The 1903 major league baseball season began on April 16, 1903. The regular season ended on September 29, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans as regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the first 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.
| 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 |
The 1903 season saw the return of a postseason championship series, the World Series, following the one-off 1900 Chronicle-Telegraph Cup. It was also the first inter-league series since the 1890 World's Championship Series between the National League and defunct-since-1891 American Association. The 1903 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 by MLB and baseball historians separately. 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.
The defunct Baltimore Orioles were replaced by a new franchise in New York City known as the New York Highlanders; it was the last change to the lineup of AL and NL franchises until 1953. The American League would not return to Baltimore until the St. Louis Browns relocated their as a new Baltimore Orioles in 1954. The Chicago Orphans and Cleveland Bronchos were renamed as the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Naps, respectively.
Schedule
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 the 1901 season. This would be the last season with this format, as the 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 a doubleheader between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston 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. The inaugural World Series took place between October 1 and October 13.
Rule changes
The 1903 season saw the following rule changes:
- The pitcher's mound height was capped at 15 inches.
- Previously adopted by the National league in 1901, the American League adopted the rule that foul balls are to count as strike balls, except after two strikes. Previously, foul balls would not affect the count. To cut the cost of lost foul balls, the committee urges that batters who foul off good strikes are to be disciplined.
- A unified balk rule was agreed on, stating "a balk shall constitute any delivery of the ball to the batsman by the pitcher while either foot of the pitcher is back of the plate."
Teams
| League | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American League | Boston Americans | Boston, Massachusetts | Huntington Avenue Grounds | 11,500 | Jimmy Collins |
| Chicago White Stockings | Chicago, Illinois | South Side Park | 14,000 | Jimmy Callahan | |
| Cleveland Naps | Cleveland, Ohio | League Park (Cleveland) | 9,000 | Bill Armour | |
| Detroit Tigers | Detroit, Michigan | Bennett Park | 8,500 | Ed Barrow | |
| New York Highlanders | New York, New York | Hilltop Park | 16,000 | Clark Griffith | |
| Philadelphia Athletics | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Columbia Park | 9,500 | Connie Mack | |
| St. Louis Browns | St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 8,000 | Jimmy McAleer | |
| Washington Senators | Washington, D.C. | American League Park | 7,000 | Tom Loftus | |
| National League | Boston Beaneaters | Boston, Massachusetts | South End Grounds | 6,600 | Al Buckenberger |
| Brooklyn Superbas | New York, New York | Washington Park | 12,000 | Ned Hanlon | |
| Chicago Cubs | Chicago, Illinois | West Side Park | 13,000 | Frank Selee | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Palace of the Fans | 12,000 | Joe Kelley | |
| New York Giants | New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 16,000 | John McGraw | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | National League Park | 18,000 | Chief Zimmer | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Exposition Park | 16,000 | Fred Clarke | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, Missouri | League Park (St. Louis) | 15,200 | Patsy Donovan |
Standings
American League
| 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 |
National League
| 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 |
Postseason
The postseason began on October 1 and ended on October 13 with the Boston Americans defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1903 World Series in eight games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Boston Americans | 5 | ||
| NL | Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | ||
"Battle of Ohio"
Termed the "Battle of Ohio", the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Naps played an unofficial best of 11-game exhibition series after the regular season, with Cleveland winning the series six games to three.
Managerial changes
Off-season
| 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 |
League leaders
American League
| 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 |
National League
| 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 |
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 84 | 75.0% | 579,530 | 91.3% | 8,279 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 75 | −9.6% | 422,473 | 0.6% | 6,306 |
| Chicago Cubs | 82 | 20.6% | 386,205 | 46.5% | 5,290 |
| St. Louis Browns | 65 | −16.7% | 380,405 | 39.7% | 5,434 |
| Boston Americans | 91 | 18.2% | 379,338 | 8.8% | 5,419 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 74 | 5.7% | 351,680 | 61.8% | 4,627 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 91 | −11.7% | 326,855 | 34.1% | 4,669 |
| Cleveland Naps | 77 | 11.6% | 311,280 | 13.0% | 4,206 |
| Chicago White Stockings | 60 | −18.9% | 286,183 | −15.3% | 4,088 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 43 | −23.2% | 226,538 | 0.1% | 3,283 |
| Brooklyn Superbas | 70 | −6.7% | 224,670 | 12.4% | 3,078 |
| Detroit Tigers | 65 | 25.0% | 224,523 | 18.5% | 3,454 |
| New York Highlanders | 72 | 211,808 | 3,161 | ||
| Philadelphia Phillies | 49 | −12.5% | 151,729 | 35.4% | 2,487 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 58 | −20.5% | 143,155 | 22.4% | 2,105 |
| Washington Senators | 43 | −29.5% | 128,878 | −31.5% | 1,815 |
Events
- August 1 – Joe McGinnity becomes the first pitcher to win two complete games in one day, with 4–1 and 5–2 victories for the New York Giants over the Boston Beaneaters in a doubleheader.
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