1896 Season

12 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1896 Major League Baseball season was played by 12 teams. Ed Delahanty and Bill Joyce led with 13 home runs, Ed Delahanty led with 126 RBI, and Jesse Burkett led with 240 hits. This page carries the 1896 standings, league leaders, 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

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

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⚾ Batting Leaders

1896 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 — 409 plate appearances at 132 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Jesse Burkett .410 2 Hughie Jennings .401 3 Ed Delahanty .397 4 Willie Keeler .386 5 Mike Tiernan .369

OPS qualified

1 Ed Delahanty 1.103 2 Joe Kelley 1.013 3 Jesse Burkett 1.002 4 Bill Dahlen .990 5 Bill Joyce .988

Home Runs all players

1 Ed Delahanty 13 2 Bill Joyce 13 3 Sam Thompson 12 4 Roger Connor 11 5 Jake Beckley 9

RBI all players

1 Ed Delahanty 126 2 Hughie Jennings 121 3 Hugh Duffy 113 4 Ed McKean 112 5 Cupid Childs 106

Hits all players

1 Jesse Burkett 240 2 Willie Keeler 210 3 Hughie Jennings 209 4 Ed Delahanty 198 5 George Van Haltren 197

Runs all players

1 Jesse Burkett 160 2 Billy Hamilton 153 3 Willie Keeler 153 4 Joe Kelley 148 5 Bill Dahlen 137

Stolen Bases all players

1 Joe Kelley 87 2 Bill Lange 84 3 Billy Hamilton 83 4 Dusty Miller 76 5 Jack Doyle 73
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1896 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 132 innings at 132 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Billy Rhines 2.45 2 Kid Nichols 2.83 3 George Cuppy 3.12 4 Frank Dwyer 3.15 5 Cy Young 3.24

WHIP qualified

1 Billy Rhines 1.23 2 George Cuppy 1.29 3 Cy Young 1.30 4 Kid Nichols 1.31 5 Frank Dwyer 1.32

Wins all pitchers

1 Frank Killen 30 2 Kid Nichols 30 3 Cy Young 28 4 Jouett Meekin 26 5 George Cuppy 25

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Cy Young 140 2 Pink Hawley 137 3 Frank Killen 134 4 Theodore Breitenstein 114 5 Jouett Meekin 110

Saves all pitchers

1 Cy Young 3 2 Chauncey Fisher 2 3 Bill Hill 2 4 Buttons Briggs 1 5 Kid Carsey 1
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

National League

Baltimore Orioles ★ 90-39 Cleveland Spiders 80-48 Cincinnati Reds 77-50 Boston Beaneaters 74-57 Chicago Colts 71-57 Pittsburgh Pirates 66-63 New York Giants 64-67 Philadelphia Phillies 62-68 Washington Senators 58-73 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 58-73 St. Louis Browns 40-90 Louisville Colonels 38-93

The 1896 season in brief

At 90-39, the Baltimore Orioles had the top winning percentage of the 1896 season. At the other end, the Louisville Colonels went 38-93. Race by race in 1896, the Cleveland Spiders (80-48) finished a distant second to the Baltimore Orioles (90-39) in the National League. The data holds no postseason results for 1896. Ed Delahanty and Bill Joyce shared the home run lead at 13. Jesse Burkett's .410 is the best average on the qualified board, with Hughie Jennings next at .401. Jesse Burkett cleared the 409-plate-appearance line that 1896's 132 team games set. Jesse Burkett topped several batting tiles at once: batting average, hits, and runs. Among qualified pitchers, Billy Rhines had the lowest ERA, 2.45; Kid Nichols followed at 2.83. The other 1896 pitching tiles are led by Frank Killen in wins (30) and Cy Young in strikeouts (140). The stolen-base tile is headed by Joe Kelley with 87. For the complete tables behind these tiles, see the 1896 leaders page.

1896 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

How many teams played in 1896?
12 teams played in the 1896 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1896?
Ed Delahanty and Bill Joyce tied for the lead with 13 home runs in 1896.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1896?
Ed Delahanty led with 126 RBI in 1896.
Who led MLB in hits in 1896?
Jesse Burkett led with 240 hits in 1896.
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