For those of you embarking this trolley along the route, the premise of the exercise can be found HERE.
OVERVIEW
The foregrounded Cleveland nickname change to Buckeyes comes into effect.
The league’s first expansion will take place at the end of this 1905 season, with four new teams taking the total to 20 and divisional play introduced. A AAA level will also be added.
I’ll provide all the details this time next year.
OFFSEASON / PRESEASON
Just the one modified NeLer joins us for 1905:
- P Pop Andrews (23); Buckeyes
Notable MLBers embarking include Sherry Magee (Phillies), Orval Overall (White Sox), Miller Huggins (Cardinals), Ty Cobb (Tigers) and Hal Chase (Yankees).
My Brooklyn club drafts pitcher Nap Rucker and 1B Harry Lumley, and signs pitcher Jack Cronin on a 1-year deal.
Other interesting moves include Jack Taylor to the Reds, Lave Cross to the Tigers, Cy Seymour to the Yankees, Mike Grady to the Phillies and Ed McFarland to the Browns.
OPENING DAY PREVIEW
The top-ranked position player is Pirates SS Honus Wagner.
The top-ranked pitcher is Rube Waddell of the Red Sox.
The top-rated prospect is age-18 OF Ty Cobb of the Tigers.
BNN sees the 101-53 Yankees and 94-60 Cubs narrow winners of their respective divisions.
REGULAR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
04/06: Cy Seymour’s first game as a Yankee is one to remember as he hits for the cycle against Washington on Opening Day, then pops two homers the next day.
04/15: After losing their first eight games of the season, the Senators finally get a win.
04/16: New York’s Ed Killian no-hits the Red Sox.
05/08: An 11-game losing streak leaves the Braves at 5-25 thru their first 30 games.
05/12: Pirate Jesse Tannehill gives us our second no-no for the season in a 5-0 win against the Giants.
07/09: The AL wins the All-Star Game 8-7, with Mike Donlin of the Yankees named MVP.
07/16: Catcher Roger Bresnahan re-ups with the Yankees thru 1913.
08/02: Rube Foster hits just the second home run of his MLB career.
08/27: George Mullin of the Phillies no-hits the Braves.
08/28: Bad news for the Athletics with talisman Nap Lajoie’s season over thanks to a hamstring strain.
08/30: Cincy superstar Sam Crawford hits for the cycle against the Pirates.
REGULAR SEASON RECAP
The Browns make a strong move in late August to join the Yankees in first place but, in the end, the New Yorkers have just that bit too much firepower and they get home by 5, with the Browns justified in feeling hard done-by as they go 100-54.
Things are tight indeed in the “Senior Circuit”, with six teams within 8 games entering September. That slowly gets whittled down over the next fortnight, leaving the Cubs and Phillies to fight it out to the end—and I mean that quite literally, with the two tied entering the final day. That day brings heartbreak for Phanatics and euphoria for Cubs fans, by dint of the following results:
Mike Donlin sets a new MLB mark during the season by hitting safely in 38 straight games, taking his AVG from .386 to .404 in the process. Turkey Mike is still flirting with .400 entering the final week of play and sits on .401 going into the final day, which – like it or not, who can blame him? – he elects to sit out to preserve the status quo and become the first to achieve the elusive feat in this timeline.
Giants ace Christy Mathewson goes 31-11 with a 2.26 ERA and 213 strikeouts to win the first ever NL Pitching Triple Crown.
Pete Hill and Grant Johnson lead the way among the NeL hitters, with close on 13 WAR between them.
Neither Gervasio Gonzalez nor Rafael Figarola see action this season. Nor does pitcher Pop Andrews.
Poor old Jose Munoz might wish he had fallen into that category as he ends up losing 25—ahhh, the joys of playing for a 110-loss club!
FINAL MLB STANDINGS
AL STAT LEADERS
NL STAT LEADERS
* Please note there are some discrepancies regarding players’ correct teams in these stat leaders screenshots from the early years due to them having been taken retrospectively.
PLAYOFFS
We are once again guaranteed a first-time winner here with the Yankees having their second go at it after losing to the Pirates back in ‘02.
They kick things off in very sketchy fashion, with the Cubs thumping them 9-1 in New York and then beating them again the next game by 8 to 5, with Pete Hill starring in both.
The whitewash continues in the Windy City with the home side breezing to a 5-0 win in Game 3 and then eventual series MVP Mordecai Brown carries a no-hitter into the 9th before giving up a hit as the Cubs finish off a terribly disappointing Yankees outfit with a 1-0 win in 10, walking it off on a Topsy Hartsel single.
1905 RECAP
Back-to-back MVPs – albeit one in each league – for Cy Seymour, with Elmer Flick winning his first in the NL.
Maiden CYAs to Ed Killian and Christy Mathewson, who wins his unanimously.
This year’s RoYs go to Emil Batch in the AL and Cubs hurler Ed Ruelbach.
Walter Ball’s reliever prize is the first major award for the NeL lads, with Mike Lynch taking the NL gong.
Jesse “Crab” Burkett heads this year’s retirees.
NeL-obsessed member from Sydney, Australia who spends an inordinate amount of my free time running simulations of various natures on Out of the Park Baseball.