1889 Season

16 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1889 Major League Baseball season was played by 16 teams. The New York Giants won the World Series, defeating the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. Sam Thompson led with 20 home runs, Roger Connor led with 130 RBI, and Jack Glasscock led with 205 hits. This page carries the 1889 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

1889 Bracket
World Series NY1 def. BR3 (6-3)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

1879 1884 1888 1889 1890 1894 1899

⚾ Batting Leaders

1889 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 421 plate appearances at 136 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Dan Brouthers .373 2 Tommy Tucker .372 3 Jack Glasscock .352 4 Cap Anson .342 5 Tip O'Neill .335

OPS qualified

1 Dan Brouthers .969 2 Roger Connor .955 3 Mike Tiernan .944 4 Tommy Tucker .934 5 Jimmy Ryan .919

Home Runs all players

1 Sam Thompson 20 2 Bug Holliday 19 3 Harry Stovey 19 4 Jerry Denny 18 5 Jimmy Ryan 17

RBI all players

1 Roger Connor 130 2 Harry Stovey 119 3 Dan Brouthers 118 4 Cap Anson 117 5 Dave Foutz 113

Hits all players

1 Jack Glasscock 205 2 Tommy Tucker 196 3 Jimmy Ryan 187 4 Dave Orr 183 5 Hugh Duffy 182

Runs all players

1 Mike Griffin 152 2 Harry Stovey 152 3 Mike Tiernan 147 4 Darby O'Brien 146 5 Hugh Duffy 144

Stolen Bases all players

1 Billy Hamilton 111 2 Jim Fogarty 99 3 Darby O'Brien 91 4 Herman Long 89 5 Hugh Nicol 80
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1889 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 136 innings at 136 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Jack Stivetts 2.25 2 Jesse Duryea 2.56 3 John Clarkson 2.73 4 Matt Kilroy 2.85 5 Gus Weyhing 2.95

WHIP qualified

1 Jack Stivetts 1.15 2 Frank Foreman 1.21 3 Bob Caruthers 1.23 4 Jesse Duryea 1.24 5 Adonis Terry 1.26

Wins all pitchers

1 John Clarkson 49 2 Bob Caruthers 40 3 Silver King 35 4 Ice Box Chamberlain 32 5 Jesse Duryea 32

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Mark Baldwin 368 2 John Clarkson 284 3 Tim Keefe 225 4 Matt Kilroy 217 5 Gus Weyhing 213

Saves all pitchers

1 Tony Mullane 5 2 Bill Sowders 3 3 Bill Bishop 2 4 Jack Stivetts 2 5 Mickey Welch 2
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

AA

Brooklyn Bridegrooms ★ 93-44 St. Louis Browns 90-45 Philadelphia Athletics 75-58 Cincinnati Red Stockings 76-63 Baltimore Orioles 70-65 Columbus Solons 60-78 Kansas City Cowboys 55-82 Louisville Colonels 27-111

National League

New York Giants ★ 83-43 Boston Beaneaters 83-45 Chicago White Stockings 67-65 Philadelphia Quakers 63-64 Pittsburg Alleghenys 61-71 Cleveland Spiders 61-72 Indianapolis Hoosiers 59-75 Washington Nationals 41-83

The 1889 season in brief

The Brooklyn Bridegrooms set the pace in 1889 with a 93-44 record. The weakest record belonged to the Louisville Colonels, 27-111. In the 1889 standings, the National League went to the New York Giants by the narrowest of margins over the Boston Beaneaters, 83-43 to 83-45 and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (93-44) held off the St. Louis Browns (90-45) in the American Association. The 1889 title went to the New York Giants, who defeated the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in the World Series, 6 games to 3. On the home run tile, Sam Thompson sat first with 20, ahead of Bug Holliday with 19. Dan Brouthers's .373 is the best average on the qualified board, with Tommy Tucker next at .372. Dan Brouthers cleared the 421-plate-appearance line that 1889's 136 team games set. Among qualified pitchers, Jack Stivetts had the lowest ERA, 2.25; Jesse Duryea followed at 2.56. The other 1889 pitching tiles are led by John Clarkson in wins (49) and Mark Baldwin in strikeouts (368). Billy Hamilton had the most stolen bases, 111. The 1889 leaders page lists every qualified line, and each club links to its own 1889 page.

1889 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1889?
The New York Giants won the 1889 World Series, beating the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.
How many teams played in 1889?
16 teams played in the 1889 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1889?
Sam Thompson led with 20 home runs in 1889.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1889?
Roger Connor led with 130 RBI in 1889.
Who led MLB in hits in 1889?
Jack Glasscock led with 205 hits in 1889.
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