1896 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1896 throughout the world.  

Champions

• Temple Cup: Baltimore Orioles defeated Cleveland Spiders, 4 games to 0
• National League: Baltimore Orioles

Statistical leaders

• Batting: Jesse Burkett .410
• Home Runs: Ed Delahanty & Bill Joyce 13
• Wins: Kid Nichols 30
• ERA: Billy Rhines 2.46

National League final standings

Rank	Club	Wins	Losses	Win %	GB
1st	Baltimore Orioles	90	39	.698	--
2nd	Cleveland Spiders	80	48	.625	9.5
3rd	Cincinnati Reds	77	50	.606	12.0
4th	Boston Beaneaters	74	57	.565	17.0
5th	Chicago Colts	71	57	.555	18.5
5th	Pittsburgh Pirates	66	63	.512	24.0
7th	New York Giants	64	67	.489	27.0
8th	Philadelphia Phillies	62	68	.477	28.5
9th	Washington Senators	58	73	.443	33.0
9th	Brooklyn Bridegrooms	58	73	.443	33.0
11th	St. Louis Browns	40	90	.308	50.5
12th	Louisville Colonels	38	93	.290	53.0

Events

• May 9
  • Shortstop Herman Long hits for the cycle to give the Boston Beaneaters a 17–5 victory over the Louisville Colonels.
  • The Washington Senators defeats the Pittsburgh pirates, 14–9, in a beanball battle. Senators pitcher Win Mercer hits three Pittsburgh batters while Pirate Pink Hawley plunks three Washington batters in a disastrous 11-run seventh inning, tying a mark he set on July 4, 1894. Hawley retires in 1900 after only nine seasons of play with a still-standing National League record of 195 hit batters. All told, eight batters are plunked in the contest, a National League-record five by Hawley. The five Washington batters hit by pitches ties the NL mark and won't be matched till July 2, 1969.
  • Hughie Jennings of the Baltimore Orioles knocks down Cincinnati Reds third baseman Charlie Irwin before he can catch Bid McPhee's throw. Jennings scores afterward to give the Orioles a controversial 6–5, 10-inning win over Cincinnati. Umpire Bob Emslie is escorted out of the ballpark by Cincinnati police.

• May 30 - Washington Senators third baseman Bill Joyce hits for the cycle in an 8–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• July 13 - Philadelphia Phillies left-fielder Ed Delahanty becomes the second Major Leaguer to hit four home runs in a game, two of them being inside-the-park home runs. It wasn't enough, as the Phillies lose to the Chicago Colts, 9-8. He is the only member of the "four home runs in a game" club to have an inside-the-park home run as part of his feat and he is the first player to do so in a losing effort.

Births

January

• January 17 - Harry Hanson
• January 18 - Bill McGowan
• January 18 - Babe Twombly
• January 19 - Ollie Hanson
• January 22 - Frank Fahey
• January 23 - Billy Mullen
• January 24 - Jim Lindsey
• January 25 - Ray Schmandt
• January 27 - Milt Gaston
• January 31 - Pinky Hargrave
• January 31 - Charlie Robertson

February

• February   3 - Chicken Hawks
• February   4 - Andy Woehr
• February 11 - Charles Johnston
• February 17 - Frank Emmer
• February 20 - Muddy Ruel
• February 21 - Turkey Gross
• February 21 - Dick McCabe
• February 22 - Ferdie Moore
• February 26 - Rip Collins
• February 27 - Cy Perkins
• February 27 - Will Koenigsmark
• February 28 - Homer Ezzell
• February 29 - Ralph Miller
• February 29 - Roy Parker

March

• March   3 - Bert Griffith
• March   5 - Bernie Hungling
• March   8 - Lefty Clarke
• March   9 - Rube Yarrison
• March 16 - Arlas Taylor
• March 22 - Chick Holmes

April

• April 15 - Dutch Distel
• April 18 - Rip Conway
• April 20 - Harland Rowe
• April 23 - Elam Vangilder
• April 24 - Pug Griffin
• April 24 - Ken Penner
• April 25 - Fred Haney
• April 25 - Marty Shay
• April 27 - Rogers Hornsby
• April 29 - Johnnie Heving

May

• May   1 - Heinie Meine
• May   2 - Bill Piercy
• May   3 - Bob Hasty
• May   7 - Tom Zachary
• May 16 - Red Ostergard
• May 18 - George Edmondson
• May 19 - Merito Acosta
• May 19 - Bud Culloton
• May 24 - Leo Mangum
• May 28 - Warren Giles
• May 31 - Socks Seibold

June

• June   1 - Joel Newkirk
• June   1 - Johnny Mostil
• June   5 - Wade Lefler
• June   5 - Ray Richmond
• June 11 - Charlie Hollocher
• June 18 - Newt Halliday
• June 25 - Earl Howard

July

• July   1 - Bert Cole
• July   3 - Curt Walker
• July   5 - Buck Freeman
• July   5 - Hank Thormahlen
• July   7 - John Jenkins
• July   8 - Roy Crumpler
• July   9 - Carl Holling
• July 10 - Bill Schindler
• July 19 - Joe Boley
• July 19 - Bob Meusel
• July 20 - Ollie Fuhrman
• July 20 - Mutt Wilson
• July 27 - Rube Walberg
• July 31 - Chick Sorrells

August

• August   4 - Chick Galloway
• August   4 - Cliff Lee
• August   6 - Ray Blades
• August 15 - Ben Rochefort
• August 15 - Bill Sherdel
• August 17 - Doug McWeeny
• August 23 - Cedric Durst
• August 24 - Bevo LeBourveau
• August 28 - Aaron Ward

September

• September   2 - Paul Johnson
• September   2 - Harry Shriver
• September   5 - Gil Gallagher
• September   6 - Frank McCrea
• September   6 - Paul Zahniser
• September   8 - Val Picinich
• September   8 - Johnny Schulte
• September 10 - Sammy Hale
• September 13 - Pat Collins
• September 13 - Roy Wilson
• September 13 - Art Stokes
• September 21 - Herschel Bennett
• September 24 - Kewpie Pennington

October

• October   2 - Sid Womack
• October   5 - Charlie Pechous
• October   5 - Danny Silva
• October   6 - Harry Heitmann
• October   8 - Tim Murchison
• October 13 - Claude Davidson
• October 13 - Charlie See
• October 14 - Oscar Charleston
• October 15 - Mule Watson
• October 16 - John Brock
• October 19 - Bob O'Farrell
• October 20 - Wid Matthews
• October 22 - Sam Bohne
• October 27 - Frank Okrie
• October 28 - Roxy Snipes
• October 30 - Clyde Manion
• October 31 - Leo Dickerman

November

• November   2 - Chick Maynard
• November   8 - Bucky Harris
• November 10 - Jimmy Dykes
• November 14 - Red Sheridan
• November 15 - Babe Ellison
• November 16 - Ivy Griffin
• November 17 - Sam Post
• November 18 - Bill Hughes
• November 20 - Larry Duff
• November 22 - Bill Hollahan
• November 23 - Dick Reichle
• November 27 - John Singleton
• November 29 - Joe DeBerry

December

• December   2 - Gene Bedford
• December   2 - Mike Wilson
• December   4 - Allen Conkwright
• December   6 - Bob Larmore
• December   6 - Frank Luce
• December 10 - Spoke Emery
• December 11 - Johnny Walker
• December 13 - Denny Williams
• December 14 - Charlie Hargreaves
• December 17 - Jim Mattox
• December 26 - Herman Pillette

Deaths

• January   4 - Tom Foley, 49, outfielder.

• January 22 - George Heubel, 47, outfielder for two seasons in the National Association, 1871-1872, and one in the National League, 1876.

• March 16 - Kid Madden, 28, pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters, Boston Reds, and Baltimore Orioles from 1887 to 1891.

• May   3 - George McVey, 30, first baseman/catcher.

• July 23 - Jack Beach, 34, outfielder.

• August   5 - Ben Stephens, 28, pitcher.

• August 29 - Curt Welch, 34, center fielder in the American Association who led league in doubles with 1889 Athletics and scored 100 runs five times.

• September 20 - Ed Crane, 34, pitcher/outfielder for nine seasons, most prominently for the New York Giants.

• September 23 - John Crowley, 34, catcher for the 1884 Philadelphia Quakers.

• September 26 - John Curran, 44, appeared in three games for the 1876 Philadelphia Athletics.

• November 10 - Jim Ritz, 22, third baseman.

• December 30 - Dave Birdsall, 58, outfielder.