1903 American League
| 1903 in baseball |
|---|
| 1903 American League |
| Japanese baseball |
| National League |
| Negro Leagues |
| << 1902 1904 >> |
The 1903 season of the American League was the third season of the league.
Season summary[edit]
The 1903 campaign was a breakthrough season for the American League and was characterized by several major changes. The first, and by far most important, was a peace agreement with the National League, which agreement legitimized the American League, placing it on an even standing with the older league. It compelled teams in both leagues to honor the contracts (including the reserve clause) of players in the other league and also led to the formation of a three man National Commission, consisting of the two league presidents and one owner, to rule on inter-league disputes. The commission forced the American League to adopt the foul strike rule. The peace agreement also paved the way for the first (albeit unofficial) modern World Series between the league champions. To cap a triumphant season, American League champion Boston Americans topped the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Series, demonstrating that the league had achieved parity with or even superiority over the National League.
Standings[edit]
- Bold indicates league champion, Italics indicates World Series champion
| Rank | Team | G | W | L | T | WPCT | GB | RS (RS/G) | RA (RA/G) | AVG | OBP | SLG | ERA | FPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Americans | 141 | 91 | 47 | 3 | .645 | -.- | 708 (5.02) | 504 (3.57) | 0.272 | 0.308 | 0.392 | 2.57 | 0.959 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Athletics | 137 | 75 | 60 | 2 | .547 | 14.5 | 597 (4.36) | 519 (3.79) | 0.264 | 0.304 | 0.363 | 2.98 | 0.960 |
| 3 | Cleveland Naps | 140 | 77 | 63 | 0 | .550 | 15.0 | 639 (4.56) | 579 (4.14) | 0.265 | 0.303 | 0.373 | 2.73 | 0.946 |
| 4 | New York Highlanders | 136 | 72 | 62 | 2 | .529 | 17.0 | 579 (4.26) | 573 (4.21) | 0.249 | 0.300 | 0.330 | 3.08 | 0.953 |
| 5 | Detroit Tigers | 137 | 65 | 71 | 1 | .474 | 25.0 | 567 (4.14) | 539 (3.93) | 0.268 | 0.312 | 0.351 | 2.75 | 0.950 |
| 6 | St. Louis Browns | 139 | 65 | 74 | 0 | .468 | 26.5 | 500 (3.60) | 525 (3.78) | 0.244 | 0.286 | 0.317 | 2.77 | 0.953 |
| 7 | Chicago White Sox | 138 | 60 | 77 | 1 | .435 | 30.5 | 516 (3.74) | 613 (4.44) | 0.247 | 0.296 | 0.314 | 3.02 | 0.949 |
| 8 | Washington Senators | 140 | 43 | 94 | 3 | .307 | 47.5 | 437 (3.12) | 691 (4.94) | 0.231 | 0.272 | 0.311 | 3.82 | 0.953 |
League leaders[edit]
- Bold indicates league record, Italics indicate all-time record
Batting[edit]
Pitching[edit]
Postseason[edit]
In the World Series, the American League champion Boston Americans defeated the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates, 5 games to 3.
Notable events[edit]
Umpires[edit]
- Harry Adams
- Bill Bernhard*
- Bill Betts
- Monte Beville*
- Bob Caruthers
- Tom Connolly
- Harry Davis*
- Red Donahue*
- Bill Donovan*
- Lew Drill*
- Rip Egan
- Patsy Flaherty*
- Clark Griffith*
- James Hassett
- Jack Kerins*
- Harry Mace*
- Earl Moore*
- Silk O'Loughlin
- Case Patten*
- Frank Pears
- Ossee Schrecongost*
- Jack Sheridan
- Doc White*
- George Winter*
- Cy Young*
* Denotes a fill-in umpire
Further Reading[edit]
- Tom Ruane: "A Retro-Review of the 1900s (the 1903 edition)", Retrosheet.org [1]
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