The 1918 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1918. The regular season ended earlier than originally scheduled, September 2, because of a reduced schedule due to American participationinWorld War I.[1] The National League and American League champions were the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 15th World Series on September 5 and ended with Game 6 on September 11. The Red Sox defeated the Cubs, four games to two.
| 1918 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Number of games | 154 (scheduled) 123–131 (actual) |
| Number of teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Pennant Winners | |
| AL champions | Boston Red Sox |
| AL runners-up | Cleveland Indians |
| NL champions | Chicago Cubs |
| NL runners-up | New York Giants |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Boston Red Sox |
| Runners-up | Chicago Cubs |
| MLB seasons | |
Locations of teams for the 1915–1922 American League seasons
American League
Locations of teams for the 1916–1919 National League seasons
National League
Opening Day took place on April 15 with four American League teams playing, the Philadelphia AthleticsatBoston Red Sox, and the New York YankeesatWashington Senators.
With World War I ongoing, a "work or fight" mandate was issued by the government, requiring men with non-essential jobs to enlist or take war-related jobs by July 1, or else risk being drafted.[2] Secretary of War Newton D. Baker granted an extension to MLB players through Labor Day, September 2.[3] In early August, MLB clubs decided that the regular season would end at that time.[4] As a result, the number of regular-season games that each team played varied—123 to 130 for AL teams and 124 to 131 for NL teams, including ties[5]—reduced from their original 154-game schedules. Later in August, Baker granted a further extension to allow for the World Series to be contested;[3] it began on September 5 and ended on September 11.[6] World War I would end two months later, with the Armistice of 11 November 1918.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 75 | 51 | .595 | — | 49–21 | 26–30 |
| Cleveland Indians | 73 | 54 | .575 | 2½ | 38–22 | 35–32 |
| Washington Senators | 72 | 56 | .562 | 4 | 41–32 | 31–24 |
| New York Yankees | 60 | 63 | .488 | 13½ | 37–29 | 23–34 |
| St. Louis Browns | 58 | 64 | .475 | 15 | 23–30 | 35–34 |
| Chicago White Sox | 57 | 67 | .460 | 17 | 30–26 | 27–41 |
| Detroit Tigers | 55 | 71 | .437 | 20 | 28–29 | 27–42 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 52 | 76 | .406 | 24 | 35–32 | 17–44 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | 45 | .651 | — | 49–25 | 35–20 |
| New York Giants | 71 | 53 | .573 | 10½ | 35–21 | 36–32 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 68 | 60 | .531 | 15½ | 46–24 | 22–36 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 65 | 60 | .520 | 17 | 42–28 | 23–32 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 57 | 69 | .452 | 25½ | 33–21 | 24–48 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 55 | 68 | .447 | 26 | 27–29 | 28–39 |
| Boston Braves | 53 | 71 | .427 | 28½ | 23–29 | 30–42 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 51 | 78 | .395 | 33 | 32–40 | 19–38 |
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Boston Red Sox | 4 | ||
| NL | Chicago Cubs | 2 | ||
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | Jack Barry | Ed Barrow |
| New York Yankees | Bill Donovan | Miller Huggins |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Miller Huggins | Jack Hendricks |
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | Christy Mathewson | Heinie Groh |
| St. Louis Browns | Fielder Jones | Jimmy Austin |
| St. Louis Browns | Jimmy Austin | Jimmy Burke |
1 American League Triple Crown pitching winner |
|
1 National League Triple Crown pitching winner |
|
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs[7] | 84 | 13.5% | 337,256 | -6.4% | 4,558 |
| Cleveland Indians[8] | 73 | -17.0% | 295,515 | -38.1% | 4,766 |
| New York Yankees[9] | 60 | -15.5% | 282,047 | -14.6% | 4,210 |
| New York Giants[10] | 71 | -27.6% | 256,618 | -48.7% | 4,582 |
| Boston Red Sox[11] | 75 | -16.7% | 249,513 | -35.7% | 3,564 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[12] | 65 | 27.5% | 213,610 | 10.8% | 3,009 |
| Detroit Tigers[13] | 55 | -29.5% | 203,719 | -55.5% | 3,512 |
| Chicago White Sox[14] | 57 | -43.0% | 195,081 | -71.5% | 3,484 |
| Washington Senators[15] | 72 | -2.7% | 182,122 | 103.1% | 2,461 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[16] | 52 | -5.5% | 177,926 | -19.6% | 2,617 |
| Cincinnati Reds[17] | 68 | -12.8% | 163,009 | -39.4% | 2,296 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[18] | 55 | -36.8% | 122,266 | -65.5% | 2,145 |
| St. Louis Browns[19] | 58 | 1.8% | 122,076 | -42.0% | 2,303 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[20] | 51 | -37.8% | 110,599 | -61.7% | 1,515 |
| Boston Braves[21] | 53 | -26.4% | 84,938 | -51.3% | 1,633 |
| Brooklyn Robins[22] | 57 | -18.6% | 83,831 | -62.2% | 1,552 |
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