Headline Event of the Year Chicago White Sox players accused of throwing World Series, resulting in the Black Sox Scandal.

Champions World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Chicago White Sox (5–3) Other champions Inter-Allied Games: United States (3–1)

Statistical leaders American League National League Stat Player Total Player Total AVG Ty Cobb (DET) .384 Edd Roush (CIN) .321 HR Babe Ruth (BOS) 29 Gavvy Cravath (PHI) 12 RBI Babe Ruth (BOS) 114 Hy Myers (BRO) 73 W Eddie Cicotte (CWS) 29 Jesse Barnes (NYG) 25 ERA Walter Johnson (WSH) 1.49 Grover Alexander (CHC) 1.72 K Walter Johnson (WSH) 147 Hippo Vaughn (CHC) 141

Major league baseball final standings American League final standings

National League final standings

Events January January 26 – After the city of Pasadena, California passed an ordinance requiring all people to wear masks in public due to the Spanish flu pandemic, a California Winter League game took place between the Pasadena and La Habra teams in which all players and umpires wore masks. January 30 – The Cincinnati Reds hire Pat Moran as manager when no word is received from manager Christy Mathewson, who is still in France. January 31 – Future Hall of Fame member Jackie Robinson is born to Jerry and Mallie Robinson in Cairo, Georgia. Robinson will become the first African American player in 20th century major league history when he debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers in .

February February 1 – After winning an out-of-court settlement of his suit against the Brooklyn Robins for the balance of his salary ($2,150) when the 1918 season ended a month early, former MVP Jake Daubert is traded to the Reds for OF Tommy Griffith. February 5 – Charges brought in 1918 by Reds owner Garry Herrmann and manager Christy Mathewson against Hal Chase for betting against his team and throwing games in collusion with gamblers are dismissed by National League president John Heydler. February 19 – The Reds trade Chase to the New York Giants in exchange for first baseman Walter Holke and catcher Bill Rariden. February 21 – The New York Yankees acquire 35-year-old spitballer Jack Quinn from Vernon (PCL), sending in exchange P Happy Finneran, 1B Zinn Beck, and cash. Quinn will be named a designated spitballer when the wet pitch is outlawed, and in 1921 he will help the Yankees to their first American League pennant. Quinn won't call it quits until he's 50. February 28 – The St. Louis Browns purchase the contract of catcher Wally Mayer from the Boston Red Sox for the sum of $5,000.

March March 1 – Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack makes one of his biggest player mistakes, trading 3B Larry Gardner, OF Charlie Jamieson, and P Elmer Myers to Cleveland in exchange for OF Braggo Roth. Vet writer Ernest Lanigan predicts that Roth will lead the circuit in homers at Shibe Park, but Roth will be shipped on to Boston by midseason. Gardner will put in six more .300 years, and Jamieson will be a top leadoff man and .303 hitter for the next 14 years. March 7 – Christy Mathewson, back from World War I, rejoins the Giants as pitching coach and heir apparent to John McGraw. March 17 – The Boston Red Sox, minus holdouts Carl Mays and Babe Ruth, sail from New York aboard the S.S. Arapahoe. The trip to spring training is stormy and most of the players will be seasick.

April April 18 – The Brooklyn Robins purchase the contract of outfielder Lee Magee from the Cincinnati Reds. Magee would later be a key figure in Hal Chase's banishment from baseball when Magee confided to National League president John Heydler that Chase tried to bribe him to not hustle in a game. April 19 – Legislation is passed by future New York City mayor Jimmy Walker that allows teams in the state of New York to play baseball on Sundays. The New York Giants were the first team to take advantage of this change, losing 4–3 to the Philadelphia Phillies in front of 35,000 fans at the Polo Ground. April 25 – Dickey Kerr makes his major league debut for the Chicago White Sox. He relieved starter Dave Danforth and pitched seven innings in a 7–2 loss to the St. Louis Browns. Kerr did not figure in the decision.

May

May 4 – The New York Giants play their first legal Sunday game at home, before 35,000 fans, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4–3. More than 25,000 turn out in Brooklyn the same day. By early June, the Giants will outdraw their 1918 attendance. May 6 – A 24 year old outfielder named George Halas makes his MLB debut for the New York Yankees. He goes one for four in a game against the Philadelphia Athletics. This would be the only season Halas plays in the majors before he became one of the founders of the National Football League. May 11: Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hod Eller pitches a 6–0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. Walter Johnson retires 28 consecutive batters during a 12-inning scoreless tie against Jack Quinn and the New York Yankees. Future football immortal George Halas, batting leadoff for New York, goes 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. May 15 – The Cincinnati Reds bomb Al Mamaux for 10 runs in the 13th innings to beat the Brooklyn Robins, 10–0. Reds RF Greassy Neale has a record 10 putouts. May 20 – Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth hit his first career grand slam home run; the bomb comes against Dave Davenport of the St. Louis Browns in St. Louis. Boston wins 6–4. May 21 – The Giants send Jim Thorpe to Boston for the $1,500 waiver price. May 23 – It's Hank Gowdy Day in Boston, the catcher's first game after returning from the Army. He hits the first pitch he sees for a single.

June June 14 – Chicago White Sox ace Eddie Cicotte beats the Philadelphia Athletics for the 12th straight time en route to a 29–7 record and a 1.82 ERA. The New York Giants sign free agent infielder Frankie Frisch. Without spending a day in the minor leagues, Frisch, who'd just graduated from Fordham, makes his MLB three days later versus Chicago. June 23: Boston Red Sox 1B Stuffy McInnis makes his first error of the year after handling 526 chances. Chicago White Sox CF Happy Felsch handles a record-tying 12 chances in a nine-inning game. Only Harry Bay of Cleveland in 1904 has been so busy.

July July 1 – Going 5-for-5 in a 9–4 win over the Phillies, Brooklyn's Ed Konetchy gets his 10th straight hit, tying Jake Gettman's record set with Washington in 1897. Both will be topped by Walt Dropo in 1952. July 6 – William Veeck, former sportswriter, replaces Fred Mitchell as Chicago Cubs president, but Mitchell remains as manager for the team. July 8 – Jack Coombs resigns as manager of the last-place Philadelphia Phillies. Slugger Gavvy Cravath replaces him. July 29 – The New York Yankees trade pitchers Bob McGraw and Allen Russell to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later. The trade is completed the next day when the Red Sox ship pitcher Carl Mays to the Yankees.

August

August 2 – Fred Luderus, a first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, breaks Eddie Collins' record for most consecutive games played. Luderus plays in his 479th straight game. The streak eventually comes to an end in the opening game for the 1920 season. August 8 – The Pittsburgh Pirates trade Casey Stengel to the Phillies for Possum Whitted, who will bat .389 for Pittsburgh in the last 35 games of the season. August 11 – Cleveland Indians center fielder Tris Speaker ties the AL record for run scoring, crossing the plate five times in 15–9 win at New York. August 14: Babe Ruth hits his 17th home run, the first of seven homers in 12 days, which will include his fourth grand slam, setting an AL record until 1961, when it would be broken by Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees overcome Muddy Ruel's hitting into a triple play and beat the Tigers in 15 innings, 5–4. Chicago White Sox CF Happy Felsch ties the major-league record with four OF assists in one game, but the Boston Red Sox beats Chicago 15–6. The Brooklyn Robins waste no time in splitting a pair with the Chicago Cubs, losing 2–0 in an hour and 10 minutes, then winning 1–0 in one hour and seven minutes in the second game. August 16 – The St. Louis Browns set an AL record with 53 total chances against the Philadelphia Athletics, but lose 7–4. The Browns have 26 assists and St. Louis 1B George Sisler has 17 putouts. With no putouts, the St. Louis outfielders have the day off. August 20: Wichita OF Joe Wilhoit (Western League) fails to get a hit, ending a 69-game streak in which he collected 155 hits in 299 at bats for a .505 batting average. The previous record was 49 by Oakland's Jack Ness (Pacific Coast League) in 1915. The New York Yankees purchase the contracts of outfielder Bob Meusel from Vernon of the PCL, and pitcher Rip Collins from Dallas in the Texas League. Both players would play key roles in the Yankees' 1921 AL Pennant team. August 24 – Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell is hit by lightning during the ninth inning of his debut for the tribe. He quickly recovered, reportedly saying "Give me that danged ball and turn me toward the plate", before pitching the final out of the game. August 26 – New York Giants 1B Hal Chase handles 35 chances against the Pittsburgh Pirates during a doubleheader. August 28 – Bucky Harris makes his MLB debut for the Washington Senators, playing second base. Harris would eventually make the hall of fame as a manager.

September September 2 – The National Commission recommends a best-of-nine World Series games. The lengthier World Series is seen as a sign of greed and is abandoned after three years, reverting to the seven-game format and has remained ever since. September 8 – Babe Ruth hits his 26th home run off Jack Quinn at the Polo Grounds, breaking the 25-HR record set by Buck Freeman in . September 10 – Cleveland Indians' pitcher Ray Caldwell, struck by lightning 2 weeks earlier, no-hits his former teammates New York Yankees 3–0 at the Polo Grounds. September 16 – Dutch Ruether beats the New York Giants, 4–3, to clinch the Cincinnati Reds first NL pennant and their first pennant of any kind since during their American Association days. September 20 – Babe Ruth ties Ned Williamson's major-league home run mark of 27 with a game-winner off Lefty Williams of the Chicago White Sox. Four days later, Ruth will hit his 28 over the roof of the Polo Grounds. September 21 – In a period of rapidly played games, the Cubs beat the Braves 3–0 in 58 minutes of playing time. It takes the Robins 55 minutes to beat the Reds 3–1, with Slim Sallee throwing 65 pitches, managing to top Christy Mathewson's 69-pitch complete game. September 24: The Chicago White Sox's 6–5 win over the St. Louis Browns clinches the AL pennant; the final margin will be 3½ games over the Cleveland Indians. The Brooklyn Robins defeat the Phillies twice on Fred Luderus Day in Philadelphia. The second game is the 525th in a row played by the Phillies first baseman, who is presented with a diamond stickpin and gold watch between the games to commemorate his endurance effort. He will end the season with a consecutive-game streak of 553. Boston Red Sox pitcher Waite Hoyt throws nine perfect innings against the New York Yankees, but they score in the 13th in which he gives up 5 hits, ruining his perfect game, and losing the game 2–1. September 27 – Babe Ruth hit his 29th home run and his first of the year in Washington, to become the first player to hit at least one home run in every AL park in the same season. September 28 – On the last day of the season, Jesse Barnes won his National League-leading 25th victory, 6–1, over Lee Meadows and the Philadelphia Phillies at Polo Grounds. The game was played at a feverish pace and lasted a mere 51 minutes, a major league record that still stands as the shortest nine-inning game ever played.

October