Champions American League: Boston Americans National League: New York Giants

World Series: New York (NL) declined challenge by Boston (AL)

Statistical leaders American League National League Stat Player Total Player Total AVG Nap Lajoie (CLE) .376 Honus Wagner (PIT) .349 HR Harry Davis (PHA) 10 Harry Lumley (BRO) 9 RBI Nap Lajoie (CLE) 102 Bill Dahlen (NYG) 80 W Jack Chesbro1 (NYH) 41 Joe McGinnity (NYG) 35 ERA Addie Joss (CLE) 1.59 Joe McGinnity (NYG) 1.61 K Rube Waddell (PHA) 349 Christy Mathewson (NYG) 212 1 Modern (1901–present) single-season wins record

Major league baseball final standings American League final standings

National League final standings

Events January January 4 – The New York Highlanders of the American League announce plans to play on Sundays at Ridgewood Park in Queens, NY, but the National League Brooklyn Superbas object the proposal. By the time Sunday's games are legal only in the cities of Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati.

February February 29 – Pepper Martin is born in Temple, Oklahoma. Amazingly, with more than 19,000 different Major League Baseball players in the sport's history, between 1836 and 2018, only 11 have been born on a Leap Day.Major League Baseball History on February 29. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved on May 23, 2019.Four important MLB moments that happened on Leap Day. MLB.com. Retrieved on May 23, 2019. Dubbed as the Wild Horse of the Osage because of his daring and aggressive baserunning abilities,Pepper Martin. Article written by Norm King. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on May 23, 2019. Martin played as a third baseman and an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals in a span of 13 seasons between 1928 and 1944, earning two World Series titles, four All-Star Game selections and four National League stolen bases titles. But Martin is probably best known for his heroics in the 1931 World Series, when he led the Cardinals in average (.500), hits (12), doubles (4), runs (5), RBI (5), stolen bases (5) and added one home run in the seven-game triumph over the highly favored Philadelphia Athletics, making also a running catch to cut a ninth-inning rally by the Athletics in the decisive Game 7.

March March 16 – Buddy Myer is born in Ellisville, Mississippi.Buddy Myer. Career statistics. Baseball Reference. Retrieved on May 23, 2019. A two-time All-Star and American League champion bat, Myer was the second baseman of the Washington Senators club when they won their last AL pennant in 1933. He posted a .330/.389/.406 slash line with 2,131 hits in 1,923 games. Notably, Myer walked more than twice as many times as he struck out (965-to-428) during 17 seasons from 1925 through 1941, including a stint with the Boston Red Sox in 1927 and 1928. Myer was often cited as one of the few Jewish baseball stars and was chosen for the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, but he was a member of the Baptist church.James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press. p. 499. .

April

May May 5 – Cy Young pitches a perfect game, as the Boston Americans defeat the Philadelphia Athletics, 3–0, at Huntington Avenue Grounds. This is considered the first perfect game in the modern era. May 11 – Following his perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics six days before, Cy Young of the Boston Americans pitched another six hitless innings against the Detroit Tigers, until Sam Crawford stroked a single to end the string. Before his perfection start, Young had already pitched eighth consecutive innings without allowing a base hit. On April 25, he pitched two innings at Philadelphia, then he hurled six innings in relief against the Washington Senators. As a result, the record books credited Young with 23 consecutive hitless innings based on these four games, which is considered a record in Major League Baseball history. No one has ever equaled that mark. May 21 – Boston Americans shortstop Bill O'Neill made history when he committed six errors in a 13-inning, 5–3 loss to the St. Louis Browns at Huntington Avenue Grounds, to set a 20th-century single-game record.John O'Neill. Article written by Bill Nowlin. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on May 2, 2019. May 27 – New York Giants first baseman Dan McGann set a Major League Baseball record with five stolen bases in a single-game, a feat not matched until Davey Lopes did it for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974, and not surpassed until Atlanta Braves' Otis Nixon stole six bases in 1991.Dan McGann. Article written by Don Jensen. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on May 2, 2019. May 30 – Frank Chance of the Chicago Cubs is hit by a pitch five times in a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, by Jack Harper and Win Kellum.

June June 11 – Chicago Cubs pitcher Bob Wicker pitches nine innings without allowing a hit. He surrenders a hit in the 10th inning, but it would be the only hit he allows in the game. The Cubs would go on the beat the New York Giants, 1–0, in 12 innings. June 20 – Duff Cooley of the Boston Beaneaters hits for the cycle in the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 9–0 Boston victory. June 23 – Kip Selbach of the Washington Senators ties a record by committing 3 errors from the outfield in one inning.

July July 16 – New York Highlanders right-handed starter Jack Chesbro steals home plate in the bottom of the 10th inning, scoring a walk-off run while winning his own game against the Detroit Tigers, 9–8, at Hilltop Park. Chesbro, who entered the game in relief duties, led off the inning with a single, moved to third base on a pair of outs, then achieved this rare feat. Chesbro, a notorious spitballer, set a Major League pitching record with 41 wins in 1904.The 10 most significant steals of home in baseball history. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on May 21, 2019.

August August 17 – Boston Americans pitcher Jesse Tannehill tosses a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox in a 6–0 win at South Side Park. August 24 – New York Highlanders left fielder Willie Keeler collects two home runs against the visiting St. Louis Browns in a 9–1 win at Hilltop Park. Both drives are inside-the-park.1904 MLB season. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved on May 22, 2019.

September September 1 – The New York Giants selected Moonlight Graham in the Rule five draft. This is the same Moonlight Graham that is fictionalized in the movie Field of Dreams. September 5 – At the Polo Grounds, the New York Giants swept a doubleheader from the Boston Beaneaters in front of 37,000 fans. Christy Mathewson won a pitching duel with Kaiser Wilhelm in the opener, 1–0, when Jim Delahanty scored on a triple by Tom Needham in the bottom of the ninth inning. The second game of the Labor Day twin-bill was won on a Sam Mertes single in the bottom of the ninth that brought Red Ames with the winning run. The climax to the successful day inspired a group of fans to carry Giants manager John McGraw off the field on their shoulders; McGraw was dropped during the excitement and suffered a sprained ankle.

October October 3 – Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants strikes out 16 in a 3–1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Polo Grounds. His 16 strikeouts set a new record in the major leagues as he finishes the game in one hour and 15 minutes.1904 MLB season schedule. Baseball Reference. Retrieved on May 22, 2019. October 4 – New York Giants outfielder Sam Mertes hits for the cycle in a 7–3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Polo Grounds. October 7 – George Stovall hit a home run off his brother Jesse Stovall. That particular feat was a Major League first and an event that remained unduplicated until Rick Ferrell hit a homer off Wes Ferrell in 1933; later, Joe Niekro went deep against Phil Niekro in 1976. October 8 – Jack Chesbro earned his 41st victory of the season as the New York Highlanders defeated the Boston Americans, 3–2. The 41 wins by a pitcher in a season are a modern record in Major League history. Previously, the future Hall of Famer won his 14th consecutive game on August 10 (a record at the time), pitched 30 consecutive complete games at a time, and would complete 48 of his 51 starts of the season.Jack Chesbro statistics. Baseball Reference. Retrieved on May 22, 2019. October 10 – The regular season ends with a doubleheader at Hilltop Park in New York City. The Boston Americans clinched the American League pennant in the opener with a 3–2 victory over the New York Highlanders, while New York won the second game, 1–0, in 10 innings.The 1904 Boston Americans Regular Season Game Log. Retrosheet. Retrieved on May 22, 2019. It would also be the last time for a full century that the Boston AL team, who would later formally become the Boston Red Sox in 1908, would beat the New York AL team in a pennant-deciding game.

Postseason The World Series was cancelled due to a business rivalry between the two leagues. During spring training, New York Giants owner John T. Brush said that there will never be a series between two clubs based in the same city, in response to a preseason offer from New York Highlanders co-owner Frank J. Farrell.Frank Farrell. Article written by Bill Lamb. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on May 22, 2019. Nevertheless, the Boston Americans pennant victory over the Highlanders had historical significance in several ways. Although Boston had won instead, Brush and team's manager John McGraw refused to face the Americans in what would've been the second World Series.John McGraw. Article written by Don Jensen. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on May 22, 2019. Brush announced, "There is nothing in the constitution or playing rules of the National League which requires its victorious club to submit its championship honors to a contest with a victorious club in a minor league," according to his biography at SABR.John T. Brush. Article written by John Saccoman. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on May 22, 2019. The resulting backlash by the press caused Brush to take a stance and lead the committee to formalize the rules governing the future World Series. This would be the last time for 90 years that a World Series was not played, when it was canceled on September 14 of 1994 due to an MLB Players Association strike. It would also be the last time for 100 years that the Boston AL team, who would later formally become the Boston Red Sox in 1908, would beat the New York AL team in a pennant-deciding game until the 2004 American League Championship Series.

November

December

Births January January 1 – Ethan Allen January 3 – Bill Cissell January 7 – Clay Roe January 10 – Lou Dials January 13 – Bunny Hearn January 16 – Jo-Jo Morrissey January 18 – Len Koenecke January 19 – Jimmy Boyle January 20 – Denny Sothern January 22 – John Milligan January 24 – Neal Finn January 26 – George Blaeholder January 28 – Dutch Hoffman January 29 – Ray Hayworth

February February 7 – Andy Reese February 9 – Roy Mahaffey February 10 – Hal Anderson February 13 – Cecil Bolton February 13 – Charlie Fitzberger February 15 – Oscar Estrada February 27 – Chick Fullis February 27 – Bud Teachout February 29 – Pepper Martin

March

March 5 – Lou Rosenberg March 16 – Buddy Myer March 21 – Frank Sigafoos March 21 – Red Rollings March 22 – Bob Elson March 30 – Ripper Collins March 31 – Sam Dailey March 31 – Red Rollings

April April 1 – Jack Cummings April 9 – Guy Cantrell April 9 – Fred Frankhouse April 11 – Dutch Ussat April 30 – Neal Baker April 30 – Tony Murray

May May 9 – Paul Hinson May 9 – Brad Springer May 16 – Abe White May 18 – Red Smith May 20 – Pete Appleton May 22 – Ed Morgan May 25 – Buz Phillips May 26 – Frank Ragland May 26 – Bill Shores

June June 4 – Lefty Atkinson June 7 – Dusty Boggess June 12 – Bill Foster June 13 – John O'Connell June 15 – Ed Pipgras June 15 – Pid Purdy June 15 – Hank Winston June 24 – Bobby Reeves

July July 2 – Pete Susko July 3 – Luke Hamlin July 4 – Ed Cotter July 4 – Mel Ingram July 5 – Bump Hadley July 9 – Art Daney