# 1915 Major League Baseball season

The 1915 major league baseball season began on April 10, 1915. The Federal League regular season ended on October 3, and saw the Chicago Whales winning the Federal League pennant. The regular season for the National League and American League ended on October 7, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 12th World Series on October 8 and ended with Game 5 on October 13. The Red Sox defeated the Phillies, four games to one, capturing their third championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1912. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Boston Braves from the 1914 season.
The Indianapolis Hoosiers relocated to Newark, New Jersey as the Newark Peppers. The Buffalo Buffeds, Chicago Federals, and Cleveland Naps renamed as the Buffalo Blues, Chicago Whales, and Cleveland Indians, respectively.
The Federal League brought an antitrust lawsuit against the National and American Leagues prior to the 1915 season. The parties eventually reached a settlement and the Federal League disbanded after the season.
The major-league status of the Federal League was confirmed by the Special Baseball Records Committee (as convened by then-Commissioner of Baseball William Eckert) in 1969.

## Schedule

The 1915 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League, National League, and Federal League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place for the 1904 season, and which lasted until the 140-game schedule of 1919. Most teams played more than 154 games, due to tie games (called on account of darkness or weather) that had to be replayed; tie games are excluded from team standings, but the statistics of individual players are included in their season totals.
The Federal League had its Opening Day on April 10, featuring all eight teams. Opening Day for the American and National Leagues was on April 14, featuring the 16 teams of those two leagues, as had been scheduled the season prior. The Federal League had the final day of its regular season on October 3. The final day of the regular season for the National and American Leagues was October 7. The World Series took place between October 8 and October 13.

## Teams

An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at
| League | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
| American League | Boston Red Sox | Boston, Massachusetts | Fenway Park | 35,000 | Bill Carrigan |
| American League | Chicago White Sox | Chicago, Illinois | Comiskey Park | 28,000 | Pants Rowland |
| American League | Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | League Park | 21,414 | Joe Birmingham |
| American League | Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | League Park | 21,414 | Lee Fohl |
| American League | Detroit Tigers | Detroit, Michigan | Navin Field | 23,000 | Hughie Jennings |
| American League | New York Yankees | New York, New York | Brush Stadium | 34,000 | Bill Donovan |
| American League | Philadelphia Athletics | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Shibe Park | 23,000 | Connie Mack |
| American League | St. Louis Browns | St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 18,000 | Branch Rickey |
| American League | Washington Senators | Washington, D.C. | Griffith Stadium | 27,000 | Clark Griffith |
| National League | Boston Braves | Boston, Massachusetts | Fenway Park | 35,000 | George Stallings |
| National League | Boston Braves | Boston, Massachusetts | Braves Field* | 40,000* | George Stallings |
| National League | Brooklyn Robins | New York, New York | Ebbets Field | 30,000 | Wilbert Robinson |
| National League | Chicago Cubs | Chicago, Illinois | West Side Park | 16,000 | Roger Bresnahan |
| National League | Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Redland Field | 20,696 | Buck Herzog |
| National League | New York Giants | New York, New York | Brush Stadium | 34,000 | John McGraw |
| National League | Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | National League Park | 18,000 | Pat Moran |
| National League | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Forbes Field | 25,000 | Fred Clarke |
| National League | St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, Missouri | Robison Field | 21,000 | Miller Huggins |
| Federal League | Baltimore Terrapins | Baltimore, Maryland | Terrapin Park | 16,000 | Otto Knabe |
| Federal League | Brooklyn Tip-Tops | New York, New York | Washington Park | 18,800 | Lee Magee |
| Federal League | Brooklyn Tip-Tops | New York, New York | Washington Park | 18,800 | John Ganzel |
| Federal League | Buffalo Blues | Buffalo, New York | Federal League Park | 20,000 | Larry Schlafly |
| Federal League | Buffalo Blues | Buffalo, New York | Federal League Park | 20,000 | Walter Blair |
| Federal League | Buffalo Blues | Buffalo, New York | Federal League Park | 20,000 | Harry Lord |
| Federal League | Chicago Whales | Chicago, Illinois | Weeghman Park | 15,000 | Joe Tinker |
| Federal League | Kansas City Packers | Kansas City, Missouri | Gordon and Koppel Field | 12,000 | George Stovall |
| Federal League | Newark Peppers | Newark, New Jersey | Harrison Park | 21,000 | Bill Phillips |
| Federal League | Newark Peppers | Newark, New Jersey | Harrison Park | 21,000 | Bill McKechnie |
| Federal League | Pittsburgh Rebels | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Exposition Park | 16,000 | Rebel Oakes |
| Federal League | St. Louis Terriers | St. Louis, Missouri | Handlan's Park | 15,000 | Fielder Jones |

## Standings
### American League

vteAmerican League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Boston Red Sox | 101 | 50 | .669 | — | 55‍–‍20 | 46‍–‍30 |
| Detroit Tigers | 100 | 54 | .649 | 2½ | 51‍–‍26 | 49‍–‍28 |
| Chicago White Sox | 93 | 61 | .604 | 9½ | 54‍–‍24 | 39‍–‍37 |
| Washington Senators | 85 | 68 | .556 | 17 | 50‍–‍29 | 35‍–‍39 |
| New York Yankees | 69 | 83 | .454 | 32½ | 37‍–‍43 | 32‍–‍40 |
| St. Louis Browns | 63 | 91 | .409 | 39½ | 35‍–‍38 | 28‍–‍53 |
| Cleveland Indians | 57 | 95 | .375 | 44½ | 27‍–‍50 | 30‍–‍45 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 43 | 109 | .283 | 58½ | 19‍–‍53 | 24‍–‍56 |

### National League

vteNational League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 90 | 62 | .592 | — | 49‍–‍27 | 41‍–‍35 |
| Boston Braves | 83 | 69 | .546 | 7 | 49‍–‍27 | 34‍–‍42 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 80 | 72 | .526 | 10 | 51‍–‍26 | 29‍–‍46 |
| Chicago Cubs | 73 | 80 | .477 | 17½ | 42‍–‍34 | 31‍–‍46 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 73 | 81 | .474 | 18 | 40‍–‍37 | 33‍–‍44 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 72 | 81 | .471 | 18½ | 42‍–‍36 | 30‍–‍45 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 71 | 83 | .461 | 20 | 39‍–‍37 | 32‍–‍46 |
| New York Giants | 69 | 83 | .454 | 21 | 37‍–‍38 | 32‍–‍45 |

### Federal League

vteFederal League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Chicago Whales | 86 | 66 | .566 | — | 44‍–‍32 | 42‍–‍34 |
| St. Louis Terriers | 87 | 67 | .565 | — | 43‍–‍34 | 44‍–‍33 |
| Pittsburgh Rebels | 86 | 67 | .562 | ½ | 45‍–‍31 | 41‍–‍36 |
| Kansas City Packers | 81 | 72 | .529 | 5½ | 46‍–‍31 | 35‍–‍41 |
| Newark Peppers | 80 | 72 | .526 | 6 | 40‍–‍39 | 40‍–‍33 |
| Buffalo Blues | 74 | 78 | .487 | 12 | 37‍–‍40 | 37‍–‍38 |
| Brooklyn Tip-Tops | 70 | 82 | .461 | 16 | 34‍–‍40 | 36‍–‍42 |
| Baltimore Terrapins | 47 | 107 | .305 | 40 | 24‍–‍51 | 23‍–‍56 |

## Postseason
### Bracket

| World Series | World Series | World Series |
| AL | Boston Red Sox | 4 |
| NL | Philadelphia Phillies | 1 |

## Managerial changes
### Off-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Brooklyn Tip-Tops | Bill Bradley | Lee Magee |
| Chicago Cubs | Hank O'Day | Roger Bresnahan |
| Chicago White Sox | Jimmy Callahan | Pants Rowland |
| New York Yankees | Roger Peckinpaugh | Bill Donovan |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Red Dooin | Pat Moran |

### In-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Brooklyn Tip-Tops | Lee Magee | John Ganzel |
| Buffalo Blues | Larry Schlafly | Walter Blair |
| Buffalo Blues | Walter Blair | Harry Lord |
| Cleveland Indians | Joe Birmingham | Lee Fohl |
| Newark Peppers | Bill Phillips | Bill McKechnie |

## League leaders

Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.

### American League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Ty Cobb (DET) | .369 |
| OPS | Ty Cobb (DET) | .973 |
| HR | Braggo Roth (CLE/CWS) | 7 |
| RBI | Sam Crawford (DET) Bobby Veach (DET) | 112 |
| R | Ty Cobb (DET) | 144 |
| H | Ty Cobb (DET) | 208 |
| SB | Ty Cobb (DET) | 96 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 27 |
| L | Weldon Wyckoff (PHA) | 22 |
| ERA | Smoky Joe Wood (BRS) | 1.49 |
| K | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 203 |
| IP | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 336.2 |
| SV | Carl Mays (BRS) | 7 |
| WHIP | Walter Johnson (WSH) | 0.933 |

### National League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Larry Doyle (NYG) | .320 |
| OPS | Gavvy Cravath (PHP) | .902 |
| HR | Gavvy Cravath (PHP) | 24 |
| RBI | Gavvy Cravath (PHP) | 115 |
| R | Gavvy Cravath (PHP) | 89 |
| H | Larry Doyle (NYG) | 189 |
| SB | Max Carey (PIP) | 36 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Grover Alexander$^1$ (PHP) | 31 |
| L | Dick Rudolph (BSB) Pete Schneider (CIN) | 19 |
| ERA | Grover Alexander$^1$ (PHP) | 1.22 |
| K | Grover Alexander$^1$ (PHP) | 241 |
| IP | Grover Alexander (PHP) | 376.1 |
| SV | Tom Hughes (BSB) | 9 |
| WHIP | Grover Alexander (PHP) | 0.842 |
$^1$ National League Triple Crown pitching winner

### Federal League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Benny Kauff (BTT) | .342 |
| OPS | Benny Kauff (BTT) | .955 |
| HR | Hal Chase (BUF) | 17 |
| RBI | Dutch Zwilling (CHW) | 94 |
| R | Babe Borton (SLT) | 97 |
| H | Jack Tobin (SLT) | 184 |
| SB | Benny Kauff (BTT) | 55 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | George McConnell (CHW) | 25 |
| L | Jack Quinn (BAL) | 22 |
| ERA | Earl Moseley (NWK) | 1.91 |
| K | Dave Davenport (SLT) | 229 |
| IP | Dave Davenport (SLT) | 392.2 |
| SV | Hugh Bedient (BUF) | 10 |
| WHIP | Dave Davenport (SLT) | 0.991 |

## Home field attendance

| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
| Boston Red Sox | 101 | 11.0% | 539,885 | 12.2% | 7,104 |
| Chicago White Sox | 93 | 32.9% | 539,461 | 15.0% | 6,829 |
| Detroit Tigers | 100 | 25.0% | 476,105 | 14.4% | 6,183 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 90 | 21.6% | 449,898 | 224.9% | 5,920 |
| New York Giants | 69 | -17.9% | 391,850 | 7.6% | 5,156 |
| Boston Braves | 83 | -11.7% | 376,283 | -1.7% | 4,824 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 80 | 6.7% | 297,766 | 142.7% | 3,818 |
| New York Yankees | 69 | -1.4% | 256,035 | -28.8% | 3,122 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 72 | -11.1% | 252,666 | -1.3% | 3,119 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 73 | 5.8% | 225,743 | 61.7% | 2,858 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 71 | 18.3% | 218,878 | 117.2% | 2,771 |
| Chicago Cubs | 73 | -6.4% | 217,058 | 7.2% | 2,819 |
| Washington Senators | 85 | 4.9% | 167,332 | -31.4% | 2,092 |
| Cleveland Indians | 57 | 11.8% | 159,285 | -14.4% | 2,069 |
| St. Louis Browns | 63 | -11.3% | 150,358 | -38.6% | 1,978 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 43 | -56.6% | 146,223 | -57.8% | 1,976 |
Note: Attendance data for Federal League teams is unavailable.

## Events

* May 6 – Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox hits the first of his career 714 home runs.