| 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates |
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| Major league affiliations | ||
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| 1908 Information | ||
| Owner(s) | Barney Dreyfuss | |
| Manager(s) | Fred Clarke | |
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The 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates season was a season American baseball. The team finished tied for second place in the National League with the New York Giants, one game behind the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates spent 46 days in first place, and were on top on October 3. However, they lost their last game to the Cubs, which set up a replay of the infamous "Merkle" game between the Cubs and the Giants. The Cubs took it to win the pennant. Pittsburgh finished tied for second place with the Giants, just one game back. It was one of the closest races in baseball history.
Shortstop Honus Wagner had one of the most dominating hitting performances of all-time. The "Flying Dutchman" led the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs batted in, and stolen bases. He missed the triple crown by two home runs. For his efforts, Wagner was paid $5,000, possibly the most on the team.
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The Pirates opened the season by winning three straight games in St. Louis. On Opening Day, the Pirates committed four errors while the Cardinals committed six.[1] Fans were concerned because Honus Wagner—who in 1907 led the National League in hitting, slugging, and stolen bases—was not at the game, and there were concerns that he was taking the year off. On April 17, Charlie Starr, who was Wagner’s replacement, committed two errors. Afterwards, Wagner would sign with the Pirates. The home opener for the Pirates was a 5-1 victory for the Pirates over the Cardinals. From April 26 to May 9, the Pirates played only 3 games due to poor weather.[2]
On June 30, the Pirates took first place, as the Chicago Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds.[3] Starting on July 2, the Pirates started a critical five game series against the Cubs. In the first game, Three Finger Brown threw a six hit, no walk shutout, winning the game 3-0.[4] The Pirates scheduled a doubleheader on the Fourth of July and more than 30,000 fans showed up. The Cubs won the first game 2-0 as Three Finger Brown only allowed two hits.[5]
| National League | W | L | GB | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 99 | 55 | -- | .643 |
| New York Giants | 98 | 56 | 1 | .636 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 98 | 56 | 1 | .636 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 83 | 71 | 16 | .539 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 73 | 81 | 26 | .474 |
| Boston Doves | 63 | 91 | 36 | .409 |
| Brooklyn Superbas | 53 | 101 | 46 | .344 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 49 | 105 | 50 | .318 |
| 1908 Pittsburgh Pirates | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers
Infielders |
Outfielders
Other batters |
Manager | ||||||
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 | George Gibson | 143 | 486 | 111 | .228 | 2 | 45 |
| 1B | Harry Swacina | 53 | 176 | 38 | .216 | 0 | 13 |
| 2B | Ed Abbaticchio | 146 | 500 | 125 | .250 | 1 | 61 |
| SS | Honus Wagner | 151 | 568 | 201 | .354 | 10 | 109 |
| 3B | Tommy Leach | 152 | 583 | 151 | .259 | 5 | 41 |
| LF | Fred Clarke | 151 | 551 | 146 | .265 | 2 | 35 |
| CF | Roy Thomas | 102 | 386 | 99 | .256 | 1 | 24 |
| RF | Chief Wilson | 144 | 529 | 120 | .227 | 3 | 43 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Kane | 55 | 145 | 35 | .241 | 0 | 22 |
| Charlie Starr | 20 | 59 | 11 | .186 | 0 | 8 |
| John Sullivan | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howie Camnitz | 38 | 236.2 | 16 | 9 | 1.56 | 118 |
| Lefty Leifield | 34 | 218.2 | 15 | 14 | 2.10 | 87 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Leever | 38 | 192.2 | 15 | 7 | 2.10 | 28 |
| Chick Brandom | 3 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0.53 | 8 |
| Tom McCarthy | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homer Hillebrand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
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