1902
The Cincinnati Reds started out slowly in their new ballpark posting a 22-32 record through the end of June. In early July, Manager Bid McPhee was replaced on an interim basis by Frank Bancroft who would guide the Reds to a 9-7 record onder his stewardship. Joe Kelley would replace Bancroft as a Player-manager and the Reds would finish the remainder of the season above .500 to level their overall record to 70-70 on the season. The Reds ended 33 1/2 games behind the pennant winning Pittsburgh Pirates.
First baseman Jake Beckley (.330/5/69) would lead the team in home runs with five and shortstop Tommie Corcoran (.253/0/54) would swipe a team high twenty bags for the Reds. The star of the offense was Sam “Wahoo” Crawford (.333/3/78) who led the National League in triples (22) and total bases (256).
N. L. Co-Triples Leader (22)
Sam Crawford (CIN)
Lefty Noodles Hahn was the ace of the Reds staff posting a 23-12 record with 142 strikeouts and a minute 1.77 ERA. Righty Ed Poole posted a 12-4 mark with 55 strikeouts and a 2.15 ERA. Bill Phillips (16/2.51/85), Henry Thielman (9/3.24/49) and Bob Ewing (5/2.94/44) rounded out the starting rotation.
1903
A dreadful 2-9 start in Joe Kelley first full season as Red’s skipper doomed this club from the jump. Despite a late season surge in July and August, the Reds finished 74-65, 16 1/2 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The trio of third baseman Harry Steinfeldt (.312/6/83) and outfielders Cy Seymour (.342/7/72) and Mike Donlin (.351/7/67) provided the Reds with a long ball threat. Steinfeldt led the National League in doubles with twenty-two. Donlin, Seymour and first baseman Jake Beckley (.327/2/81) combined to steal 74 bases on season.
Noodles Hahn (22/2.52/127) cemented his ace status atop the Reds rotation with a 1.162 WHIP. Bob Ewing (14/2.77/104), Jack Sutthoff (16/2.80/76) and Bill Phillips (7/3.35/46) all posted winning records out of the starting rotation. Remaining starters Ed Poole (7/3.28/73) and Jack Harper (8/4.33/45) combined to win 15 more games.
1904
The Cincinnati Reds continued to add to their win totals in 1904 finishing the year with an 88-65 mark. The Reds sat at 26-12 at the end of May, but the pennant winning New York Giants got hot in June and pulled away from the rest of the National League. Despite their solid record, the Reds finished 18 games behind the Giants in third place.
Outfielders Cozy Dolan (.284/6/51) and Cy Seymour (.313/5/58) provided the offensive firepower for a team that would produce 4.5 runs per game. Fred Odwell (.284/1/58) would complete the outfield after joining the Reds from the Louisville Colonels of the American Association and swipe thirty bags. Shortstop Tommy Corcoran plated a team high 74 runs despite a .230 average.
The Reds utilized only seven pitchers throughout the 1904 season. Noodles Hahn (16/2.06/98), Jack Harper (23/2.30/125), Win Kellum (15/2.60/70), Tom Walker (15/2.24/64), Bob Ewing (11/2.46/99), Jack Sutthoff (5/2.30/27) and Claude Elliott (3/2.97/19) combined for all 88 wins and a combined 2.34 team ERA.
1905
The Cincinnati Reds regressed slightly during the 1905 season winning 79 games and finishing in fifth place in the National League. At the end of May, the club stood at 19-19 but a solid June brought their record to five games over .500. A poor July followed by a better August kept the Reds mired in fifth place. Ultimately, they would end the season 26 games behind the gonfalon winning New York Giants.
In his second season in Cincinnati, outfielder Fred Odwell (.241/9/65) led the Senior Circuit in home runs with nine.
N. L. Home Run Leader (9)
Fred Odwell (CIN)
Cy Seymour (.377/8/121) had a season for the ages leading the National League in eleven categories including: hits (219), doubles (40), triples (21), RBIs (121), batting average (.377), slugging percentage (.559), OPS (.988), OPS+ (181) and total bases (325).
N. L. Batting Champion (.377)
Cy Seymour (CIN)
N. L. RBI Leader (121)
Cy Seymour (CIN)
N. L. Triples Leader (21)
Cy Seymour (CIN)
Second baseman Miller Huggins (.273/1/38) led the National League in walks (103) and had a team high 117 runs scored in his second season with the Reds.
Club ace Noodles Hahn was limited to 8 starts due to injury and posted a 5-3 record with a 2.81 ERA. First year Red, Orval Overall, recorded an 18-23 record in 39 starts despite striking out 173 batters with a 2.86 ERA. Bob Ewing led the staff in wins with twenty and fanned 161 opponents with a 2.51 ERA. Righthander Charlie Chech (14/2.89/79) finished a league high 13 games on the year.
1906
The 1906 version of the Cincinnati Reds got off to a poor start and ended June with a 26-41 record under new Manager Ned Hanlon. The Reds only posted a winning record in July at 15-12 and by that point, no one was going to catch the 116-win Chicago Cubs. The Reds ended the season at 64-87, fifty-one and a half games behind Chicago.
Catcher Admiral Schlei and outfielder Cy Seymour led the team in home runs with four each. Seymour was traded as the Reds faded to the New York Giants for cash. Second baseman Miller Huggins (.292/0/26) led the team in batting average hitting .292.
Lefty Jake Weimer (20/2.22/141), who was acquired from the Cubs for Harry Steinfeldt, led the Reds in victories with twenty. Orval Overall (4/4.26/33) was traded to the Cubs for fellow pitcher Bob Wicker. Wicker would win six of seventeen decisions with 69 strikeouts and a 2.70 ERA. Chick Fraser posted a 10-20 mark despite a 2.67 ERA.
1907
The Cincinnati Reds won two more games in 1907 than the prior season finishing 41 and 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs in Ned Hanlon’s second season as skipper. A 4-10 start doomed the Reds, and they never tasted first place after April 15th. Outfielder Mike Mitchell (.292/3/47) led the team in both average (.292) and home runs (3). Second baseman Miller Huggins (.248/1/31) led the National League in games played (162) and walks (83). First sacker John Ganzel led the team in RBIs (64) and led the National League in triples with 16.
N. L. Co-Triples Leader (16)
John Ganzel (CIN)
Bob Ewing (17/1.73/147) and Andy Coakley (17/2.34/89) each topped the Reds in wins with 17. Southpaw Jake Weimer posted an 11-14 record a 2.41 ERA and 67 punchouts while leading the league in hit batters (23). Roy Hitt (6/3.40/63) and Del Mason (5/3.14/45) combined to start 35 games and managed only 11 wins.
1908
The Red started off the 1908 season decently as their record stood at 34-30 after sixty-four games. Ned Hanlon was replaced by John Ganzel who took over duties as a Player-Manager. The Reds won 73 and lost 81 and finished 26 games behind the Chicago Cubs in fifth place in the National League.
Ganzel manned first base and hit .250 with one homer and 51 RBIs. Admiral Schlei regained the starting role at catcher but struggled at the plate hitting .220 with one home run and 22 runs batted in. Hans Lobert led the team in all three triple crown categories hitting .293 with four home runs and 63 RBIs. Lobert made history on September 27th against the Cardinals when second, third and home in the third inning of a 6-1 Reds win.
Hans Lobert (CIN)
Steals 2nd, 3rd & Home
3rd Inning
vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Bob Ewing (17/2.21/95) and Bob Spade (17/2.74/74) led the pitching staff with 17 wins apiece. Andy Coakley was a victim of poor run support as he posted an 8-18 record despite a sterling 1.74 ERA. Billy Campbell (12/2.60/73) and Jake Weimer (8/2.39/36) rounded out the starting rotation and combined for a 20-20 record.
1909
The 1909 Cincinnati Reds started the season winning seven or their first nine games. The Reds then dropped 10 of 13 to fall back under .500 where they would hover for the remainder of the year. Clark Griffith took over as Manager of the Reds in 1909 and they finished in fourth place, 33 1/2 games behind the pennant-winning Pirates.
First baseman Dick Hoblitzell took over the starting position in his second year with the club and hit .308 with four home runs and 67 runs batted in. Outfielder Bob Bescher (.240/1/34) led the National League is stolen bases with 54 on the season.
N. L. Stolen Base Leader (54)
Bob Bescher (CIN)
Newly acquired outfielder Rebel Oakes hit .270 with three home runs and 31 RBIs. Third baseman Hans Lobert hit four home runs and had fifty-two RBIs despite his .212 batting average. Outfielder Mike Mitchell (.310/4/86) led the team in average and RBIs and topped the National League in triples with 17.
N. L. Triples Leader (17)
Mike Mitchell (CIN)
The Reds pitching staff was fronted by two 19-game winners, Art Fromme (19/1.90/126) and Harry Gaspar (19/2.01/65). Gaspar and rotation mate Jack Rowan (11/2.79/81) would both lead the league in home runs per 9 innings (0.0). Bob Ewing (11/2.43/86) and Bob Spade (5/2.85/31) would round out the starting five. Billy Campbell pitched 148.1 innings in relief and won seven with a 2.67 ERA.
The Palace of Fans held an exhibition night game on June 18th between two local amateur teams. It would be 26 years before the first night game between two major league teams occurred.
Exhibition Night Game
Under Temporary Lighting
1910
The 1910 Cincinnati Reds were a middling team for the entire year. At the end of June, they stood at 30-30 and finished the season four games under .500. The Reds won 75 games and finished in fifth place, twenty-nine games behind the National League Champion Chicago Cubs.
The Reds got solid production from a group of everyday players. First sacker Dick Hoblitzell (.278/4/70) led the National League in at-bats with 611. Outfielder Bob Bescher hit .250 with 4 home runs and 48 RBIs while leading the senior circuit in stolen bases with 70.
N. L. Stolen Base Leader (70)
Bob Bescher (CIN)
Outfielder Mike Mitchell (.286/5/88) led the team in home runs (5) and led the league in games played (156) and triples (18).
N. L. Triples Leader (18)
Mike Mitchell (CIN)
Outfielder Dode Paskert (.300/2/46) made history on May 23rd against the Boston Braves when he stole second, third and home in the first inning of a 3-0 Reds loss.
Dode Paskert (CIN)
Steals 2nd, 3rd & Home
1st Inning
vs. Boston Braves
The Reds pitching staff combined for a team ERA of 3.08 led by righthander George Suggs (20/2.40/91). Suggs went 20-12 on the year and led the league in walks per 9 innings (1.6). Fellow righty Harry Gaspar (15/2.59/74) led the league in saves (7) and hit batters (15). Jack Rowan (14/2.93/108), Fred Beebe (12/3.07/93) and “Sleepy” Bill Burns (8/3.48/57) rounded out the starting five. Burns later served as a go-between the players and gamblers in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.
Chief Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates made history on July 3rd when he hit for the cycle against the Reds in a 10-2 Pirates victory.
Cycle:
Chief Wilson (PIT)
vs. Cincinnati Reds
1911
The Cincinnati Reds tumbled to sixth place in the National League in 1911, their last season playing at the Palace of the Fans. The Reds would win five less games than the previous campaign and finish twenty-nine games behind the New York Giants. The Reds never led the division and never challenged for the pennant. By the end of July, the Reds record sat at 39-53 and they would finish 29 games behind the Giants in sixth place.
A trio of Reds received MVP consideration, Dick Hoblitzell (.289/11/91), Mike Mitchell (.291/2/84) and Bob Bescher (.275/1/45). Hoblitzell led the National League in games played (158) and at-bats (622). Bescher topped the league in plate appearances (716), strikeouts (78) and stolen bases (81).
N. L. Stolen Base Leader (81)
Bob Bescher (CIN)
The Reds starting five of George Suggs (15/3.00/91), Harry Gaspar (11/3.30/76), Bobby Keefe (12/2.69/105), Art Fromme (10/3.46/107) and Frank Smith (10/3.98/67) would have a combined record of 58-68. Righthander Fromme led the league in hit batters with 16. The Reds would part ways with Manager Clark Griffith after the sixth-place finish.
The Reds would move to 25,000 seat Redland Field (aka Crosley Field) for the start of the 1912 season.
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