The 1904 New York Highlanders season, the team's second, finished with the team in second place in the American League with a record of 92–59. The team was managed by Clark Griffith and played home games at Hilltop Park.

Offseason October 6, 1903: Jack O'Connor was traded by the Highlanders to the St. Louis Browns for John Anderson.Jack O'Connor page at Baseball Reference January 5, 1904: Eddie Quick and Jack Zalusky were traded by the Highlanders to the Toledo Mud Hens for Red Kleinow.Red Kleinow page at Baseball Reference

Regular season

The name The first verified use of the alternate nickname "Yankees" (a synonym for "Americans", the team being American Leaguers) occurred on April 7, 1904, when a spring training story from Richmond, Virginia carried the headline "Yankees Will Start Home From South To-Day." The New York Evening Journal screamed: "YANKEES BEAT BOSTON". The casual use of that nickname suggests it was already in the popular lexicon, although "Highlanders" would continue to be the primary (and equally unofficial) nickname for several more years.

Season summary The Highlanders were in the thick of the American League pennant race throughout the season, leading by two games as late as September 20.1904 Highlanders Schedule This led to the New York Giants announcement that they would not play in the World Series, since they considered the Highlanders to be only a "minor league" team.

On the final day of the season at Hilltop Park, New York pitcher Jack Chesbro threw a wild pitch in the ninth inning, giving the Boston Americans the win, and the 1904 AL pennant. Even though it was Boston who stole the pennant on the final day, the Giants stuck to their word and their refusal prevented the World Series from being played.

It would be a century later, in 2004, the next time Boston directly eliminated the Yankees from title contention, when they did so in the final game of the 2004 ALCS, a hundred years later in a repeat of sorts of the events of that year, the beginning of a long rivalry between the two clubs.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Roster 1904 New York Highlanders Roster Pitchers Catchers

Infielders Outfielders Manager

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI C 101 322 67 .208 0 20 1B 130 465 121 .260 6 48 2B 146 559 147 .263 2 74 3B 140 489 119 .243 1 52 SS 122 445 117 .263 2 46 OF 143 543 186 .343 2 40 OF 143 558 155 .278 3 82 OF 106 452 128 .283 6 22

Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI 97 339 93 .274 2 32 58 209 43 .206 0 16 36 128 24 .188 0 12 28 107 21 .196 2 9 9 22 6 .273 0 2 6 19 4 .211 0 2 5 17 6 .353 0 1 4 7 0 .000 0 0 1 1 0 .000 0 0

Pitching

Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO 55 454.2 41 12 1.82 239 47 390.1 23 19 2.44 202 20 137.2 11 6 2.68 37 19 136.1 7 11 3.70 75 16 100.1 7 5 2.87 36 2 12.0 0 1 2.25 8

Other pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO 13 66.1 1 2 5.02 43 9 49.1 2 0 2.74 26 7 33.2 0 3 3.21 8

Awards and honors

Records Jack Chesbro and Jack Powell, American League record, combined victories by two teammate pitchers (64)Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.100, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York,

Franchise records Jack Chesbro, Yankees single season record, most wins in a season (41)

References

1904 New York Highlanders team page at www.baseball-almanac.com 1904 New York Highlanders at Baseball Reference