1888 Season

16 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1888 Major League Baseball season was played by 16 teams. The New York Giants won the World Series, defeating the St. Louis Browns. Jimmy Ryan led with 16 home runs, John Reilly led with 103 RBI, and Jimmy Ryan led with 182 hits. This page carries the 1888 standings, league leaders, postseason results and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1888 Bracket
World Series NY1 def. SL4 (6-4)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

1878 1883 1887 1888 1889 1893 1898

⚾ Batting Leaders

1888 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting Average

1 Cap Anson 0.344 2 Jake Beckley 0.343 3 Tip O'Neill 0.335 4 Jimmy Ryan 0.332 5 John Reilly 0.321

Home Runs

1 Jimmy Ryan 16 2 Roger Connor 14 3 John Reilly 13 4 Cap Anson 12 5 Jerry Denny 12

RBI

1 John Reilly 103 2 Henry Larkin 101 3 Dave Foutz 99 4 Tip O'Neill 98 5 Cap Anson 84

Stolen Bases

1 Arlie Latham 109 2 Hugh Nicol 103 3 Curt Welch 95 4 Tommy McCarthy 93 5 Harry Stovey 87

Hits

1 Jimmy Ryan 182 2 Cap Anson 177 3 Tip O'Neill 177 4 Dick Johnston 173 5 John Reilly 169

Runs

1 George Pinkney 134 2 Harry Stovey 127 3 Curt Welch 125 4 Arlie Latham 119 5 Dan Brouthers 118
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1888 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA

1 Frank Dwyer 1.07 2 John Weyhing 1.23 3 Bill George 1.34 4 Ice Box Chamberlain 1.61 5 Silver King 1.63

Wins

1 Silver King 45 2 Tim Keefe 35 3 Ed Seward 35 4 John Clarkson 33 5 Pete Conway 30

Strikeouts

1 Tim Keefe 335 2 Ed Seward 272 3 Silver King 258 4 Toad Ramsey 228 5 John Clarkson 223

Saves

1 Ed Crane 1 2 Bill George 1 3 Tony Mullane 1 4 George Van Haltren 1 5 Jersey Bakley 0

WHIP

1 Ice Box Chamberlain 0.79 2 Bill George 0.86 3 Silver King 0.87 4 Tim Keefe 0.94 5 Pete Conway 0.95
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

AA

St. Louis Browns ★ 92-43 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 88-52 Philadelphia Athletics 81-52 Cincinnati Red Stockings 80-54 Baltimore Orioles 57-80 Cleveland Blues 50-82 Louisville Colonels 48-87 Kansas City Cowboys 43-89

National League

New York Giants ★ 84-47 Chicago White Stockings 77-58 Philadelphia Quakers 69-61 Boston Beaneaters 70-64 Detroit Wolverines 68-63 Pittsburg Alleghenys 66-68 Indianapolis Hoosiers 50-85 Washington Nationals 48-86

1888 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1888?
The New York Giants won the 1888 World Series, beating the St. Louis Browns.
How many teams played in 1888?
16 teams played in the 1888 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1888?
Jimmy Ryan led with 16 home runs in 1888.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1888?
John Reilly led with 103 RBI in 1888.
Who led MLB in hits in 1888?
Jimmy Ryan led with 182 hits in 1888.
All Seasons