1919 Major League Baseball season

{{See also|Major League Baseball schedule}}

The 1919 schedule consisted of 140 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 20 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This 140-game schedule format had been previously used in 1903. The 154-game schedule was re-instituted for the {{mlby|1920}} season.

National League Opening Day took place on April 19, when the Brooklyn Robins defeated the Boston Braves 5–2 at Braves Field in the first game of a doubleheader.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN191904191.shtml|title=April 19, 1919 Brooklyn Robins at Boston Braves Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}} American League Opening Day (and most other National League teams' Opening Day) wouldn't take place until April 23, where each league saw six of their teams play. This continued the trend from the previous season which saw both leagues' Opening Day start on different days. The National League regular season ended on September 28, while the American League regular season ended on September 29 with the New York Yankees defeating the Philadelphia Athletics 4–2 at Shibe Park.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA191909290.shtml|title=September 29, 1919 New York Yankees at Philadelphia Athletics Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}} This was the first season since {{mlby|1915}} which saw both leagues end on different days, as well as the first season since {{mlby|1903}} that saw the leagues begin and conclude on different days. The World Series would begin in Cincinnati on October 1, before concluding on October 9.

The minor leagues withdrew from the National Agreement, resulting in the abolition of the Rule 5 draft, as well as all existing optional agreements between major- and minor-league teams. The only way in which major-league clubs could acquire players from the minors was by directly purchasing their contracts. This change resulted in the previous $2,500 ({{inflation|US|2500|1919|fmt=eq|r=-2}}) draft fee cap being removed.{{Cite web |last=Pomrenke |first=Jacob |title=1918 Winter Meetings: Baseball Returns from the Great War – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/1918-winter-meetings-baseball-returns-from-the-great-war/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |language=en-US}}

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{{1919 American League standings|highlight=Chicago White Sox}}

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{{1919 National League standings|highlight=Cincinnati Reds}}

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The postseason began on October 1 and ended on October 9 with the Cincinnati Reds defeating the Chicago White Sox in the 1919 World Series in eight games.

Only one team announced a new manager in the offseason:

One team replaced their manager during the season:

Any team shown in {{small|small text}} indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.

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File:Ray Caldwell.jpg before his move from the Yankees to the Indians, whose eventful 1919 season included throwing a no-hitter and being struck by lightning during the 9th inning of a game.]]

File:GeorgeHalasBaseball.jpg during his brief and unsuccessful tenure as a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees]]

• April 19 – Legislation is passed by future New York City mayor Jimmy Walker that allows teams in the state of New York to play baseball on Sundays. The New York Giants were the first team to take advantage of this change, losing 4–3 to the Philadelphia Phillies in front of 35,000 fans at the Polo Ground.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1191905040.shtml|title=May 4, 1919 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• May 11 – Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hod Eller pitches a 6–0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN191905110.shtml|title=May 11, 1919 St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• Walter Johnson retires 28 consecutive batters during a 12-inning scoreless tie against Jack Quinn and the New York Yankees. Future football immortal George Halas, batting leadoff for New York, goes 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA191905110.shtml|title=May 11, 1919 Washington Senators at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• May 20 – Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth hit his first career grand slam home run; the bomb comes against Dave Davenport of the St. Louis Browns in St. Louis. Boston wins 6–4.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.cgi?id=ruthba01&t=b|title=Babe Ruth Career Home Runs – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• August 11 – Cleveland Indians center fielder Tris Speaker ties the AL record for run scoring, crossing the plate five times in 15–9 win at New York.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA191908110.shtml|title=August 11, 1919 Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• July 1 – Going 5-for-5 in a 9–4 win over the Phillies, Brooklyn's Ed Konetchy gets his 10th straight hit, tying Jake Gettman's record set with Washington in 1897. Both will be topped by Walt Dropo in 1952.
• August 14 – Babe Ruth hits his 17th home run, the first of seven homers in 12 days, which will include his fourth grand slam, setting an AL record until 1959.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA191908140.shtml|title=August 14, 1919 Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• August 24 – Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell is hit by lightning during the ninth inning of his début for the tribe. He quickly recovered, reportedly saying "Give me that danged ball and turn me toward the plate", before pitching the final out of the game.{{cite web|url=http://www.chautauquasportshalloffame.org/raycaldwell1954.php|title=Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame – Special Features – 35 Years Ago Today Ray Caldwell Survived Lightning To Beat A's|publisher=Chautauquasportshalloffame.org|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• September 2 – The National Commission recommends a best-of-nine World Series, abandoning the traditional seven-game series. However, the change was reverted three years later, and the seven-game format has remained ever since.
• September 10 – Ray Caldwell, the pitcher hit by lightning just a couple of weeks before, throws a no hitter in the Cleveland Indians 3–0 victory over his former team, the New York Yankees.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA191909101.shtml|title=September 10, 1919 Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• September 16 – Dutch Ruether beats the New York Giants, 4–3, to clinch the Cincinnati Reds first NL pennant and their first pennant of any kind since their American Association days.{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/index.jsp?tcid=mm_mlb_standings#19190916|title=Regular Season Standings|work=Major League Baseball|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• September 21 – In a period of rapidly played games, the Cubs beat the Braves 3–0 in 58 minutes of playing time.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN191909210.shtml|title=September 21, 1919 Boston Braves at Chicago Cubs Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}} It takes the Robins 55 minutes to beat the Reds 3–1,{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN191909210.shtml|title=September 21, 1919 Brooklyn Robins at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}} with Slim Sallee throwing 65 pitches, managing to top Christy Mathewson's 69-pitch complete game.
• September 24:
• The Chicago White Sox's 6–5 win over the St. Louis Browns clinches the AL pennant; the final margin will be 3½ games over the Cleveland Indians.{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/index.jsp?tcid=mm_mlb_standings#19190924|title=Regular Season standings|work=Major League Baseball|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• The Brooklyn Robins defeat the Phillies twice on Fred Luderus Day in Philadelphia. The second game is the 525th in a row played by the Phillies first baseman, who is presented with a diamond stickpin and gold watch between the games to commemorate his endurance effort. He will end the season with a consecutive-game streak of 553.{{cite web|url=https://baseballbiography.com/fred-luderus-1885|title=The Ballplayers – Fred Luderus – baseballbiography.com|publisher=baseballbiography.com|access-date=December 26, 2014|df=mdy-all}}
• Boston Red Sox pitcher Waite Hoyt throws nine perfect innings against the New York Yankees, but they score in the 13th in which he gives up 5 hits, ruining his perfect game, and losing the game 2–1.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA191909242.shtml|title=September 24, 1919 Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}
• September 27 – Babe Ruth hit his 29th home run and his first of the year in Washington, to become the first player to hit at least one home run in every AL park in the same season.
• September 28 – The New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies set a record for the quickest nine-inning game in Major League history – 51 minutes for a Giants 6–1 victory at the Polo Grounds.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1191909281.shtml|title=September 28, 1919 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play – Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=December 26, 2014}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• [https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1919.shtml 1919 American League season on Baseball-Reference.com]
• [https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1919.shtml 1919 National League season on Baseball-Reference.com]
• [https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/1919-schedule.shtml 1919 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference]

{{1919 MLB season by team}}

{{MLB seasons}}

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Category:Major League Baseball seasons