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The Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

finished in first place in the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

, 7½ games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies

1901 Philadelphia Phillies season

- Roster :- Starters by position :Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in- Other batters :Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg...

. It was the first year that the American League

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 operated as a major league, but there would be no World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

 between the leagues until 1903.

The team was managed by Fred Clarke

Fred Clarke

Fred Clifford Clarke was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise...

, who was also their starting left fielder

Left fielder

In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

. Clarke, in his fifth year as a manager at age 28, won his first pennant. The Pirates would go on to win the National League championship in the next two years as well.

Regular season

The Pirates were led offensively by Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner

-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....

, who led the league in RBI

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

 and stolen base

Stolen base

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

s. Although the "Flying Dutchman" had never played shortstop in the majors until 1901, he appeared 61 times at shortstop that year in addition to spending time at third base and the outfield.

In a league that batted .267 as a whole, the Pirates outfield was notable for its hitting. Ginger Beaumont

Ginger Beaumont

Clarence Howeth "Ginger" Beaumont was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves . He was born in Rochester, Wisconsin, and attended Beloit College...

 hit

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 .332, player-manager Fred Clarke hit .324, and Lefty Davis

Lefty Davis

Alphonzo De Ford Davis , was an American professional baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from 1901-1907.-External links:...

 hit .313.

The pitching staff of the Pirates allowed the fewest runs in the league and was among the greatest ever. The four top starting pitcher

Starting pitcher

In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....

s - Deacon Phillippe

Deacon Phillippe

Charles Louis "Deacon" Phillippe was a turn-of-the-century pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates....

, Jack Chesbro

Jack Chesbro

John Dwight Chesbro was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates , New York Highlanders , and Boston Red Sox . His 41 wins during the 1904 season remains an MLB record for the modern era...

, Jesse Tannehill

Jesse Tannehill

Jesse Niles Tannehill was a dead-ball era left-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Highlanders, Boston Red Sox and Pilgrims, and the Washington Senators. Tannehill was among the best pitchers of his era and was one of the best-hitting pitchers of all time...

, and Sam Leever

Sam Leever

Samuel Leever , nicknamed "The Goshen Schoolmaster," was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates....

 - were the four top pitchers in the National League in terms of winning percentage. All of them were in the top ten in the league in ERA

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

. Future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell

Rube Waddell

George Edward Waddell was an American southpaw pitcher in Major League Baseball. In his thirteen-year career he played for the Louisville Colonels , Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Orphans in the National League, and the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns in the American League...

 had pitched well in 1900 for the Pirates, but was sold in May 1901 to the Chicago Orphans

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

.

Roster

1901 Pittsburgh Pirates
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C		69	236	52	.220	0	21
1B		139	566	167	.295	0	91
3B		98	374	114	.305	2	44
OF		129	527	171	.324	6	60
OF		133	558	185	.332	8	72

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	140	549	194	.353	6	126
	61	202	39	.193	0	22
	26	91	24	.264	0	10
	26	78	16	.205	1	4
	14	51	10	.196	0	4
	4	4	0	.000	0	0

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	37	296	22	12	2.22	103
	36	287.2	21	10	2.38	129
	35	252.1	18	10	2.18	118
	21	176	14	5	2.86	82
	12	80	5	4	3.60	26
	11	76.2	6	2	2.00	28
	3	24	3	0	4.88	5
	2	7.2	0	2	9.39	4

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	7	44.1	1	4	4.26	10

League top five finishers

Ginger Beaumont

Ginger Beaumont

Clarence Howeth "Ginger" Beaumont was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves . He was born in Rochester, Wisconsin, and attended Beloit College...

• #3 in NL in runs scored (120)

Deacon Phillippe

Deacon Phillippe

Charles Louis "Deacon" Phillippe was a turn-of-the-century pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates....

• #2 in NL in ERA (2.22)
• #3 in NL in wins (22)

Jesse Tannehill

Jesse Tannehill

Jesse Niles Tannehill was a dead-ball era left-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Highlanders, Boston Red Sox and Pilgrims, and the Washington Senators. Tannehill was among the best pitchers of his era and was one of the best-hitting pitchers of all time...

• NL leader in ERA (2.18)

Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner

-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....

• NL leader in RBI (126)
• NL leader in stolen bases (49)
• #4 in NL in batting average (.353)
• #4 in NL in on-base percentage (.417)