The 1912 major league baseball season began on April 11, 1912. The regular season ended on October 6, with the New York Giants and Boston Red Sox as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the ninth modern World Series on October 8 and ended with Game 8 on October 16. The Red Sox defeated the Giants, four games to three (with one tie), capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in . Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Philadelphia Athletics from the season.

This was the second of four seasons that the Chalmers Award, a precursor to the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (introduced in 1931), was given to a player in each league.

During the season, Harper's Weekly conducted a detailed accounting of the expenses of major league clubs, reaching a figure of approximately $175,000 to $200,000.

The Boston Rustlers renamed as the Boston Braves.

Schedule

The 1912 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place for the season. This format would last until .

Opening Day, April 11, featured all sixteen teams, only the second time every team has started their season on the same day (first being two years prior with the season). The final day of the regular season was on October 6. The World Series took place between October 8 and October 16.

Rule change The 1912 season saw the following rule change: The Class AA ("Double-A") level was created as the new highest level of minor-league baseball, with the elevation of the American Association, International League, and Pacific Coast League, from Class A ("Single-A").

Teams An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at LeagueTeamCityBallparkCapacityManagerBoston Red SoxBoston, MassachusettsFenway Park27,000Chicago White SoxChicago, IllinoisWhite Sox Park28,000Cleveland NapsCleveland, OhioLeague Park21,414Harry DavisDetroit TigersDetroit, MichiganNavin Field23,000New York HighlandersNew York, New YorkHilltop Park16,000Brush Stadium*34,000*Philadelphia AthleticsPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaShibe Park23,000St. Louis BrownsSt. Louis, MissouriSportsman's Park18,000Washington SenatorsWashington, D.C.National Park27,000Boston BravesBoston, MassachusettsSouth End Grounds11,000Brooklyn Trolley DodgersNew York, New YorkWashington Park16,000Chicago CubsChicago, IllinoisWest Side Park16,000Cincinnati RedsCincinnati, OhioRedland Field20,696New York GiantsNew York, New YorkBrush Stadium34,000Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaNational League Park18,000Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaForbes Field23,000St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis, MissouriRobison Field21,000

Standings

American League

National League

Tie games 13 tie games (8 in AL, 5 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.

American League Boston Red Sox, 2 Chicago White Sox, 4 Cleveland Naps, 2 Detroit Tigers, 1 New York Highlanders, 1 Philadelphia Athletics, 1 St. Louis Browns, 3 Washington Senators, 2

National League Boston Braves, 2 Chicago Cubs, 2 Cincinnati Reds, 2 New York Giants, 3 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1

Postseason The postseason began on October 8 and ended on October 16 with the Boston Red Sox defeating the New York Giants in the 1912 World Series in seven games.

Bracket

Managerial changes Off-season Team Former Manager New ManagerBoston BravesFred TenneyJohnny KlingBoston Red SoxPatsy DonovanJake StahlChicago White SoxHugh DuffyJimmy CallahanCincinnati RedsClark GriffithHank O'DayCleveland NapsGeorge StovallHarry DavisNew York HighlandersHal ChaseHarry WolvertonWashington SenatorsJimmy McAleerClark Griffith

In-season Team Former Manager New ManagerCleveland Naps Harry DavisJoe Birmingham St. Louis BrownsBobby WallaceGeorge Stovall

League leaders American League

+ Hitting leaders Stat Player Total AVG Ty Cobb (DET) .409 OPS Ty Cobb (DET) 1.040 HR Home Run Baker (PHA)Tris Speaker (BOS) 10 RBI Home Run Baker (PHA) 130 R Eddie Collins (PHA) 137 H Ty Cobb (DET)Joe Jackson (CLE) 226 SB Clyde Milan (WSH) 88

+ Pitching leaders Stat Player Total W Smoky Joe Wood (BOS) 34 L Russ Ford (NYH) 21 ERA Walter Johnson (WSH) 1.39 K Walter Johnson (WSH) 303 IP Ed Walsh (CWS) 393.0 SV Ed Walsh (CWS) 10 WHIP Walter Johnson (WSH) 0.908

National League

+ Hitting leaders Stat Player Total AVG Heinie Zimmerman1 (CHC) .372 OPS Heinie Zimmerman (CHC) .989 HR Heinie Zimmerman1 (CHC) 14 RBI Heinie Zimmerman1 (CHC) 104 R Bob Bescher (CIN) 120 H Heinie Zimmerman (CHC) 207 SB Bob Bescher (CIN) 67 1 National League Triple Crown batting winner

+ Pitching leaders Stat Player Total W Larry Cheney (CHC)Rube Marquard (NYG) 26 L Lefty Tyler (BSN) 22 ERA Jeff Tesreau (NYG) 1.96 K Grover Alexander (PHI) 195 IP Grover Alexander (PHI) 310.1 SV Slim Sallee (STL) 6 WHIP Hank Robinson (PIT) 1.006

Milestones Batters Cycles

Tris Speaker (BOS): Speaker hit for his first cycle and fourth in franchise history, on June 9 against the St. Louis Browns. Chief Meyers (NYG): Meyers hit for his first cycle and fourth in franchise history, on June 10 against the Chicago Cubs. Bert Daniels (NYH): Daniels hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history, on July 25 against the Chicago White Sox. Honus Wagner (PIT): Wagner hit for his first cycle and fifth in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on August 22 against the New York Giants.

Pitchers No-hitters

George Mullin (DET): Mullin threw his first career no-hitter and first in franchise history, by defeating the St. Louis Browns 7–0 in game 2 of a doubleheader on July 4. Mullin walked five and struck out five. Earl Hamilton (SLB): Hamilton threw his first career no-hitter and first in franchise history, by defeating the Detroit Tigers 5–1 on August 30. Hamilton walked walked and struck out nobody. Jeff Tesreau (NYG): Tesreau threw his first career no-hitter and fifth in franchise history, by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 3–0 in game 1 of a doubleheader on September 6. Tesreau walked two and struck out two.

Other pitching accomplishments Christy Mathewson (NYG): Became the eighth member of the 300-win club, defeating the Chicago Cubs on June 13, winning 3–2.

Awards and honors Chalmers Award: Larry Doyle (NYG, National); Tris Speaker (BOS, American)

Home field attendance Team nameWinsHome attendanceNew York Giants103 4.0%638,000 −5.5%8,395Chicago White Sox78 1.3%602,241 3.3%7,721Boston Red Sox105 34.6%597,096 18.5%7,655Philadelphia Athletics90 −10.9%517,653 −14.5%6,723Chicago Cubs91 −1.1%514,000 −10.8%6,590Detroit Tigers69 −22.5%402,870 −16.9%5,301Pittsburgh Pirates93 9.4%384,000 −11.1%5,120Washington Senators91 42.2%350,663 43.2%4,496Cincinnati Reds75 7.1%344,000 14.7%4,468Cleveland Naps75 −6.3%336,844 −17.1%4,375Philadelphia Phillies73 −7.6%250,000 −39.9%3,333Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers58 −9.4%243,000 −9.7%3,197New York Highlanders50 −34.2%242,194 −19.9%3,187St. Louis Cardinals63 −16.0%241,759 −46.0%3,140St. Louis Browns53 17.8%214,070 2.9%2,710Boston Braves52 18.2%121,000 4.3%1,532

Venues The 1912 season saw two teams play their last seasons at their respective venues. The Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers would play their last game at Washington Park on October 5 against the New York Giants, moving into Ebbets Field for the start of the season. The New York Highlanders would play their last game at Hilltop Park on October 5 against the Washington Senators, moving into the Brush Stadium for the start of the season.

The 1912 season saw three teams play in new venues. The Boston Red Sox leave the Huntington Avenue Grounds (where they played for 11 seasons) and opened Fenway Park, where they continue to play to this day. The Cincinnati Reds leave the Palace of the Fans (where they played for ten seasons) and opened Redland Field, where they would go on to play for 59 seasons through . The Detroit Tigers leave Bennett Park (where they played for 12 seasons as a Major League team and five seasons as a Minor League team in the Western League) and opened Navin Field, where they would go on to play for 88 seasons through .

League Park, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, was renamed to Robison Field by Helene Britton, named after her father and uncle, Frank and Stanley Robison, respectively.

To accommodate for large crowds, the New York Highlanders would play three home games at the Brush Stadium, home of the New York Giants, on May 30 and a doubleheader on September 2.

See also 1912 in baseball (Events, Births, Deaths)

References

External links 1912 Major League Schedule at Baseball Reference