1903 Major League Baseball season

The 1903 major league baseball season began on April 16, 1903. The regular season ended 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.[1]

1903 MLB season
LeagueAmerican League, National League
SportBaseball
DurationApril 20 – October 13, 1903 (AL)
April 16 – October 13, 1903 (NL)
Number of games140
Number of teams8 (AL), 8 (NL)
Pennant Winners
AL championsBoston Americans
  AL runners-upPhiladelphia Athletics
NL championsPittsburgh Pirates
  NL runners-upNew York Giants
World Series
ChampionsBoston Americans
  Runners-upPittsburgh Pirates
Locations of teams for the 1903 American League season
American League
Locations of teams for the 1903–1906 National League seasons
National League

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 Chicago Orphans were renamed as the Chicago Cubs.

Teams
League Team City Stadium Capacity
American League Boston Americans Boston, Massachusetts Huntington Avenue Grounds 11,500
Chicago White Stockings Chicago, Illinois South Side Park 15,000
Cleveland Naps Cleveland, Ohio League Park 9,000
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Bennett Park 8,500
New York Highlanders New York, New York Hilltop Park 16,000
Philadelphia Athletics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Columbia Park 9,500
St. Louis Browns St. Louis, Missouri Sportsman's Park 8,000
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. American League Park Unknown
National League Boston Beaneaters Boston, Massachusetts South End Grounds 2,300
Brooklyn Superbas New York, New York Washington Park 18,800
Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois West Side Park 16,000
Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati, Ohio Palace of the Fans 6,000
New York Giants New York, New York Polo Grounds 16,000
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania National League Park 18,000
Pittsburgh Pirates Allegheny, Pennsylvania Exposition Park 16,000
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Robison Field Unknown

Schedule
See also: Major League Baseball 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
1903 Boston vs Chicago at Huntington Avenue Grounds

The 1903 season saw the following rule changes:

  • The pitcher's mound height was capped at 15 inches.[2][3]
  • 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.[4][5]

Standings


Postseason

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.[6]

Managers

League leaders

American League

National League

Home field attendance
Team name Wins %± Home attendance %± Per game
New York Giants[7] 84 75.0% 579,530 91.3% 8,279
Philadelphia Athletics[8] 75 -9.6% 422,473 0.6% 6,306
Chicago Cubs[9] 82 20.6% 386,205 46.5% 5,290
St. Louis Browns[10] 65 -16.7% 380,405 39.7% 5,434
Boston Americans[11] 91 18.2% 379,338 8.8% 5,419
Cincinnati Reds[12] 74 5.7% 351,680 61.8% 4,627
Pittsburgh Pirates[13] 91 -11.7% 326,855 34.1% 4,669
Cleveland Naps[14] 77 11.6% 311,280 13.0% 4,206
Chicago White Stockings[15] 60 -18.9% 286,183 -15.3% 4,088
St. Louis Cardinals[16] 43 -23.2% 226,538 0.1% 3,283
Brooklyn Superbas[17] 70 -6.7% 224,670 12.4% 3,078
Detroit Tigers[18] 65 25.0% 224,523 18.5% 3,454
New York Highlanders[19] 72 211,808 3,161
Philadelphia Phillies[20] 49 -12.5% 151,729 35.4% 2,487
Boston Beaneaters[21] 58 -20.5% 143,155 22.4% 2,105
Washington Senators[22] 43 -29.5% 128,878 -31.5% 1,815

Events


References
  1. "History of the World Series – 1903". SportingNews.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved September 3, 2006.
  2. "A guide to rules changes in MLB (and sports) history". MLB.com. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  3. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (June 9, 2012). "Pitching Mound Is a Work of Art Often Abused". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  4. "The National League Rules Committee decrees that all foul balls are to count as strikes, except after two strikes. - This Day In Baseball". February 27, 1901. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  5. "This Day in Sports: The National League Makes it Way Harder for Fans to Catch a Foul Ball". ESPN.com. February 27, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  6. Rhodes, Greg (2007). Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Highlights: Memorable Moments in Team History As Heard on the Reds Radio Network. United States: Clerisy Press. p. 251. ISBN 9781578603008.
  7. "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  8. "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  9. "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  10. "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  11. "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  12. "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  13. "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  14. "Cleveland Guardians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  15. "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  16. "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  17. "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  18. "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  19. "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  20. "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  21. "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  22. "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  23. Mackin, Bob (2004). The Unofficial Guide to Baseball's Most Unusual Records. Canada: Greystone Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781553650386..
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