for eight relief appearances and 10.1 innings.

For 1901, Hecker bounced around between Minnesota, Buffalo, and Washington’s organizations mostly in A-ball. Hecker had some success in Buffalo’s A-Level Niagara Falls in 1901 with 1.222 OPS and 4.0 WAR over 58 games. He officially retired from the game after the 1901 season at age 45. In 1902, he became the bench coach for the Boston Braves, a job he still holds entering the 1905 season.

In total as a pitcher, Hecker had a 238-137 record, 52 saves, 3.23 ERA, 3270.2 innings, 1744 strikeouts, 780 walks, 265 complete games, 26 shutouts, 3.63 FIP, 129 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 65.2 WAR. At induction, Hecker ranks 26th in ERA among qualifying pitchers, 14th in wins, 11th in winning percentage (.635), 7th in complete games, 25th in shutouts, 53rd in strikeouts, and 19th in pitching WAR. His .631 opponents OPS is 25th among those with 900+ career innings and he ranks 18th in WHIP (1.13), 33rd in BB/9 (2.15), and 60th in H/9 (8.04).

Although rarely considered the best pitcher in the game, you could argue his longevity and consistency on the mound alone makes Hecker a viable Hall of Fame choice. Supporters also point out his “official” stats begin at age 28 and if he had his full 20s, he may have been a 300+ game winner. Adding his batting value, even if he was never an exceptional position player, put Hecker over the top. He finished with 91.3 WAR combined and had 26.1 offensively. Hecker played 1368 games with 1552 hits, 805 runs, 198 doubles, 41 triples, 154 home runs, 759 RBI, 327 walks, 844 strikeouts, 273 stolen bases, .293/.335/.433 slash, and 114 wRC+.

The lack of overwhelming dominance and struggles in his few playoff tries will keep Hecker from going down as a true inner-circle level player. But his overall production and consistency was plenty for the voters to insert him into the very first Hall of Fame class in 1905 with almost no objections at 98.7%.

The Real Guy: Baseball-Reference Page - SABR BioProject- Wikipedia

Guy Hecker had a nine-year run in the official majors of the time, primarily with Louisville of the American Association from 1882-89. He notably tossed a Triple Crown season in 1884 with a 52-20 record, 1.80 ERA, 670.2 innings, and 385 strikeouts. Obviously the game was incredibly different then versus now (and in the sim), but Hecker’s 1884 ranks as the third-most wins and third-most innings in a single-season and the Ks rank seventh.

Hecker wasn’t that dominant in later years due to arm troubles, but he had some success hitting including a batting title in 1886 at .341. He was out of the majors by age 35 and went onto work in the oil business and owned a grocery store. Unlike many of the 19th Century players, Hecker had a lengthy post-baseball life and died at age 82.

He forever holds a place in real history with the 1884 season with totals that can never be replicated in the modern game. Hecker wasn’t tenured enough or a big enough star to get a real life Hall of Fame nod, but the Level Playing Field allowed him to thrive as a two-way player and all-time great.

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Charlie Ferguson – Starting Pitcher/Right Field – Boston Red Sox – 97.8% First Ballot

Charlie Ferguson was a 6’0’’, 180 pound right-handed pitcher and switch-hitting right fielder from Charlottesville, Virginia. It was a small town of under 3000 people when Ferguson was born, but was already known for the University of Virginia, founded by former president Thomas Jefferson in 1819. Little of known of his early life, but he came of age in baseball just in time for the official founding of Major League Baseball in 1884.

Ferguson was only 21, but some felt he had the potential to be a star either pitching, hitting, or both. In the inaugural draft in 1884, he was a third round pick, 58th overall, by the Boston Red Sox. As a pitcher, Ferguson had very good stuff along with above average movement and control. His velocity peaked in the 92-94 mph range with a fastball, changeup, sinker, and splitter arsenal. Ferguson’s changeup graded as his best offering overall.

At the plate, Ferguson was a well-rounded line drive hitter with solid grades for contact and a great eye for drawing walks. His power wasn’t prolific by any means, but he got you 28 doubles, 4 triples, and 14 home runs per his 162 game average. Ferguson was also quite a gifted athlete generally with strong grades for speed and baserunning.

He also had very good defensive instincts both on the mound and in right field, even winning a Gold Glove in 1884. Although injuries later ended his career in his 30s, Ferguson saw good durability in his prime seasons. His two-way value was remarkable and he played a starring role in MLB’s first-ever dynasty with Boston.

The Red Sox liked his potential ahead of the inaugural draft and picked Ferguson in the third round, 58th overall. He was a full-time two-way starter right away and an immediate success. He led the American League with seven shutouts on the mound in 1884 while posting a 2.99 ERA, 179 strikeouts, and 7.1 WAR over 283.1 innings. Simultaneously, Ferguson had 6.0 WAR offensively over 139 games with .828 OPS and 140 wRC+.

He was the very first AL Most Valuable Player and won a Gold Glove in right field. The combined 13.1 WAR is a record among two-way players and at induction, there have only been three seasons by any other player with a higher WAR. Boston finished 92-70 to win the AL East title in the inaugural season. Ferguson had two quality playoff starts but took losses as they fell 4-2 in the ALCS to Chicago.

Ferguson was third in 1885’s MVP voting with a combined 11.1 WAR effort and the Red Sox had MLB’s best record at 101-61. Again, they were denied in the ALCS by the White Sox, this time 4-1. Ferguson was forgettable at the plate in the series, but his one pitching start saw 11.2 scoreless innings in what ultimately was a 1-0, 16 inning Chicago win in game two.

In 1886, Ferguson lost a month in the fall to a strained rib cage muscle but he was still good for 9.9 combined WAR. Boston won a third straight AL East title at 99-63 and finally overcame the White Sox in a seven-game classic. Ferguson had poor support going 0-2 in his starts, but he had a 2.29 ERA over 19.2 innings with 15 Ks. In the third World Series, the Red Sox edged the Braves in the battle of Boston, a seven-game thriller.

Ferguson was named World Series MVP as he pitched complete game victories in games three and six with a 3.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts. At the plate, he went 11-27 in the series with five RBI, including an RBI single in the 5-4 game seven finale. This effort helped solidify Ferguson as a Boston hero after only two seasons at age 23. One day after game seven, the Red Sox announced a seven-year, $146,600 extension for Ferguson.

1887 saw Ferguson’s career bests on the mound for wins (21-9), and ERA (2.81) with 160 strikeouts over 281.2 innings and 7.3 WAR. At the plate, he had a 5.3 WAR season with 116 runs, 154 hits, .830 OPS, and 139 wRC+. Ferguson won his second MVP and his lone Pitcher of the Year award. As of induction, only him and Perry Werden (1888) have won both awards in the same season.

Boston repeated as AL East champ at 99-63 and bested Milwaukee 4-1 in the ALCS. The Red Sox then outlasted the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 to become the first repeat World Series champs. Ferguson was 3-1 in four starts with a 2.43 ERA, 33.1 innings, 18 strikeouts, and 0.4 WAR. He struggled at the plate to -0.6 WAR though. Little did anyone know, this would be his final time participating in a postseason rum.

Overall, Ferguson was an excellent playoff pitcher with a 2.29 ERA, 98.1 innings, 5-5 record, 74 strikeouts, 34 walks, 184 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 2.3 WAR. He had batting success in 1886 but struggled in the other runs, ending with zero WAR, 81 wRC+, and .619 OPS with a .191/.321/.298 slash line.

Ferguson missed a month in the summer of 1888 to a strained rib cage muscle and had his weakest season, although he was still good for 3+ WAR from both facets. Boston’s four-year reign atop the AL East ended with a second place finish at 89-73, ten games behind Baltimore. In 1889, Ferguson took second in MVP voting with career highs for pitching WAR (7.9) and strikeouts (185). He also had his bests for runs (121), hits (16), and steals (62) at the plate.

The Red Sox rebounded for a 100-62 record, beating Minnesota in the ALCS and upsetting the 114-win Braves in the World Series. Boston earned their third title in four years, so far they’re the only team to achieve that feat. Ferguson suffered a forearm strain in the final week of the regular season though and ended up missing the entire postseason. Still, he is one of a small group to receive three World Series rings.

That was the peak of the Red Sox dynasty and they wouldn’t make the playoffs again until the 20th Century. Boston took second in the next two seasons with 84 and 89 wins, but fell four and six games short to Cleveland. The Red Sox then finished .500 in 1892. Another forearm strain kept Ferguson out from mid-August onward in 1890. He was healthy the next two seasons and still playing at a strong all-star level, although he was down from his MVP peaks.

Ferguson was still only 30 entering the 1893 season and a beloved superstar in Boston, signing a new six-year, $234,000 extension in April. Things went sour for the Red Sox though with a 62-100 record in 1893 and 67-95 the next year; both the worst in the AL. Ferguson was still a respectable starting pitcher these years and 1894 was arguably his best season at the plate with career highs for wRC+ (145) and WAR (6.5).

1895 was Ferguson’s career-worst ERA at 4.86, although his 3.85 FIP suggested a strong lack of support. He was an all-star for the eighth time and earned his 200th career win on the mound, the third to reach the mark. Boston showed improvement with an 82-80 finish, but they dropped back down to 70-92 in 1896. Ferguson was the eighth pitcher to 2000 career strikeouts that April. However in July, he suffered a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament with an eight month recovery time.

Ferguson was an all-star again in 1897 with 4.6 WAR at the plate and he was still above average as a pitcher. This was ultimately the final full season for Ferguson. Boston again seemed to be back on the right track with an 82-80 finish. However, the Red Sox collapsed with a 65-97 season in 1898. Ferguson missed most of the second half between a hamstring strain and sore shoulder. Still, that season he reached the 2000 career hit milestone. With one year left on his contract, Boston voided the team option year with a buyout of $4,500.

Now a free agent for the first time heading into his age 36 season, Ferguson signed a three-year, $129,000 deal with Buffalo for 1899. He was named to the all-star team for the tenth time in his career, the only time on the National League side. He had a 3.01 ERA over 143.2 innings and 2.1 WAR, while getting 1.1 WAR and .829 over 44 games at the plate.

Ferguson still showed he could be a contributor, but on July 19 he suffered a second ruptured UCL. Doctors informed him that he had to retire from this injury, ending a brilliant career after 16 seasons. The Red Sox immediately announced that they’d be retiring his #75 uniform for his efforts.

In total on the mound, Ferguson had a 232-181 record, 3.50 ERA, 274/472 quality starts, 3773.2 innings, 2291 strikeouts, 1075 walks, 251 complete games, 28 shutouts, 118 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 76.7 WAR. At induction, he ranks 19th in wins, 8th in complete games, 20th in shutouts, 19th in strikeouts, and 10th in pitching WAR. Among those with 900+ career innings, Ferguson is 55th in ERA. His 1.22 WHIP is 62nd and his .662 opponents’ OPS ranks 59th.

You could certainly argue a fair Hall of Fame case for Ferguson purely on pitching, especially considering the playoff success and Boston’s dynasty. His 2.23 playoff ERA is 5th among those with 30+ innings and he ranks 4th in playoff pitching WAR at 2.32. But his value playing right field put him over the top as a true immortal of the game.

Ferguson played 1914 games at the plate with 2072 hits, 1352 runs, 334 doubles, 43 triples, 163 home runs, 924 RBI, 1183 walks, 1231 strikeouts, 653 stolen bases, .293/.396/.421 slash, 133 wRC+, and 64.1 WAR. He ranks 40th in runs, 73rd in hits, 16th in walks, and 48th in WAR among position players. Ferguson was never a league leader with his bat, but he did a lot of the less-appreciated things very well like defense, drawing walks, and baserunning. He rarely was a league leader pitching either, only leading once in shutouts and once in innings pitched. Ferguson was remarkably consistent though with the value of both a strong ace pitcher and a reliable starter in right field.

He retired with a combined 140.8 WAR, which is the all-time record at induction. Two-way players aren’t always easy to evaluate relative to their peers and WAR can be a controversial way to measure things. In any case, Ferguson’s impressive two-way value was critical for establishing MLB’s first-ever dynasty run by the 1880s Red Sox. You could make the case that no player created more value than Ferguson in the 19th Century. He was an easy choice as a first ballot Hall of Famer in the first-ever class of inductees, getting 97.8% with the 1905 voting.

The Real Guy – Baseball-Reference Page - SABR BioProject - Wikipedia

Charlie Ferguson played four seasons from 1884-87 for the National League’s Philadelphia squad and showed a lot of promise as a two-way player, but especially on the mound. He was becoming one of the game’s early stars, but met a tragic end in spring 1888. Ferguson caught typhoid fever and died only two weeks after his 25th birthday.

He goes down as maybe the biggest “what if?” player of the 19th Century. In The Level Playing Field, Ferguson full career made him the all-time WARlord at retirement and a top candidate for the best player of the 19th Century. Along with his starring role in the first dynasty, Ferguson will likely rank among the tip-top players for the duration of the sim for WAR.

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Above are the top-rated batters in professional baseball entering the 1905 season.



Above are the best pitchers in the game going into 1905. Below are the top-rated prospects entering the season.



Below is the all-time leaderboards as well as big milestones that may be reached.





In a notable injury, former MVP Jimmy Ryan suffered a torn PCL at the end of spring training. This ends what would’ve been the 21st season for the 42-year old Ryan and possibly his career. He’s been with the Red Sox for the last two seasons and was only 47 hits away from the 3000 club.