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
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 during in .
Opening Day took place on April 15 featuring six teams. The final day of the season was on October 15, featuring eight teams.
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."
- Uniformed players who were not in-game could not sit with spectators.
Teams
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.
Standings
National League
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
In-season
League leaders
National League
Milestones
Batters
Pitchers
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Home field attendance
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 .
Regarding games that were rescheduled to Sunday, and existing blue laws:
The Cleveland Spiders played 15 of 57 home games (about ) 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
References
External links