Shano Collins
This is the first monthly update celebrating the centennial of the 1910 season.
The end of April saw the season two weeks old. Teams had played between nine and 15 games. The World Champion Pirates were in first place in the National League, percentage points ahead of the Giants. The Phillies and Cubs also had winning records, while the other four teams had winning percentages in .300s. At 4-9, the Brooklyn Superbas were dead last.
In the American League the defending champion Tigers at 8-4 were a game ahead of the Athletics. New York, Boston, and Cleveland all had winning records, while the Browns were in last place at 3-6.
Individually, Addie Joss had tossed a no-hitter, Ty Cobb was off to a fast start, and John McGraw hadn’t been tossed from a game yet. There were a handful of rookies who came up after the season started. Two are significant. Duffy Lewis made his first appearance in left field for the Red Sox on 16 April. He would become a mainstay of the Boston dynasty that dominated much of the later teens. Lesser known, but also important, was Shano Collins. He first showed up with the White Stockings on 21 April. He was still around in 1917 to help the Sox win a World Series and again played in 1919 with the “Black Sox.” He was one of the “Clean Sox.”
It’s much too early in the season to make any generalizations, but so far the Highlanders (Yankees) are the surprise of the AL while the failure of Cincinnati to rise above seventh place is the surprise of the AL. In the next month, things will change.
Tags: 1910 season, Duffy Lewis, Shano Collins
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