The 1900 Major League baseball season began on April 19, 1900. The regular season ended on October 14, with the Brooklyn Superbas as the regular season champion of the National League. The Superbas and runner-up Pittsburgh Pirates competed in the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, a precursor to the current World Series, over four days, with Game 1 on October 15 and ended with Game 4 on October 18. The Superbas defeated the Pirates in the best-of-five series in four games.
The 1900 season saw the return of a postseason championship series (albeit as a one-off), the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, following the end of the Temple Cup in 1897.
The 1900 season saw the aftermath of the National League contracting from 12 to 8 teams, eliminating the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Spiders, Louisville Colonels, and Washington Senators. The elimination of major-league baseball from these cities prompted the minor league American League to declare themselves as a major league the following year.
The St. Louis Perfectos renamed as the St. Louis Cardinals.
Schedule
The 1900 schedule consisted of 140 games for the eight teams of the National League. Each team was scheduled to play 20 games against the other seven teams in the league. This format had previously been used by the National League during their 1888–1891 seasons. This format would last until 1904, which saw an increase of games played.
Opening Day took place on April 19 featuring all eight teams. The final day of the season on October 14. The Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, a precursor to the current World Series, took place between October 15 and October 18.
Rule change
The 1900 season saw the following rule change:
- Home plate is changed from a square to a five-sided figure, as developed by Robert M. Keating.[1][2]
Teams
Standings
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Superbas | 82 | 54 | .603 | — | 43–26 | 39–28 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 79 | 60 | .568 | 4½ | 42–28 | 37–32 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 75 | 63 | .543 | 8 | 45–23 | 30–40 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 66 | 72 | .478 | 17 | 42–29 | 24–43 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 65 | 75 | .464 | 19 | 40–31 | 25–44 |
| Chicago Orphans | 65 | 75 | .464 | 19 | 45–30 | 20–45 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 62 | 77 | .446 | 21½ | 27–34 | 35–43 |
| New York Giants | 60 | 78 | .435 | 23 | 38–31 | 22–47 |
Postseason
Bracket
| Chronicle-Telegraph Cup | |||||||
| NL1 | Brooklyn Superbas | 5 | 4 | 0 | 6 | ||
| NL2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 2 | 10 | 1 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | John McGraw | Team folded |
| Chicago Orphans | Tom Burns | Tom Loftus |
| Cincinnati Reds | Buck Ewing | Bob Allen |
| Cleveland Spiders | Joe Quinn | Team folded |
| Louisville Colonels | Fred Clarke | Team folded |
| New York Giants | Fred Hoey | Buck Ewing |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Patsy Donovan | Fred Clarke |
| Washington Senators | Arthur Irwin | Team folded |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | Buck Ewing | George Davis |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Patsy Tebeau | Louie Heilbroner |
League leaders
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Honus Wagner (PIT) | .381 |
| OPS | Honus Wagner (PIT) | 1.007 |
| HR | Herman Long (BOS) | 12 |
| RBI | Elmer Flick (PHI) | 110 |
| R | Roy Thomas (PHI) | 132 |
| H | Willie Keeler (BKN) | 204 |
| SB | Patsy Donovan (STL) George Van Haltren (NY) |
45 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Joe McGinnity (BKN) | 28 |
| L | Bill Carrick (NY) | 22 |
| ERA | Rube Waddell (PIT) | 2.37 |
| K | Noodles Hahn (CIN) | 132 |
| IP | Joe McGinnity (BKN) | 343.0 |
| SV | Frank Kitson (BKN) | 4 |
| WHIP | Rube Waddell (PIT) | 1.107 |
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies[6] | 75 | −20.2% | 301,913 | −22.4% | 4,313 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[7] | 65 | −22.6% | 270,000 | −27.8% | 3,750 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[8] | 79 | 3.9% | 264,000 | 4.8% | 3,771 |
| Chicago Orphans[9] | 65 | −13.3% | 248,577 | −29.4% | 3,228 |
| Boston Beaneaters[10] | 66 | −30.5% | 202,000 | 0.8% | 2,767 |
| New York Giants[11] | 60 | 0.0% | 190,000 | 56.5% | 2,676 |
| Brooklyn Superbas[12] | 82 | −18.8% | 183,000 | −32.1% | 2,507 |
| Cincinnati Reds[13] | 62 | −25.3% | 170,000 | −34.5% | 2,698 |
References
- ^ "MLB Rule Changes | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ "Why is home plate shaped different than other bases?". MLB.com. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ "1900 Major League Baseball Managers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1900 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1900 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
