1901 Major League Baseball season

This article is about the 1901 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1901 in baseball.

The 1901 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 18 through October 6, 1901. It was the inaugural season for the American League (AL), with the Chicago White Stockings finishing first in league standings. In the National League (NL), in operation since 1876, the Pittsburgh Pirates finished atop the league standings. There was no postseason.

1901 MLB season
League	Major League Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 18 – October 6, 1901
Number of games	140
Number of teams	16
Pennant Winners
AL champions	Chicago White Stockings
AL runners-up	Boston Americans
NL champions	Pittsburgh Pirates
NL runners-up	Philadelphia Phillies

Each league consisted of eight teams, with each team scheduled to play the other seven teams in the same league 20 times apiece, for a 140-game season.

League leaders

American League

Hitting leaders

Stat	Player	Total
AVG	Nap Lajoie (PHA)	.426
HR	Nap Lajoie (PHA)	14
RBI	Nap Lajoie (PHA)	125
R	Nap Lajoie (PHA)	145
H	Nap Lajoie (PHA)	232
SB	Frank Isbell (CHW)	46
WAR	Nap Lajoie (PHA)	8.3

Pitching leaders

Stat	Player	Total
W	Cy Young (BSA)	33
L	Pete Dowling (MIL/CLE)	25
ERA	Cy Young (BSA)	1.62
K	Cy Young (BSA)	158
IP	Joe McGinnity (BAL)	382.0
SV	Bill Hoffer (CLE)	3
WAR	Cy Young (BSA)	12.5

National League

Hitting leaders

Stat	Player	Total
AVG	Jesse Burkett (StL)	.376
HR	Sam Crawford (CIN)	16
RBI	Honus Wagner (PIT)	126
R	Jesse Burkett (StL)	142
H	Jesse Burkett (StL)	142
SB	Honus Wagner (PIT)	49
WAR	Bobby Wallace (StL)	7.8

Pitching leaders

Stat	Player	Total
W	Bill Donovan (BKN)	25
L	Luther Taylor (NY)	27
ERA	Jesse Tannehill (PIT)	2.18
K	Noodles Hahn (CIN)	239
IP	Noodles Hahn (CIN)	375.1
SV	Bill Donovan (BKN) Jack Powell (StL)	3
WAR	Christy Mathewson (NY)	8.9

Milestones

Batters

• Nap Lajoie (PHA):
  • Became the fourth player in MLB history and the first in American League history to win the Triple Crown, an achievement of leading a league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI) over the same season.

Pitchers

• Cy Young (BOS):
  • Won the pitching triple crown.

Standings

American League

American League	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Chicago White Stockings	83	53	0.610	—	49–21	34–32
Boston Americans	79	57	0.581	4	49–20	30–37
Detroit Tigers	74	61	0.548	8½	42–27	32–34
Philadelphia Athletics	74	62	0.544	9	42–24	32–38
Baltimore Orioles	68	65	0.511	13½	40–25	28–40
Washington Senators	61	72	0.459	20½	31–35	30–37
Cleveland Bluebirds	54	82	0.397	29	28–39	26–43
Milwaukee Brewers	48	89	0.350	35½	32–37	16–52

National League

National League	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Pittsburgh Pirates	90	49	0.647	—	45–24	45–25
Philadelphia Phillies	83	57	0.593	7½	46–23	37–34
Brooklyn Superbas	79	57	0.581	9½	43–25	36–32
St. Louis Cardinals	76	64	0.543	14½	40–31	36–33
Boston Beaneaters	69	69	0.500	20½	41–29	28–40
Chicago Orphans	53	86	0.381	37	30–39	23–47
New York Giants	52	85	0.380	37	30–38	22–47
Cincinnati Reds	52	87	0.374	38	27–43	25–44

Managers

American League

Team	Manager
Baltimore Orioles	John McGraw
Boston Americans	Jimmy Collins
Chicago White Stockings	Clark Griffith
Cleveland Bluebirds	Jimmy McAleer
Detroit Tigers	George Stallings
Milwaukee Brewers	Hugh Duffy
Philadelphia Athletics	Connie Mack
Washington Senators	Jim Manning

National League

Team	Manager
Boston Beaneaters	Frank Selee
Brooklyn Superbas	Ned Hanlon
Chicago Orphans	Tom Loftus
Cincinnati Reds	Bid McPhee
New York Giants	George Davis
Philadelphia Phillies	Bill Shettsline
Pittsburgh Pirates	Fred Clarke
St. Louis Cardinals	Patsy Donovan

External links

• 1901 in baseball history from ThisGreatGame.com
• 1901 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference