1920 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1920 throughout the world.  

Fans line up for hot dogs at Ebbets Field.

Champions

• World Series: Cleveland Indians over Brooklyn Robins (5-2)

Awards and honors

• MLB Most Valuable Player Award
  • None

MLB Statistical Leaders

Major League Baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Negro League Baseball final standings

Negro National League final standings

East (independent teams) final standings

A loose confederation of teams were gathered in the East to compete with the West, however East teams did not organize a formal league as the West did.

• Won-loss records were sporadically reported due to lack of interest by the press mainly in New York.
• Bacharach claimed the pennant, although Hilldale disputed it.

Events

• January 3 - The New York Yankees purchase outfielder Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for $100,000.
• May 1 - The Brooklyn Dodgers' Leon Cadore and the Boston Braves' Joe Oeschger pitched 26 innings in a 1-1 tie. Morning rain delayed the start of the game until 3:00 p.m. The Dodgers scored a run in the top of the fifth, a single by Ivy Olson driving in Ernie Krueger. The Braves tied it in the bottom of the sixth with a double by Walt Cruise and a single by Tony Boeckel. The game went into extra innings. No runs were scored for the rest of the game and it was called due to darkness in the 26th inning.

• May 14 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators records his 300th win.

• July 1 - Six weeks after recording his 300th, Walter Johnson pitches the only no-hitter of his career, as the Washington Senators top the Boston Red Sox, 1-0.

• August 16 - Indians shortstop Ray Chapman is struck in the head by a pitch from the Yankees' Carl Mays in a game at the Polo Grounds. He dies twelve hours later from a fractured skull, making it the only fatal field accident in Major League Baseball history. His death leads to the banning of the spitball.

• September 17 - Detroit Tigers' Bobby Veach and New York Giants' George Burns hit for the cycle, the first time it happened twice on the same day, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Detroit past the Boston Red Sox, 13–12, in 12 innings, despite a major-league record 20 BoSox receiving walks. Eight Tigers walk off to set another ML record of 28 walks in an extra-inning game. Veach finished 6-for-6, adding two singles, as Burns added a second double to his cycle in New York's 4–3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 10 innings. Two separate players would not hit for the cycle on the same day until 2008, when the feat was duplicated by Stephen Drew and Adrián Beltré for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, respectively.

• October 5 - The Cleveland Indians defeated the Brooklyn Robins, 3–1, in Game 1 of the World Series at Ebbets Field. Indians' pitcher Stan Coveleski gave up a run on five hits and one walk, while striking out three in a complete game effort, while his battery teamamte Steve O'Neill led the attack with two doubles and two RBI. Rube Marquard was the losing pitcher.

• October 6 - The Brooklyn Robins evened the World Series at a game apiece with a 3–0 shutout against the visiting Cleveland Indians. Burleigh Grimes was credited with the shoutout, holding Cleveland to only seven hits and four walks while striking out two. Brooklyn right fielder Tommy Griffith went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Jim Bagby, the losing pitcher, gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings of work.

• October 7 - The host Brooklyn Robins beat the Cleveland Indians, 2–1, to take a 2-1 advantage in the World Series. The Robins took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, when leadoff hitter Ivy Olson walked and Tommy Griffith reached base on an error, followed by RBI-singles by Zack Wheat and Hy Myers. The only Cleveland run came in the fourth, after Tris Speaker doubled to left field and scored on an error. Robins' starter Sherry Smith pitched all the way, giving up an unearned run on three hits and two walks, while striking out two. Ray Caldwell was credited with the loss.

• October 9 - The Cleveland Indians evened the World Series at two game a piece, with a 5–1 victory against the Brooklyn Robins at Cleveland League Park. For the second time pitcher Stan Coveleski silenced the Brooklyn hitters for nine innings, giving up a run on five hits while striking out four and walking one. Bill Wambsganss hit 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice, while Tris Speaker went 2-for-5 with two runs and George Burns drove in two runs. Coveleski helped himself with a single and a run, while Larry Gardner and Elmer Smith drove in a run apiece. The only Brooklyn damage came in the fourth inning after a single by Jimmy Johnston and a RBI-double from Tommy Griffith. The Robins used four pitchers, as starter Leon Cadore lasted just one inning and was credited with the loss.

• October 10 - At Cleveland League Park, the Cleveland Indians beat the Brooklyn Robins 8–1 in Game 5 of the World Series to take a 3-2 lead in the Classic, in one of the most unusual games in Series history. This game recorded the only triple play ever made in postseason play, the first Series grand slam, and the first Series home run hit by a pitcher. The triple-header was unassisted and turned by Cleveland second baseman Bill Wambsganss, while the grand slam was hit by Indians outfielder Elmer Smith and the home run belted by Cleveland starter Jim Bagby, who earned the victory. Beside this, Brooklyn outhit Cleveland, 13-to-12, in a lost cause. Burleigh Grimes was charged with the loss.

• October 11 - The Cleveland Indians put themselves one win away from their first World Championship title, after beating the Brooklyn Robins, 1–0, in Game 6 of the World Series at Cleveland League Park. Facing his former team, Duster Mails pitched a sterling three-hit shutout with four strikeouts and two walks. The only run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Tris Speaker hit a two-out single and scored on a double by George Burns. The lack of run support by the Robins made a hard-luck loser out of their starter Sherry Smith, who gave up a run on seven hits in a complete-game defeat.

• October 12 - The Cleveland Indians defeated the visiting Brooklyn Robins, 3-0, in Game 7 of the World Series, to clinch their first World Championship five games to two. Stan Coveleski earned the shutout and his third victory of the Series, limiting the Robins to five hits and striking out one without walks, to reach a minuscule 0.67 ERA in three complete games. The Indians scored his first run in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Larry Gardner singled and scored on a two-out error. An inning later, Charlie Jamieson singled and scored on a two-out triple by Tris Speaker. The last run came in the seventh, when Coveleski scored on a double by Jamieson. Burleigh Grimes was the loser, after allowing all three runs on seven hits in seven innings.

• October 22 - Eight members of the Chicago White Sox are indicted for supposedly throwing the 1919 World Series. Although considered heavy favorites to win the Series, the White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds in eight games.

• November 12 - MLB owners unanimously elect Kenesaw Mountain Landis chairman for seven years. The owners' action comes in direct response to the Black Sox Scandal, which threatens the integrity of the game. Landis accepts, but only as sole baseball commissioner with final authority over the players and owners, while remaining a federal judge with his $7,500 federal salary deducted from the baseball salary of $50,000.

Births

January-March

• January 2 - Cliff Dapper
• January 4 - Walter Ockey
• January 6 - Early Wynn
• January 7 - Dixie Howell (P)
• January 8 - Bert Kuczynski
• January 10 - Max Patkin
• January 15 - Steve Gromek
• January 20 - Sammy Hairston
• February 2 - Zeb Eaton
• February 8 - Buddy Blattner
• February 11 - Boyd Bartley
• February 20 - Frankie Gustine
• February 20 - Roy Valdés
• February 26 - Danny Gardella
• February 27 - Connie Ryan
• March 18 - Mickey Rutner
• March 28 - Babe Martin
• March 31 - Dave Koslo

April-June

• April 8 - Dick Adams
• April 19 - John O'Neil
• April 24 - Dixie Howell
• April 26 - Ron Northey
• April 28 - Red Treadway
• May 3 - Dan Bankhead
• May 11 - Gene Hermanski
• May 16 - Dave Philley
• May 24 - Wally Shaner
• June 16 - Eddie Malone
• June 20 - Héctor Rodríguez
• June 22 - Walt Masterson
• June 23 - Deacon Donahue
• June 26 - Jean-Pierre Roy
• June 28 - Bert Shepard

July-September

• July 1 - Paul Lehner
• July 3 - Paul O'Dea
• July 6 - Eddie Bockman
• July 16 - Larry Jansen
• July 18 - Eddie Kazak
• July 26 - Sibby Sisti
• July 29 - Erv Dusak
• August 3 - Jim Hegan
• August 3 - Vic Johnson
• August 4 - Bob Keegan
• August 18 - Bob Kennedy
• August 19 - Vern Bickford
• September 3 - Sandy Consuegra
• September 5 - Gene Bearden
• September 12 - Andy Seminick
• September 18 - Paul Gillespie
• September 22 - Bob Lemon
• September 24 - Otis Davis

October-December

• October 2 - Spec Shea
• October 8 - Catfish Metkovich
• October 20 - Pat McGlothin
• October 20 - Bill Ramsey
• October 23 - Vern Stephens
• October 26 - Bud Byerly
• November 2 - Dick Sisler
• November 8 - Wally Westlake
• November 9 - Dick Whitman
• November 21 - Stan Musial
• November 23 - Jake Jones
• November 27 - Johnny Schmitz
• November 28 - Mike Schultz
• December 6 - Gus Niarhos
• December 15 - Eddie Robinson
• December 21 - Bill Werle
• December 28 - Leslie Aulds

Deaths

• June 10 - Martin Flaherty, 66, sporting goods dealer who came out of the stands to play one game for the 1881 Worcester Ruby Legs.
• July 23 - Buttercup Dickerson, 62, outfielder for eight teams from 1878 to 1885. Officially the first Italian American to play Major League Baseball.
• August 17 - Ray Chapman, 29, shortstop for the Cleveland Indians since 1912 who batted .300 three times, led AL in runs and walks in 1918
• September 11 - Bill Hallman, 53, second baseman, mainly with the Phillies, who batted .300 and scored 100 runs four times each