Final Standings 1922

National League:

New York Giants 93-61… Cincinnati Reds 86-68, 7 GB… Pittsburgh Pirates 85-69, 8 GB… St Louis Cardinals 85-69, 8 GB… Chicago Cubs 80-74, 13 GB… Brooklyn Dodgers 76-78, 17 GB… Philadelphia Phillies 57-96, 35.5 GB… Boston Braves 53-100, 39.5 GB

American League:

New York Yankees 94-60… St Louis Browns 93-61, 1 GB… Detroit Tigers 79-75, 15 GB… Cleveland Indians 78-76, 16 GB… Chicago White Sox 77-77, 17 GB… Washington Senators 69-85, 25 GB… Philadelphia Athletics 65-89, 29 GB… Boston Red Sox 61-93, 33 GB

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Baseball Historian

The sun was high in the sky when Game 2 of the 1922 World Series was called 'on account of darkness' with the score tied 3-3 in the 10th inning... Baseball Comississioner Judge Landis was so irate at the decision that he had both teams donate the gate receipts to charity.

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At the time there were just two divisions in each league, and both the American and National Leagues had eight teams

The Boston Red Sox ended the 1922 season 33 games out of first with a 61-93 record. Their crosstown rivals, the Boston Braves, played even worse, going 53-100, 39 ½ games out of first. Both teams, however, had a few star players

The Red Sox had pitchers Herb Pennock, Jack Quinn and Rip Collins. Three regulars batted over .300 in 1922 – outfielder Joe Harris hit .316, first baseman George Burns hit .306 and led the Sox team with 12 homers, and second baseman Del Pratt hit .301 and led the team with 12 homers.

The Boston Braves starting pitchers were Rube Marquard, Frank Miller, Mule Watson, Joe Oeschger and Hugh McQuillin. The Braves’ leading hitters were catcher Hank Gowdy, .317, outfielder Ray Powell, .296, and first baseman Walter Holke, .291. Shortstop/2B Hod Ford led the team with 60 RBIs and third baseman Tony Boeckel and Powell each lined a team leading 6 homers.

1922 Boston Red Sox 1922 Boston Braves compiled by staff@baseballhistorian.com

* Mickey Cochrane, Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers Catcher – one of the best catchers ever to play in MLB. A member of the Hall of Fame, he hit a torrid .331 in his rookie season with the Athletics back in 1925. By the end of the decade of the 1920s, Cochrane was regarded by many as one of the finest all-around players in the majors.

Cochrane hit well over .300 in nine seasons, including .331 in 1929… .357 in ’30… .349 in ’31, and compiled the highest batting average of any catcher, a stunning .320 lifetime batting mark in his 13 major league seasons – 1925-37. And, his keen batting eye enabled him to strike out just 217 times in 5169 at bats. Nickname Black Mike for his competitive spirit he helped his teams win five pennants - Athletics 1929-31 and Tigers 1934-35 and capture three World Titles – Athletics 1929-30 and Tigers 1935.

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* Hank Gowdy, Boston Braves Catcher – Born in Columbus Ohio – one of the youngest catchers to play in MLB, he played seven games for the NY Giants at age 19 in 1910 before being traded to the Boston Doves ( later changed to Braves) in 1911. However, he did not become the team’s Regular backstop until the 1914 season when he guided the Miracle Braves to the 1914 World Series. In the Series Gowdy Helped the Braves sweep the Athletics by leading all batters with a robust .545 batting mark, with 6 hits in 11 at bats, with 3 doubles, a triple, a homers, scored 3 times and had 3 RBIs… and in Game 1 lined a single, double and a triple.

Gowdy’s career batting average of .270 spanning 17 major league seasons, 1910-1925, 1929-30, rates high among major league catchers. For the 1922 Braves he batted a career-high .317 with 11 doubles and struck out only 13 times in 221 trips to the batter’s box. Henry Gowdy career stats: .270 BA, 122 Ds, 27 Ts, 21 Hrs, 270 Runs, 322 RBIs.

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* Steve O’Neil, Cleveland Indians Catcher – one of the most popular players in Indians baseball history, he joined Cleveland as a 20-year old rookie in 1911 and was the Tribe’s regular catcher for 13 years before being traded to the Red Sox in ’24. O’Neil batted .321, .322 and .311 from 1920-22, and put-together back-to-back seasons with 35 and 39 doubles in 1919-20. Steve O’Neil career: .263 BA, 248 Ds, 34 Ts, 13 Hrs, 448 Runs, 537 RBIs in 4795 at bats Spanning 1586 games – Cleveland 1911-23; Red Sox 1924; NY Yanks 1925; Browns 1927-28

After his playing days were over, the well-regarded Steve O’Neil managed in MLB and his teams compiled a solid 1879-1040 record. He managed Detroit to a World Title in 1945. Steve O’Neil had three brothers, Jim, Jack and Mike who played in the majors.

Traded to the New York Giants in mid-1919, Snyder played a big role in helping manager John McGraw’s Giants win four consecutive National League pennants, 1921-24, and two straight World Series Crowns – 1921-22. McGraw once remarked, ‘Snyder is my main man,’ after Snyder lined four singles in Game 3 of the 1921 World Series giving the Giants a 13-5 win over the Yanks. For the Series he hit .364, scored 4 runs, had 3 RBIs. And, in the 1922 World Series, he hit .333… In 1924 Frank Snyder batted a career high .302 in 118 games which helped McGraw’s Giants win the last of 4 straight pennants.

Frank Snyder career stats: .265 BA, 170 Ds, 44 Ts, 47 Hrs, 331 Runs, 525 RBIs, 1122 hits in 4229 at bats in 4229 games.