YEAR IN REVIEW : 1923 National League

Off the field...

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.

In the American League...

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.

In the National League...

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.

Around the League...

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.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"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 Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

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

1923 National League Pitcher Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

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

1923 National League

Team Standings

New York Giants 95 58 .621 0
Cincinnati Reds 91 63 .591
Pittsburgh Pirates 87 67 .565
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 Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

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 Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

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
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Retirements | Rookies List
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baseball almanac fast facts

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.