The 1908 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 14 to October 14, 1908. The Chicago Cubs and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

were the regular season champions of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

and

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

, respectively. In a rematch of the prior year's postseason, the Cubs then defeated the Tigers in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, four games to one.

Statistical leaders

Standings

American League

National League

Postseason

Bracket

Events

*June 30 –

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...

pitches the third, and final, no-hitter of his career as the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

defeat the

New York Highlanders The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

, 8–0. *July 4 – One batter away from a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

, New York Giants pitcher

Hooks Wiltse George Leroy "Hooks" Wiltse (September 7, 1879 – January 21, 1959) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1904 to 1915. He was the brother of pitcher Snake Wiltse. Biography "Hooks" earned ...

hits

George McQuillan George Watt McQuillan (May 1, 1885 – March 30, 1940) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1918 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians. I ...

with two outs in the ninth inning. Wiltse continues to pitch and tosses a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Giants win, 1–0, in 10 innings. *August 4 – In a game between the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

and the

Brooklyn Superbas The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californ ...

only one baseball was used for the entire game. Brooklyn wins, 3–0. *September 5 –

Nap Rucker George Napoleon "Nap" Rucker (September 30, 1884 – December 19, 1970) was a sportsperson and politician from Georgia. Rucker was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers/Robins. Over his 10 seasons, Ruck ...

pitches a no-hitter as the

defeat the

Boston Doves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

, 6–0. *September 18 –

Cleveland Naps The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

pitcher

Bob Rhoads Barton Emory (Bob) Rhoads (October 4, 1879 – February 12, 1967), nicknamed "Dusty", was a major league pitcher for the Chicago Orphans, Cleveland Naps, and St. Louis Cardinals in the early 20th century. His best year was in 1906, when he ...

tosses a no-hitter against the

, Cleveland wins, 2–1. *September 20 – Frank Smith of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

throws a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Athletics, the White Sox win, 1–0. It is the second no-hitter of Smith's career. *September 23 – The Chicago Cubs and New York Giants, involved in a tight pennant race, (also involving the Pittsburgh Pirates) were tied in the bottom of the ninth inning at the Polo Grounds in New York. The Giants had runners on first and third and two outs when

Al Bridwell Albert Henry Bridwell (January 4, 1884 – January 23, 1969) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for several MLB teams, most notably the New York Giants from 1908 to 1911, when the team was managed by John McGraw. ...

hit a single to center field, scoring

Moose McCormick Harry Elwood "Moose" McCormick (February 28, 1881 – July 9, 1962) was an American professional baseball outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. ...

from third with the Giants' apparent winning run, but the runner on first base, rookie

Fred Merkle Carl Frederick Rudolf Merkle (also sometimes documented as Frederick Charles Merkle; December 20, 1888 – March 2, 1956), nicknamed "Bonehead", was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1926. Although he had a lengthy c ...

, thinking the game was over, went half way to second and then sprinted to the clubhouse after McCormick touched home plate. As fans swarmed the field, Cub infielder

Johnny Evers John Joseph Evers (July 21, 1881 – March 28, 1947) was an American professional baseball second baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1902 through 1917 for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies. ...

retrieved the ball and touched second. A forceout was called at second base, nullifying the single, and because there were 2 outs when the play started, the run was also nullified and the inning ended. The game was declared a tie and would be made up at the end of the season if the Cubs and Giants were tied for first place. The incident became known as the "Merkle Boner". *September 26 –

Ed Reulbach Edward Marvin "Big Ed" Reulbach (December 1, 1882 – July 17, 1961) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs during their glory years of the early 1900s. Career Reulbach played college baseball at the University of Notre Dame ...

of the Chicago Cubs pitches two

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

in a doubleheader against the Brooklyn Dodgers, winning both games 5–0 and 3–0. *October 2 – In a game involving the

and the

Ed Walsh Edward Augustine "Big Ed" Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was an American pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1906 to 1912, he had several seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Injuries shortened his c ...

struck out 15 Naps and walked one batter, pitching a complete game, but it was not enough as

Addie Joss Adrian "Addie" Joss (April 12, 1880 – April 14, 1911), nicknamed "the Human Hairpin", was an American professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Cleveland Bronchos of Major League Baseball, later known as the Naps, between 1902 and 191 ...

pitched a perfect game, and the Naps beat the White Sox, 1–0, during the heat of a pennant race. Cleveland center fielder

Joe Birmingham Joseph Leo Birmingham (December 3, 1884 – April 24, 1946) was a major league baseball player. Birmingham was a center fielder and manager who occasionally played the infield for the Cleveland Naps. He was named the manager of the Naps in at ...

scored the game's only run. It is perhaps the finest pitching duel in baseball history. *October 6 – The

defeat the

, 7–0, to win the

pennant on the last day of the season. *October 8 – The Chicago Cubs defeat the New York Giants, 4–2, in the make-up of the "Merkle Boner" game, giving the Cubs the

pennant. *October 14 – The Chicago Cubs defeat the

, 2–0, in Game 5 of the

to win the series four games to one. It is the second consecutive

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

for the Cubs and the second year in a row they defeated the Tigers in the

. The Cubs would not win another

until 2016. *The

set a Major League record which stills stands for the fewest runs scored in a season, with only 372.

Managers

American League

National League

References

Bibliography

*Anderson, David W. (2000). ''More Than Merkle: A History of the Best and Most Exciting Baseball Season in Human History''. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. . *Fleming, G.H. (1981). ''The Unforgettable Season: The Most Exciting & Calamitous Pennant Race of All Time''. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. . *Murphy, Cait. (2007). ''Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History''. New York: HarperCollins/Smithsonian Books. .

External links

1908 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference
from ThisGreatGame.com {{MLB seasons Major League Baseball seasons