| 1918 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 154 (scheduled) 123–131 (actual) |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Pennant winners | |
| AL champions | Boston Red Sox |
| AL runners-up | Cleveland Indians |
| NL champions | Chicago Cubs |
| NL runners-up | New York Giants |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Boston Red Sox |
| Runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
| MLB seasons | |
The1918 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1918. The regular season ended earlier than originally scheduled, September 2, because of a reduced schedule due toAmerican participation inWorld War I.[1] TheNational League andAmerican League champions were theChicago Cubs andBoston Red Sox, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the15th World Series on September 5 and ended with Game 6 on September 11. The Red Sox defeated the Cubs, four games to two, capturing their fifth championship in franchise history, since their previous in1916. Going into the season, the defendingWorld Series champions were theChicago White Sox from the1917 season.
American League Opening Day took place on April 15 with four American League teams playing, thePhiladelphia Athletics atBoston Red Sox, and theNew York Yankees atWashington Senators, while National League Opening Day saw all eight teams play the following day. It was the first season since1906 which saw the two leagues open on different days.
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, or else risk beingdrafted.[2]Secretary of WarNewton D. Baker granted an extension to MLB players throughLabor Day, September 2.[3] In early August, MLB clubs decided that the regular season would end at that time.[4] As a result, the number of regular-season games that each team played varied—123 to 130 for AL teams and 124 to 131 for NL teams, including ties[5]—reduced from their original 154-game schedules. The final day of the regular season would see all teams but theCleveland Indians andSt. Louis Browns play. Later in August, Baker granted a further extension to allow for the World Series to be contested;[3] it began on September 5 and ended on September 11.[6] World War I would end two months later, with theArmistice of 11 November 1918.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 75 | 51 | .595 | — | 49–21 | 26–30 |
| Cleveland Indians | 73 | 54 | .575 | 2½ | 38–22 | 35–32 |
| Washington Senators | 72 | 56 | .562 | 4 | 41–32 | 31–24 |
| New York Yankees | 60 | 63 | .488 | 13½ | 37–29 | 23–34 |
| St. Louis Browns | 58 | 64 | .475 | 15 | 23–30 | 35–34 |
| Chicago White Sox | 57 | 67 | .460 | 17 | 30–26 | 27–41 |
| Detroit Tigers | 55 | 71 | .437 | 20 | 28–29 | 27–42 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 52 | 76 | .406 | 24 | 35–32 | 17–44 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | 45 | .651 | — | 49–25 | 35–20 |
| New York Giants | 71 | 53 | .573 | 10½ | 35–21 | 36–32 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 68 | 60 | .531 | 15½ | 46–24 | 22–36 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 65 | 60 | .520 | 17 | 42–28 | 23–32 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 57 | 69 | .452 | 25½ | 33–21 | 24–48 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 55 | 68 | .447 | 26 | 27–29 | 28–39 |
| Boston Braves | 53 | 71 | .427 | 28½ | 23–29 | 30–42 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 51 | 78 | .395 | 33 | 32–40 | 19–38 |
The postseason began on September 5 and ended on September 11 with theBoston Red Sox defeating theChicago Cubs in the1918 World Series in six games.
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Boston Red Sox | 4 | ||
| NL | Chicago Cubs | 2 | ||
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | Jack Barry | Ed Barrow |
| New York Yankees | Bill Donovan | Miller Huggins |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Miller Huggins | Jack Hendricks |
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | Christy Mathewson | Heinie Groh |
| St. Louis Browns | Fielder Jones | Jimmy Austin |
| Jimmy Austin | Jimmy Burke |
Any team shown insmall text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Ty Cobb (DET) | .382 |
| OPS | Babe Ruth (BOS) | .966 |
| HR | Babe Ruth (BOS) Tillie Walker (PHA) | 11 |
| RBI | Bobby Veach (DET) | 84 |
| R | Ray Chapman (CLE) | 84 |
| H | George Burns (PHA) | 178 |
| SB | George Sisler (SLB) | 45 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Walter Johnson1 (WSH) | 23 |
| L | Eddie Cicotte (CWS) Scott Perry (PHA) | 19 |
| ERA | Walter Johnson1 (WSH) | 1.27 |
| K | Walter Johnson1 (WSH) | 162 |
| IP | Scott Perry (PHA) | 332.1 |
| SV | George Mogridge (NYY) | 7 |
| WHIP | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 0.954 |
1 American LeagueTriple Crown pitching winner
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Zack Wheat (BRO) | .335 |
| OPS | Edd Roush (CIN) | .823 |
| HR | Gavvy Cravath (PHI) | 8 |
| RBI | Sherry Magee (CIN) | 76 |
| R | Heinie Groh (CIN) | 86 |
| H | Charlie Hollocher (CHC) | 161 |
| SB | Max Carey (PIT) | 58 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Hippo Vaughn2 (CHC) | 22 |
| L | Rube Marquard (BRO) Joe Oeschger (PHI) | 18 |
| ERA | Hippo Vaughn2 (CHC) | 1.74 |
| K | Hippo Vaughn2 (CHC) | 148 |
| IP | Hippo Vaughn (CHC) | 290.1 |
| SV | Fred Anderson (NYG) Wilbur Cooper (PIT) Joe Oeschger (PHI) Fred Toney (NYG/CIN) | 3 |
| WHIP | Hippo Vaughn (CHC) | 1.006 |
2 National LeagueTriple Crown pitching winner
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs[12] | 84 | 13.5% | 337,256 | −6.4% | 4,558 |
| Cleveland Indians[13] | 73 | −17.0% | 295,515 | −38.1% | 4,766 |
| New York Yankees[14] | 60 | −15.5% | 282,047 | −14.6% | 4,210 |
| New York Giants[15] | 71 | −27.6% | 256,618 | −48.7% | 4,582 |
| Boston Red Sox[16] | 75 | −16.7% | 249,513 | −35.7% | 3,564 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[17] | 65 | 27.5% | 213,610 | 10.8% | 3,009 |
| Detroit Tigers[18] | 55 | −29.5% | 203,719 | −55.5% | 3,512 |
| Chicago White Sox[19] | 57 | −43.0% | 195,081 | −71.5% | 3,484 |
| Washington Senators[20] | 72 | −2.7% | 182,122 | 103.1% | 2,461 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[21] | 52 | −5.5% | 177,926 | −19.6% | 2,617 |
| Cincinnati Reds[22] | 68 | −12.8% | 163,009 | −39.4% | 2,296 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[23] | 55 | −36.8% | 122,266 | −65.5% | 2,145 |
| St. Louis Browns[24] | 58 | 1.8% | 122,076 | −42.0% | 2,303 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[25] | 51 | −37.8% | 110,599 | −61.7% | 1,515 |
| Boston Braves[26] | 53 | −26.4% | 84,938 | −51.3% | 1,633 |
| Brooklyn Robins[27] | 57 | −18.6% | 83,831 | −62.2% | 1,552 |
