1898 Major League Baseball season
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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 ...
: Boston Beaneaters


National League final standings


National League statistical leaders

*Batting average:
Willie Keeler William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 – January 1, 1923), nicknamed "Wee Willie" because of his small stature, was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn ...
– .385 *Home runs:
Jimmy Collins James Joseph Collins (January 16, 1870 – March 6, 1943) was an American professional baseball player. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball. Collins was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. Collins was especially regarded fo ...
– 15 *Runs batted in:
Nap Lajoie Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie (; September 5, 1874 – February 7, 1959), also known as Larry Lajoie and nicknamed "The Frenchman", was an American professional baseball second baseman and player-manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...
– 127 *Wins:
Kid Nichols Charles Augustus "Kid" Nichols (September 14, 1869 – April 11, 1953) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Boston Beaneaters, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies from 1890 to 1906. A switch hitter ...
– 31 *Earned run average:
Clark Griffith Clark Calvin Griffith (November 20, 1869 – October 27, 1955), nicknamed "The Old Fox", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, manager and team owner. He began his MLB playing career with the St. Louis Browns (1891), Boston Reds ...
– 1.88 *Strikeouts: Cy Seymour – 239


Events

*April 3 –
Jack Clements John J. "Jack" Clements (July 24, 1864 – May 23, 1941) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for 17 seasons. Despite being left-handed, Clements caught 1,076 games, almost four times as ma ...
, now with St. Louis, is the first southpaw to catch in 1,000 MLB games. *April 21 – Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Bill Duggleby hits a
grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...
in his first major league at-bat. No one else will accomplish that feat until Jeremy Hermida in . *April 22 – This day in baseball would see two
no-hitters In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
. First,
Ted Breitenstein Theodore P. ("Ted" or "Breit") Breitenstein (June 1, 1869 – May 3, 1935) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from St. Louis, Missouri who played from to for the St. Louis Browns/Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. He is best known f ...
would throw the second no-hitter of his career, as the Cincinnati Reds would defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11–0. Meanwhile,
Jay Hughes James H. "Jay" Hughes (January 22, 1874 – June 2, 1924) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played four seasons from to . Career Hughes was born in Sacramento, California, in 1874. He attracted attention in 1897 when he thre ...
would toss a no-hitter for the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
in a 5–0 win over the Boston Beaneaters. This is the first time in Major League history that two no-hitters would be thrown on the same day. It would not happen again until Dave Stewart and
Fernando Valenzuela Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (, born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from to and to . While he played for six MLB teams, he is best remembered f ...
turned the trick on June 29, . *July 5 –
Lizzie Arlington Elizabeth Stride (August 31, 1877 – March 1919), known professionally as Lizzie Arlington, was an American baseball player. She was the first woman to play for a professional men's baseball team. Early life Arlington was the youngest of six chi ...
becomes the first woman to play in organized baseball as she pitches for the Reading Coal Heavers of the Atlantic League. She hurled the final inning of that game and gave up two hits and a walk but did not allow a run. Some claim she also pitched in exhibition games after being hired by
Ed Barrow Edward Grant Barrow (May 10, 1868 – December 15, 1953) was an American manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball. He served as the field manager of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox. He served as business manager (de facto ...
, the league's president. *July 8 – Red Donahue tosses a no-hitter in a 5–0 Philadelphia Phillies victory over the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
. *August 21 – In the second game of a doubleheader, Walter Thornton of the Chicago Orphans pitches a 2–0 no-hitter against the
Brooklyn Bridegrooms 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, Califor ...
. *December 1 – New York Giants president Andrew Freedman renews his team lease on the Polo Grounds for the next 10 years.


Births


January

*January 5 – Riggs Stephenson *January 10 – Fats Jenkins *January 10 –
Ed Stauffer Charles Edward "Ed" Stauffer (January 10, 1898 – July 2, 1979) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Stauffer played for the Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major ...
*January 11 – Gene Lansing *January 12 – George Knothe *January 12 – Rip Wade *January 14 – Dick Wheeler *January 18 – John Woods *January 21 – John Mohardt *January 23 – Speed Walker *January 24 – Cliff Heathcote *January 28 –
Jim Bishop James Alonzo Bishop (November 21, 1907 – July 26, 1987) was an American journalist and author who wrote the bestselling book ''The Day Lincoln was Shot''. Early life Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he dropped out of school after eighth gra ...
*January 28 –
Bill Snyder William D. Snyder (born October 7, 1939) is a retired college football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 1989 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2018. Snyder initially retired from the p ...
*January 29 –
Dick Burrus Maurice Lennon "Dick" Burrus (born January 29, 1898, in Hatteras, North Carolina died February 2, 1972, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina) was a professional baseball player. Early years Burrus was born in North Carolina's Outer Banks, where his ...
*January 31 –
Webb Schultz Wilbert Carl "Webb" Schultz (January 31, 1898 – July 26, 1986) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Schultz played for the Chicago White Sox in . In one career game, he had a 0–0 record, going one inning, and giving up one run and one hit. He ...


February

*February 1 – Bud Messenger *February 4 –
Johnny Mann John Russell Mann (August 30, 1928June 18, 2014) was an American arranger, composer, conductor, entertainer, singer, and recording artist. Career Johnny Mann's began his music career in the late 1940s in his hometown of Baltimore before serving ...
*February 4 – John Perrin *February 9 –
Chink Taylor C. L. "Chink" Taylor (February 9, 1898 – July 7, 1980) was an American professional baseball outfielder during the 1920s. He played in eight games for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball in 1925. Taylor played in the minor leagues Mi ...
*February 15 – Bobby LaMotte *February 19 –
Uke Clanton Eucal "Uke" Clanton (February 19, 1898 – February 24, 1960) was a Major League Baseball first baseman who played for one season. Nicknamed "Cat", he played for the Cleveland Indians for one game on September 21, 1922. Clanton was one of a group ...
*February 26 – Frank Callaway *February 26 – Butch Glass *February 26 – Lee Thompson *February 28 – Jake Miller


March

*March 2 –
Rip Wheeler Floyd Clark "Rip" Wheeler (March 2, 1898, in Marion, Kentucky – September 18, 1968) was an American major league baseball pitcher from 1921 to 1924 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional ba ...
*March 5 – Bill Grevell *March 6 – Roy Hansen *March 8 – Phil Bedgood *March 10 – Frank Loftus *March 15 – Hal Kime *March 15 –
Rosy Ryan Wilfred Patrick Dolan "Rosy" Ryan (March 15, 1898 – December 10, 1980) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played ten seasons in Major League Baseball between 1919 and 1933 for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, New York Yankees, ...
*March 22 –
Luke Urban Louis John "Luke" Urban (March 22, 1898 – December 7, 1980) was an American multi-sport athlete and coach. He played four seasons of professional American football in the National Football League and two years of Major League Baseball with the ...
*March 28 – Moses J. Yellow Horse


April

*April 10 – Tom Jenkins *April 14 – Jess Doyle *April 20 – Johnny Wertz *April 22 – Tom Long *April 23 – Charlie Dorman *April 24 –
Andy Cooper Andrew Lewis Cooper (April 24, 1898 – June 3, 1941), nicknamed "Lefty", was an American left-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. An alumnus of Paul Quinn College, Cooper played nin ...
*April 25 – Red Thomas *April 29 – Tom Glass *April 29 – Dutch Levsen


May

*May 2 – Lucas Turk *May 6 – Dewey Metivier *May 6 – Al Wingo *May 9 – George Durning *May 12 – Earl McNeely *May 18 – Harvey MacDonald *May 24 – Dennis Burns *May 26 – Milt Steengrafe *May 28 – Claude Davenport


June

*June 1 – Duke Sedgwick *June 14 – Bill Doran *June 20 – Duke Shirey *June 21 –
Spencer Adams Spencer Dewey Adams (June 21, 1898 – November 24, 1970) was a Major League Baseball player. Career He played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1923, the Washington Senators in 1925, the New York Yankees in 1926 and the St. Louis Browns in 1927. ...
*June 29 – Jimmie Long


July

*July 4 – Bobby Murray *July 10 – Dick Lundy *July 11 – Joe Batchelder *July 14 – Happy Chandler *July 22 –
Joe Bratcher Joe Warlick Bratcher, Sr. (July 22, 1898 – October 13, 1977), nicknamed "Goobers", was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based i ...
*July 27 –
Benny Bengough Bernard Oliver "Benny" Bengough (July 27, 1898 – December 22, 1968) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the New York Yankees during the 1920s when t ...
*July 27 – Zack Taylor *July 28 – Paul McCullough


August

*August 2 – Emmett Bowles *August 8 – John Slappey *August 14 – Bill Clowers *August 17 –
Bill Pertica William Andrew Pertica (August 17, 1898 – December 28, 1967) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Red Sox (1918) and St. Louis Cardinals (1921–1923). Listed at , 165 lb., Pertica batted and threw ...
*August 18 – Hal Goldsmith *August 18 – Bill Knowlton *August 24 – John Monroe *August 27 –
Clarence Fisher Clarence Henry Fisher (August 27, 1898 – November 2, 1965) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Washington Senators (1901–60), Washington Senators.
*August 27 –
Frank Wayenberg Frank Wayenberg (August 27, 1898 – April 16, 1975) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for one season. He pitched in two games for the Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in C ...
*August 28 –
Charlie Grimm Charles John Grimm (August 28, 1898 – November 15, 1983), nicknamed "Jolly Cholly", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman, most notably for the Chicago Cubs; he was als ...
*August 29 – Hap Collard *August 30 –
Kiki Cuyler Hazen Shirley Cuyler (; August 30, 1898 – February 11, 1950), nicknamed Kiki, was an American professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Brooklyn Dodg ...
*August 31 – Sarge Connally


September

*September 1 – Ed Goebel *September 9 –
Frankie Frisch Frank Francis Frisch (September 9, 1898—March 12, 1973), nicknamed "The Fordham Flash" or "The Old Flash", was an American Major League Baseball player and manager of the first half of the twentieth century. Frisch was a switch-hitting seco ...
*September 13 –
Curt Fullerton Curtis Hooper Fullerton (September 13, 1898 – January 9, 1975) was an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Fullerton played for the Red Sox from 1921–1925 and again in 1933. He was signed by ...
*September 16 – Al Lefevre *September 18 –
George Uhle George Ernest Uhle (September 18, 1898 – February 26, 1985) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he began his playing career with his hometown Cleveland Indians. After ten seasons, during which time he led the American L ...
*September 20 –
Chuck Dressen Charles Walter Dressen (September 20, 1894Dressen's birthdate has been revised from 1898, as was commonly reported in ''The Sporting News' Baseball Register'' and ''Macmillan's Baseball Encyclopedia'', to 1894 by both Baseball Reference and Retro ...
*September 23 – Hod Lisenbee *September 23 – George Murray *September 27 –
Bill Clarkson William Henry Clarkson (September 27, 1898 – August 27, 1971), nicknamed "Blackie", was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Giants and Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, ...
*September 29 – Joe Matthews


October

*October 4 – Frank McCue *October 7 – Joe Giard *October 9 –
Joe Sewell Joseph Wheeler "Joe" Sewell (October 9, 1898 – March 6, 1990) was a Major League Baseball infielder for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. Sewell holds the record for the lowest s ...
*October 17 – Clint Blume *October 26 –
Roy Moore Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as the 27th and 31st chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed fr ...
*October 30 – Jesse Fowler *October 30 – Bill Terry


November

*November 3 –
Homer Summa Homer Wayne Summa (November 3, 1898 – January 29, 1966) was an American professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1920 to 1930. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but played most of his care ...
*November 7 – Mike Pasquella *November 11 – Pie Traynor *November 14 –
Claude Willoughby Claude William Willoughby (November 14, 1898– August 14, 1973), was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates from to . He was nicknamed "Weeping Willie" ...
*November 15 – Broadway Jones *November 19 –
Harry Courtney Henry Seymour Courtney (born November 19, 1898 – December 11, 1954), was a professional baseball pitcher who played in the Major Leagues from – for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox. He also played for the Washington Senato ...
*November 20 – Tim McNamara *November 21 – Walter Zink *November 26 – John Kerr *November 29 –
Red Shea Patrick Henry "Red" Shea (November 29, 1898 – November 17, 1981) was a Major League Baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each p ...
*November 30 – Lou Bauer *November 30 – Firpo Marberry


December

*December 1 –
Charlie High Charles Edwin High (December 12, 1898 – September 1, 1960) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 28 career games as an outfielder and pinch hitter for the Philadelphia Athletics of Major League Baseball during the and ...
*December 2 –
Hal Leathers Harold Langford Leathers (December 2, 1898 – April 12, 1977) was a professional baseball middle infielder who played in nine games for the 1920 Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at and , he batted left-handed and threw right- ...
*December 4 –
Doc Bass William Capers "Doc" Bass (December 4, 1898 – January 12, 1970) was a professional baseball player. He appeared in two games in Major League Baseball for the Boston Braves in 1918, once as a pinch hitter and once as a pinch runner. In his ma ...
*December 14 – Maurice Archdeacon *December 16 – Dee Cousineau *December 16 –
Frank Shellenback Frank Victor Shellenback (December 16, 1898 – August 17, 1969) was an American pitcher, pitching coach, and scout in Major League Baseball. As a pitcher, he was famous as an expert spitballer when the pitch was still legal in organized baseball ...
*December 17 – Red Lutz *December 17 –
Oscar Tuero Oscar Tuero (December 17, 1898 – October 21, 1960) was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of three seasons (1918–1920) with the St. Louis Cardinals. Career For his career, he compiled a 6–9 record in ...
*December 19 – Lou Koupal *December 23 – Hinkey Haines *December 25 –
Earl Kunz Earl Dewey Kunz (December 25, 1898 – April 14, 1963 in Sacramento, California), nicknamed "Pinches", was a professional baseball pitcher who spent one season in Major League Baseball. In total, Kunz spent 13 season in professional baseball ...
*December 28 – Bill Kelly


Deaths

*January 28 – Ned Connor, 48, utility player for the 1871 New York Haymakers. *February 25 – Tom Power (?), first baseman. *March 29 – Tony Hellman, 36, catcher. *April 13 – Charlie McCullough, 32, pitcher. *April 14 – Jiggs Parrott, 26, infielder. *April 17 –
Bobby Mathews Robert T. Mathews (November 21, 1851 – April 17, 1898) was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the National League of Major League Baseball and the ...
, 46, pitcher who won 297 games, 131 of them in the National Association, in a career that ran from 1871 to 1887, including the first professional league game victory in 1871, and consecutive 30-win seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1883 to 1885. *June 4 – Harry Smith, 42, infielder. *June 23 – William Rexter, 48, outfielder. *August 2 – Val Robinson, 50, outfielder. *September 21 – Bill Tierney, 40, first baseman and outfielder. *October 5 – John Richmond, 43, shortstop and center fielder for seven teams during his eight seasons from 1875 to 1885. *October 20 – Curry Foley, 42, Irish outfielder/first baseman/pitcher who played from 1879 through 1883 for the Boston Red Caps and Buffalo Bisons National League teams, and the first major league player ever to
hit for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League B ...
(May 25, 1882). *November 21 – Bill Hague, 46, third baseman from 1875 to 1879. *November 23 – Mother Watson, 33, pitcher. *December 27 –
John Sneed John Law Sneed (1861 in Shelby County, Tennessee – December 27, 1898 in Jackson, Tennessee) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of three seasons in the major leagues. Sneed debuted in the major leagues in , appearing i ...
, 37, outfielder. *December 30 – Bill Stearns, 45, pitcher for several National Association teams from 1871 to 1875. *December 31 – Martin Duke, 31, pitcher.


References


1898 National League team stats at Baseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1898 In Baseball