1898 Major League Baseball season
| 1898 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 15 – October 15, 1898 |
| Games | 154 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Pennant winner | |
| NL champions | Boston Beaneaters |
| NL runners-up | Baltimore Orioles |
The 1898 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1898. The regular season ended on October 15, with the Boston Beaneaters as the pennant winner of the National League. Due to lack of enthusiasm from both players and fans, the Temple Cup which had taken place in the four previous seasons was not held, nor was there any other form of a postseason.
The Chicago Colts renamed as the Chicago Orphans.
Schedule
The 1898 schedule consisted of 154 games for the twelve teams of the National League. Each team was scheduled to play 14 games against the other eleven teams in the league. This format saw an increase to the previously used format, which had each team play 12 games against each other, and had resulted in a total of 132 games. The 154-game format had previously been used by the National League during in 1892.
Opening Day took place on April 15 featuring six teams. The final day of the season was on October 15, featuring eight teams.[1]
Rule changes
The 1898 season saw the following rule changes:
Teams
Neutral site and Sunday games
The Cleveland Spiders played in 15 neutral site games in which they were treated as the home team. Meanwhile, blue laws restricted Sunday activities in several localities, causing several teams to play at ballparks in a different locality.
| Team | City | Ballpark | Capacity | Games played | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Bridegrooms[4] | West New York, New Jersey | West New York Field Club Grounds | Unknown | 2 | Sunday |
| Cleveland Spiders[5] | Rochester, New York | Culver Field | Unknown | 2 | Neutral site |
| Collinwood, Ohio[B] | Euclid Beach Park | Unknown | 2 | Sunday | |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | National League Park | 18,000 | 9 | Neutral site | |
| Charlotte, New York[C] | Ontario Beach Grounds | Unknown | 1 | Neutral site & Sunday | |
| St. Louis, Missouri | New Sportsman's Park | 14,500 | 2 | Neutral site | |
| Chicago, Illinois | West Side Park | 13,000 | 1 | Neutral site | |
| New York Giants[6] | West New York, New Jersey | West New York Field Club Grounds | Unknown | 1 | Sunday |
- ^ In today's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- ^
- ^
Standings
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Beaneaters | 102 | 47 | .685 | — | 62–15 | 40–32 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 96 | 53 | .644 | 6 | 58–15 | 38–38 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 92 | 60 | .605 | 11½ | 58–28 | 34–32 |
| Chicago Orphans | 85 | 65 | .567 | 17½ | 58–31 | 27–34 |
| Cleveland Spiders | 81 | 68 | .544 | 21 | 36–19 | 45–49 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 78 | 71 | .523 | 24 | 49–31 | 29–40 |
| New York Giants | 77 | 73 | .513 | 25½ | 45–28 | 32–45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 72 | 76 | .486 | 29½ | 39–35 | 33–41 |
| Louisville Colonels | 70 | 81 | .464 | 33 | 43–34 | 27–47 |
| Brooklyn Bridegrooms | 54 | 91 | .372 | 46 | 30–41 | 24–50 |
| Washington Senators | 51 | 101 | .336 | 52½ | 34–44 | 17–57 |
| St. Louis Browns | 39 | 111 | .260 | 63½ | 20–44 | 19–67 |
Tie games
24 tie games, which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season.
- Baltimore Orioles, 5
- Boston Beaneaters, 3
- Brooklyn Bridegrooms, 4
- Chicago Orphans, 2
- Cincinnati Reds, 5
- Cleveland Spiders, 7
- Louisville Colonels, 3
- New York Giants, 7
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 4
- St. Louis Browns, 4
- Washington Senators, 3
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Orphans | Cap Anson | Tom Burns |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Patsy Donovan | Bill Watkins |
| St. Louis Browns | Chris von der Ahe | Tim Hurst |
In-season
League leaders
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Willie Keeler (BRO) | .385 |
| OPS | Billy Hamilton (BSN) | .933 |
| HR | Jimmy Collins (BSN) | 15 |
| RBI | Nap Lajoie (PHI) | 127 |
| R | John McGraw (BAL) | 143 |
| H | Willie Keeler (BRO) | 216 |
| SB | Ed Delahanty (PHI) | 58 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Kid Nichols (BSN) | 31 |
| L | Jack Taylor (STL) | 29 |
| ERA | Clark Griffith (CHI) | 1.88 |
| K | Cy Seymour (NYG) | 239 |
| IP | Jack Taylor (STL) | 397.1 |
| SV | Kid Nichols (BSN) | 4 |
| WHIP | Kid Nichols (BSN) | 1.034 |
Milestones
Batters
- Bill Duggleby (PHI):
- Hits a grand slam in his first major league at-bat on April 21, a feat not accomplished again until Jeremy Hermida in 2005.[9]
- Billy Hamilton (BSN):
- Recorded his 800th career stolen base against the Baltimore Orioles on May 11. He became the first player to reach this mark.[10][11][12]
- Hugh Duffy (BSN):
- Recorded his 500th career stolen base against the Louisville Colonels on May 28. He became the seventh player to reach this mark.[13][14][15]
- Billy Hoy (LOU):
- Recorded his 500th career stolen base against the St. Louis Browns in game two of a doubleheader on June 19. He became the eighth player to reach this mark.[16][17][18]
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Ted Breitenstein (CIN):
- Breitenstein threw his second career no-hitter and the second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 11–0 on April 22. Breitenstein walked one and struck out two.[19][20]
- Jay Hughes (BAL):
- Hughes threw his first career no-hitter and the third no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Beaneaters 8–0 on April 22. Hughes walked three and struck out three.[21][20]
- Red Donahue (PHI):
- Donahue threw his first career no-hitter and the second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Beaneaters 5–0 on July 8. Donahue walked two and struck out one.[22][23]
- Walter Thornton (CHI):
- Thornton threw his first career no-hitter and the fifth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Brooklyn Bridegrooms 2–0 in game 2 of a doubleheader on August 21. Thornton walked three and struck out three.[24][25]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Walter Thornton (CHI):
- Tied a Major League record by becoming the second pitcher to hit three consecutive batters by pitch, the first since 1894, in a game against the St. Louis Browns on May 18.[26][27]
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Orphans[28] | 85 | 44.1% | 424,352 | 29.7% | 4,768 |
| Cincinnati Reds[29] | 92 | 21.1% | 336,378 | −0.1% | 3,780 |
| New York Giants[30] | 77 | −7.2% | 265,414 | −32.0% | 3,492 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[31] | 78 | 41.8% | 265,414 | −8.5% | 3,277 |
| Boston Beaneaters[32] | 102 | 9.7% | 229,275 | −31.5% | 2,902 |
| St. Louis Browns[33] | 39 | 34.5% | 151,700 | 11.2% | 2,298 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[34] | 72 | 20.0% | 150,900 | −9.1% | 2,012 |
| Louisville Colonels[35] | 70 | 34.6% | 128,980 | −11.2% | 1,633 |
| Baltimore Orioles[36] | 96 | 6.7% | 123,416 | −54.8% | 1,624 |
| Brooklyn Bridegrooms[37] | 54 | −11.5% | 122,514 | −44.5% | 1,656 |
| Washington Senators[38] | 51 | −16.4% | 103,250 | −31.6% | 1,291 |
| Cleveland Spiders[39] | 81 | 17.4% | 70,496 | −38.8% | 1,237 |
Venues
The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, leave Eastern Park (where they played for seven seasons) and move to Washington Park, where they would go on to play for 15 seasons through 1912.
Regarding games that were rescheduled to Sunday, and existing blue laws:
- Both the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and New York Giants would play at the West New York Field Club Grounds in West New York, New Jersey. The Bridegrooms played two games, on September 18 and October 10, while the Giants played one game on September 11.[4][6]
- The Cleveland Spiders played at two venues for Sunday games. The team played two games at Euclid Beach Park in Collinwood, Ohio (today in Cleveland) on June 12 and 19, and one game at the Ontario Beach Grounds in Charlotte, New York (today in Rochester) on August 28.[5]
The Cleveland Spiders played 15 of 57 home games (about 26%) outside of the Greater Cleveland area.[5] Excluding the already mentioned Ontario Beach Grounds Sunday game listed above, these neutral site games were played in:
- Culver Field in Rochester, New York, home of the minor league Eastern League Rochester Bronchos (two games, played on August 27 and 29).
- National League Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of the Philadelphia Phillies (nine games, including four games on July 29 and 30, and five games between August 5 and 11).
- New Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri, home of the St. Louis Browns (two games, played on September 28 and 29).
- West Side Park in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Orphans (one game, played on October 8).
See also
References
- ↑ "1898 Major Leagues Schedule". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- 1 2 Talbot, Jamie. "1897 Winter Meetings: A Period of Good Feeling". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ↑ "1898 Major League Baseball Managers". Baseball Reference. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- 1 2 "Brooklyn Dodgers – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Cleveland Spiders – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- 1 2 "New York Giants – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ "1898 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball Reference. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ↑ "1898 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball Reference. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Joe Harrington Statistics and History". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- ↑ "Billy Hamilton Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More — Billy Hamilton: Standard Batting (1888-1898)". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Billy Hamilton 1898 Batting Game Logs — Billy Hamilton: Batting Stats Career Game 1-20". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Box Score: May 11, 1898". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Hugh Duffy Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More — Hugh Duffy: Standard Batting (1882-1896)". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Hugh Duffy 1898 Batting Game Logs — Hugh Duffy: Batting Stats Career Game 1-33". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Boston vs Louisville Colonels Box Score: May 28, 1898". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Billy Hoy Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More — Billy Hoy: Standard Batting (1888-1898)". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Billy Hoy 1898 Batting Game Logs — Billy Hoy: Batting Stats Career Game 1-48". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Louisville Colonels vs St. Louis Browns Box Score: June 19, 1898". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Cincinnati Reds 11, Pittsburgh Pirates 0". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- 1 2 "Two Remarkable Games". The St. Paul Globe. April 23, 1898. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Baltimore Orioles 8, Boston Beaneaters 0". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Philadelphia Phillies 5, Boston Beaneaters 0". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ↑ "National League". The St. Paul Globe. July 9, 1898. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Chicago Orphans 2, Brooklyn Bridegrooms 0 (2)". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ↑ "National League". The St. Paul Globe. August 22, 1898. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ↑ "Pitcher hitting the most consecutive batters". Guinness World Records. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ "MLB Hit by Pitcher Records". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ↑ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Louisville Colonels Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ↑ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Washington Senators Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ↑ "Cleveland Spiders Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2025.