This was the sixth season of the first Negro National League. This was the first season in which a playoff was held to determine the pennant, for which the first half leader would be matched against the second half winner. Kansas City won the first half while St. Louis won the second half. As such, they met for a best-of-seven Championship Series. Kansas City would win the series in seven games to win their first pennant.[1][2]
This was the third of six seasons for the Eastern Colored League. According to the Center for Negro League Baseball Research, it was common practice for the teams in the league to all play a different number of games during the season. The Wilmington Potomacs dropped out of the league in July 1925. Hilldale Club faced the Kansas City Monarchs in the second overall Colored World Series.[3][4]
On opening day, there is a slugfest in St. Louis as the Browns and visiting Cleveland Indians put up a combined 35 runs. Cleveland puts up twelve in the eighth, and wins 21-14.
Hall of FamerLefty Grove is the opening day starter for the Philadelphia Athletics. He lasts 3.2 innings, and gives up five runs (four earned) in his major league debut. Fellow Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane also makes his major league debut, and is one-for-two as the A's defeat the Boston Red Sox, 9-8 in ten innings.
April 21 - The National League cancels the entire slate of games due to the death of Brooklyn Dodgers owner Charles Ebbets three days prior from a heart attack. Edward McKeever assumes the title of president of the club. However, McKeever's tenure is short lived, as he dies eight days later from influenza.
Detroit Tigers player/manager Ty Cobb hits three home runs, a double and two singles, to lead his team to a 14–8 victory against the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park.
Everett Scott's record streak of 1‚307 consecutive games played comes to an end as he is replaced by rookie Pee-Wee Wanninger at shortstop in the 6–2 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics. His mark will be broken by Lou Gehrig on August 17, 1933.
June 2 – After losing five in a row, New York Yankees manager Miller Huggins "shakes up" the slumping lineup by replacing first basemanWally Pipp in the starting lineup with Lou Gehrig, and second basemanAaron Ward with utilityinfielderHowie Shanks. The strategy works as Gehrig goes three-for-five with a run scored, and Shanks goes one-for-four with a run scored in the Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Washington Senators. Pipp only logs seventeen more plate appearances for the rest of the season, and is sold to the Cincinnati Reds for $7,500 following the season.
July 23 – Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig hits the first of his major league record 23 grand slams to beat Firpo Marberry and the Senators, 11–7.
August 6 – Three American League teams put up ten runs, as the Chicago White Sox defeat the Boston Red Sox 10-0, the New York Yankees defeat the Detroit Tigers 10-4 and the Washington Senators defeat the St. Louis Browns 10-3.
August 27 – The St. Louis Browns' Bullet Joe Bush one hits the Washington Senators to complete a three-game sweep of the first place team.
August 30 – After being swept by the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park, the Washington Senators come back and sweep the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. They sweep the second place Philadelphia Athletics on September 1 & 2 to build a 5.5 game lead, and coast the remainder of the way to their second consecutive American League championship.
September 27 – 1925 National League Most Valuable PlayerRogers Hornsby goes three-for-three to raise his batting average to .403. The Cardinals, however, lose 7-6 to the Boston Braves. With the Cards 19 games back of first place, Hornsby sits out the remaining four games on his team's schedule to secure a .400 average for the third time in his career.
September 28 – The Washington Senators are guests of PresidentCalvin Coolidge at the White House, becoming the first reigning World Series champions to visit the White House.[6]
October 2
Leo Durocher makes his major league debut in the Yankees' 10-0 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics.
Replacing Rogers Hornsby at second base in the St. Louis Cardinals' line-up, Specs Toporcer is the hitting star of the Cardinals' 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs with a home run, double and two runs scored. Toporcer goes eight-for-eighteen filling in for Hornsby in the final four games on the Cardinals' schedule.
October 4 – Ty Cobb pitches a 1-2-3 ninth inning in the Detroit Tigers' 11-6 victory over the St. Louis Browns.
October 7 – Walter Johnson's pitching leads the Washington Senators to a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in game one of the 1925 World Series. Senators shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh commits the first of a record eight errors in the series.
October 8 – Kiki Cuyler's two-run home run in the eighth inning carriers the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 victory in the second game of the World Series.
October 10 – The Washington Senators come from behind to take game three of the World Series.
October 11 – Walter Johnson wins his second game of the 1925 World Series, holding the Pirates to six hits, and no runs.
October 12 – The Pirates take game five of the World Series, 6-3. Clyde Barnhart is the hitting star of the game, going two-for-four with two RBIs and a run scored.
October 13 – Eddie Moore leads the fifth inning off with a home run to break a 2-2 tie as the Pirates even the World Series at three games apiece.
October 15 – Walter Johnson again took the mound for Game seven, and carried a 6–4 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning, but errors by 1925 American League Most Valuable Player Roger Peckinpaugh in the seventh and eighth innings lead to four unearned runs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Washington Senators, 9-7. The Pirates become the first team in a best-of-seven Series to overcome a 3–1 Series deficit to win the World Championship.
October 21 – Marv Goodwin, a former pitcher for the Washington Senators and St. Louis Cardinals who joined the Cincinnati Reds at the end of the season, is killed in a plane he was piloting. Goodwin was one of the original spitballers whose method for getting batters out was grandfathered when that pitch was deemed illegal. At age 34, Goodwin becomes the first active Major League player to die from injuries sustained in an airplane crash.
January 1 – Hank Simon, 62, outfielder for the Cleveland Blues, Brooklyn Gladiators and Syracuse Stars of the American Association between the 1887 and 1890 seasons.
January 16 – George Bignell, 66, backup catcher for the 1884 Milwaukee Brewers of the Union Association.
January 25 – Cy Bowen, 63, pitcher for the 1896 New York Giants of the National League.
January 25 – John B. Day, 77, first owner (1883 to 1892) of the New York Giants; later, field manager of the Giants for the first 66 games of the 1899 season.
February 15 – Duke Farrell, 58, durable catcher who caught 1565 games from 1888 to 1905 while playing with seven different teams, particularly for the 1903 Boston Americans, the champion team in the first World Series ever played, and also a four-time .300 hitter who led the American Association in home runs and runs batted in 1891.
February 18 – Charlie Dougherty, 63, infielder/outfielder for the 1884 Altoona Mountain City of the Union Association.
February 20 – John Mansell, 66, outfielder for the 1882 Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association.
March–April
March 4 – John Montgomery Ward, 65, Hall of Fame pitcher who posted 164-102 record and a 2.10 earned run average in 293 games, including 47 wins for 1879 champion Providence Grays and a perfect game in 1880. He then became a shortstop, batting over .325 three times, to become the fifth player to reach the 2000 hit club. In addition, he organized the first players' union in 1888, and formed the Players' League in 1890.
March 21 – Harry Raymond, 63, infielder who played with the Louisville Colonels of the American Association (1888–1891) and for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators of the National League (1892).
March 23 – Tom Evers, 72, second baseman for the 1882 Baltimore Orioles of the American Association and the 1884 Washington Nationals of the Union Association.
April 18 – Charles Ebbets, 65, owner of Brooklyn's National League franchise since 1897 and the builder and namesake of Ebbets Field.
April 19 – Suter Sullivan, 52, infielder/outfielder who played from 1898 to 1899 for the Cleveland Spiders and Baltimore Orioles of the National League.
April 23 – Ad Gumbert, 56, pitcher who collected a 123-102 record for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies from 1888 through 1896.
April 27 – Fred Crane, 84, first baseman for the Elizabeth Resolutes (1873) and the Brooklyn Atlantics (1875) of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players.
April 29 – Ed McKeever, 66, co-owner of Brooklyn Robins since 1912 who succeeded Charles Ebbets as team president, but died from influenza only 11 days after Ebbets.
May–June
May 9 – Ed Beatin, 58, National League pitcher for the Detroit Wolverines and Cleveland Spiders from 1887 to 1891, and a member of the 1887 champion Wolverines.
May 10 – Tod Brynan, 61, National League pitcher/left fielder for the Chicago White Stockings (1888) and the Boston Beaneaters (1891).
May 31 – Harry Deane, 79, National Association outfielder for the Fort Wayne Kekiongas (1871) and the Baltimore Canaries (1874), who also managed briefly the Fort Wayne team.
June 5 – Sam Trott, 66, National League catcher for the Boston Red Caps, Detroit Wolverines and Baltimore Orioles, who later managed the Washington Statesmen in 1891.
June 26 – Sam Crane, 71, 19th century second baseman in seven seasons for the New York Metropolitans, Cincinnati Outlaw Reds, Detroit Wolverines, St. Louis Maroons, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Alleghenys, who also managed and later went on to a long career as a sportswriter.
July–August
July 4 – George Derby, 87, pitcher for the Detroit Wolverines (1881–1882) and Buffalo Bisons (1885) of the National League, who led the circuit for the most strikeouts in 1881.
August 2 – Patrick T. Powers, 63, founder of the minor leagues' governing body and its first president from 1901 to 1909.
August 13 – Arthur Soden, 82, American Civil War veteran and owner or co-owner of the National League's Boston Red Stockings/Red Caps/Beaneaters franchise from 1876 to 1906, who also served as NL president in 1882; under his ownership, Boston won seven NL pennants between 1876 and 1898.
August 14 – Asa Stratton, 72, shortstop who played for the 1881 Worcester Ruby Legs.
September–October
September 5 – Emil Huhn, 33, first baseman and catcher for the Federal League's Newark Pepper (1915) and the National League's Cincinnati Reds (1916–1917).
September 11 – Pat Duff, 50, pinch-hitter for the 1906 Washington Senators of the American League.
September 21 – Charlie Irwin, 56, third baseman who played from 1893 through 1902 for the Chicago Colts, Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Superbas of the National League.
September 22 – Dave Beadle, 61, catcher/outfielder for the 1884 Detroit Wolverines of the National League.
October 7 – Christy Mathewson, 45, Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Giants, whose 373 victories and a 2.13 earned run average included two no-hitters and thirteen 20-win seasons. Notably, Mathewson reached 30 wins four times and posted an ERA under 2.00 five times, including a National League record of 37 wins in 1908, while leading the circuit in ERA and strikeouts five times each; in wins and shutouts four times, setting league's career records for wins, strikeouts, games and shutout. Other of his highlights includes having pitched three shutouts in a six-day span to lead the Giants to the 1905 World Series title.
October 19 – Jack Carney, 58, National League first baseman for the Washington Nationals, Buffalo Bisons and Cleveland Infants from 1889 to 1890.
October 21 – Marv Goodwin, 34, former pitcher for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds between 1916 and 1925, and one of the original spitballers who was grandfathered when that pitch was deemed illegal.
October 28 – Willy Wilson, 41, pitcher for the 1906 Washington Senators of the American League.
November–December
November 1 – Roy Clark, 51, backup outfielder for the 1902 New York Giants of the National League.
November 1 – Billy Serad, 62, National League pitcher who played between 1884 and 1888 with the Buffalo Bisons and Cincinnati Red Stockings.
November 3 – Sam Frock, 42, National League pitcher for the Boston Doves/Rustlers and Pittsburgh Pirates between 1907 and 1911.
November 6 – Harvey McClellan, 30, backup infielder for the Chicago White Sox from 1919 to 1924.
November 7 – Sam Kimber, 73, pitcher for the 1884 Brooklyn Atlantics and the 1885 Providence Grays of the National League, who hurled a no-hitter in his first season.
November 9 – Ralph Frary, 49, saloon-keeper and ex-minor league player who umpired 17 National League games during the 1911 season.
November 20 – Walter Coleman, 52, pitcher for the 1895 St. Louis Cardinals.
November 23 – Henry Lynch, 59, outfielder for the 1893 Chicago Colts of the National League.
November 23 – Guerdon Whiteley, 66, backup outfielder for the Cleveland Blues (1884) and the Boston Beaneaters (1885) of the National League.
December 19 – Corty Maxwell, 74, National Association umpire during the 1875 season.
December 31 – Denny Sullivan, 67, third baseman for the Providence Grays 1879 National League champions and the 1880 Boston Red Caps.
