1898 Major League Baseball season

January 2025 1898 1898 MLB season National League (NL) Baseball April 15 – October 15, 1898 154 12 Pennant winner NL Boston Beaneaters Baltimore Orioles List of Major League Baseball seasons MLB 1897 Major League Baseball season 1897 1899 Major League Baseball season 1899 The 1898 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1898. The regular season ended on October 15, with the Boston Beaneaters as the pennant winner of the National League. Due to lack of enthusiasm from both players and fans, the Temple Cup which had taken place in the four previous seasons was not held, nor was there any other form of a postseason. The Chicago Colts renamed as the Chicago Orphans. Schedule Major League Baseball schedule The 1898 schedule consisted of 154 games for the twelve teams of the National League. Each team was scheduled to play 14 games against the other eleven teams in the league. This format saw an increase to the previously used format, which had each team play 12 games against each other, and had resulted in a total of 132 games. The 154-game format had previously been used by the National League in 1892. Opening Day took place on April 15 featuring six teams. The final day of the season was on October 15, featuring eight teams.1898 Major Leagues Schedule https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1898-schedule.shtml 2025-01-22 Baseball Reference en Rule changes The 1898 season saw the following rule changes: Umpires are now allowed to suspend a player for up to three games (including the one which he was ejected) for "kicking."Talbot Jamie 1897 Winter Meetings: A Period of Good Feeling Society for American Baseball Research https://sabr.org/journal/article/1897-1898-national-league-winter-meetings/ 2025-03-26 en-US Uniformed players who were not in-game could not sit with spectators. Teams LeagueTeamCityBallparkCapacityManager1898 Major League Baseball Managers https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1898-managers.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference enNational League National League (baseball) National LeagueBaltimore OriolesBaltimore, MarylandUnion Park6,500Ned Hanlon baseballBoston BeaneatersBoston, MassachusettsSouth End Grounds6,600Frank SeleeBrooklyn BridegroomsNew York, New YorkWashington Park12,000Billy BarnieMike Griffin outfielderCharles EbbetsChicago OrphansChicago, IllinoisWest Side Park13,000Tom Burns baseballCincinnati RedsCincinnati, OhioLeague Park (Cincinnati)9,000Buck EwingCleveland SpidersCleveland, OhioLeague Park (Cleveland)9,000Patsy TebeauLouisville ColonelsLouisville, KentuckyEclipse Park6,400Fred ClarkeNew York GiantsNew York, New YorkPolo Grounds16,000Bill Joyce baseballCap AnsonPhiladelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaNational League Park18,000George StallingsBill ShettslinePittsburgh PiratesAllegheny, PennsylvaniaA 1 1Exposition Park6,500Bill Watkins baseballSt. Louis BrownsSt. Louis, MissouriNew Sportsman's Park14,500Tim HurstWashington SenatorsWashington, D.C.Boundary Field6,500Tom Brown outfielderJack Doyle baseballDeacon McGuireArthur Irwin Neutral site and Sunday games The Cleveland Spiders played in 15 neutral site games in which they were treated as the home team. Meanwhile, blue laws restricted Sunday activities in several localities, causing several teams to play at ballparks in a different locality. TeamCityBallparkCapacityGames playedTypeBrooklyn BridegroomsBrooklyn Dodgers – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database https://www.seamheads.com/ballparks/team.php?TeamID=BRO 2026-01-29 www.seamheads.comWest New York, New JerseyWest New York Field Club GroundsUnknown2SundayCleveland SpidersCleveland Spiders – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database https://www.seamheads.com/ballparks/team.php?TeamID=CL4 2026-01-29 www.seamheads.comRochester, New YorkCulver FieldUnknown2Neutral siteCollinwood, OhioB 1 1Euclid Beach ParkUnknown2SundayPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaNational League Park18,0009Neutral siteCharlotte, New YorkC 1 1Ontario Beach GroundsUnknown1Neutral site & SundaySt. Louis, MissouriNew Sportsman's Park14,5002Neutral siteChicago, IllinoisWest Side Park13,0001Neutral siteNew York GiantsNew York Giants – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database https://www.seamheads.com/ballparks/team.php?TeamID=NY1 2026-01-29 www.seamheads.comWest New York, New JerseyWest New York Field Club GroundsUnknown1Sunday A 1 In today's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. B 1 In today's Cleveland, Ohio. C 1 In today's Rochester, New York. Standings National League Boston Beaneaters Tie games 24 tie games, which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season. Baltimore Orioles, 5 Boston Beaneaters, 3 Brooklyn Bridegrooms, 4 Chicago Orphans, 2 Cincinnati Reds, 5 Cleveland Spiders, 7 Louisville Colonels, 3 New York Giants, 7 Philadelphia Phillies, 1 Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 St. Louis Browns, 4 Washington Senators, 3 Managerial changes Off-season TeamFormer ManagerNew ManagerChicago OrphansCap AnsonTom BurnsPittsburgh PiratesPatsy DonovanBill WatkinsSt. Louis BrownsChris von der AheTim Hurst In-season TeamFormer ManagerNew ManagerBrooklyn BridegroomsBilly BarnieMike GriffinMike GriffinCharles EbbetsNew York GiantsBill JoyceCap AnsonPhiladelphia PhilliesGeorge StallingsBill ShettslineWashington SenatorsTom BrownJack DoyleJack DoyleDeacon McGuireDeacon McGuireArthur Irwin League leaders National League start + Hitting leaders1898 National League Batting Leaders https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1898-batting-leaders.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference en Stat Player Total AVG Willie Keeler (BRO) .385 OPS Billy Hamilton (BSN) .933 HR Jimmy Collins (BSN) 15 RBI Nap Lajoie (PHI) 127 R John McGraw (BAL) 143 H Willie Keeler (BRO) 216 SB Ed Delahanty (PHI) 58 break + Pitching leaders1898 National League Pitching Leaders https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1898-pitching-leaders.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference en Stat Player Total W Kid Nichols (BSN) 31 L Jack Taylor (STL) 29 ERA Clark Griffith (CHI) 1.88 K Cy Seymour (NYG) 239 IP Jack Taylor (STL) 397.1 SV Kid Nichols (BSN) 4 WHIP Kid Nichols (BSN) 1.034 end Milestones Batters Bill Duggleby (PHI): Hits a grand slam in his first major league at-bat on April 21, a feat not accomplished again until Jeremy Hermida in 2005.https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harrijo01.shtml Joe Harrington Statistics and History Baseball Reference Sports Reference LLC 2019-12-26 2020-09-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20200923134732/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harrijo01.shtml live Billy Hamilton (BSN): Recorded his 800th career stolen base against the Baltimore Orioles on May 11. He became the first player to reach this mark.Billy Hamilton Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More — Billy Hamilton: Standard Batting (1888-1898) https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hamilbi01.shtml#1888-1898-sum:players_standard_batting 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference enBilly Hamilton 1898 Batting Game Logs — Billy Hamilton: Batting Stats Career Game 1-20 https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=hamilbi01&t=b&year=1898#1-20-sum:players_standard_batting 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference enBaltimore Orioles vs Boston Box Score: May 11, 1898 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN189805110.shtml 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference en Hugh Duffy (BSN): Recorded his 500th career stolen base against the Louisville Colonels on May 28. He became the seventh player to reach this mark.Hugh Duffy Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More — Hugh Duffy: Standard Batting (1882-1896) https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/duffyhu01.shtml#1888-1898-sum:players_standard_batting 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference enHugh Duffy 1898 Batting Game Logs — Hugh Duffy: Batting Stats Career Game 1-33 https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=duffyhu01&t=b&year=1898#1-33-sum:players_standard_batting 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference enBoston vs Louisville Colonels Box Score: May 28, 1898 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LS3/LS3189805280.shtml 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference en Billy Hoy (LOU): Recorded his 500th career stolen base against the St. Louis Browns in game two of a doubleheader on June 19. He became the eighth player to reach this mark.Billy Hoy Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More — Billy Hoy: Standard Batting (1888-1898) https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hoydu01.shtml#1888-1898-sum:players_standard_batting 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference enBilly Hoy 1898 Batting Game Logs — Billy Hoy: Batting Stats Career Game 1-48 https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=hoydu01&t=b&year=1898#1-48-sum:players_standard_batting 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference enLouisville Colonels vs St. Louis Browns Box Score: June 19, 1898 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN189806192.shtml 2026-06-09 Baseball Reference en Pitchers No-hitters List of Major League Baseball no-hitters Ted Breitenstein (CIN): Breitenstein threw his second career no-hitter and the second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 11–0 on April 22. Breitenstein walked one and struck out two.Retrosheet Boxscore: Cincinnati Reds 11, Pittsburgh Pirates 0 https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1898/B04220CIN1898.htm 2026-01-30 RetrosheetTwo Remarkable Games http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1898-04-23/ed-1/seq-5/ 2012-06-29 The St. Paul Globe 1898-04-23 Jay Hughes (BAL): Hughes threw his first career no-hitter and the third no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Beaneaters 8–0 on April 22. Hughes walked three and struck out three.Retrosheet Boxscore: Baltimore Orioles 8, Boston Beaneaters 0 https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1898/B04220BLN1898.htm 2026-01-30 Retrosheet Red Donahue (PHI): Donahue threw his first career no-hitter and the second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Beaneaters 5–0 on July 8. Donahue walked two and struck out one.Retrosheet Boxscore: Philadelphia Phillies 5, Boston Beaneaters 0 https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1898/B07080PHI1898.htm 2026-01-30 RetrosheetNational League http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1898-07-09/ed-1/seq-7/ 2012-06-29 The St. Paul Globe 1898-07-09 Walter Thornton (CHI): Thornton threw his first career no-hitter and the fifth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Brooklyn Bridegrooms 2–0 in game 2 of a doubleheader on August 21. Thornton walked three and struck out three.Retrosheet Boxscore: Chicago Orphans 2, Brooklyn Bridegrooms 0 (2) https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1898/B08212CHN1898.htm 2026-01-30 RetrosheetNational League http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1898-08-22/ed-1/seq-7/ 2012-06-29 The St. Paul Globe 1898-08-22 Other pitching accomplishments Walter Thornton (CHI): Tied a Major League record by becoming the second pitcher to hit three consecutive batters by pitch, the first since 1894, in a game against the St. Louis Browns on May 18.Pitcher hitting the most consecutive batters https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/pitcher-hitting-the-most-consecutive-batters 2026-05-21 Guinness World RecordsMLB Hit by Pitcher Records https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_hbp.shtml 2026-05-21 Baseball Almanac en-us Home field attendance Team nameWins%± Percent changeHome attendance%± Percent changePer game Average home attendance per gameChicago OrphansChicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/attend.shtml 2024-03-28 Baseball Reference85 44.1%424,352 29.7%4,768Cincinnati RedsCincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/attend.shtml 2024-03-28 Baseball Reference92 21.1%336,378 −0.1%3,780New York GiantsSan Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/attend.shtml 2024-03-28 Baseball Reference77 −7.2%265,414−32.0%3,492Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/attend.shtml 2024-03-28 Baseball Reference78 41.8%265,414 −8.5%3,277Boston BeaneatersAtlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/attend.shtml 2024-03-28 Baseball Reference1029.7%229,275 −31.5%2,902St. Louis BrownsSt. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml 2024-03-28 Baseball Reference39 34.5%151,700 11.2%2,298Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/attend.shtml 2024-03-28 Baseball Reference7220.0%150,900 −9.1%2,012Louisville ColonelsLouisville Colonels Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LOU/attend.shtml 2025-01-22 Baseball Reference7034.6%128,980−11.2%1,633Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BLO/attend.shtml 2025-01-22 Baseball Reference966.7%123,416−54.8%1,624Brooklyn BridegroomsLos Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/attend.shtml 2024-03-28 Baseball Reference54 −11.5%122,514 −44.5%1,656Washington SenatorsWashington Senators Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WAS/attend.shtml 2025-01-22 Baseball Reference51−16.4%103,250−31.6%1,291Cleveland SpidersCleveland Spiders Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLV/attend.shtml 2025-01-22 Baseball Reference8117.4%70,496−38.8%1,237 Venues The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, leave Eastern Park (where they played for seven seasons) and move to Washington Park, where they would go on to play for 15 seasons through 1912. Regarding games that were rescheduled to Sunday, and existing blue laws: Both the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and New York Giants would play at the West New York Field Club Grounds in West New York, New Jersey. The Bridegrooms played two games, on September 18 and October 10, while the Giants played one game on September 11. The Cleveland Spiders played at two venues for Sunday games. The team played two games at Euclid Beach Park in Collinwood, Ohio (today in Cleveland) on June 12 and 19, and one game at the Ontario Beach Grounds in Charlotte, New York (today in Rochester) on August 28.Cleveland Spiders – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database https://www.seamheads.com/ballparks/team.php?TeamID=CL4 2026-01-29 www.seamheads.com The Cleveland Spiders played 15 of 57 home games (about 15 57) outside of the Greater Cleveland area. Excluding the already mentioned Ontario Beach Grounds Sunday game listed above, these neutral site games were played in: Culver Field in Rochester, New York, home of the minor league Eastern League Rochester Bronchos (two games, played on August 27 and 29). National League Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of the Philadelphia Phillies (nine games, including four games on July 29 and 30, and five games between August 5 and 11). New Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri, home of the St. Louis Browns (two games, played on September 28 and 29). West Side Park in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Orphans (one game, played on October 8). See also 1898 in baseball (Events, Births, Deaths) References External links 1898 Major League Schedule at Baseball Reference Category:Major League Baseball seasons Category:1898 in baseball