1929 Season

29 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1929 Major League Baseball season was played by 29 teams. The Philadelphia Athletics won the World Series, defeating the Chicago Cubs. Babe Ruth led with 46 home runs, Hack Wilson led with 159 RBI, and Lefty O'Doul led with 254 hits. This page carries the 1929 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

1929 Bracket
World Series PHA def. CHN (4-1)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

1919 1924 1928 1929 1930 1934 1939

⚾ Batting Leaders

1929 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 — 471 plate appearances at 152 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Lefty O'Doul .398 2 Babe Herman .381 3 Rogers Hornsby .380 4 Bill Terry .372 5 Lew Fonseca .369

OPS qualified

1 Rogers Hornsby 1.139 2 Babe Ruth 1.128 3 Jimmie Foxx 1.088 4 Lefty O'Doul 1.087 5 Mel Ott 1.084

Home Runs all players

1 Babe Ruth 46 2 Chuck Klein 43 3 Mel Ott 42 4 Rogers Hornsby 39 5 Hack Wilson 39

RBI all players

1 Hack Wilson 159 2 Al Simmons 157 3 Babe Ruth 154 4 Mel Ott 151 5 Rogers Hornsby 149

Hits all players

1 Lefty O'Doul 254 2 Lloyd Waner 234 3 Rogers Hornsby 229 4 Bill Terry 226 5 Chuck Klein 219

Runs all players

1 Rogers Hornsby 156 2 Lefty O'Doul 152 3 Mel Ott 138 4 Hack Wilson 135 5 Lloyd Waner 134

Stolen Bases all players

1 Cool Papa Bell 48 2 Kiki Cuyler 43 3 LeRoy Taylor 34 4 Evar Swanson 33 5 Willie Wells 32
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1929 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 152 innings at 152 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Lefty Grove 2.81 2 Firpo Marberry 3.06 3 John Williams 3.09 4 Bill Walker 3.09 5 Burleigh Grimes 3.13

WHIP qualified

1 William Bell 1.05 2 Harry Salmon 1.14 3 John Williams 1.20 4 Red Lucas 1.20 5 Firpo Marberry 1.21

Wins all pitchers

1 George Earnshaw 24 2 Pat Malone 22 3 Wes Ferrell 21 4 Lefty Grove 20 5 Red Lucas 19

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Satchel Paige 195 2 Lefty Grove 170 3 Pat Malone 166 4 George Earnshaw 149 5 Watson Clark 140

Saves all pitchers

1 Firpo Marberry 11 2 Guy Bush 8 3 Wilcy Moore 8 4 Johnny Morrison 8 5 Bill Shores 7
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

ANL

Baltimore Black Sox ★ 49-21 New York Lincoln Giants 40-26 Hilldale Club 40-35 Homestead Grays 34-29 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 19-45 Cuban Stars East 15-41

NNL

Kansas City Monarchs ★ 62-17 St. Louis Stars 56-31 Chicago American Giants 48-38 Detroit Stars 32-37 Birmingham Black Barons 32-57 Memphis Red Sox 21-51 Cuban Stars West 13-33

American League

Philadelphia Athletics ★ 104-46 New York Yankees 88-66 Cleveland Indians 81-71 St. Louis Browns 79-73 Washington Senators 71-81 Detroit Tigers 70-84 Chicago White Sox 59-93 Boston Red Sox 58-96

National League

Chicago Cubs ★ 98-54 Pittsburgh Pirates 88-65 New York Giants 84-67 St. Louis Cardinals 78-74 Philadelphia Phillies 71-82 Brooklyn Robins 70-83 Cincinnati Reds 66-88 Boston Braves 56-98

The 1929 season in brief

At 62-17, the Kansas City Monarchs had the top winning percentage of the 1929 season. The Cuban Stars East finished at the bottom of the 1929 table at 15-41. By season's end, the New York Lincoln Giants (40-26) finished a distant second to the Baltimore Black Sox (49-21) in the American Negro League, the Kansas City Monarchs ran away with the Negro National League at 62-17, the Chicago Cubs ran away with the National League at 98-54, and the New York Yankees (88-66) finished a distant second to the Philadelphia Athletics (104-46) in the American League. Alongside the American and National Leagues, the 1929 page carries standings for the American Negro League and Negro National League, whose seasons MLB now treats as major league. The bracket ends with the Philadelphia Athletics taking the World Series from the Chicago Cubs, 4 games to 1. Babe Ruth led the majors with 46 home runs, ahead of Chuck Klein with 43. Among qualified hitters, Lefty O'Doul had the top batting average, .398, with Babe Herman next at .381. Lefty O'Doul cleared the 471-plate-appearance line that 1929's 152 team games set. Among qualified pitchers, Lefty Grove had the lowest ERA, 2.81; Firpo Marberry followed at 3.06. 1929's pitching counting leaders: George Earnshaw in wins (24), Satchel Paige in strikeouts (195), and Firpo Marberry in saves (11). For the complete tables behind these tiles, see the 1929 leaders page.

1929 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1929?
The Philadelphia Athletics won the 1929 World Series, beating the Chicago Cubs.
How many teams played in 1929?
29 teams played in the 1929 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1929?
Babe Ruth led with 46 home runs in 1929.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1929?
Hack Wilson led with 159 RBI in 1929.
Who led MLB in hits in 1929?
Lefty O'Doul led with 254 hits in 1929.
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