PTWSW #11: The 1914 Boston Braves

Manager: George Stallings
Record: 94-59
Ballpark: South End Grounds/Fenway Park
Owner: James E. Gaffney
Coaches: Fred Mitchell

Future Hall of Famers: Johnny Evers, Rabbit Maranville

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Joe Connolly, .306
OBP: Joe Connolly, .393
SLG: Joe Connolly, .494
OPS: Joe Connolly, .886
2B: Joe Connolly, 28
3B: Les Mann, 11
HR: Joe Connolly, 9
RBI: Rabbit Maranville, 78
BB: Johnny Evers, 87
SB: Rabbit Maranville, 28

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Bill James, Dick Rudolph, 26
SO: Bill James, 156
ERA: Bill James, 1.90
IP: Dick Rudolph, 336.1
CG: Dick Rudolph, 31
SHO: Dick Rudolph, 6
K/BB: Dick Rudolph, 2.26
SV: Bill James, Lefty Tyler, 2

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Jim Murray (b. January 16, 1878)

Youngest Player: Billy Martin (b. February 13, 1894)

First to Leave Us: Otto Hess (d. February 25, 1926)

Last Survivor: Jack Martin (d. July 4, 1980)

First in Majors: Otto Hess (debut August 3, 1902)

Last in Majors: Rabbit Maranville (final game September 29, 1935)

First to Play For the Franchise: Herbie Moran. Moran was acquired by Boston (then called the Doves) in August of 1908 and would play there for two more seasons. In 1914, while playing for the Reds, Boston once again made him an August acquisition.

Last to Play For the Franchise: Rabbit Maranville (September 29, 1935)

Pre-union Team: The 1910-11 New York Giants (Josh Devore, Hank Gowdy, Dick Rudolph). John McGraw's rejects later came back to haunt him in this pennant race.

Reunion Team: The 1917 Philadelphia Phillies and the 1918-19 Chicago Cubs each had three. Perhaps not surprisingly, those Cubs were managed by Fred Mitchell, Stallings' assistant coach.

Accomplishments

George Davis, no-hitter on September 9
Johnny Evers, NL MVP

Season Summary

Talk about a crazy season! The Braves got off to a 3-16 start and spent most of the first half in last place. On Independence Day they lost a doubleheader to Brooklyn which put them 15 games behind the New York Giants and five games behind the 7th-place Phillies. Just when it looked like all hope was lost, the Braves started winning. They climbed out of the cellar on July 19 and a month later were only two games out of first.

Now finding themselves in a pennant race, the Braves were allowed to play their remaining home games in Fenway Park by Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin. The South End Grounds was an outdated structure with insufficient capacity for the crowds that wanted to witness the unfolding Cinderella story, and shiny new Fenway was more up to the task. The Braves couldn't have picked a better time to make their Fenway debut. On September 7 they began a three-game series with the Giants, with whom they were tied for first place. The Braves took two out of three and never looked back. They remained in first place for the rest of the season, ultimately winning the pennant by 10.5 games.

Since they're being profiled here, you obviously know the Braves won the World Series. They did it in impressive fashion though, sweeping the heavily-favored Philadelphia Athletics in four straight. It was the first four-game sweep in World Series history. Catcher Hank Gowdy was the star of the Series for Boston, batting .545, putting up an OPS of 1.960 and even stealing a base. Outfielder Les Mann also figured into two key moments, driving in the winning run in Game 2 and scoring the winning run as a pinch-runner in Game 3.

Let's see...third in the NL in runs per game. Pretty good. 92 OPS+, sixth in the NL. Eh. Last in stolen bases. That seems odd for a successful deadball era team, doesn't it? What about run prevention though? 104 ERA+, second in the league. Now we're talking. Third-best in runs allowed per game, only .05 behind the league-leading Pirates. All right, so they were built on pitching. Their team WHIP, SO/9 and BB/9 were all fifth-best in the NL, however. They were fourth in DER too. They did do a lot of wheeling and dealing during the season, so perhaps they ironed out all their kinks during the first half. And you thought Billy Beane invented the "build the team you want in-season" approach.

Like Beane, manager George Stallings wasn't afraid to employ non-traditional baseball methods. He platooned his corner outfielders all season long, including Joe Connolly, his best hitter. Platooning wasn't common in those days, but the Braves' success made it a hot trend in baseball for years afterward. This team is often referred to as "The Miracle Braves," but that nickname didn't appear in print until several years later. Stallings, however, was dubbed "The Miracle Man" after he got the Braves back into the pennant race. To this day no other World Series champion has experienced such a dramatic in-season turnaround.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives

PTWSW #10: The 1913 Philadelphia Athletics

Manager: Connie Mack
Record: 96-57
Ballpark: Shibe Park
Owners: Connie Mack and The Shibe Family
Coaches: Harry Davis

Future Hall of Famers: Frank Baker, Chief Bender, Eddie Collins, Herb Pennock, Eddie Plank

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Eddie Collins, .345
OBP: Eddie Collins, .441
SLG: Frank Baker, .493
OPS: Frank Baker, .906
2B: Frank Baker, 34
3B: Eddie Collins, 13
HR: Frank Baker, 12 (AL leader)
RBI: Frank Baker, 117 (AL leader)
BB: Eddie Collins, 85
SB: Eddie Collins, 55

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Chief Bender, 21
SO: Eddie Plank, 151
ERA: Chief Bender, 2.21
IP: Eddie Plank, 211
CG: Eddie Plank, 18
SHO: Eddie Plank, 7
K/BB: Eddie Plank, 2.65
SV: Chief Bender, 13 (AL leader)

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Harry Davis (b. July 19, 1873)

Youngest Player: Wickey McAvoy (b. October 20, 1894)

First to Leave Us: Jack Lapp (d. February 6, 1920)

Last Survivor: Dave Morey (d. January 4, 1986)

First in Majors: Harry Davis (debut September 21, 1895)

Last in Majors: Herb Pennock (final game August 27, 1934)

First to Play For the Franchise: Eddie Plank (May 3, 1901)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Wally Schang (September 27, 1930)

Pre-union Team: Finally we find a World Series champion without one. No team ever had more than one future 1913 Athletic.

Reunion Team: The 1919 Boston Red Sox (Joe Bush, Jack Barry, Stuffy McInnis, Herb Pennock, Wally Schang, Amos Strunk). When Connie Mack dismantled this team the Red Sox were only too happy to take it off his hands.

Season Summary

The Athletics proved that a team with below-average pitching and a dominant offense could win the World Series. Their team ERA+ was 86, believe it or not, and they allowed the most walks in the AL. Thanks to a defense that led the league in efficiency and fielding percentage, their run prevention was right in the middle of the pack. If you consider that a weakness, it was offset by the fact that their offense averaged a full run per game more than the closest competitor.

The A's nearly led wire-to-wire. While they didn't win the pennant by a double-digit margin like the 1910 and 1911 teams, they probably would've if Mack hadn't rested his regulars after they clinched. They sent the New York Giants to their third straight World Series defeat, beating them in five games played in just five days. Youth was served in the Series, as 20-year-old pitcher "Bullet Joe" Bush tossed a complete game victory in Game 3 and rookie catcher Wally Schang hit .357 with a triple, a homer and seven RBI.

The Athletics now had three championships in four seasons, but the celebration was short-lived, as player-coach Harry Davis' son died unexpectedly just days after their World Series victory.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives

PTWSW #9: The 1912 Boston Red Sox

Manager: Jake Stahl
Record: 105-47
Ballpark: Fenway Park
Owners: John I. Taylor, Jimmy McAleer and Robert McRoy

Future Hall of Famers: Harry Hooper, Tris Speaker

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Tris Speaker, .383
OBP: Tris Speaker, .464 (AL leader)
SLG: Tris Speaker, .567
OPS: Tris Speaker, 1.031
2B: Tris Speaker, 53 (AL leader)
3B: Larry Gardner, 18
HR: Tris Speaker, 10 (AL leader)
RBI: Duffy Lewis, 109
BB: Tris Speaker, 82
SB: Tris Speaker, 52

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Joe Wood, 34 (AL leader)
SO: Joe Wood, 258
ERA: Joe Wood, 1.91
IP: Joe Wood, 344
CG: Joe Wood, 35 (AL leader)
SHO: Joe Wood, 10 (AL leader)
K/BB: Joe Wood, 3.15
SV: Hugh Bedient, Charley Hall, 2

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Jake Stahl (b. April 13, 1879)

Youngest Player: Doug Smith (b. May 25, 1892)

First to Leave Us: Larry Pape (d. July 21, 1918)

Last Survivor: Joe Wood (d. July 27, 1985)

First in Majors: Heinie Wagner (first game July 1, 1902)

Last in Majors: Tris Speaker (final game August 30, 1928)

First to Play For the Franchise: Jake Stahl (April 20, 1903)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Harry Hooper (September 28, 1920). Hooper and Heinie Wagner were the only ones to play on all four of the Red Sox' World Series winners during the 1910's. Hooper was the only one who played in each Series.

Pre-union Team: The 1908-09 New York Highlanders, with Neal Ball, Jake Stahl (1908) and Clyde Engle (1909).

Reunion Team: The 1919-21 Cleveland Indians (Larry Gardner, Les Nunamaker, Tris Speaker, Pinch Thomas, Joe Wood). So good was this core (led by player-manager Speaker) that they won another World Series together.

Accomplishments

Tris Speaker, 30-game hitting streak
Tris Speaker, cycle on June 9
Tris Speaker, AL MVP

Season Summary

It was a year of change for the Red Sox. Jimmy McAleer and Robert McRoy purchased 50% ownership of the team at the end of the previous season, Jake Stahl took over as manager and first baseman, and Fenway Park opened its gates for the first time. Led by MVP Tris Speaker, their offense was the AL's most prolific, and their pitching and defense combined to allow the fewest runs in the circuit. Had there been a Cy Young Award at the time, the Red Sox' young ace "Smoky Joe" Wood would've been a top candidate with his 34-5 record, 1.91 ERA and 10 shutouts.

The Chicago White Sox got off to a better start, but the Red Sox took three matches in a mid-June four-game series against the Pale Hose to grab first place. They'd remain there for the rest of the season, and the pennant would eventually be won by 14 games. The World Series against the New York Giants went eight games (Game 2 was called due to darkness), with the 10th inning of Game 8 being a classic. The Giants scored a run in the top half to take the lead, but the Red Sox (benefitting from Giant center fielder Fred Snodgrass' "muff") rallied for two runs to win the Series.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives

PTWSW #8: The 1911 Philadelphia Athletics

Manager: Connie Mack
Record: 101-50
Ballpark: Shibe Park
Owners: The Shibe Family, Connie Mack, Frank Hough and Sam Jones

Future Hall of Famers: Frank Baker, Chief Bender, Eddie Collins, Eddie Plank

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Eddie Collins, .365
OBP: Eddie Collins, .451
SLG: Frank Baker, .508
OPS: Eddie Collins, .932
2B: Frank Baker, 42
3B: Frank Baker, Rube Oldring, 14
HR: Frank Baker, 11 (AL leader)
RBI: Frank Baker, 115
BB: Eddie Collins, 62
SB: Frank Baker, Eddie Collins, 38

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Jack Coombs, 28 (AL leader)
SO: Jack Coombs, 185
ERA: Eddie Plank, 2.10
IP: Jack Coombs, 336.2
CG: Jack Coombs, 26
SHO: Eddie Plank, 6 (AL leader)
K/BB: Chief Bender, 1.97
SV: Eddie Plank, 4 (AL leader)

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Harry Davis (b. July 19, 1873)

Youngest Player: Stuffy McInnis (b. September 19, 1890). Davis and McInnis. Remember those names. There's a cool story involving the two of them this season.

First to Leave Us: Jack Lapp (d. February 6, 1920). Less than four years after playing his final Major League game Lapp passed away from pneumonia.

Last Survivor: Elmer Leonard (d. May 27, 1981). The first World Series champion with a member who made it to the 1980's! The 1911 A's actually had another in Allan Collamore, who died on August 8, 1980.

First in Majors: Harry Davis (debut September 21, 1895)

Last in Majors: Eddie Collins (final game August 5, 1930). Collins was mainly an Athletics coach at the time, but he was also the last to get significant playing time in the Majors just three years earlier.

First to Play For the Franchise: Harry Davis and Eddie Plank both played for the Athletics in their inaugural 1901 season. Plank debuted on May 13 and Davis joined the team on May 22, making Plank their longest-tenured player.

Last to Play For the Franchise: Eddie Collins (August 5, 1930)

Pre-union Team: The 1898 Louisville Colonels (Harry Davis and Topsy Hartsel). Not much of a pre-union team, but there it is.

Reunion Team: The 1912 Cleveland Naps, 1916 Chicago White Sox and 1919 Boston Red Sox each had three.

Accomplishments

Frank Baker, cycle on July 3

Season Summary

"The $100,000 Infield," they were called. 1911 was the first season where third baseman Frank Baker, shortstop Jack Barry, second baseman Eddie Collins and first baseman Stuffy McInnis were all full-time starters. Their strong outfield of Bris Lord, Rube Oldring and Danny Murphy was no slouch either. Whereas the 1910 team dominated at run prevention and was about equal to the Tigers in run production, the 1911 team dominated on offense and was merely among the best at pitching and defense. Control seems to have been an issue for their pitching staff, as it was among AL leaders in walks and hit batsmen. Fortunately, it was among AL leaders in strikeouts as well.

The pennant race was more exciting than the previous season's. The Athletics spent most of 1911 trailing the Tigers for first place, eventually taking the lead in early August and pulling away in September. On September 25, a day before the pennant clincher, McInnis was hit in the wrist against Detroit, which made veteran Harry Davis the Philadelphia first baseman for the World Series.

Against the Giants in the Series, Frank Baker gained his famous nickname "Home Run" when he hit crucial homers in back-to-back games. In Game 2 his 6th-inning two-run shot gave the A's the lead by which they'd eventually win and his 9th-inning solo clout tied Game 3, which the A's would go on to win in extras. In Game 6, with one out left to go for a World Series championship, the veteran Davis stepped off the field so that young McInnis could experience the victory. The final play was a grounder to third on which McInnis made the putout and the Athletics were repeat champions.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives

PTWSW #7: The 1910 Philadelphia Athletics

Manager: Connie Mack
Record: 102-48
Ballpark: Shibe Park
Owners: The Shibe Family, Connie Mack, Frank Hough and Sam Jones

Future Hall of Famers: Frank Baker, Chief Bender, Eddie Collins, Eddie Plank

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Eddie Collins, .324
OBP: Eddie Collins, .382
SLG: Danny Murphy, .436
OPS: Eddie Collins, .800
2B: Danny Murphy, 28
3B: Danny Murphy, 18
HR: Danny Murphy, Rube Oldring, 4
RBI: Eddie Collins, 81
BB: Topsy Hartsel, 58
SB: Eddie Collins, 81 (AL leader)

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Jack Coombs, 31 (AL leader)
SO: Jack Coombs, 224
ERA: Jack Coombs, 1.30
IP: Jack Coombs, 353
CG: Jack Coombs, 35
SHO: Jack Coombs, 13 (AL leader)
K/BB: Chief Bender, 3.30
SV: Tommy Atkins, Eddie Plank, 2

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Harry Davis (b. July 19, 1873)

Youngest Player: Stuffy McInnis (b. September 19, 1890)

First to Leave Us: Heinie Heitmuller (d. October 8, 1912). Typhoid fever claimed Heitmuller's life while he was playing in the PCL.

Last Survivor: Amos Strunk (d. July 22, 1979)

First in Majors: Harry Davis (debut September 21, 1895)

Last in Majors: Eddie Collins (final game August 5, 1930)

First to Play For the Franchise: Harry Davis and Eddie Plank both played for the Athletics in their inaugural 1901 season.

Last to Play For the Franchise: Eddie Collins (August 5, 1930)

Pre-union Team: The 1898 Louisville Colonels and 1908-09 Boston Red Sox had two each.

Reunion Team: The 1912 Cleveland Naps and 1919 Boston Red Sox had three each.

Accomplishments

Chief Bender, no-hitter on May 12
Danny Murphy, cycle on August 25

Season Summary

For the first three months of 1910 the American League had a tight three-team race going between the Athletics, New York Highlanders and Detroit Tigers. After that, the Athletics pulled away and ended up winning the pennant by 15.5 games. The Athletics' run prevention was the best in the league, with their pitching (133 ERA+) and defense (DER .715) allowing only 2.85 runs per game. Their offense, while not the best, was pretty darn close. The Tigers outscored them by only nine runs.

They faced the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Both sides were hit by injuries to key players, as Johnny Evers was out for the Cubs and Rube Oldring and Eddie Plank were out for the Athletics. You wouldn't have guessed Philadelphia was hurting, because they won the first three games by a combined 16 runs. The Cubs avoided the sweep in Game 4, but the A's finished what they started the very next day. Connie Mack used only two pitchers, Jack Coombs and Chief Bender, in winning the series.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives

PTWSW #6: The 1909 Pittsburg Pirates

Manager: Fred Clarke
Record: 110-42
Ballpark: Exposition Park/Forbes Field
Owner: Barney Dreyfuss

Future Hall of Famers: Fred Clarke, Honus Wagner, Vic Willis

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Honus Wagner, .339 (NL leader)
OBP: Honus Wagner, .420 (NL leader)
SLG: Honus Wagner, .489 (NL leader)
OPS: Honus Wagner, .909 (NL leader)
2B: Honus Wagner, 39 (NL leader)
3B: Dots Miller, 13
HR: Tommy Leach, 6
RBI: Honus Wagner, 100 (NL leader)
BB: Fred Clarke, 80 (NL leader)
SB: Honus Wagner, 35

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Howie Camnitz, 25
SO: Howie Camnitz, 133
ERA: Howie Camnitz, 1.62
IP: Vic Willis, 289.2
CG: Vic Willis, 24
SHO: Howie Camnitz, 6
K/BB: Howie Camnitz, 1.96
SV: Howie Camnitz, 3

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Sam Leever (b. December 23, 1871)

Youngest Player: Chick Brandom (b. March 31, 1887)

First to Leave Us: Alan Storke (d. March 18, 1910). Storke passed away the following offseason due to complications from lung surgery.

Last Survivor: Lefty Leifield (d. October 10, 1970)

First in Majors: Fred Clarke (debut June 30, 1894)

Last in Majors: Babe Adams (final game August 11, 1926)

First to Play For the Franchise: Sam Leever (May 26, 1898)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Babe Adams (August 11, 1926)

Pre-union Team: The 1899 Louisville Colonels (Fred Clarke, Tommy Leach, Deacon Phillippe, Honus Wagner). Barney Dreyfuss owned the Colonels and later merged them with the Pirates.

Reunion Team: The 1912 Chicago Cubs, with four (Tommy Leach, Lefty Leifield, Ward Miller, Bill Powell).

Accomplishments

Honus Wagner, NL batting title

Season Summary

After getting off to an oustanding 44-14 start at Exposition Park, their home of 19 seasons, the Pirates played their first game at Forbes Field on June 30. It would be their ballpark for the next 62 seasons, and they christened it with a loss to the Cubs. The Cubs were the Pirates' only real competition all year, as they won 104 games to the Pirates' 110. The Pirates took the lead on May 30 however, and never relinquished it. They won the pennant by a solid 6.5 games. The Cubs had one of the most dominant pitching staffs in baseball history that year (146 ERA+!), but the Pirates were a more balanced team. Their strong pitching staff (124 ERA+) was supported by the NL's most productive offense.

The Tigers won their third straight AL pennant that year, but once again they collected the loser's share of the gate receipts. The Pirates took the series in seven games. Babe Adams won all three of his starts, including a shutout in Game 7.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives

PTWSW #5: The 1908 Chicago Cubs

Manager: Frank Chance
Record: 99-55
Ballpark: West Side Park
Owner: Charles Murphy

Future Hall of Famers: Mordecai Brown, Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, Joe Tinker

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Johnny Evers, .300
OBP: Johnny Evers, .402
SLG: Joe Tinker, .391
OPS: Johnny Evers, .777
2B: Frank Chance, 27
3B: Joe Tinker, 14
HR: Joe Tinker, 6
RBI: Joe Tinker, 68
BB: Johnny Evers, 66
SB: Johnny Evers, 36

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Mordecai Brown, 29
SO: Orval Overall, 167
ERA: Mordecai Brown, 1.47
IP: Mordecai Brown, 312.1
CG: Mordecai Brown, 27
SHO: Mordecai Brown, 9
K/BB: Mordecai Brown, 2.51
SV: Mordecai Brown, 5 (NL leader)

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Jimmy Slagle (b. July 11, 1873)

Youngest Player: Vin Campbell (January 30, 1888)

First to Leave Us: Harry Steinfeldt (d. August 17, 1914)

Last Survivor: Bill Mack (d. September 30, 1971)

First in Majors: Chick Fraser (debut April 19, 1896)

Last in Majors: If you count all appearances, it was Johnny Evers as a Braves coach making an old-timer's appearance on October 6, 1929. If you count only regular players, it was Heinie Zimmerman on September 10, 1919.

First to Play For the Franchise: Frank Chance (April 29, 1898)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Joe Tinker (September 22, 1916)

Pre-union Team: The teams with two each were the 1900 Philadelphia Phillies, the 1901 Philadelphia Athletics, the 1901 Boston Beaneaters, the 1903 Pittsburg Pirates, the 1904-05 Beaneaters, the 1904 Phillies, the 1905-06 Cincinnati Reds and the 1906 Boston Americans.

Reunion Team: The 1913 Cincinnati Reds (Mordecai Brown, Johnny Kling, Jimmy Sheckard, Joe Tinker)

Season Summary

Unlike the previous two seasons, the 1908 Cubs didn't run away with the pennant. All year long they were part of a three-team race with the Pirates and Giants. They were strong in every aspect of the game, but they didn't dominate in any category like the previous two years. A slump left the Cubs six games out of first on August 16, but they went on a tear after that to get right back in it.

One of their losses during that tear came against the Pirates on September 4, when Owen Wilson hit a game-winning single with the bases loaded. There wouldn't have been anything noteworthy about this loss had the runner on first, Warren Gill, touched second after the winning run scored. Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers got the ball from the outfield and stepped on second for a force that should've negated the deciding tally. Umpire Hank O'Day honored the existing custom of overlooking that rule and let the final result stand.

On September 23 the Cubs and Giants, tied for first place, faced off at the Polo Grounds. Like the Pittsburg game, the Cubs seemingly lost on a game-winning single in the ninth. Also like the Pittsburg game, the runner on first, this time Fred Merkle, failed to touch second. Still like the Pittsburg game, Evers got the ball from the outfield and touched second for what should've been a force out. Even further like the Pittsburg game, Hank O'Day was umpiring. Unlike the Pittsburg game, O'Day didn't let the final result stand, recognizing that the Cubs had a legitimate claim. The final decision was that the game was ruled a tie, and it would be replayed if the two teams finished the season tied for first.

As you can probably guess, that's just what happened. The Cubs emerged victorious in the rematch and the pennant was theirs. For the second straight year they defeated the Tigers in a five-game World Series. They may have been the weakest Cub team between 1906 and 1910, but they're still the most well-known today, because the Cubs haven't won another World Series since.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives

PTWSW #4: The 1907 Chicago Cubs

Manager: Frank Chance
Record: 107-45
Ballpark: West Side Park
Owner: Charles Murphy

Future Hall of Famers: Mordecai Brown, Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, Joe Tinker

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Frank Chance, .293
OBP: Frank Chance, .395
SLG: Johnny Kling, .386
OPS: Frank Chance, .756
2B: Harry Steinfeldt, 25
3B: Johnny Kling, 8
HR: Johnny Evers, Frank Schulte, 2
RBI: Harry Steinfeldt, 70
BB: Jimmy Sheckard, Jimmy Slagle, 76
SB: Johnny Evers, 46

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Orval Overall, 23
SO: Orval Overall, 141
ERA: Jack Pfiester, 1.15 (NL leader)
IP: Orval Overall, 268.1
CG: Orval Overall, 26
SHO: Orval Overall, 8 (NL leader)
K/BB: Mordecai Brown, 2.68
SV: Mordecai Brown, Orval Overall, 3

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Jimmy Slagle (b. July 11, 1873)

Youngest Player: Heinie Zimmerman (b. February 9, 1887)

First to Leave Us: Harry Steinfeldt (d. August 17, 1914)

Last Survivor: Heinie Zimmerman (d. March 14, 1969)

First in Majors: Mike Kahoe (debut September 22, 1895)

Last in Majors: Johnny Evers, by then coaching with the Braves, made a one-game appearance on October 6, 1929. The last to play as a regular was Heinie Zimmerman on September 10, 1919.

First to Play For the Franchise: Frank Chance (April 29, 1898)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Four members of this team played with the Cubs during the 1916 season. The last one to get into a game was Joe Tinker on September 22.

Pre-union Team: No team had more than two. The ones that did were the 1899-1901 Cincinnati Reds, the 1900 Philadelphia Phillies, the 1901 Boston Beaneaters, the 1903 Pittsburg Pirates, the 1905 Beaneaters and the 1905-06 Reds.

Reunion Team: The 1913 Reds, under new manager Joe Tinker, saw four '07 Cubs suit up: Mordecai Brown, Johnny Kling, Jimmy Sheckard and Tinker himself.

Season Summary

After winning 116 games the previous season and suffering a disappointing World Series loss to the White Sox, the Cubs went right back to winning with machine-like efficiency in 1907. Had it not been for a hot start by the Giants they would've led wire-to-wire (if you don't believe me, on May 18 they were 23-4 and a game out of first).

Three years before they were immortalized in Franklin P. Adams' "Baseball's Sad Lexicon," the famous Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance double play combination roamed the Cub infield. Their strong team defense may have been what helped the Cubs' pitching staff stand head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Their team ERA+? 144. When you lead the NL in ERA by 0.68 while playing in a park that favors hitters and not leading in any peripheral rate stats you have to believe that many of those hits were prevented by the eight surrounding the mound.

The Cubs cruised to another pennant, winning the NL by 17 games, and redeemed themselves for 1906. This time they defeated the Detroit Tigers in five games (one was a tie), outscoring them 19-6 for the series.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives