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.
| 1898 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 15 – October 15, 1898 |
| Number of games | 154 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Pennant winner | |
| NL champions | Boston Beaneaters |
| NL runners-up | Baltimore Orioles |
The Chicago Colts renamed as the Chicago Orphans.
Schedule
editThe 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
editThe 1898 season saw the following rule changes:
Teams
editStandings
editNational League
edit| 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 |
Managerial changes
editOff-season
edit| 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
editLeague leaders
editNational League
edit| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Willie Keeler (BKN) | .385 |
| OPS | Billy Hamilton (BOS) | .933 |
| HR | Jimmy Collins (BOS) | 15 |
| RBI | Nap Lajoie (PHI) | 127 |
| R | John McGraw (BAL) | 143 |
| H | Willie Keeler (BKN) | 216 |
| SB | Ed Delahanty (PHI) | 58 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Kid Nichols (BOS) | 31 |
| L | Jack Taylor (STL) | 29 |
| ERA | Clark Griffith (CHI) | 1.88 |
| K | Cy Seymour (NY) | 239 |
| IP | Jack Taylor (STL) | 397.1 |
| SV | Kid Nichols (BOS) | 4 |
| WHIP | Kid Nichols (BOS) | 1.034 |
Home field attendance
edit| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Orphans[6] | 85 | 44.1% | 424,352 | 29.7% | 4,768 |
| Cincinnati Reds[7] | 92 | 21.1% | 336,378 | −0.1% | 3,780 |
| New York Giants[8] | 77 | −7.2% | 265,414 | −32.0% | 3,492 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[9] | 78 | 41.8% | 265,414 | −8.5% | 3,277 |
| Boston Beaneaters[10] | 102 | 9.7% | 229,275 | −31.5% | 2,902 |
| St. Louis Browns[11] | 39 | 34.5% | 151,700 | 11.2% | 2,298 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[12] | 72 | 20.0% | 150,900 | −9.1% | 2,012 |
| Louisville Colonels[13] | 70 | 34.6% | 128,980 | −11.2% | 1,633 |
| Baltimore Orioles[14] | 96 | 6.7% | 123,416 | −54.8% | 1,624 |
| Brooklyn Bridegrooms[15] | 54 | −11.5% | 122,514 | −44.5% | 1,656 |
| Washington Senators[16] | 51 | −16.4% | 103,250 | −31.6% | 1,291 |
| Cleveland Spiders[17] | 81 | 17.4% | 70,496 | −38.8% | 1,237 |
References
edit- ^ "1898 Major Leagues Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ a b 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.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1898 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1898 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "Chicago Cubs 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.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Philadelphia Phillies 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Louisville Colonels Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Washington Senators Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ "Cleveland Spiders Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2025.