President Warren G. Harding suddenly fell ill on July 28th while returning from a trip to Alaska and was rushed to a San Francisco hospital where he died of a heart attack on August 2nd. Harding's undeviating Republicanism and vibrant speaking voice led him far in Ohio politics. He originally served in the state Senate and as Lieutenant Governor, but unsuccessfully ran for state Governor later. Harding's career soared after he delivered the nominating address for President Taft at the 1912 Republican Convention and he was eventually elected to the Senate in 1914. Many local supporters began to promote Harding for the 1920 Republican nomination and he went on to win the Presidential election by an unprecedented landslide of sixty percent of the popular vote.
The second Ku Klux Klan movement in U.S. history was initiated stirring widespread controversy and racial violence. Professing itself nonpolitical, the Klan nevertheless controlled politics in many communities and in 1922, 1924, and 1926 elected many state officials and a number of Congressmen. Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon, and Maine were particularly under its influence. Its collapse thereafter was largely due to state laws that forbade the wearing masks in public, which eliminated the secret element, and apparently from the declining interest of its members.
Yankee Stadium debuted when "The House That Ruth Built" opened its doors on April 18th to an announced attendance of 74,217. "The Babe" himself provided the "house warming gift" with a three-run home run that beat Howard Ehmke and the Boston Red Sox 4-1.
On May 25th, Detroit Tigers legend Ty Cobb scored his one-thousand seven-hundred forty-first run to pass another legend, Pittsburgh Pirate Honus Wagner. "The Georgia Peach" went on to hold ninety separate Major League records when he retired in 1928.
The Cleveland Indians set an American League record on July 7th after scoring in every inning against the Boston Red Sox. In eight innings (the home team did not bat in the ninth), "The Tribe" ran up twenty-seven runs, including thirteen in the sixth, for an embarrassing 27-3 win.
On April 7th, the longest National League opener (to date) took place with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies battling head-to-head for a grueling, fourteen innings and a 5-5 tie.
A riot broke out in Chicago on September 16th after umpire Charlie Moran made an "out" call at second base on Sparky Adams. Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was in attendance and shook his cane at the angry mob as Moran and the other officials were pelted by hundreds of empty bottles. After holding up play for over fifteen minutes, the game resumed with the visiting New York Giants winning 10-6.
Dolf Luque of the Cincinnati Reds finished his season in style after posting an 11-1 finale over the St. Louis Cardinals. Following the game, Luque returned to Havana with a Major League leading win-loss record of 27-8 which is still the best single-season mark ever posted (to date) by a Latin American pitcher.
Pitching legend Christy Mathewson became the president of the Boston Braves franchise after purchasing the club with New York attorney Judge Emil Fuchs and Bostonian James McDonough for a reported sum of $300,000. However, Braves Field remained in the custody of former owner James Gaffney and eighty-five minority stockholders.
The St, Louis Cardinals announced plans for their players to wear numerals on their uniforms, and number them according to the team's batting line-up.
Two members of the infamous "Black Sox Scandal", in which the 1919 World Series was "fixed" in favor of the Cincinnati Reds, attempted to sue their former team, the Chicago White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch unsuccessfully sought $400,000 in damages and $6,750 back salary for conspiracy and injury to reputation. Both men, along with all Chicago players involved in the incident, had been banned from baseball due to their undeniable link to gamblers.
No games were played on August 3rd following the death of President Harding in San Francisco. The entire major league schedule was also canceled one week later on the day of his funeral.
"People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." - Rogers Hornsby
1923 National League Player ReviewHitting Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Name(s) | Team(s) | # | Top 25 |
Base on Balls | George Burns | Cincinnati | 101 | Top 25 |
Batting Average | Rogers Hornsby | St. Louis | .384 | Top 25 |
Doubles | Edd Roush | Cincinnati | 41 | Top 25 |
Hits | Frankie Frisch | New York | 223 | Top 25 |
Home Runs | Cy Williams | Philadelphia | 41 | Top 25 |
On Base Percentage | Rogers Hornsby | St. Louis | .459 | Top 25 |
RBI | Irish Meusel | New York | 125 | Top 25 |
Runs | Ross Youngs | New York | 121 | Top 25 |
Slugging Average | Rogers Hornsby | St. Louis | .627 | Top 25 |
Stolen Bases | Max Carey | Pittsburgh | 51 | Top 25 |
Total Bases | Frankie Frisch | New York | 311 | Top 25 |
Triples | Max Carey | Pittsburgh | 19 | Top 25 |
Pie Traynor | Pittsburgh | |||
Statistic | Name(s) | Team(s) | # | Top 25 |
1923 National League Pitcher ReviewPitching Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Name(s) | Team(s) | # | Top 25 |
Complete Games | Burleigh Grimes | Brooklyn | 33 | Top 25 |
ERA | Dolf Luque | Cincinnati | 1.93 | Top 25 |
Games | Claude Jonnard | New York | 45 | Top 25 |
Rosy Ryan | New York | |||
Saves | Claude Jonnard | New York | 5 | Top 25 |
Shutouts | Dolf Luque | Cincinnati | 5 | Top 25 |
Strikeouts | Dazzy Vance | Brooklyn | 197 | Top 25 |
Winning Percentage | Dolf Luque | Cincinnati | .771 | Top 25 |
Wins | Dolf Luque | Cincinnati | 27 | Top 25 |
Statistic | Name(s) | Team(s) | # | Top 25 |
1923 National LeagueTeam Standings |
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Team [Click for roster] | Wins | Losses | WP | GB |
New York Giants | 95 | 58 | .621 | 0 |
Cincinnati Reds | 91 | 63 | .591 | 4½ |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 87 | 67 | .565 | 8½ |
Chicago Cubs | 83 | 71 | .539 | 12½ |
St. Louis Cardinals | 79 | 74 | .516 | 16 |
Brooklyn Robins | 76 | 78 | .494 | 19½ |
Boston Braves | 54 | 100 | .351 | 41½ |
Philadelphia Phillies | 50 | 104 | .325 | 45½ |
1923 National League Team ReviewHitting Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Team | # |
Base on Balls | New York | 487 |
Batting Average | New York | .295 |
Doubles | St. Louis | 274 |
Hits | New York | 1,610 |
Home Runs | Philadelphia | 112 |
On Base Percentage | New York | .356 |
Runs | New York | 854 |
Slugging Average | New York | .415 |
Stolen Bases | Chicago | 181 |
Triples | Pittsburgh | 111 |
1923 National League Team ReviewPitching Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Team | # |
Complete Games | Brooklyn | 94 |
ERA | Cincinnati | 3.22 |
Fewest Hits Allowed | Chicago | 1,419 |
Fewest Home Runs Allowed | Cincinnati | 28 |
Fewest Walks Allowed | Cincinnati | 359 |
Saves | New York | 18 |
Shutouts | Boston | 13 |
Strikeouts | Brooklyn | 548 |
Seasonal Events: All-Star Game | World Series Navigation: Year in Review Menu | Previous Season | Next Season Miscellaneous: A.L. Leaderboard Retirements | Rookies List |
On April 17, 1923, the St. Louis Cardinals wore a uniform number that corresponded to the player's position in the batting order. The practice ended due to costs and the team did not wear numbers on a regular basis until the 1932 Cincinnati Reds took the field.
On September 17, 1923, George Kelly of the New York Giants became the first player to hit three home runs in three consecutive at-bats.
On October 10, 1923, the first World Series game was played in Yankee Stadium; however, the National League New York Giants won 5-to-4.