1897 Season

15 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1897 Major League Baseball season was played by 15 teams. Hugh Duffy led with 11 home runs, George Davis led with 135 RBI, and Willie Keeler led with 239 hits. This page carries the 1897 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

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⚾ Batting Leaders

1897 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 — 415 plate appearances at 134 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Willie Keeler .424 2 Fred Clarke .390 3 Jesse Burkett .383 4 Ed Delahanty .377 5 Joe Kelley .362

OPS qualified

1 Willie Keeler 1.003 2 Fred Clarke .992 3 Ed Delahanty .981 4 Nap Lajoie .960 5 Jesse Burkett .944

Home Runs all players

1 Hugh Duffy 11 2 George Davis 10 3 Nap Lajoie 9 4 Jake Beckley 8 5 Mike Grady 8

RBI all players

1 George Davis 135 2 Jimmy Collins 132 3 Hugh Duffy 129 4 Nap Lajoie 127 5 Joe Kelley 118

Hits all players

1 Willie Keeler 239 2 Fred Clarke 205 3 Ed Delahanty 200 4 Jesse Burkett 198 5 Nap Lajoie 197

Runs all players

1 Billy Hamilton 152 2 Willie Keeler 145 3 Mike Griffin 136 4 Fielder Jones 134 5 Hughie Jennings 133

Stolen Bases all players

1 Bill Lange 73 2 Jake Stenzel 69 3 Billy Hamilton 66 4 George Davis 65 5 Willie Keeler 64
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1897 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 134 innings at 134 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Amos Rusie 2.54 2 Kid Nichols 2.64 3 Jerry Nops 2.81 4 Joe Corbett 3.11 5 Jack Powell 3.16

WHIP qualified

1 Kid Nichols 1.17 2 Amos Rusie 1.24 3 George Cuppy 1.28 4 Jerry Nops 1.30 5 Cy Young 1.31

Wins all pitchers

1 Kid Nichols 31 2 Amos Rusie 28 3 Fred Klobedanz 26 4 Joe Corbett 24 5 Theodore Breitenstein 23

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 James McJames 156 2 Cy Seymour 156 3 Joe Corbett 149 4 Amos Rusie 135 5 Kid Nichols 127

Saves all pitchers

1 Win Mercer 3 2 Kid Nichols 3 3 Red Ehret 2 4 James McJames 2 5 Jim Sullivan 2
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

National League

Boston Beaneaters ★ 93-39 Baltimore Orioles 90-40 New York Giants 83-48 Cincinnati Reds 76-56 Cleveland Spiders 69-62 Washington Senators 61-71 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 61-71 Pittsburgh Pirates 60-71 Chicago Colts 59-73 Philadelphia Phillies 55-77 Louisville Colonels 52-78 St. Louis Browns 29-102

IND

Chicago Unions ★ 6-2 Cuban X Giants 3-2 Page Fence Giants 0-1

The 1897 season in brief

The best record in the 1897 standings belonged to the Chicago Unions, who finished 6-2. 0-1 left the Page Fence Giants with the lowest winning percentage of 1897. Race by race in 1897, IND group honors went to the Chicago Unions, whose 6-2 beat the Cuban X Giants's 3-2 and the Boston Beaneaters topped the National League at 93-39, a few games clear of the Baltimore Orioles. No postseason series are recorded for 1897, so the page has no bracket. The home run board is topped by Hugh Duffy at 11, ahead of George Davis with 10. The qualified batting-average board starts with Willie Keeler at .424, with Fred Clarke next at .390. That 1897 rate board needs 415 plate appearances (134 team games times the per-game rule). The batting tiles keep returning to Willie Keeler, first in batting average, OPS, and hits. The ERA board, limited to qualified pitchers, starts with Amos Rusie at 2.54; Kid Nichols followed at 2.64. First place on the remaining pitching boards: Kid Nichols in wins (31) and James McJames in strikeouts (156). Bill Lange had the most stolen bases, 73. Full batting and pitching tables are on the 1897 leaders page.

1897 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

How many teams played in 1897?
15 teams played in the 1897 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1897?
Hugh Duffy led with 11 home runs in 1897.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1897?
George Davis led with 135 RBI in 1897.
Who led MLB in hits in 1897?
Willie Keeler led with 239 hits in 1897.
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