1903 Los Angeles Angels season

The 1903 Los Angeles Angels season was part of the first season of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The Los Angeles Angels had begun play in 1901 in the California League, joined the new league upon its inception, and won the first PCL pennant with a 133–78 record.[1][2] Los Angeles won its first 15 games of the season and was never out of first place. They were the only team in the league to finish above .500. The team, frequently referred to as the Loo-Loos in its early years, played its home games at Chutes Park, an amusement park south of downtown Los Angeles.

1903 Los Angeles Angels
LeaguePacific Coast League
BallparkChutes Park
CityLos Angeles
Record133–78
League place1st
OwnersJames F. Morley
ManagersFrank Dillon
Seasons

In 2003, the 1903 Angels were selected by a panel of minor league experts as the fifth best team in the PCL's 100-year history.[3] The team was also selected by Minor League Baseball as the 29th best team in minor league history.[1]

Position players

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Frank Dillon
 
Gavvy Cravath

Frank Dillon was the team's manager and first baseman. He compiled a .364 batting average and led the PCL with 274 hits.[2][1] The Angels' lead over its PCL opponents was so large that Dillon was able to leave the team late in August to be married and enjoy a honeymoon.[3][4]

Second baseman George Wheeler appeared in 198 games, including 12 games a pitcher in which he compiled an 8–1 win–loss record and team-best 1.92 earned run average.[2][1]

Third baseman Jud Smith led the PCL in both assists and total chances.[5] He also was second on the team among the regulars with a .290 batting average.[1]

Jimmy Toman was the team's primary shortstop, appearing in 172 games and batting .224.[1]

Left fielder Art Ross was in his first of several seasons with the Angels and batted .288, good for 3rd on the team among the regulars.[1]

Center fielder Dummy Hoy, at age 41, appeared in every game for the Angels and led the PCL with 157 runs scored. He was the most accomplished deaf player in baseball history, having played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1902. Hoy set major league records for career putouts (3,958) and total chances (4,625) by an outfielder. After the 1903 season, he retired from professional baseball.[2][1]

Right fielder Gavvy Cravath, at age 22, led the team with seven home runs.[2] Cravath remained with the Angels through the 1907 season, then played 11 seasons in the majors, leading the National League in home runs six times between 1913 and 1919.

Harry Spies was the team's catcher. He played in 184 games and batted .251.[1]

Pitchers

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Doc Newton
 
Joe Corbett

Pitcher Joe Corbett, the younger brother of world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Corbett, won 23 games and led the PCL with 150 strikeouts and eight shutouts.[6] Corbett also appeared as an infielder and outfielder and was the team's second best hitter with a .336 batting average.[2][1]

Two pitchers won at least 30 games: Doc Newton (34–12) and Warren "Rusty" Hall (32–19).[1] Newton had played in the majors from 1900 to 1902 and threw the first no-hitter in PCL history on November 8, 1903. The only two hitters to reach first base did so on fielding errors.[7] Hall was a workhorse who appeared in 53 games and pitched 468 innings.[2]

1903 PCL standings

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Team W L Pct. GB
Los Angeles Angels 133 78 .630 --
Sacramento Senators 105 106 .500 27.5
Seattle Indians 98 100 .495 28.5
San Francisco Stars 107 110 .493 29.0
Portland Browns 95 108 .468 34.0
Oakland Oaks 89 126 .414 46.0

[1]

Statistics

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Batting

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Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; AVG = Batting average; HR = Home runs; SLG = Slugging percentage

Pos Player G AB H AVG HR SLG
1B Frank Dillon 190 752 274 .364 3 .479
P, 2B, OF, 3B Joe Corbett 79 262 88 .336 4 .450
3B Jud Smith 198 791 229 .290 1 .377
LF Art Ross 198 747 215 .288 2 .332
RF Gavvy Cravath 209 804 220 .274 7 .396
CF, LF Dummy Hoy 212 808 208 .257 0 .334
C, 1B, RF, LF Harry Spies 184 641 161 .251 2 .314
2B, P, SS George Wheeler 198 757 171 .226 3 .339
SS Jimmy Toman 172 594 133 .224 1 .291

[2][1]

Pitching

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Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; PCT = Winning percentage; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L PCT ERA SO
Doc Newton 48 403 34 12 .739 2.43 146
Warren "Rusty" Hall 53 468 32 19 .627 2.31 100
Joe Corbett 41 347 23 16 .590 2.36 196
Dolly Gray 51 406 23 20 .535 3.55 91
Virgil Drinkwater 21 169 10 8 .556 2.72 44
George Wheeler 12 75 8 1 .889 1.92 21

[2][1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Bill Weiss; Marshall Wright. "Top 100 Teams: 29. 1903 Los Angeles Angels". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "1903 Los Angeles Angels". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "PCL top 10". Los Angeles Times. March 30, 2003. p. D9 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Capt. Dillon in Love; Hildebrand Senseless". Los Angeles Times. August 16, 1903. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Richard Beverage (2011). The Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League: A History, 1903-1957. McFarland. p. 6. ISBN 978-0786487882.
  6. ^ Chris Goode (2009). California Baseball: From the Pioneers to the Glory Years. p. 52. ISBN 978-0557087600.
  7. ^ "Doc Newton Made Coast League Record: Pitched Best Ball Game Ever in This City". Los Angeles Times. November 9, 1903. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

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  • "The Greatest Minor League: A History of the Pacific Coast League, 1903-1957", by Dennis Snelling (McFarland 2011)
  • "The Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League: A History, 1903-1957", by Richard Beverage (McFarland 2011)