The1908 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1908. The regular season ended on October 8, with theChicago Cubs andDetroit Tigers as regular season champions of theNational League andAmerican League, respectively. In a rematch of the prior year's postseason, the postseason began with Game 1 of thefifth modern World Series on October 10 and ended with Game 5 on October 14. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup (and a rematch of theprevious year), The Cubs defeated the Tigers, four games to one, capturing their second championship in franchise history, and the first team to win back-to-back World Series.
The 1908 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 the1904 season. This format would last until1919.
Opening Day took place on April 14 with all but thePittsburgh Pirates andSt. Louis Cardinals playing. The final day of the regular season was on October 8. TheWorld Series took place between October 10 and October 14.
The American League made the following rule changes:[1]
Language on postponed games was adopted, stating "All postponed games of the first series shall be played on the first or succeeding days of the second series; all postponed games of the second and third series shall be played on the next day or succeeding day of the same series."
A rule stating "restricts the practice of acquiring a player by refusing waiver on him and then immediately turning him over to a club outside the league."
On February 27, 1908, the three organizations of the National Commission of Baseball Clubs,National League, andAmerican League announced several rule changes, effective immediately.[2]
The act of rubbing the ball on the ground, clothing, shoes, or dropping the ball and picking it up with a handful of gravel or dirt by the pitcher was prohibited.
Thesacrifice fly rule is adopted. No timeat bat is charged if arun scores after the catch of afly ball. The rule would eventually be repealed in 1931, then reinstated (or changed) several times before gaining permanent acceptance in1954.
The trend of each team playing 22 games with every other in-league team was written into theMajor League Baseball Constitution, with rules for playing makeup games at the originally scheduled ballpark in the event oftie games,rain delays, and other game-preventing situations being put in place. If the series of all scheduled games has ended with makeup games remaining, if possible, the remaining game(s) can be made up on the opposite team's ballpark, with a date agreed by the two teams.
September 23 – TheChicago Cubs andNew York Giants, involved in a tight pennant race, (also involving thePittsburgh Pirates) were tied in the bottom of the ninth inning at thePolo Grounds in New York. The Giants had runners on first and third and two outs whenAl Bridwell hit a single to center field, scoringMoose McCormick from third with the Giants' apparent winning run, but the runner on first base, rookieFred Merkle, thinking the game was over, went halfway to second and then sprinted to the clubhouse after McCormick touched home plate. As fans swarmed the field, Cub infielderJohnny Evers retrieved the ball and touched second. A forceout was called at second base, nullifying the single, and because there were 2 outs when the play started, the run was also nullified and the inning ended. The game was declared atie and would be made up at the end of the season if the Cubs and Giants were tied for first place. The incident became known as the"Merkle Boner".
October 2 – In a game involving theCleveland Naps and theChicago White Sox,Ed Walsh struck out 15 Naps and walked one batter, pitching a complete game, but it was not enough asAddie Joss pitched a perfect game, and the Naps beat the White Sox, 1–0, during the heat of apennant race. Cleveland center fielderJoe Birmingham scored the game's only run. It is perhaps the finest pitching duel in baseball history.
Anderson, David W. (2000).More Than Merkle: A History of the Best and Most Exciting Baseball Season in Human History. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.ISBN0-8032-1056-6.
Fleming, G.H. (1981).The Unforgettable Season: The Most Exciting & Calamitous Pennant Race of All Time. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.ISBN0-03-056221-X.
Murphy, Cait. (2007).Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History. New York: HarperCollins/Smithsonian Books.ISBN0-06-088937-3.
