The1918 Boston Red Sox season was the 18th season in the franchise'sMajor League Baseball history. TheRed Sox finished first in theAmerican League (AL) with a record of 75 wins and 51 losses, in a season cut short due toWorld War I. The team then faced theNational League (NL) championChicago Cubs in the1918 World Series, which the Red Sox won in six games to capture the franchise's fifth World Series. This would be the last World Series championship for the Red Sox until2004.
With World War I ongoing, a "work or fight" mandate was issued by the government, requiring men with non-essential jobs to enlist or take war-related jobs by July 1, else risk beingdrafted.[1]Secretary of WarNewton D. Baker granted an extension to MLB players throughLabor Day, September 2.[2] In early August, MLB clubs decided that the regular season would end at that time.[3] As a result, AL teams played between 123 and 130 regular-season games (including ties),[4] reduced from their original 154-game schedules. Later in August, Baker granted a further extension to allow for the World Series to be contested;[2] it began on September 5 and ended on September 11.[5] World War I would end two months later, with theArmistice of 11 November 1918.
Due to the entry of the United States intoWorld War I, several Red Sox players enlisted with the military over the winter. Notable players who enlisted included PitchersErnie Shore andHerb Pennock, OutfielderDuffy Lewis, as well as ManagerJack Barry.[6]
The Red Sox' pitching staff, led byCarl Mays andBullet Joe Bush, allowed the fewest runs in the league.Babe Ruth was the fourth starter and also spent significant time in the outfield, as he was the best hitter on the team, leading the AL inhome runs andslugging percentage.
After this season the Red Sox would fall into mediocrity as they traded away most of their star players to other teams, most notably sending Ruth to the Yankees in 1920. The team would not have another winning record until 1935, 18 years later.
^Golenbock, Peter (2015).Red Sox Nation: The Rich and Colorful History of the Boston Red Sox (4th ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Triumph Books. p. 54.ISBN9781629370507.
