March 23 – The Boston Red Sox played an exhibition game against the Brooklyn Dodgers at the Army cantonment at Camp Pike in Arkansas featuring Babe Ruth hitting five home runs and spawning the Boston American headline: "Babe Ruth Puts Five Over Fence, Heretofore Unknown to Baseball Fans."[1]
April
April 15 – The American League season opened with Boston Red Sox ace Babe Ruth pitching a four-hit, 7–1 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. Shortly after, Boston manager Ed Barrow started Ruth's conversion to slugger by working him into seventy-two games as an outfielder–first baseman.
April 18 – Cleveland Indians center fielderTris Speaker turned an unassisted double play against the Detroit Tigers. Eleven days later, Speaker duplicated the feat against the Chicago White Sox for the fourth unassisted double play of his career to set a franchise record for an outfielder that he would later share with teammate Elmer Smith.
May
May 14 – Sunday baseball was officially legalized in Washington, D.C. after district commissioners finally rescinded the ban in response to the large increase in the city's wartime population and the need for more recreational activities.
May 19 – Babe Ruth fell ill. His temperature climbed to 104 degrees, his body ached, he shivered with chills, and his throat throbbed. He had all the symptoms of the Spanish Flu, but was treated with silver nitrate for tonsillitis which worsened his condition to the point where he was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital. After a significant scare, he recovered about a week later.[2]
May 23 – General Enoch Crowder, provost marshal of the Army who constructed the Selective Service Act, commonly known as "the draft", issued an order that stated young men should get into essential work by July 1 or face induction into the armed services. The "Work or Fight" rule exempted theatrical performers such as actors, singers and musicians because they provided "essential recreation" but baseball players got no such exemption.[3]
June
June 3 – Dutch Leonard tosses the second no-hitter of his career, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 5–0 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
June 5 – Lieutenant Leon Cadore on leave from his military duties, throws a four hitter for Brooklyn as the Dodgers beat the Cardinals, 2–0 at Ebbets Field, while on furlough, Cadore appeared in two games for the Dodgers this season.
July 19 – Newton Baker, Secretary of War, re-affirmed the position that baseball was not essential following an appeal by Washington Senators catcher Eddie Ainsmith and that players must take an essential job or be drafted.[4]
July 27 – Appearing in his first and only game in the majors, relief pitcher Harry Heitmann gives up four hits to each of the four batters he faces in Brooklyn's 22–7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Heitmann is pulled from the game and never appears again, making him the only known major league pitcher whose E.R.A. is infinity.
August
August 1 – The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Braves went head-to-head for a major-league record twenty scoreless innings. Marathon man Art Nehf went the distance for Boston, but was eventually beaten 2–0 in the twenty-first inning.
August 9 – Cincinnati Reds manager Christy Mathewson suspended Hal Chase indefinitely after suspecting him of taking bribes to fix games. Chase was eventually reinstated and returned to play for the New York Giants in 1919.
August 30 – Carl Mays pitched two nine-inning complete game victories on the same day, as the Boston Red Sox bested the Philadelphia Athletics 12–0 and 4–1 at Fenway Park. Mays finished with a 21–13 record, as the season is abbreviated because of World War I. Those wins put the Red Sox one step from clinching the American League championship, as they led the Cleveland Indians by 3½ games with four remaining to play en route to the 1918 World Series title.[5]
September
September 1 – During the regular season, Washington Senators ace Walter Johnson completed fifteen extra inning games, including two of eighteen innings, one of sixteen innings, and another of fifteen innings.
September 2 – The date [6] upon which the regular season ended early following a compromise between Presidents Ban Johnson of the American League and John K. Tener of the National League with Secretary of War Newton Baker and General Enoch Crowder [7]
September 5 – During the 7th inning stretch in Game 1 of the World Series, a military band played the "Star Spangled Banner" as a tribute to all servicemen on leave and in attendance. From then on, the song was played at every World Series outing and every season opener, though it was not yet adopted as the national anthem. The custom of playing it before every game began during World War II, after the installation of stadium speaker systems made it more feasible.
September 11 – Against the backdrop of World War I, which forced the premature ending to the regular season on September 2, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs, 2–1, in Game 6 of the World Series to win their fifth world championship, and third in four years, four games to two. The Red Sox would not win another championship for the next 86 years.
January 9 – George Ulrich, 48, National League outfielder who played between 1892 and 1896 for the Washington Senators, Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants.
January 24 – Mike Gaule, 48, outfielder for the 1889 Louisville Colonels of the American Association.
February
February 2 – Jack Crooks, 52, second baseman who played with four different teams between 1889 and 1896, and also managed the 1892 St. Louis Browns of the National League.
February 5 – Carl Druhot, 35, pitcher who played from 1906 to 1907 for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.
February 21 – John Fogarty, 53, outfielder for the 1885 St. Louis Maroons of the National League.
March
March 2 – George Kaiserling, 24, pitcher who played from 1914 through 1915 with the Indianapolis Hoosiers and the Newark Pepper of the Federal League.
March 4 – Lon Ury, 40, first baseman for the 1903 St. Louis Cardinals.
March 10 – Jim McCormick, 61, pitcher who posted a 265–214 record with a 2.43 ERA for six different teams between 1878 and 1897, who is regarded as the first ballplayer born in Glasgow to appear in a major league game.
March 22 – Jim Holdsworth, 67, shortstop for seven different teams in a nine season career that spanned between 1870 and 1884.
May 26 – George Bone, 43, shortstop for the 1901 Milwaukee Brewers of the American League.
June
June 11 – Mike Hickey, 46, second baseman who appeared in one game for the 1899 Boston Beaneaters of the National League.
June 12 – Larry Ressler, 69, outfielder who played during the 1875 season for the Washington Nationals of the National Association, who is recognized as the first player born in France to play in American professional baseball.
June 14 – George Wheeler, 36, pinch hitter who played in three games for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1910 season.
June 21 – Davy Force, 68, shortstop who posted a .249 average with 1060 hits and 653 runs scored in 1029 games for nine different teams between 1871 and 1886.
June 25 – Jake Beckley, 50, owner of the major league record for career games as a first baseman, a .308 career hitter who retired with the second most hits in major league history.
July
July 21 – Larry Pape, 35, pitcher who posted a 12–9 record and a 2.81 ERA for the Boston Red Sox in part of three seasons between 1909 and 1912 and later pitched for Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 1913.
August
August 3 – Mike Lawlor, 64, catcher for the NL Troy Trojans in 1880 and the UA Washington Nationals in 1884.
September
September 10 – Ed Cassian, 50, pitcher for the NL Philadelphia Phillies and the UA Washington Statesmen during the 1891 season.
September 12 – Ernie Beam, 51, pitcher for the 1895 Philadelphia Phillies.
September 28 – John Frill, 39, pitcher for the New York Highlanders, St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds between 1910 and 1912.
October
October 4 – Phil Routcliffe, 47, Canadian outfielder who played for the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League.
October 5 – Eddie Grant, 35, infielder for the Cleveland Naps, Phiildelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants between 1905 and 1917, who was killed in action while serving in World War I.
October 7 – Bun Troy, 30, German-born pitcher for 1912 Detroit Tigers, who was killed in action while serving with the U.S. Army during World War I.
October 9 – Fred Gaiser, 33, German pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1908 season.
October 10 – George LeClair, 31, Canadian pitcher who played from 1914 to 1915 in the Federal League with the Pittsburgh Rebels, Buffalo Blues and Baltimore Terrapins.
October 12 – Alex Burr, 24, outfielder for the 1914 New York Yankees, who was killed in an airplane accident while serving in World War I.
October 12 – Harry Glenn, 28, backup catcher for the 1915 St. Louis Cardinals.
October 18 – Tom Reilly, 34, shortstop in parts of three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (1908–1909) and the Cleveland Naps (1914).
October 21 – Harry Chapman, 30, catcher who played in three different leagues from 1912 to 1916 for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Terriers and St. Louis Browns.
October 26 – Charlie Rhodes, 33, who pitched for the Cardinals and Reds between 1906 and 1909.
October 31 – Charlie Hilsey, 54, pitcher and outfielder who played for the NL Philadelphia Quakers (1883) and the AA Philadelphia Athletics (1884).
November
November 7 – Mike Tiernan, 51, right fielder who played exclusively for the New York Giants from 1887 through 1899, compiling a .311 average with 106 home runs, 853 RBI, 1316 runs and 428 stolen bases in 1478 games.
November 8 – Larry Chappell, 28, outfielder for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Boston Braves from 1913 to 1917, who died in an army camp from the Spanish flu pandemic while serving in World War I.
December
December 4 – Walt Dickson, 40, who pitched from 1910 through 1915 for the Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Rebels and New York Giants.
December 8 – Ed Mincher, 67, National Association outfielder who played from 1868 to 1872 for the Baltimore Marylands, Fort Wayne Kekiongas and Washington Nationals.
December 10 – Lester Dole, 63, outfielder for the 1875 New Haven Elm Citys of the National Association.
December 13 – Frank Arellanes, 36, Mexican-American pitcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1908 to 1910, who died in San Jose, California, victim of the Spanish flu pandemic.
December 20 – Silk O'Loughlin, 46, American League umpire since 1902 who worked in a record ten no-hitters and introduced the practice of shouting calls for balls, strikes and outs.
December 25 – Bob Blakiston, 63, outfielder who played from 1882 to 1884 in the American Association for the Philadelphia Athletics and Indianapolis Hoosiers.
Sources
^War Fever: Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith
^War Fever: Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith
^Baseball: The Presidents' Game By William B. Mead, Paul Dickson
^Baseball: The Presidents' Game By William B. Mead, Paul Dickson
