David Lee Poremba - The American League: The Early Years

Magnates of the Western League, 1899. Ban Johnson sits (third from the left) surrounded by the owners of the franchises of the soon-to-be American League. From left to right, they are as follows: (front row) T.J. Lofters, Louisville; M.J. OBrien; Ban Johnson, President; J.H. Manning, Kansas City; George A. VanderBeck, Detroit; and C.H. Snurlpaugh, Minneapolis; (back row) R. Allen, Indianapolis; M.R. Killilea, Milwaukee; Connie Mack, Milwaukee; Charles A. Comisky, St. Paul; and G.H. Schmelz. After making the Western the strongest league in the country, Johnson was ready to challenge the National League for major-league status. In 1900, the National League dropped several teams, and Johnson made his move. Shifting the St. Paul club to Chicago and putting a club into the vacated city of Cleveland, the league opened the 1900 season with eight teams in Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. To ensure solidarity amongst the scattered teams, Johnson renamed it the American League. Chicago won the inaugural flag by four and one-half games.

The 1900 Detroit Club. This edition of the charter Detroit team finished fourth in 1900, twelveand-a-half games off the mark. It was on the road that they went flat with a 24-42 showing. Pitcher Jack Cronin led the league in complete games with 36, and strikeouts with 121.

Sam Crawford, 1903. Properly attired with his hair slicked back and jersey buttoned up, 23-year-old Crawford poses for the first time as a Tiger. Born in Wahoo, Nebraska, Sam gave up barbering and started with the Cincinnati Reds in 1899. He hit a then-astonishing total of 16 home runs in 1901 to lead the National League.

George Barclay Mercer. A right-handed pitcher, Win Mercer led the National League Washington club, going 25-18 in 1896 and 20-20 in 1897. He joined the Tigers in 1902 and posted a career-best 3.02 earned run average. When not pitching he often played the outfield, as well as some infield. The Tigers appointed the 28-year-old their player manager for 1903, but that January Win Mercer committed suicide in a San Francisco hotel by inhaling poison gas.

The First American League Champions, 1901. Owner Charles Comisky stands out amidst his Chicago White Stockings in this group pose. Seated to his left is pitcher and manager Clark Griffith (13), who posted a 24-7 record while jockeying the club to a 83-53 mark, 4 games ahead of second-place Boston. The team scored a league leading 819 runs while the pitching staff posted a stingy 2.98 ERA.

William Ellsworth Hoy. Pictured here as a center fielder for Washington in his rookie year of 1888, Dummy Hoy finished his major league career with Chicago in 1901, batting sixth with a .294 average. The reason umpires adopted hand signals to go along with the strike, out, and safe calls was to accommodate Hoy, who was a deaf-mute. The 5-foot, 4-inch outfielder accumulated over 2,000 hits in his career and led the league in putouts and total chances.

Lafayette Napoleon Cross. Lave Cross was another National Leaguer who switched over to the American in 1901. The bow-legged third baseman played in 447 consecutive games from 1902 to 1905 and for seven straight seasons (18981904), and he never batted below .290. Enjoying a 21-year career in four major leagues, Cross played for Connie Macks Philadelphia As before finishing his last two seasons with Washington (190607).

Ed Siever. This 6-foot left-hander broke into the majors with Detroit in 1901, completing 30 of 33 games for an 18-15 record. In 1902, he led the American League with a 1.91 ERA, but went 8-11. Sold to the St. Louis Browns after the 1902 season, he went 13-14 and 10-15 with them before being released. Out of baseball in 1905, he got another chance with the Tigers in 1906 and helped them to win their first pennant in 1907.

James R. McAleer. Jimmy McAleer spent ten seasons as an outfielder with the Cleveland Spiders and retired in 1898. He came out of retirement to manage the St. Louis Browns in 1902 and continued there for eight seasons, finishing second that first season, which would be his best record. Jimmy moved on to Washington for two seasons in 1910 before becoming part owner of the Boston Red Sox in 1912.

Napoleon Lajoie. Larry Lajoie joined the Philadelphia Phillies for the 1896 season and played first base in 39 games. He became a regular the next season and hit .363, leading the National League in slugging percentage. In 1898, the Rhode Island native moved to second base and topped the league in RBIs with 127 and doubles with 40. He is considered the greatest second baseman in baseball history. In 1901, he jumped across town to Connie Macks Athletics, helping to give the new circuit some credibility. He led the new league in several categories, and his .422 batting average still stands as the league record. The following year the Phillies obtained a court injunction forbidding him from playing in Pennsylvania. As a hedge against unpredictable court proceedings, Ban Johnson transferred his contract to Cleveland, where his arrival invigorated a listless franchise. He became a popular player with both fans and teammates.