[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1901 marked the first official season of unified Major League Baseball. In the National Association, the Detroit Tigers would lead the NA in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed (718-524). The Tigers finished 101-61 atop the Midwest League, but had to fend off a challenge from the Louisville Lynx all season. The Lynx ended two back at 99-63, securing second place and a playoff spot. There was a 12 game gap to third place Kansas City.


The Eastern League saw the Toronto Timberwolves pull away at the end for first place at 96-66. The second place race was a dogfight with five teams finishing within three games. Montreal (88-74) beat out Boston (87-75), Buffalo (86-76), Hartford (86-76), and Pittsburgh (85-77) for the second spot.


Detroit landed both the MVP and Pitcher of the Year. 32-year old right fielder Davis Zaitsoff led the NA in home runs (46) and RBI (139) while taking second in OBS at.977. On the mound, 31-year old Sonny Carnell had a second-best 1.77 ERA along with 7.4 WAR and a 1.00 WHIP over 269.1 innings.


Despite the accolades and home field advantage, the Tigers would be upset 3-2 by Montreal in the first round of the playoffs. Toronto bested Louisville 3-1, setting up the top-two in the Eastern League in the National Association championship. Although the Timberwolves were league champ, the Maples dominated and swept Toronto, sending Montreal to the first World Series.



The American Association meanwhile was incredibly top-heavy with five teams at 99+ wins by season’s end. The Western League was a three-horse race fighting for two spots. Led by Pitcher of the Year winner Jeremy Diedrich and center field stud Andrew McCluskie, the Calgary Cheetahs narrowly took the top spot at 103-59. Albuquerque would win a one-game playoff against top-scoring Vancouver to give the Isotopes the second playoff spot at 102-61, leaving the Volcanoes out at 101-62.


In the Southern League, Tampa had the best record in baseball at 106-56 with MVP second baseman Alex Rodriguez. He posted the first-ever 10+ WAR season at 10.8 WAR with a .379/.450/.550 line and an MLB best 140 runs scored. Charlotte had a solid second place season at 99-63 to advance with a big drop to third place Nashville.


The Thunderbirds swept the Isotopes in the first round, while the Cheetahs were taken to the brink but defeated Charlotte 3-2. Tampa would win the American Association Championship 4-1 over Calgary to set up the first-ever World Series.


Montreal’s underdog run would come to an end though against the Thunderbirds. Tampa claimed the series 4-1 to become the first MLB champions. Third baseman George Cull earned MVP honors in both the World Series and Association Championship, hitting .429/.517/.612 with 21 hits over 13 postseason games.


Click here for full National Association stats and here for the American Association.