| 1902 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 19 – September 29, 1902 (AL) April 17 – October 5, 1902 (NL) |
| Games | 140 |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Pennant winners | |
| AL champions | Philadelphia Athletics |
| AL runners-up | St. Louis Browns |
| NL champions | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| NL runners-up | Brooklyn Superbas |
| MLB seasons | |
The1902 major league baseball season was contested from April 17 through October 5, 1902. It was the second season for theAmerican League (AL), with thePhiladelphia Athletics winning theAL pennant. In theNational League (NL), in operation since 1876, thePittsburgh Pirates won theNL pennant for the second consecutive season. There was no postseason.
Prior to the season, theMilwaukee Brewers moved and became theSt. Louis Browns; the franchise would remain inSt. Louis through 1953, and in 1954 moved again to become the modernBaltimore Orioles. This season would be the last of this season'sBaltimore Orioles, who would fold following the conclusion of the season. The Cleveland Blues renamed as theCleveland Bronchos.
The 1902 schedule consisted of 140 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 20 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place for the1901 season. This format would last until1904, which saw an increase of games played.
National League Opening Day took place on April 17 with every team playing, while American League Opening Day did not take place until April 19, with a one-off game between theBaltimore Orioles and theBoston Americans, with the rest of the season beginning April 23. The American League would see its final day of the season on September 29, while the National League would see its final day of the season on October 5.
Blue laws restricted Sunday activities in several localities, causing several teams to play at ballparks in a different locality.
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Games played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Bronchos[2] | Dayton,Ohio | Fairview Park | Unknown | 1 |
| Fort Wayne,Indiana | Jail Flats | Unknown | 2 | |
| Canton,Ohio | Mahaffey Park | Unknown | 1 | |
| Columbus,Ohio | Neil Park | 6,000 | 1 | |
| Detroit Tigers[3] | Springwells Township,Michigan[B] | Burns Park | 3,700[4] | 10 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Athletics | 83 | 53 | .610 | — | 56–17 | 27–36 |
| St. Louis Browns | 78 | 58 | .574 | 5 | 49–21 | 29–37 |
| Boston Americans | 77 | 60 | .562 | 6½ | 43–27 | 34–33 |
| Chicago White Stockings | 74 | 60 | .552 | 8 | 48–20 | 26–40 |
| Cleveland Bronchos | 69 | 67 | .507 | 14 | 40–25 | 29–42 |
| Washington Senators | 61 | 75 | .449 | 22 | 40–28 | 21–47 |
| Detroit Tigers | 52 | 83 | .385 | 30½ | 34–33 | 18–50 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 50 | 88 | .362 | 34 | 32–31 | 18–57 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 103 | 36 | .741 | — | 56–15 | 47–21 |
| Brooklyn Superbas | 75 | 63 | .543 | 27½ | 45–23 | 30–40 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 73 | 64 | .533 | 29 | 42–27 | 31–37 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 70 | 70 | .500 | 33½ | 35–35 | 35–35 |
| Chicago Orphans | 68 | 69 | .496 | 34 | 31–38 | 37–31 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 56 | 78 | .418 | 44½ | 28–38 | 28–40 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 56 | 81 | .409 | 46 | 29–39 | 27–42 |
| New York Giants | 48 | 88 | .353 | 53½ | 24–44 | 24–44 |
23 tie games (8 in AL, 15 in NL), which are not factored intowinning percentage orgames behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season.
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | John McGraw | Wilbert Robinson |
| Cincinnati Reds | Bid McPhee | Frank Bancroft |
| Frank Bancroft | Joe Kelley | |
| New York Giants | Horace Fogel | Heinie Smith |
| Heinie Smith | John McGraw |
Any team shown insmall text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
Across both leagues,Sammy Strang tied as a leader inruns at 109 (108 with theChicago White Stockings of the AL and 1 with theChicago Orphans of the NL).[5]
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Nap Lajoie (CLE/PHA) | .378 |
| OPS | Ed Delahanty (WSH) | 1.043 |
| HR | Socks Seybold (PHA) | 16 |
| RBI | Buck Freeman (BOS) | 121 |
| R | Topsy Hartsel (PHA) Dave Fultz (PHA) | 109 |
| H | Charlie Hickman (CLE/BOS) | 193 |
| SB | Topsy Hartsel (PHA) | 47 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Ginger Beaumont (PIT) | .357 |
| OPS | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .857 |
| HR | Tommy Leach (PIT) | 6 |
| RBI | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 91 |
| R | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 105 |
| H | Ginger Beaumont (PIT) | 193 |
| SB | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 42 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Jack Chesbro (PIT) | 28 |
| L | Stan Yerkes (STL) | 21 |
| ERA | Jack Taylor (CHC) | 1.29 |
| K | Vic Willis (BSN) | 225 |
| IP | Vic Willis (BSN) | 410.0 |
| SV | Vic Willis (BSN) | 3 |
| WHIP | Jack Taylor (CHC) | 0.953 |
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Athletics[12] | 83 | 12.2% | 420,078 | 103.6% | 5,754 |
| Boston Americans[13] | 77 | −2.5% | 348,567 | 20.4% | 4,909 |
| Chicago White Stockings[14] | 74 | −10.8% | 337,898 | −4.6% | 4,693 |
| New York Giants[15] | 48 | −7.7% | 302,875 | 1.8% | 4,266 |
| Cleveland Bronchos[16] | 69 | 27.8% | 275,395 | 109.6% | 4,237 |
| St. Louis Browns[17] | 78 | 62.5% | 272,283 | 95.8% | 3,730 |
| Chicago Orphans[18] | 68 | 28.3% | 263,700 | 28.6% | 3,663 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[19] | 103 | 14.4% | 243,826 | −3.2% | 3,434 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[20] | 56 | −26.3% | 226,417 | −40.4% | 3,235 |
| Cincinnati Reds[21] | 70 | 34.6% | 217,300 | 5.6% | 3,104 |
| Brooklyn Superbas[22] | 75 | −5.1% | 199,868 | 0.8% | 2,897 |
| Detroit Tigers[23] | 52 | −29.7% | 189,469 | −27.0% | 2,828 |
| Washington Senators[24] | 61 | 0.0% | 188,158 | 16.4% | 2,767 |
| Baltimore Orioles[25] | 50 | −26.5% | 174,606 | 23.0% | 2,728 |
| Boston Beaneaters[26] | 73 | 5.8% | 116,960 | −20.2% | 1,624 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[27] | 56 | −32.5% | 112,066 | −52.3% | 1,624 |
TheSt. Louis Browns, newly relocated from their inaugural major league season inMilwaukee,Wisconsin as theMilwaukee Brewers, leaveLloyd Street Grounds and move intoSportsman's Park where they would play for 52 seasons through1953 before again relocating toBaltimore,Maryland where they remain to this day as theBaltimore Orioles.
TheCincinnati Reds leaveLeague Park (where they played for 18 seasons) and move to thePalace of the Fans, where they would go on to play for ten seasons through1911.
Regarding games that were rescheduled to Sunday, and existingblue laws, theCleveland Bronchos play five games across four parks:[2]
