YEAR IN REVIEW : 1912 National League

Off the field...

American journalist and publisher, William Randolph Hearst began to acquire his media empire that would eventually include eighteen newspapers and nine magazines within two decades. A flamboyant and highly controversial figure, Hearst was nonetheless an extremely competent newspaperman who quickly became one of the wealthiest men in the world. His castle at San Simeon, California, won fame for its immense art collections and is still considered one of the largest houses in the United States. The property was later presented to the state as a museum after Hearst's death.

In the American League...

While playing the Boston Red Sox in their opener at New York's Hilltop Park, the New York Highlanders debuted their "soon-to-be" trademark pinstripes.

One of baseball's original cathedrals, Boston's Fenway Park, (built at a cost of $350,000) was formally dedicated as the visiting White Sox beat the Red pair 5-2 before a capacity crowd.

On August 11th, Joe Jackson of the Cleveland Indians became only the second American League player ever to steal home twice in a single game. Jackson first stole home in the first, then went on to thieve second, third and home in the seventh.

In the National League...

The St. Louis Cardinals set a Major League record on April 16th after embarrassing the Chicago Cubs with a 20-5 massacre at Robison Field (The mark would stand until 1922).

The St. Louis Cardinals also ended the New York Giants consecutive winning streak at fourteen after a 5-1 effort on May 31st. The Giants incredible start of 43-11 remained the best of the century and stood unmatched until 1939 when the New York Yankees tied the mark.

In response to the demand for an alternative way to statistically rate pitchers, the National League elected to officially score the Earned Run Average for the first time. Jeff Tesreau of the New York Giants went on to lead the new category with a 1.96 ERA.

Around the League...

In an effort to eliminate the possibility of home team's ball boys influencing which ones are used for each team's turn at bat, the National League installed small boxes near home plate to supply the umpires directly.

In New York, the Giants and Highlanders met at the Polo Grounds to play an unscheduled charity game to raise money for the survivors of the Titanic (which had sunk three days earlier, April 14th). The Giants prevailed 11-2.

As a gag, Western Union telegraph operator Lou Proctor entered his name as a pinch hitter into the St. Louis Browns — Boston Red Sox box score (with no hits in one at bat). Initially, the forgery was not noticed and appeared both as a published box score in The Sporting News and in the first editions of The Baseball Encyclopedia.