The first MVP Award was handed out this year; the AL winner was pitcher Lefty Grove, who posted a 31-4 record. His team, the Philadelphia Athletics, won their third straight pennant, but were defeated in the World Series by the Cardinals. The Athletics would not win another pennant until 1972, a span of 41 years and three different cities.

        Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth were the best hitters in the league. Gehrig mashed over 400 total bases for the second year in a row, and led the league in runs produced, with 35 more than Ruth. Gehrig received the most votes among the players.
        Al Simmons won his second straight batting title, and led the Athletics to the pennant. He was 30 years old, and had been a fabulous player to this point in his career. Through the end of the season he was a career .363 hitter; he also spiked his game with plenty of extra-base hits and RBI. Simmons was nicknamed "Bucketfoot Al"; when he swung the bat he strode towards third base, a bad habit that is known as "stepping in the bucket". Bad habit or not, Simmons continued to pound out line drives for Connie Mack's great Athletics team.
        After this season, Simmons gradually went into decline. His power dwindled, and he was never again in contention for a batting title. He finished up as a career .334 hitter, but came up short of an important milestone, finishing with 2927 career hits. He also had 307 career homers to complement generous numbers of doubles and triples. He was one of the best outfielders of the era, and was later inducted into the Hall Of Fame.
        Earl Webb's 67 doubles are still an all-time record. Remarkably, he set his record three years before Fenway Park was rebuilt with the Green Monster in left field. Instead, there was a sloping hill in left field, which may have helped but the Sox did not usually hit a lot of doubles before the Monster was built. Webb's record remains one of the most unlikely, yet one of the most enduring, in baseball history. Webb only had two full seasons in the majors.
        Again, I think that Joe Cronin and Mickey Cochrane were the best infielders in the league. Both players were good defensively, and played for very good teams (the Senators and the Athletics). I'd put them behind Gehrig and Ruth, but ahead of Simmons.
        As I have mentioned, this year was the last hurrah for a great Philadelphia Athletics team. The subject of greatest ever teams is a popular one, especially after the recent exploits of the 1998-99 New York Yankees; after thinking about it, I am not sure that I would not choose these Athletics. Lefty Grove in his prime was as good a pitcher as there ever has been, and the same can be said about Cochrane behind the plate and Foxx at first base. Al Simmons was awesome, and they had some other terrific performers.
        The manager was Connie Mack, who managed for 53 years and also owned the team. Connie was a gentleman, a thin-faced man who always wore a suit during the game. He was a great manager, though perhaps not a great owner. Mack managed the Athletics until 1950, but could never bring another championship to the city. When he retired he was 88 years old; he won 3731 games as a manager, lost 3948. But he won five World Series championships, and his best teams were as good as any ever put on the field.