This was the third of twelve seasons of the first Negro National League. Generally, teams did not play a uniform number of games (since some teams barnstormed against other Negro baseball teams). This sometimes created a difference in who would generally be considered first place in certain years. Playoffs would not be held to determine a winner until 1925 (for which it would be used five times until 1930). For example, Indianapolis played the most games with 85, followed by Kansas City at 80, Detroit with 75, and Chicago with 62. The latter team with its superior winning percentage among the group is generally considered the pennant winner.[2]
A loose confederation of teams were gathered in the East to compete with the West, however East teams did not organize a formal league as the West did.
January 13 – Former Chicago White Sox infielder Buck Weaver files his first application for reinstatement to major league baseball. This would be one of six unsuccessful attempts Weaver would make to have the lifetime banishment lifted.
January 14 – The Washington Senators name Clyde Milan, and outfielder and member of the team since 1907, as the new manager, replacing George McBride.
January 30 – José Leblanc, a pitcher with the Negro National League's Cuban Stars, is struck on the head with a baseball bat in an argument with Antonio Susini, during a Cuban League game. Leblanc dies the following day.
March 5 – Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees agree to a deal that pays the slugger $52,000 annually. The deal is worth more than that of teammate Frank "Home Run" Baker.
March 9 – The St. Louis Cardinals sign Rogers Hornsby to a three-year contract. Hornsby had been contacted by John McGraw of the New York Giants, but Hornsby opted to sign with St. Louis.
April 18 – St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Sid Benton faces two batters in the Cards' 7–5 loss to the Chicago Cubs, and walks both. It is his only major league experience ever.
April 22 – Ken Williams of the St. Louis Browns hits three home runs in a single game, all of which scored George Sisler. Williams becomes the first American League player to hit three homers in a game as St. Louis defeated Chicago 10–7.
April 28 – The Philadelphia Phillies defeat Brooklyn 10–7. In the game, Lee King of Philadelphia drives in seven runs. It's King's best output of the season as he finished the year with 15 runs batted in.
April 29 – George Kelly, Ross Youngs and Dave Bancroft of the New York Giants each hit inside-the-park home runs, with Kelly accounting for two. The Giants defeated the Boston Braves 15–4 in the contest.
Walter Mueller makes his major league debut, driving in five runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs 11–5. Mueller becomes the first player in major history to drive in five runs in his MLB debut.
May 20 – Babe Ruth joins the New York Yankees after having been suspended for an illegal barnstorming tour the previous fall.
May 25 – Ruth, having just returned to the Yankees, is called out trying to stretch a single into a double. An irate Ruth throws dirt into the eyes of the umpire. Ruth then enters the stands to fight a man that had been heckling him. After they are separated, Ruth begins yelling at the entire crowd. His antics cause him to be suspended for one game, and he is fined $200. A decision is also made to strip Ruth of his standing as team captain as well.
May 30 – One of the strangest trades in baseball history occurs between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. The teams are playing each other in a double-header, when at the conclusion of the first game, Chicago trades outfielder Cliff Heathcote to St. Louis for outfielder Max Flack. Both players got a hit for their team in the second game, won by the Cubs as part of a sweep.
June 5 – In the only game on the Major League schedule, sloppy play by the St. Louis Cardinals is the difference in the Boston Braves' 6–0 victory. An error by Cardinals first basemanJack Fournier leads to two unearned runs in the second. With two outs in the third, Jeff Pfefferwalks one, then gives up consecutive singles for Boston's third run. Hod Ford's single to center drives in a fourth run, followed by an error by center fielder Jack Smith, leading to a fifth run. Fournier commits a second error in the fifth which leads to Boston's sixth, and final, run.
June 12 – Hub Pruett struck out Babe Ruth three consecutive times as the St. Louis Browns beat the New York Yankees 7–1.
July 13 – Bill Doak of the St. Louis Cardinals loses a no-hit bid when he fails to cover first base. Curt Walker of Philadelphia hit a grounder to Cardinals first baseman Jack Fournier who could not reach the base quick enough to tag out Walker.
Wally Pipp, Everett Scott and Mike McNally of the New York Yankees each get three hits in a game as the New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox 11–7.
July 23 – Chicago Cubs first baseman Ray Grimes drives in two runs in a 4–1 victory over the Brooklyn Robins, giving him at least one RBI in seventeen straight games.
August 15 – The Chicago White Sox defeated the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, 19–11, in a game which both teams combined for a whopping 35 singles. Chicago collected 21 singles, Boston 14, to set an American League record that's still intact.
The Chicago Cubs managed to edge out the Philadelphia Phillies, 26–23, in one of the worst combined pitching performances in Major League Baseball history. The game itself featured 51 hits, 23 bases on balls and 10 errors, with the Phillies leaving 16 runners stranded on base and the Cubs stranding nine.
September 2–19 year old pitcher Paul Schreiber makes his major league debut for the Brooklyn Robins, giving up two hits over one inning. Schreiber would be sent back to the minors after the following season. He'd later emerge to pitch for the New York Yankees in 1945, coming out of retirement due to a shortage of players during the war, and appear in an MLB game 25 years after he'd played in his last one.
September 24 – Brothers Jesse and Virgil Barnes of the New York Giants surrender a home run to Rogers Hornsby. Hornsby would finish the season with a then record 42 homers.
September 30 – Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Eddie Rommel gets his league leading 27th victory over the Washington Senators. Philadelphia only manage 65 victories all season, and finish in seventh place in the American League.
October 4 – For the second year in a row, every game of the World Series is played at the Polo Grounds in New York City since it houses both the Giants and Yankees. The Giants score three in the eighth inning to take game one, 3–2.
October 5 – After ten innings, game two of the 1922 World Series is declared a 3–3 tie.
October 6 – Behind a four hitter by Jack Scott, the Giants win game three of the World Series, 3–0.
October 7 – A four run fifth inning carries the Giants to a 4–3 victory over the Yankees in game four of the World Series.
October 8 – The New York Giants defeat the New York Yankees, 5–3, in Game five of the World Series, to win their second consecutive World Championship, and third overall, with a 4–0–1 record.
January 11 – Miah Murray, 57, catcher for the Nationals, Colonels, Grays and Statesmen between 1884 and 1891, who became a full-time umpire in 1895.
January 14 – Ben Shibe, 83, owner of the Philadelphia Athletics since the 1901 season, during which period the team won six American League pennants and three World Series.
January 19 – Bob Keating, 59, pitcher for the 1887 Baltimore Orioles.
January 21 – Orator Shafer, 70, outfielder for 13 seasons from 1874 to 1890, who collected a .282 batting average and 1000 hits in 871 career games.
January 27 – Emil Frisk, 47, pitcher and outfielder in four major league seasons between 1899 and 1907, who became the first player to accumulate over 2,000 hits in minor league history.
January 30 – Billy Rhines, 52, pitcher who posted a 114–103 record for three teams between 1890 and 1899, while leading the National League in earned run average in the 1890 and 1896 seasons.
February 6 – Frank Barrows, 77, outfielder for the 1871 Boston Red Stockings.
March 11 – Joe Gerhardt, 67, second baseman for several teams from 1873 to 1891, who led the National League in assists twice and in double plays three times.
March 14 – Danny Hoffman, 42, center fielder for the Athletics, Highlanders and Browns from 1903 through 1911, who led the American League in stolen bases during the 1905 season.
March 26 – Count Gedney, 72, left fielder who played from 1872 through 1875 for the Mutuals, Athletics, Eckfords and Haymakers of the National Association.
April 1 – Leech Maskrey, 68, left fielder for the Louisville Eclipse/Colonels and the Cincinnati Red Stockings from 1882 to 1886.
April 1 – Harry Smith, 31, catcher for the New York Giants, Brooklyn Tip-Tops and Cincinnati Reds between 1914 and 1918.
April 14 – Cap Anson, 69, Hall of Fame first baseman for the Chicago White Stockings who was the 19th century's most prolific hitter, setting career records for games, hits, runs, doubles and RBI; batted .333 lifetime, winning three batting titles, also ranked sixth all-time in home runs upon retirement; managed Chicago to five pennants (1880–82, 1885–86), 1296 career victories were record until 1907; among first managers to use pitching rotation, and first to organize spring training.
May 19 – Bob Reach, 78, National Association shortstop who played from 1872 to 1873 for the Olympics and Blue Legs teams based in Washington, D.C..
May 22 – Bill Daley, 53, pitcher for three seasons; one for the Boston Beaneaters, and two for the Boston Reds.
May 24 – Charlie Frank, 61, outfielder for the St. Louis Browns from 1893 to 1894.
May 25 – Charlie Gessner, 58, pitcher for the 1886 Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association.
May 31 – John Coleman, 59, pitcher/outfielder for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys and the Quakers/Athletics Philadelphia teams between 1883 and 1890, who led all National League pitchers in starts, complete games and innings pitched during the 1883 season.
June 12 – Chief Johnson, 36, pitcher who played from 1913 to 1914 for the Cincinnati Reds of the National League and the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League.
June 24 – Dan O'Leary, 65, outfielder from 1879 to 1884, player-manager for the 1884 Cincinnati Outlaw Reds of the Union Association.
June 28 – Dick Lowe, 68, catcher for the 1884 Detroit Wolverines of the National League.
August 5 – Tommy McCarthy, 59, Hall of Fame outfielder for the St. Louis and Boston teams who batted .300 four times and pioneered several strategies; defensive standout led American Association in assists and steals once each.
August 12 – Sam King, 70, first baseman for the 1884 Washington Nationals of the American Association.
September 15 – Charlie Jones, 60, infielder who played for the 1884 Brooklyn Atlantics.
September 18 – Jake Stahl, 43, manager and first baseman who led the Red Sox to the 1912 World Series title, led AL in home runs in 1910.
September 23 – Butch Rementer, 44, catcher for the 1904 Philadelphia Phillies.
September 30 – Frank Genins, 56, infielder/outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Blues between 1892 and 1901.
October 14 – Rasty Wright, 59, outfielder who played in 1890 with the Syracuse Stars of the American Association and the Cleveland Spiders of the National League.
October 25 – Pat Kilhullen, 32, catcher for the 1914 Pittsburgh Pirates.
October 31 – Dick Padden, 52, second baseman who hit .258 in 824 games with the Pirates, Senators, Cardinals and Browns between 1896 and 1905.
November 1 – Billy Goeckel, 51, first baseman for the 1899 Philadelphia Phillies.
November 4 – John Houseman, 52, Dutch infielder/outfielder who played with the Chicago Cubs in 1894 and for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1897.
November 6 – Morgan G. Bulkeley, 84, executive who served as the National League's first president in 1876, also as president of Hartford club; later a governor of Connecticut and U.S. Senator.
November 7 – Sam Thompson, 62, Hall of Fame right fielder for Detroit and Philadelphia who batted .331 lifetime and won 1887 batting title; led National League in hits three times, home runs and doubles twice each; until 1921, held record of 166 RBI (1887) and ranked second in career home runs; his .505 career slugging average was second highest of 19th century.
November 11 – Dave Pierson, 67, catcher/outfielder for the 1876 Cincinnati Reds.
November 14 – Doc Oberlander, 58, pitcher for the 1888 Cleveland Blues of the American Association.
November 18 – Len Lovett, 70, outfielder for the Elizabeth Resolutes (1873) and Philadelphia Centennials (1875) National Association teams.
November 23 – Sandy McDermott, 66, second baseman for the 1885 Baltimore Orioles of the American Association.
November 27 – Austin McHenry, 27, dies from a brain tumor after hitting .350 with 17 home runs and 110 RBI for the 1921 St. Louis Cardinals, who became ill during the 1922 season and was hitting .303 when forced to quit.
December 1 – Jim Snyder, 75, catcher/shortstop for the Brooklyn Eckfords of the National Association between 1870 and 1872.
December 22 – Dad Meek, 55, catcher who played from 1889 through 1890 for the St. Louis Browns of the American Association.
December 25 – Wes Fisler, 81, infielder/outfielder who hit .310 for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1871 to 1876, and a member of the 1871 National Association championship team.