1903 Boston Americans season

Transactions • October 6, 1902: It is reported that George Stone will play for the Boston Americans. • October 28, 1902: John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants, announces that Jack Warner of the Boston Americans had signed to play for the Giants. This decision came after weeks of speculation as to the future of Jack Warner. In an interview printed on September 25, 1902, Jimmy Collins stated that he had signed Warner to a two-year contract with the Americans the previous month. On October 13, 1902, Jimmy Collins had gone to New York after hearing reports that Warner had jumped to the New York Giants. • March 18, 1903: Catcher Charles "Duke" Farrell announces that he has accepted an offer to play for the Boston Americans. Prior to the regular season, the team held spring training in Macon, Georgia. Cy Young was a coach for the Mercer University baseball team, also based in Macon. The Boston Americans played an exhibition game against Mercer University (with Cy Young pitching for Mercer) on March 23; the outcome being a 13─2 victory for Boston. == Regular season overview ==

• May 12: After a slow start to the season, the team has a winning record for the first time, at 10–9, with a 10–5 win over the Cleveland Naps at League Park in Cleveland. • June 1: With a 20–15 record, Boston moves into first place in the AL, a half-game ahead of the St. Louis Browns. • June 9: The team's longest winning streak of the season, 11 games between May 28 and June 8, comes to an end with a loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers. • June 21: Buck Freeman is the first player in franchise history to hit for the cycle, in a road win at Cleveland. • June 23: With a 33–20 record, Boston regains the AL lead, which they will not relinquish through the end of the season. • June 30: Nick Altrock starts and pitches eight innings in a 10–3 road loss to the Chicago White Sox; Henry Killilea had met with Stahl on April 27, 1903, promising him $500 a month to play catcher for the Boston Americans. Stahl would make his debut with the Americans on June 6. • July 2: Pitcher Nick Altrock is released by the Boston Americans, and is immediately signed by the Chicago White Sox. Statistical leaders The offense was led by Buck Freeman, who hit 13 home runs and had 104 RBIs, and Patsy Dougherty with a .331 batting average. It was Freeman's third consecutive season with at least 100 RBIs. The pitching staff was led by Cy Young, who made 40 appearances (35 starts) and pitched 34 complete games with a 28–9 record and 2.08 ERA, while striking out 176 in innings. The team had two other 20-game winners; Bill Dinneen (21–13) and Tom Hughes (20–7). == Season log ==

The team had three games end in a tie; July 31 at Washington, August 29 at Washington, and September 25 vs. Detroit. Record vs. opponents Opening Day lineup Source: Roster Red Sox debuts ==Player stats==

Batting Note: Pos = Position; G = Games Played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In; AVG = Batting Average; OPB = On Base Percentage; SLG = Slugging Percentage. Starters by position Other batters Note: G = Games Played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In; AVG = Batting Average; OPB = On Base Percentage; SLG = Slugging Percentage. Pitchers Note: G = Games Played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In; AVG. = Batting Average; OPB = On Base Percentage; SLG = Slugging Percentage. Pitching Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average Starting pitchers League leaders Hitting Buck Freeman • MLB Home Run Leader (13). • MLB RBI Leader (104). • MLB Games Played Leader (141). Candy LaChance • MLB Games Played Leader (141). • AL Wins Leader (28). • AL Complete Game Leader (34). ==World Series==

Boston had an 11-game winning streak from May 28 through June 8, to put themselves in the AL lead. While they briefly fell into second place in mid-June, behind Philadelphia, Boston then won 9-of-10 to recapture the lead, which they held through the end of the season. The Americans met the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first modern World Series, an agreement between the AL and the NL as a post-season tournament. The "Amerks" won the best-of-nine series in eight games; after falling behind, 3–1, they won four games in a row, clinching the championship at their home field, the Huntington Avenue Grounds, in Boston. The first championship of what is now 9 for the long-running club, the series would be immortalized in the 2004 remake of the team's fight song Tessie by The Dropkick Murphys, honoring the victory over the Pirates in Game 5, helped in part by that song which was adopted as an anthem by a group of team supporters, the Royal Rooters, under saloon owner Michael T. McGreevy. Summary ==See also==