1901 in baseball

This article is currently under construction.

Champions

Major League Baseball

American League: Chicago White Stockings
National League: Pittsburgh Pirates
No world series was played between these two clubs.

Other champions

Minor leagues
- California League: San Francisco Wasps ^*
- Connecticut League: Bristol Woodchoppers ^*
- Eastern League: Rochester Bronchos or Hustlers ^*
- Inter-Mountain League: Ogden ^*
- Inter State League or Western Association: champion unknown
- New England League: Portland (ME)
- New York State League: champion unknown
- Pacific Northwest League: Portland Webfoots (OR)
- Southern Association: Nashville Vols

Major League Baseball final standings

American League final standings

Note: The Baltimore Orioles of 1901 became the New York Highlanders in 1903. The Milwaukee Brewers of 1901 became the St. Louis Browns in 1902.

American League
Rank	Club	Wins	Losses	Win %	GB
1st	Chicago White Stockings	83	53	.610	--
2nd	Boston Americans	79	57	.581	4
3rd	Detroit Tigers	74	61	.548	8.5
4th	Philadelphia Athletics	74	62	.544	9.0
5th	Baltimore Orioles	68	65	.511	13.5
6th	Washington Senators	61	72	.459	20.5
7th	Cleveland Blues	54	82	.397	29.0
8th	Milwaukee Brewers	48	89	.350	35.5

National League final standings

National League
Rank	Club	Wins	Losses	Win %	GB
1st	Pittsburgh Pirates	90	49	.647	--
2nd	Philadelphia Phillies	83	57	.593	7.5
3rd	Brooklyn Superbas	79	57	.581	9.5
4th	St. Louis Cardinals	76	64	.543	14.5
5th	Boston Beaneaters	69	69	.500	20.5
6th	Chicago Orphans	53	86	.381	37.0
7th	New York Giants	52	85	.380	37.0
8th	Cincinnati Reds	52	87	.374	38.0

Events

January

January 4 - The Baltimore Oriole club incorporates. John McGraw is manager and part-owner.

January 28 - The American League formally organizes. The eight original clubs were the Chicago White Stockings, Milwaukee Brewers, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Blues, Cleveland Lake Shores, Buffalo Bisons, and Minneapolis Millers. The Hoosiers, Bisons, and Millers are contracted; the Boston Pilgrims, Baltimore Orioles, and Philadelphia Athletics are admitted. Teams are limited to 14 players and will play 140 games per season.

February

February 8 - Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Nap Lajoie, along with pitchers Chick Fraser and Bill Bernhard, jump to the new American League Philadelphia club, the Athletics.

February 27 - The National League Rules Committe decrees that all fouls are strikes, except those hit after two strikes. In order to prevent balls from fouled and lost, the committee urges that "batsmen who foul off good strikes are to be disciplined." Also, now a ball will be called if the pitcher does not throw to the ready batter within 20 seconds, or if the pitcher hits the batter with a pitch.

March

March 2 - Jimmy Collins, Hugh Duffy, and Billy Sullivan jump the NL for the new AL. Collins will manage the Boston Pilgrims, Duffy will manage the Milwaukee Brewers, and Sullivan will catch for the Chicago White Stockings.

March 28 - Philadelphia Phillies owner John Rogers files an injunction to stop Nap Lajoie, Bill Bernhard and Chick Fraser from playing for the Phillies AL rival, the Philadelphia Athletics.

April

April 8 - Amos Rusie, pitching for the Cincinnati Reds, makes his first start in more than two years. He loses, 14-3, and retires after two more appearances.

April 24 - The American League begins play as a new major league.

April 26 - Christy Mathewson makes his major league debut in the New York Giants' opener, beating the Brooklyn Superbas 5-3.

May

May 9 - Earl Moore of the Cleveland Blues pitched nine hitless innings against the Chicago White Stockings before giving up two hits in the 10th inning to lose 4-2.

May 21 - Andrew Freedman, owner of the New York Giants, refuses to allow umpire Billy Nash inside the Polo Grounds, accusing him of incompetence.

May 30 - In the afternoon game of a holiday doubleheader, the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the New York Giants 6-5 in 10 innings. An NL record 28,500 fans attend the game.

June

June 9 - 17,000 fans attend the Reds-Giants game. The Giants are up, 15-4, after six innings, when the fans begin to overflow the field. Over the next two and a half innings, 19 runs score as ground-rule doubles multiply. As the crowd enters the infield, with the Giants leading 25-13, umpire Bob Emslie forfeits the game to the Giants. The game ends with a record 31 hits and 13 doubles.

June 20 - Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates steals home twice in one game as the Pirates beat the Giants 7-0.

July

July 15 - New York Giants rookie pitcher Christy Mathewson pitches a no-hitter as the Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0.

August

September

September 5 - The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, which would later become known as Minor League Baseball, was formed at a meeting of minor league executives at the Leland Hotel in Chicago. Patrick T. Powers, president of the Eastern League, became the first president of the NAPBL. ^*

September 19 - All games are cancelled due to the recent death of President William McKinley.

September 23 and 24 - Jimmy Sheckard hits grand slams in two consecutivce games, as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 25-6 on the 23rd and 16-2 on the 24th.

October

November

December

Births

Deaths

April 30 - Dude Esterbrook, 43, infielder who batted .314 for the pennant-winning 1884 New York Metropolitans

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