The New York Giants, managed by John J. McGraw, won their third consecutive pennant. Their pitching wasn't much this year, but they led the league in runs scored by a wide margin. In the World Series, the Giants suffered their first defeat at the hands of their American League rivals, the Yankees. It was the beginning of a large power shift in baseball; the Yankees and Giants have since faced each other on four occasions (1937, 1938, 1951, 1962), and the Yankees have won all of them.

         The Cincinnati Reds finished in second place; they were the opposite of the Giants, had great pitching but mediocre hitters. Their best pitcher was Dolf Luque, who was among the league leaders in almost everything. Luque had had two seasons of bad luck, losing 23 games in 1922 despite pitching well. This year, everything clicked; he led the league in ERA by a wide margin, also led in wins and shutouts, and was among the league leaders in everything else.
        It was the best year of Luque's remarkable career. He was born Adolfo Domingo De Guzman Luque in Havana, Cuba. Luque was the first Latin star to play in the major leagues; apparently, his skin was light enough that his presence was not considered a threat to baseball's colour barrier. He toiled in the minor leagues for several years before the Reds gave him a chance. "The Pride Of Havana" would eventually pitch for 20 seasons, most of them good ones, and won 194 games in his career. Not only was Luque the original Latin star, but he also had the original Latin temper, reportedly punching out opposing players when he was angry.
        Pete Alexander was 36 years old, and was plagued by personal problems, but they didn't show on the field. Alexander had one of his best seasons for the Cubs, and was better than anyone except Luque. Another Hall Of Famer who had an outstanding season was Eppa Rixey, Luque's teammate in Cincinnati. To round out the top four, I will choose Johnny Morrison of the Pirates. "Jughandle Johnny" had a few good seasons with Pittsburgh, and this one was the best.