The 1909 Major League Baseball season began on April 12, 1909. The regular season ended on October 7, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers as regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the sixth modern World Series on October 8 and ended with Game 7 on October 16. The Pirates defeated the Tigers, four games to three, capturing their first championship in franchise history. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Chicago Cubs from the 1908 season.
1909 MLB season | |
---|---|
League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
Sport | Baseball |
Duration | Regular season:
|
Number of games | 154 |
Number of teams | 16 (8 per league) |
Pennant winners | |
NL champions | Pittsburgh Pirates |
NL runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
AL champions | Detroit Tigers |
AL runners-up | Philadelphia Athletics |
World Series | |
Champions | Pittsburgh Pirates |
Runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
In the National League, the Chicago Cubs had a record of 104–49 but finished 6+1⁄2 games behind the Pirates, setting a record for the most wins in an MLB regular season without reaching the postseason, which has only been equaled once, by the 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers, who had a record of 104–50.[1]
Schedule
editThe 1909 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place for the 1904 season. This format would last until 1919.
Opening Day took place on April 14 with all but the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals playing. The American League would see its final day of the regular season on October 3, while the National League would see its final day of the regular season was on October 7. The World Series took place between October 8 and October 16.
Rule changes
editThe 1909 season saw the following rule changes:
- A pitcher must face a minimum of one batter, due to a time-wasting trick to enable a team's intended pitcher to warmup for longer. This had previously occurred when one pitcher initially threw warmup pitches on the mound, before being taken out of the game (before facing a batter) to make way for a relief pitcher who now had extra warmup time.[2]
- The American League implemented the following rules:
- 40 minutes before each game for practice was allotted, with the first 30 minutes dedicated to the visiting team, while the last 10 minutes were for the home team.[3]
- Base runners were no longer allowed to advance more than two bases when a ball was thrown into the stands. Previously, there was no limit to how far a runner could go.[3]
- No passes to games were to be issued to members of the visiting team.[3]
- All teams must now maintain a large bulletin board giving the batting order accurately and indicating all changes as they are made.[3]
Teams
editAn asterisk (*) denotes the departure from a ballpark mid-season.
Standings
editAmerican League
editTeam | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit Tigers | 98 | 54 | .645 | — | 57–19 | 41–35 |
Philadelphia Athletics | 95 | 58 | .621 | 3½ | 49–27 | 46–31 |
Boston Red Sox | 88 | 63 | .583 | 9½ | 47–28 | 41–35 |
Chicago White Sox | 78 | 74 | .513 | 20 | 42–34 | 36–40 |
New York Highlanders | 74 | 77 | .490 | 23½ | 41–35 | 33–42 |
Cleveland Naps | 71 | 82 | .464 | 27½ | 39–37 | 32–45 |
St. Louis Browns | 61 | 89 | .407 | 36 | 40–37 | 21–52 |
Washington Senators | 42 | 110 | .276 | 56 | 27–48 | 15–62 |
National League
editTeam | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh Pirates | 110 | 42 | .724 | — | 56–21 | 54–21 |
Chicago Cubs | 104 | 49 | .680 | 6½ | 47–29 | 57–20 |
New York Giants | 92 | 61 | .601 | 18½ | 44–33 | 48–28 |
Cincinnati Reds | 77 | 76 | .503 | 33½ | 39–38 | 38–38 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 74 | 79 | .484 | 36½ | 40–37 | 34–42 |
Brooklyn Superbas | 55 | 98 | .359 | 55½ | 34–45 | 21–53 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 54 | 98 | .355 | 56 | 26–48 | 28–50 |
Boston Doves | 45 | 108 | .294 | 65½ | 27–47 | 18–61 |
Postseason
editThe postseason began on October 8 and ended on October 16 with the Pittsburgh Pirates defeating the Detroit Tigers in the 1909 World Series in seven games.
Bracket
editWorld Series | ||||
AL | Detroit Tigers | 3 | ||
NL | Pittsburgh Pirates | 4 |
Managerial changes
editOff-season
editIn-season
editTeam | Former Manager | New Manager |
---|---|---|
Boston Doves | Harry Smith | Frank Bowerman |
Cleveland Naps | Nap Lajoie | Deacon McGuire |
League leaders
editAmerican League
editStat | Player | Total |
---|---|---|
AVG | Ty Cobb1 (DET) | .377 |
OPS | Ty Cobb (DET) | .947 |
HR | Ty Cobb1 (DET) | 9 |
RBI | Ty Cobb1 (DET) | 107 |
R | Donie Bush (DET) Ty Cobb (DET) |
115 |
H | Ty Cobb (DET) | 216 |
SB | Ty Cobb (DET) | 76 |
1 American League Triple Crown batting winner
Stat | Player | Total |
---|---|---|
W | George Mullin (DET) | 29 |
L | Bob Groom (WSH) | 26 |
ERA | Harry Krause (PHA) | 1.39 |
K | Frank Smith (CWS) | 177 |
IP | Frank Smith (CWS) | 365.0 |
SV | Frank Arellanes (BRS) | 6 |
WHIP | Ed Walsh (CWS) | 0.938 |
National League
editStat | Player | Total |
---|---|---|
AVG | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .339 |
OPS | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .909 |
HR | Red Murray (NYG) | 7 |
RBI | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 100 |
R | Tommy Leach (PIT) | 126 |
H | Larry Doyle (NYG) | 172 |
SB | Bob Bescher (CIN) | 54 |
Stat | Player | Total |
---|---|---|
W | Mordecai Brown (CHC) | 27 |
L | Cecil Ferguson (BSD) | 23 |
ERA | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 1.14 |
K | Orval Overall (CHC) | 205 |
IP | Mordecai Brown (CHC) | 342.2 |
SV | Mordecai Brown (CHC) | 7 |
WHIP | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 0.828 |
Home field attendance
editTeam name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Giants[9] | 92 | -6.1% | 783,700 | -13.9% | 10,178 |
Philadelphia Athletics[10] | 95 | 39.7% | 674,915 | 48.3% | 8,880 |
Boston Red Sox[11] | 88 | 17.3% | 668,965 | 41.4% | 8,920 |
Chicago Cubs[12] | 104 | 5.1% | 633,480 | -4.8% | 8,227 |
Pittsburgh Pirates[13] | 110 | 12.2% | 534,950 | 39.9% | 6,772 |
New York Highlanders[14] | 74 | 45.1% | 501,000 | 64.0% | 6,506 |
Detroit Tigers[15] | 98 | 8.9% | 490,490 | 12.4% | 6,288 |
Chicago White Sox[16] | 78 | -11.4% | 478,400 | -24.8% | 5,906 |
Cincinnati Reds[17] | 77 | 5.5% | 424,643 | 6.4% | 5,308 |
St. Louis Browns[18] | 61 | -26.5% | 366,274 | -40.8% | 4,636 |
Cleveland Naps[19] | 71 | -21.1% | 354,627 | -16.0% | 4,606 |
Brooklyn Superbas[20] | 55 | 3.8% | 321,300 | 16.6% | 4,067 |
Philadelphia Phillies[21] | 74 | -10.8% | 303,177 | -27.9% | 3,937 |
St. Louis Cardinals[22] | 54 | 10.2% | 299,982 | 46.2% | 3,947 |
Washington Senators[23] | 42 | -37.3% | 205,199 | -22.3% | 2,665 |
Boston Doves[24] | 45 | -28.6% | 195,188 | -23.1% | 2,568 |
Events
edit- August 28 – Dolly Gray of the Washington Senators walks eight batters in an inning.[25]
References
edit- ^ Adler, David (September 30, 2019). "Best MLB teams to miss the postseason". MLB.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ "A guide to rules changes in MLB (and sports) history". MLB.com. February 1, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Pajot, Dennis. "1908 Winter Meetings: Major Issues in the Minors, Bribery Charges, and World Series Ticket Scandal – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ "1909 Major League Managers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1909 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1909 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1909 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1909 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Cleveland Guardians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Pellowski, Michael J (2007). The Little Giant Book of Baseball Facts. United States: Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 352. ISBN 9781402742736.
External links
edit- 1909 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference
- 1909 in baseball history from ThisGreatGame.com