| 1903 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 140 |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Pennant winners | |
| AL champions | Boston Americans |
| AL runners-up | Philadelphia Athletics |
| NL champions | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| NL runners-up | New York Giants |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Boston Americans |
| Runners-up | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| MLB seasons | |
The1903 major league baseball season began on April 16, 1903. The regular season ended on September 29, with thePittsburgh Pirates and theBoston Americans as regular season champions of theNational League andAmerican League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of thefirst modern World Series on October 1 and ended with Game 8 on October 13. The Americans defeated the Pirates, five games to three, capturing their first championship in franchise history.[1]
The 1903 season saw the return of a postseason championship series, theWorld Series, following the one-off 1900Chronicle-Telegraph Cup. It was also the firstinter-league series since the1890 World's Championship Series between the National League and defunct-since-1891American Association. The1903 World Series would also mark the first championship series that is still celebrated today, as all previous series are considered pre-modern and these early contests are discussed byMLB and baseball historians separately.[2] However, the 1903 arrangement was primarily between the two participating clubs rather than a formal arrangement between the leagues, essentially making this season's World Series a voluntary event.[3]
The defunctBaltimore Orioles were replaced by a new franchise inNew York City known as theNew York Highlanders; it was the last change to the lineup of AL and NL franchises until1953. The American League would not return toBaltimore until theSt. Louis Browns relocated their as a newBaltimore Orioles in1954. The Chicago Orphans and Cleveland Bronchos were renamed as theChicago Cubs andCleveland Naps, respectively.
The 1903 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 would be the last season with this format, asthe following season would see an increase of games played.
National League Opening Day took place on April 16 with four teams playing, while American League Opening Day did not take place until April 20, with adoubleheader between thePhiladelphia Athletics and theBoston Americans. The National League would see its final day of the regular season on September 27, while the American League would see its final day of the season on September 29. Theinaugural World Series took place between October 1 and October 13.
The 1903 season saw the following rule changes:
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Americans | 91 | 47 | .659 | — | 49–20 | 42–27 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 75 | 60 | .556 | 14½ | 44–21 | 31–39 |
| Cleveland Naps | 77 | 63 | .550 | 15 | 49–25 | 28–38 |
| New York Highlanders | 72 | 62 | .537 | 17 | 41–26 | 31–36 |
| Detroit Tigers | 65 | 71 | .478 | 25 | 37–28 | 28–43 |
| St. Louis Browns | 65 | 74 | .468 | 26½ | 38–32 | 27–42 |
| Chicago White Stockings | 60 | 77 | .438 | 30½ | 41–28 | 19–49 |
| Washington Senators | 43 | 94 | .314 | 47½ | 29–40 | 14–54 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 91 | 49 | .650 | — | 46–24 | 45–25 |
| New York Giants | 84 | 55 | .604 | 6½ | 41–27 | 43–28 |
| Chicago Cubs | 82 | 56 | .594 | 8 | 45–28 | 37–28 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 74 | 65 | .532 | 16½ | 41–35 | 33–30 |
| Brooklyn Superbas | 70 | 66 | .515 | 19 | 40–33 | 30–33 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 58 | 80 | .420 | 32 | 31–35 | 27–45 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 49 | 86 | .363 | 39½ | 25–33 | 24–53 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 43 | 94 | .314 | 46½ | 22–45 | 21–49 |
The postseason began on October 1 and ended on October 13 with theBoston Americans defeating thePittsburgh Pirates in the1903 World Series in eight games.
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Boston Americans | 5 | ||
| NL | Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | ||
Termed the "Battle of Ohio", theCincinnati Reds andCleveland Naps played an unofficial best of 11-game exhibition series after the regular season, with Cleveland winning the series six games to three.[11]
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | Wilbert Robinson | Team folded |
| Chicago White Stockings | Clark Griffith | Jimmy Callahan |
| Detroit Tigers | Frank Dwyer | Ed Barrow |
| New York Highlanders | Team enfranchised | Clark Griffith |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Bill Shettsline | Chief Zimmer |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Nap Lajoie (CLE) | .344 |
| OPS | Nap Lajoie (CLE) | .896 |
| HR | Buck Freeman (BOS) | 13 |
| RBI | Buck Freeman (BOS) | 104 |
| R | Patsy Dougherty (BOS) | 107 |
| H | Patsy Dougherty (BOS) | 195 |
| SB | Harry Bay (CLE) | 45 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Cy Young (BOS) | 28 |
| L | Patsy Flaherty (CWS) | 25 |
| ERA | Earl Moore (CLE) | 1.74 |
| K | Rube Waddell (PHA) | 302 |
| IP | Cy Young (BOS) | 341.2 |
| SV | Bill Dinneen (BOS) George Mullin (DET) Al Orth (WSH) Jack Powell (SLB) Cy Young (BOS) | 2 |
| WHIP | Addie Joss (CLE) | 0.948 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .355 |
| OPS | Fred Clarke (PIT) | .946 |
| HR | Jimmy Sheckard (BRO) | 9 |
| RBI | Sam Mertes (NYG) | 104 |
| R | Ginger Beaumont (PIT) | 137 |
| H | Ginger Beaumont (PIT) | 209 |
| SB | Jimmy Sheckard (BRO) Frank Chance (CHC) | 67 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Joe McGinnity (NYG) | 31 |
| L | Togie Pittinger (BSN) | 22 |
| ERA | Sam Leever (PIT) | 2.06 |
| K | Christy Mathewson (NYG) | 267 |
| IP | Joe McGinnity (NYG) | 434.0 |
| SV | Carl Lundgren (CHC) Roscoe Miller (NYG) | 3 |
| WHIP | Deacon Phillippe (PIT) | 1.030 |
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants[16] | 84 | 75.0% | 579,530 | 91.3% | 8,279 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[17] | 75 | −9.6% | 422,473 | 0.6% | 6,306 |
| Chicago Cubs[18] | 82 | 20.6% | 386,205 | 46.5% | 5,290 |
| St. Louis Browns[19] | 65 | −16.7% | 380,405 | 39.7% | 5,434 |
| Boston Americans[20] | 91 | 18.2% | 379,338 | 8.8% | 5,419 |
| Cincinnati Reds[21] | 74 | 5.7% | 351,680 | 61.8% | 4,627 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[22] | 91 | −11.7% | 326,855 | 34.1% | 4,669 |
| Cleveland Naps[23] | 77 | 11.6% | 311,280 | 13.0% | 4,206 |
| Chicago White Stockings[24] | 60 | −18.9% | 286,183 | −15.3% | 4,088 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[25] | 43 | −23.2% | 226,538 | 0.1% | 3,283 |
| Brooklyn Superbas[26] | 70 | −6.7% | 224,670 | 12.4% | 3,078 |
| Detroit Tigers[27] | 65 | 25.0% | 224,523 | 18.5% | 3,454 |
| New York Highlanders[28] | 72 | 211,808 | 3,161 | ||
| Philadelphia Phillies[29] | 49 | −12.5% | 151,729 | 35.4% | 2,487 |
| Boston Beaneaters[30] | 58 | −20.5% | 143,155 | 22.4% | 2,105 |
| Washington Senators[31] | 43 | −29.5% | 128,878 | −31.5% | 1,815 |
