1911 in baseball
Champions
Awards and honors
Events
April
May
June
July
- July 12 – Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers steals second, third and home on consecutive pitches by Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Harry Krause.
- July 18 – The Wyoming State Penitentiary All Stars play their first game.
- July 19 – Former circus acrobat Walter Carlisle completed an unassisted triple play for the Vernon Tigers of the Pacific Coast League. With the score tied at 3–3 in the sixth inning, and men on first and second base, Carlisle made a spectacular diving catch of a short fly by batter Roy Akin; stepped on second to retire Charlie Moore, and tagged George Metzger coming from first. The Tigers won the game, 5–4. With his heroic feat, the speedy English-born Carlisle entered the records books as the only outfielder ever to make an unassisted triple play in organized baseball.
- July 24 – An American League all-star team – including Walter Johnson, Hal Chase, and Smokey Joe Wood – plays the Cleveland Naps in the Addie Joss Benefit Game and win 5–3. $12,914.60 is raised for the widow of Addie Joss.
- July 29 – In the first game of a doubleheader, Smoky Joe Wood pitches a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns in a 5–0 Boston Red Sox victory.
August
September
October
- October 7 – In their last game at Huntington Avenue Grounds, the Boston Red Sox defeat the Washington Senators 8-1 in front of just 850 fans. Boston would play the next season at Fenway Park, which remains their home to this day.
- October 22 – The World Series between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Athletics was resumed after six days of rain, and Chief Bender beat Christy Mathewson, 4–2, to give the Athletics a 3–1 lead.
- October 26 – The Philadelphia Athletics defeat the New York Giants, 13–2, in Game 6 of the World Series to win their second consecutive World Championship title. Philadelphia wins the series, four games to two. The six consecutive days of rain between Games 3 and 4 caused the longest delay between World Series games until the Loma Prieta earthquake interrupted the 1989 Series, which incidentally featured the same two franchises, albeit on the west coast.
November
- November 10 – Clark Griffith becomes a club owner and president when he joins Philadelphia grain broker William Richardson in buying controlling interest in the Washington Senators for $175,000. Griffith, unable to get financial help from the American League, mortgages his ranch in Montana to raise funds.
December
- December 1 – Future Hall of Famer Walter Alston is born in Venice, Ohio. Although Alston will come to bat only once during a brief major league career, he will have far greater longevity as the manager of the Dodgers from to.
Births
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Deaths
January–March
- January 18 – Dick Scott, 27, pitcher for the 1901 Cincinnati Reds.
- February 5 – Dad Clarkson, 44, pitcher who posted a 39–39 record and a 4.90 ERA for four different teams from 1891 to 1896.
- February 18 – Buttons Briggs, 35, pitcher for the Chicago Colts/Orphans/Cubs 1896–1898, and 1904–1905.
- March 10 – Guy McFadden, 38, first baseman for the 1895 St. Louis Browns of the National League.
- March 12 – Simon Nicholls, 28, shortstop for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Naps between the 1906 and 1909 seasons.
- March 24 – Stanley Robison, 56, co-owner of the Cleveland Spiders and St. Louis Cardinals, then sole owner of Cardinals from September 25, 1908 until his death; his niece Helene inherited the Cardinals, to become the first woman to own an MLB franchise.
April–June
- April 5 – Frank Hankinson, 54, third baseman and pitcher who played from 1878 through 1888 with the White Stockings, Blues, Trojans, Gothams. Metropolitan and Cowboys.
- April 14 – Addie Joss, 31, pitcher for Cleveland who won 20 games four times, led American League in ERA twice with a career 1.89 ERA, including one-hitter in major league debut, one no-hitter and a perfect game.
- April 23 – George Craig, 23, pitcher for the 1907 Philadelphia Athletics.
- April 25 – Jack Rowe, 54, catcher and shortstop for Buffalo and Detroit who batted.300 four times, led NL in triples in 1881; did not strike out in entire 1882 season, later a minor league manager
- May 26 – Billy O'Brien, 51, third baseman for four teams in two different leagues from 1884 to 1890, who topped the Nationel League batters with 19 home runs in 1887.
- June 3 – Dad Clarke, 46, who pitched from 1888 to 1898 for the White Stockings/Solons/Giants/Colonels, going 44–51 with a 4.17 ERA.
- June 23 – John O'Rourke, 59, center fielder who hit.295 in 290 games with the Boston Red Caps and New York Metropolitans, leading the National League with a.521 slugging in 1879.
July–September
- July 4 – Jimmy Mathison, 32, third baseman for the 1902 Baltimore Orioles.
- July 26 – John Radcliff, 65, shortstop for five seasons in the National Association.
- August 5 – Bob Caruthers, 47, pitcher who compiled the highest career winning percentage among major leaguers with 250 decisions; led American Association with 40 victories in both 1885 and 1889, pacing St. Louis and Brooklyn to respective pennants; batted.300 twice, later an umpire
- August 8 – Joe Walsh, 46, infielder for the 1881 Baltimore Orioles of the American Association.
- August 10 – Charles Hunt Porter, 68, Massachusetts businessman and politician who was president of the Boston Red Stockings of the National Association, predecessor of the modern Atlanta Braves franchise, in 1873 and 1874.
- August 31 – Will White, 56, pitcher who won over 200 games for Cincinnati teams in 10-year career, led league in wins and strikeouts twice each; first major leaguer to wear eyeglasses, and batterymate of brother Deacon from 1877 to 1879.
September–December
- October 1 – Leo Hafford, 28, pitcher for the 1906 Cincinnati Reds.
- October 4 – Emil Geiss, 44, infielder/pitcher for the 1887 Chicago White Stockings.
- October 6 – Larry Murphy, 54, Canadian outfielder for the 1891 for the Washington Statesmen.
- October 10 – Bill Parks, 62, pitcher and left fielder for three teams from 1875 to 1876. Managed the 1875 Washington Nationals for eight games in 1875.
- October 19 – Marshall King, 61, outfielder who played from 1867 to 1872 for the Haymakers, White Stockings and Haymakers.
- October 25 – Chris Rickley, 52, shortstop for the 1884 for the Philadelphia Keystones of the Union Association.
- November 4 – Warren Burtis, 63, National League umpire in 1876 and 1877.
- November 8 – Oscar Bielaski, 64, right fielder for five seasons, from 1872 to 1876, who was on the 1876 National League champion Chicago White Stockings.
- November 8 – Frank Gatins, 40, infielder for the Washington Senators and Brooklyn Superbas.
- November 21 – William Hepburn Russell, 54, co-owner of the Boston Rustlers from December 17, 1910 until his death.
- November 22 – Ed Cermak, 30, outfielder for the 1901 Cleveland Blues of the American League.
- November 6 – John Hamill, 40, pitcher for the 1884 Washington Nationals.
- December 6 – Ed Glenn, 36, National League shortstop who played between 1898 and 1902 with the Washington Senators, New York Giants and Chicago Orphans.
- December 31 – Pete Gilbert, 43, third baseman for the Orioles/Grooms/Colonels American Association teams from 1890 to 1894.