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1897 in baseball
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1897 Major League Baseball season
1897
1897 baseball sports
Champions
Temple Cup: Baltimore Orioles over Boston Beaneaters (4–1)
National League: Boston Beaneaters
Statistical leaders
National League Stat Player Total AVG Willie Keeler (BAL) .424 HR Hugh Duffy (BSN) 11 RBI George Davis (NYG) 135 W Kid Nichols (BSN) 31 ERA Amos Rusie (NYG) 2.54 K Doc McJames (WAS)Cy Seymour (NYG) 156
National League final standings
Boston Beaneaters
thumb|350px|1897 Boston Beaneaters
Notable seasons
thumb|Kid Nichols|200px
Baltimore Orioles right fielder Willie Keeler led the NL in batting average (.424) and hits (239). He was second in the NL in total bases (304), slugging percentage (.539), adjusted OPS+ (164), and runs scored (145). He was third in the NL in on-base percentage (.464)."Willie Keeler Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021."1897 National League Batting Leaders". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
Boston Beaneaters pitcher Kid Nichols had a win–loss record of 31–11 and led the NL in innings pitched (368), wins (31), and adjusted ERA+ (168). He was second in the NL in earned run average (2.64). He was fifth in the NL in strikeouts (127)."Kid Nichols Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021."1897 National League Pitching Leaders". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
Events
February 28 – The St. Louis Browns acquired Duke Esper off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
May 22 – The New York Giants released Jake Beckley.
June 1 – The Philadelphia Phillies traded Kid Carsey and Mike Grady to the St. Louis Browns for Ed McFarland.
June 3 – The Washington Senators purchased the contract of Tommy Tucker from Boston.
June 11 – Chippy McGarr is released by the Cleveland Spiders.
June 24 – Dick Harley of the St. Louis Browns collects six hits in one game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
June 29 – The Chicago Colts defeat the Louisville Colonels 36–7, which remains the record for the most runs by one team in a game as of 2025.Felber Bill June 29, 1897: The Chicago Colts’ record romp for 36 runs https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-29-1897-the-chicago-colts-record-romp-for-36-runs/ sabr.org 15 September 2020
July 18 – Cap Anson of the Chicago Colts collects his 3,000th career hit with a single off of Baltimore Orioles pitcher George Blackburn.
September 18 – Cy Young pitches the first no-hitter of his career as the Cleveland Spiders defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 6–0, in the first game of a doubleheader.
Births
January
January 1 – Monty Swartz
January 3 – Pete Turgeon
January 5 – Art Delaney
January 6
Buck Crouse
By Speece
January 7 – Topper Rigney
January 9 – Dave Keefe
January 15 – Joe Genewich
January 24 – George Ellison
January 29 – Pat Patterson
February
February 9 – Adrian Lynch
February 11
Red Miller
Joe Shannon
Red Shannon
February 14 – Earl Smith
February 15
Art Johnson
Chuck Wolfe
February 16
Paul Castner
Alex Ferguson
February 17 – Ike Boone
February 18 – Huck Betts
February 25 – Bob Vines
March
March 1 – Howie Jones
March 4
Neal Brady
Lefty O'Doul
March 5
Virgil Barnes
Lu Blue
March 6 – Cliff Brady
March 9 – Joe Dawson
March 10 – Russ Ennis
March 13 – Lew Malone
March 14 – Bruce Hitt
March 19 – Elmer Bowman
March 21
Gus Ketchum
Bill Lamar
March 27
Joe Lucey
Effa Manley
March 30 – Ed Sicking
April
April 4 – Ray Miner
April 8 – Dick Attreau
April 10
Joe Price
Ross Youngs
April 15 – Walt Lynch
April 20 – Lou Vedder
April 26 – Epp Sell
April 30 – Walt Walsh
May
May 3 – Ray Shepardson
May 12 – Joe Dugan
May 13 – Hugh Canavan
May 17 – Harry Riconda
May 20 – Wilcy Moore
May 30 – Wally Kimmick
June
June 6 – Ray Pierce
June 12 – Guy Lacy
June 13 – George Foss
June 15 – Cy Twombly
June 17 – Bill Hubbell
June 22 – Bill Mizeur
June 25 – Camp Skinner
June 29 – Grady Adkins
July
July 3
Chet Nichols Sr.
Heinie Sand
July 5 – Tom Miller
July 9 – Glenn Myatt
July 12 – Hod Fenner
July 16 – Hi Bell
July 18
Hank Hulvey
Pat Murray
Ed Sherling
July 22 – Ed Gerner
July 23
Hod Ford
Cy Fried
July 26 – Chick Bowen
July 27 – Biz Mackey
July 29 – Jim Hamby
August
August 8
Charlie Eckert
Ken Holloway
August 10 – Frank Welch
August 16 – Bob Fothergill
August 17
Joe Bradshaw
Ed Lennon
August 18 – Mandy Brooks
August 22 – Bob Clark
August 24
Al Bool
Frank Pratt
August 29 – John Quinn
August 31 – William Bell
September
September 13 – Eddie Rommel
September 17
Joe Green
Earl Webb
September 19 – Astyanax Douglass
September 23 – Walt Irwin
September 25 – Walter Anderson
September 27 – Chick Gagnon
September 30
Eddie Kenna
Mike Kircher
October
October 7 – Bill Jackman
October 9 – Harry Biemiller
October 13 – Elliot Bigelow
October 14 – Vance McIlree
October 15
Dinty Gearin
Sam Gray
October 16 – Garland Buckeye
October 18 – Sumpter Clarke
October 19 – Tom Lovelace
October 20
Tom Connelly
Jigger StatzSnelling Dennis The Pacific Coast League: A Statistical History, 1903-1957 1 January 1995 McFarland Jefferson 978-0-7864-0045-4 231 https://books.google.com/books?id=4ApM-wmc0BIC&pg=PA231
October 22 – Myles Thomas
October 26
Skipper Friday
George Winn
October 29 – Ty Pickup
October 30 – Kettle Wirts
October 31 – Tony Rego
November
November 4
Ted Menze
Dolly Stark
November 5 – Jack Ogden
November 9
Johnny Gooch
Harvey Hendrick
November 17
Davey Claire
Rube Lutzke
November 20 – Larry Benton
November 21 – Andy High
November 23
Bubber Jonnard
Claude Jonnard
Freddy Leach
Beans Reardon
November 26 – Bill Warwick
November 30
Win Ballou
Dud Branom
December
December 10
Jocko Conlon
Tim Griesenbeck
December 11 – Slim Harriss
December 14 – Syl Simon
December 16 – Fred Wigington
December 18 – Lance Richbourg
December 19 – Mike Herrera
December 20 – Snooks Dowd
December 21
Hal Haid
Pete Scott
December 22 – Harvey Freeman
December 23 – Nemo Gaines
December 25 – Allen Elliott
December 27 – Jackie Tavener
Deaths
February 5 – Old Hoss Radbourn, 42, Hall of Fame pitcher who won over 300 games including a record 60 for the 1884 Providence Grays, leading the National League in wins, strikeouts, winning percentage and games twice each and in shutouts, innings and ERA once each; completing 489 out of 503 starts, pitching three shutouts in the 1884 World Championship Series, while holding single-season records for games pitched with 76 in 1883, going 27–12 for the 1890 Players' League champions.
February 8 – Fleury Sullivan, 35, pitcher.
March 5 – Dave Foutz, 40, first baseman/outfielder/pitcher who played from 1884 through 1896 for the St. Louis Browns and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Grooms, a three-time .300 hitter and manager for the Brooklyn teams between 1893 and 1896 for a .690 career winning percentage, while pitching 41 wins for the 1886 champion Browns.
March 10 – Wes Blogg, 42, catcher.
March 21 – Andy Allison, 49, first baseman.
March 22 – Dave Anderson, 28, pitcher.
March 25 – Bill Quarles, 28, pitcher.
April 13 – Charlie Yingling, 31, shortstop.
July 10 – Kid Baldwin, 32, catcher.
August 1 – Jake Seymour, 43, who played for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the American Association in the 1882 season.
August 4 – John Gilroy, 27, pitcher.
August 9 – Jack Scheible, 31, pitcher.
August 19 – Jim McKeever, 36, catcher.
August 22 – Tricky Nichols, 47, pitcher who posted a 28–73 record and a 3.06 ERA in 106 games for six different teams between 1875 and 1882.
August 27 – Sam Moran, 26, pitcher.
October 9 – Milo Lockwood, 39, outfielder and pitcher.
October 19 – O. P. Caylor, 47, one of the founders of the American Association.
November 2 – Joe Sullivan, 27, shortstop.
November 15 – Charlie Smith, 56, infielder who appeared in 14 games for the 1871 New York Mutuals.
November 19 – Frank McGinn, 28, infielder.
December 20 – William Brown, 31, catcher.
References
1897 National League team stats at Baseball Reference
1897