YEAR IN REVIEW : 1895 National League

Off the field...

English novelist, journalist, sociologist, and historian H.G. Wells published his first novel, "The Time Machine", a parody of English class division and a satirical warning that human progress was not inevitable. In the story, the "Time Traveler" landed in the year 802701 to find two types of people: the Eloi, a weak species, who lived above ground, and the Morlocks, a carnivorous group of creatures that lived below. Much of the realism of the story was achieved by carefully studied technical details and was based on the basic principles regarding time as the fourth dimension.

On February 6, 1895, George Herman "Babe" Ruth was born to George Ruth and Catherine Schamberger, in their home at 216 Emory Street, in Baltimore, Maryland.

In the National League...

Before a game with the visiting Cleveland Spiders, the entire Chicago Colts team was arrested for "inciting, aiding and abetting the forming of a noisy crowd on a Sunday". Reverend W.W. Clark and the "Sunday Observance League" had protested the concept of baseball on Sunday and instigated the police action. After owner Jim Hart posted bail, 10,000 fans remained to watch the "wanted men" beat the visitors 13-4.

The senior circuit, on February 27, 1895, restricted the size of gloves for all fielders, except catchers and first basemen, to 10 ounces, with a maximum circumference of 14 inches around the palm. They also rescinds the rule forbidding intentional discoloring of the ball, thus allowing players to dirty the baseball to their satisfaction!

In the Temple Cup (prelude to the World Series) the Baltimore Orioles (87-43) met the Cleveland Spiders (84-46) with the Spiders winning the title in five games, thanks-in-part to the arm of an "up-and-comer" named Cy Young.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"Zane Grey is renowned for his thrilling plots, his unforgettable gunmen and his incomparably satisfying action. But there are deeper and more abiding reasons to read this master storyteller." - Marian Kester Coombs

1895 National League Player Review

1894 | 1895 Hitting Statistics League Leaders | 1896

Base on Balls Billy Hamilton Philadelphia 96 Top 25
Bill Joyce Washington
Batting Average Jesse Burkett Cleveland .409 Top 25
Doubles Ed Delahanty Philadelphia 49 Top 25
Hits Jesse Burkett Cleveland 225 Top 25
Home Runs Sam Thompson Philadelphia 18 Top 25
On Base Percentage Ed Delahanty Philadelphia .500 Top 25
RBI Sam Thompson Philadelphia 165 Top 25
Runs Billy Hamilton Philadelphia 166 Top 25
Slugging Average Sam Thompson Philadelphia .654 Top 25
Stolen Bases Billy Hamilton Philadelphia 97 Top 25
Total Bases Sam Thompson Philadelphia 352 Top 25
Triples Kip Selbach Washington 22 Top 25
1895 N.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1895 National League Pitcher Review

1894 | 1895 Pitching Statistics League Leaders | 1896

Complete Games Ted Breitenstein St. Louis 46 Top 25
ERA Al Maul Washington 2.45 Top 25
Games Pink Hawley Pittsburgh 56 Top 25
Saves Ernie Beam Philadelphia 3 Top 25
Kid Nichols Boston
Tom Parrott Cincinnati
Shutouts Pink Hawley Pittsburgh 4 Top 25
Bill Hoffer Baltimore
Sadie McMahon Baltimore
Amos Rusie New York
Cy Young Cleveland
Strikeouts Amos Rusie New York 201 Top 25
Winning Percentage Bill Hoffer Baltimore .838 Top 25
Wins Cy Young Cleveland 35 Top 25
1895 N.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1895 National League

Team Standings

Baltimore Orioles 87 43 2 .669 0
Cleveland Spiders 84 46 1 .646 3
Philadelphia Phillies 78 53 2 .595
Chicago Colts 72 58 3 .554 15
Brooklyn Bridegrooms 71 60 2 .542 16½
Boston Beaneaters 71 60 1 .542 16½
Pittsburgh Pirates 71 61 3 .538 17
Cincinnati Reds 66 64 2 .508 21
New York Giants 66 65 1 .504 21½
Washington Senators 43 85 4 .336 43
St. Louis Browns 39 92 5 .298 48½
Louisville Colonels 35 96 2 .267 52½
1895 National League Team Standings

1895 National League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Washington 518
Batting Average Philadelphia .330
Doubles Philadelphia 272
Hits Philadelphia 1,664
Home Runs Philadelphia 61
On Base Percentage Philadelphia .394
Runs Philadelphia 1,068
Slugging Average Philadelphia .450
Stolen Bases Cincinnati 326
Triples Cincinnati 105

1895 National League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Chicago 119
ERA Baltimore 3.80
Fewest Hits Allowed Baltimore 1,216
Fewest Home Runs Allowed Pittsburgh 17
Fewest Walks Allowed Cleveland 346
Saves Philadelphia 7
Shutouts Baltimore 10
Strikeouts New York 409
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

Why did we choose a quotation about author Zane Grey? On the 15th of June, he appeared in his first Minor League ballgame. His baseball career would be short lived, but the novelist would go on to write more than ninety-books and have more than one-hundred films made from his classics.

Most fans know that the rules state the home team must supply baseballs for the game. However, did you know that on May 23, 1895, Louisville forfeited a game to Brooklyn because they ran out of baseballs?

Hit For the Cycle: Two National League players hit for the cycle in 1895. Tommy Dowd, outfielder on the St. Louis Browns, who hit for the cycle on August 16, 1895, during an 8–5 win over the Louisville Colonels. And Ed Cartwright, first baseman on the Washington Senators, who hit for the cycle on September 30, 1895, during a 15-7 win over the Boston Beaneaters.

On June 3, 1895, Roger Connor hit his one-hundred twenty-second career home run. This historic shot tied Harry Stovey for the most home runs in Major League Baseball history! Twenty days later, June 23, 1895, Connor hit home run #123 and became the all-time home run king!