1901 Cleveland Bluebirds season

The 1901 Cleveland Blues season was a season in American baseball. It was the franchise's first in the majors, being one of the original franchises of the American League. Unofficially known as the Blues, the team finished seventh out of eight teams.

1901 Cleveland Blues
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s)Charles Somers
Manager(s)Jimmy McAleer
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Before the 1901 season

1899: Major League Baseball leaves Cleveland
Ban Johnson, founder of the American League

The Cleveland Spiders were dissolved after winning only 20 games and losing 134 in the 1899 season along with the Louisville Colonels, Baltimore Orioles, and the Washington Senators, leaving the National League with eight teams to begin the 1900 season. As a result, 1900 marked the first year since 1886 during which the city of Cleveland did not have a team affiliated with Major League Baseball.

1900: A new franchise

Ban Johnson, president of the Western League, changed the league's name to the American League in 1900, bringing aboard a new team in Cleveland, then known as the Cleveland Lake Shores, along with new Baltimore and Washington franchises, which would be created with or without the approval of the National League.[1] During this time, Cleveland had a minor league baseball team, known as the Bluebirds or Blues due to their all-blue uniforms, which finished their season with a 63–73 record and finished sixth.[1]

1901: Major league once more

The American League became a major league before the 1901 season. As the American League made the jump to major league status, many players jumped ship, including Cy Young and Nap Lajoie, which led the National League to call them an "outlaw league" in November 1900.[1] As the 1901 season came underway in April, and as the war between the two leagues erupted, the Cleveland franchise, now known as the Blues, began its first official season as a Major League Baseball team.

Regular season

April
Bill Hallman, a second baseman, played five games at shortstop for the Blues in 1901

The Cleveland Blues played their first game of the season against the Chicago White Stockings on April 24, 1901. This was the first games in the history of the American League; three other games scheduled that day were rained out.[2] The starting lineup consisted of: Ollie Pickering (RF), Jack McCarthy (LF), Frank Genins (CF), Candy LaChance (1B), Bill Bradley (3B), Erve Beck (2B), Bill Hallman (SS), Bob Wood (C), and Bill Hoffer (P). Hoffer allowed seven runs in the first two innings and the Blues failed to recover,[2] as they lost the game 8–2, earning the first loss in American League history.[3] In the second game of the season, Beck hit the first home run in American League history off pitcher John Skopec, but the Blues lost again, 7–3.[2]

May
Blues' starting third baseman Bill Bradley

On May 9, 1901, Earl Moore threw the first no-hitter in the history of the franchise and the American League.[4] The Blues lost to Chicago by a score of 4–2 despite allowing no hits.

On May 23, Cleveland scored nine runs with the bases empty and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Washington 14–13.

Season standings
American League W L Pct. GB Home Road
Chicago White Stockings 8353 0.610 — 49–21 34–32
Boston Americans 7957 0.581 4 49–20 30–37
Detroit Tigers 7461 0.548 8½ 42–27 32–34
Philadelphia Athletics 7462 0.544 9 42–24 32–38
Baltimore Orioles 6865 0.511 13½ 40–25 28–40
Washington Senators 6172 0.459 20½ 31–35 30–37
Cleveland Bluebirds 5482 0.397 29 28–39 26–43
Milwaukee Brewers 4889 0.350 35½ 32–37 16–52

Record vs. opponents
1901 American League Records

Sources:
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET MIL PHI WSH
Baltimore —9–94–14–111–99–1012–7–112–811–8
Boston 9–9—12–812–69–11–115–510–1012–8–1
Chicago 14–4–18–12—13–710–1016–412–810–8
Cleveland 9–116–127–13—6–1411–96–149–9–2
Detroit 10–911–9–110–1014–6—13–77–99–11
Milwaukee 7–12–15–154–169–117–13—6–1410–8–1
Philadelphia 8–1210–108–1214–69–714–6—11–9–1
Washington 8–118–12–18–109–9–211–98–10–19–11–1—

Roster
1901 Cleveland Blues
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Player stats

Key
Statistic† Indicates sole team leader in this category among batters (player must qualify by MLB rules to lead a category)
Statistic§ Indicates sole team leader in this category among pitchers (player must qualify by MLB rules to lead a category)
* Indicates that two or more players tied for the lead in the category

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Pos Player G AB R H 2B 3B Avg. HR RBI SB
CBob Wood9834645101233.2921496
1BCandy LaChance133548†81166229.30317511
2BErve Beck13553978156268.2896†79†7
3BBill Bradley1335169515128†13†.29315515
SSFrank Scheibeck933293370113.2130383
LFJack McCarthy8634360110147.321†0329
CFOllie Pickering137†547102†169†256.30904036†
RFJack O'Brien9237554106145.28603913

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Player G AB R H 2B 3B Avg. HR RBI SB
Zaza Harvey45170216055.35312415
George Yeager39139133150.2230142
Joe Connor37121131731.140062
Frank Genins26101152350.228093
Danny Shay197541722.2270100
Tom Donovan187191831.254051
Jim McGuire186941620.232030
Bill Hallman5192400.211030
Truck Eagan5182301.167020
Jimmy McAleer370100.143000
Frank Cross150300.600000
Ed Cermak140000.000000
Shorty Gallagher240000.000000
Russ Hall142200.500000
Malachi Hogan140000.000000
Paddy Livingston120000.000000

Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks SO = Strikeouts

Player G GS IP W L ERA R ER BB K
Pete Dowling33§30*256.1§11223.86160§110§10499*
Earl Moore3130*251.116§142.9012981107§99*
Bill Hart2019157.27113.77109665748
Ed Scott1716124.2664.4082613823
Jack Bracken1212100486.2194693118
Harry McNeal121085.1554.4368423015
Bill Cristall6648.1154.8442263012
Dick Braggins4332124.782817151
Bock Baker118015.6313560

Other pitchers

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks SO = Strikeouts

Player G GS IP W L SV ERA R ER BB K
Bill Hoffer161099383§4.5578503519
Gus Weyhing2111.10007.94111050

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned Run Average; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L SV ERA R ER BB K
Tom Donovan170005.1411430
Bill Bradley110000.003000
Jimmy McAleer10.10000.003030

Awards and honors

League top five finishers

Ollie Pickering

  • #5 in AL in stolen bases (36)
  • #5 in AL in singles (138)

Notes
  1. Schneider, 11
  2. Snyder, 28
  3. "Chicago, 8; Cleveland, 2". The New York Times. April 25, 1901. p. 10.
  4. Nemec, David; Scott Flatow (2008). Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures (2008 ed.). Signet Books. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0.

References
  • 1901 Cleveland Blues season at Baseball Reference
  • Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
  • Snyder, John (2008). Indians Journal: Year by Year & Day by Day with the Cleveland Indians since 1901. Cincinnati: Clerisy Press. ISBN 978-1-57860-308-4.
  • Schneider, Russell (2005). The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia (3 ed.). Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-58261-840-1.
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