YEAR IN REVIEW : 1910 American League

Off the field...

The Boy Scouts of America was introduced inviting boys eleven to seventeen years old an opportunity to join an organization dedicated to improving mental, moral, and physical development while stressing outdoor skills and training in citizenship and lifesaving. Originally, the movement was intended to be nonmilitary and without racial, religious, political, or class distinctions, but the Supreme Court affirmed the organization's right to limit membership to those who believe in God in 1993.

The "National Association for the Advancement of Colored People" was founded in New York, in November. The N.A.A.C.P. originally published an underground journal called "The Crisis," and was at the forefront of all the attempts by Blacks to achieve equality. For more than ninety-three years, the NAACP has continued include people of all races, nationalities and religious denominations, while remaining united on one premise, that all men and women are created equal.

In the American League...

Cleveland Indians ace Cy Young won his five-hundredth game on July 19th after beating the Washington Senators 5-4 at American League Park II.

Washington Senators second baseman Red Killefer set a Major League mark on August 27th after sacrificing four times in the first game of a Detroit Tigers doubleheader.

Eddie Collins of the Philadelphia Athletics set an American League record after stealing his eighty-first base of the season, on October 4, 1910, during an 8-1 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox.

In the National League...

The Braves and Phillies combined on April 22nd for a Major League record fewest at bats by two teams in nine innings: forty-eight (twenty-five for Boston, twenty-three for Philadelphia). The record was tied the following season, but remained unbeaten until 1964.

On August 13th, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers played in perhaps, the most evenly matched game ever. Both teams finished the 8-8 tie (called on darkness) with exactly eight runs, thirteen hits, thirty-eight at bats, five strikeouts, three walks, one hit batter, one passed ball, thirteen assists, twenty-seven putouts and two errors with two pitchers used. [Box Score]

Around the League...

William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to throw out the ceremonial "first pitch" after he opened the 1910 season at Washington's League Park. The Senators' Walter Johnson christened the tradition by pitching a one-hitter, beating the Philadelphia Athletics and Eddie Plank 3-0.

Both leagues agreed to adopt a resolution that would ban syndicate baseball, which had previously allowed owners to have financial interests vested in more than one team. They also mandated that all umpires were to announce any team changes to the spectators; batting orders were to be delivered to the head umpire at home plate before the game and a base runner was to be called out if he passed another runner ahead of him on the base path.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"The game of baseball is a clean, straight game, and it summons to its presence everybody who enjoys clean, straight athletics." - President Taft

1910 American League Player Review

1909 | 1910 Hitting Statistics League Leaders | 1911

Base on Balls Donie Bush Detroit 78 Top 25
Batting Average * Nap Lajoie Detroit .384 Top 25
Doubles Nap Lajoie Cleveland 51 Top 25
Hits Nap Lajoie Cleveland 227 Top 25
Home Runs Jake Stahl Boston 10 Top 25
On Base Percentage Ty Cobb Detroit .455 Top 25
RBI Sam Crawford Detroit 120 Top 25
Runs Ty Cobb Detroit 106 Top 25
Slugging Average Ty Cobb Detroit .549 Top 25
Stolen Bases Eddie Collins Philadelphia 81 Top 25
Total Bases Nap Lajoie Cleveland 304 Top 25
Triples Sam Crawford Detroit 19 Top 25
1910 N.L. | A.L. Retirements | A.L. Rookies | Year-by-Year

1910 American League Pitcher Review

1909 | 1910 Pitching Statistics League Leaders | 1911

Complete Games Walter Johnson Washington 38 Top 25
ERA Ed Walsh Chicago 1.27 Top 25
Games Ed Walsh Chicago 45 Top 25
Jack Coombs Philadelphia
Walter Johnson Washington
Saves Ed Walsh Chicago 5 Top 25
Shutouts Jack Coombs Philadelphia 13 Top 25
Strikeouts Walter Johnson Washington 313 Top 25
Winning Percentage Chief Bender Philadelphia .821 Top 25
Wins Jack Coombs Philadelphia 31 Top 25
1910 N.L. | A.L. Retirements | A.L. Rookies | Year-by-Year

1910 American League Standings

Team Standings | 1910 World Series

Philadelphia Athletics 102 48 .680 0
New York Highlanders 88 63 .583 14½
Detroit Tigers 86 68 .558 18
Boston Red Sox 81 72 .529 22½
Cleveland Naps 71 81 .467 32
Chicago White Sox 68 85 .444 35½
Washington Senators 66 85 .437 36½
St. Louis Browns 47 107 .305 57
1910 American League Team Standings

1910 American League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls New York 464
Batting Average Philadelphia .266
Doubles Philadelphia 191
Hits Philadelphia 1,373
Home Runs Boston 43
On Base Percentage Detroit .329
Runs Detroit 679
Slugging Average Philadelphia .355
Stolen Bases New York 288
Triples Philadelphia 105

1910 American League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Philadelphia 123
ERA Philadelphia 1.79
Fewest Hits Allowed Philadelphia 1,103
Fewest Home Runs Allowed Philadelphia 8
Fewest Walks Allowed New York 364
Saves New York 8
Shutouts Philadelphia 24
Strikeouts Philadelphia 789
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

On July 19, 1910, Cy Young of the Cleveland Naps, won 5-4 versus the Washington Senators and recorded victory number five-hundred — the first and only pitcher in baseball history to reach that incredible plateau! [Career Leaders for Wins]

* Ty Cobb stayed out of the lineup on October 9, 1910, preserving his .382 (.38189) batting average. Nap Lajoie, who was playing in St. Louis, went eight (8) for eight (8) in a doubleheader where six (6) of his hits were bunt singles. He finished with a .384 (.38409) batting average and rumor has it that the Browns "gave" Lajoie the singles by playing too deep. Ban Johnson investigated and found no wrong doing; however, Major League Baseball recognizes Cobb as the official batting champion. The Chalmers Award (MVP) was given to both Cobb and Lajoie in 1910.

Did you know that Chief Bender came within one walk of a perfect game on May 12, 1910? When the season came to an end, Bender was a first-time member of the twenty wins club; winning twenty-three games, losing five, and a sparkling 1.58 ERA.