The Record published another version of the Athletics roster for the coming season that showed a few differences from previous versions, including the absence of infielder Clyde Robinson, pitchers Bill Duggleby and Snake Wiltse, and outfielders Matty McIntyre and Socks Seybold and the addition of pitcher Jack Townsend.
The complete list was: pitchers Chick Fraser, Bill Bernhard, Eddie Plank, and Townsend, catchers Doc Powers and Farmer Steelman, first baseman Harry Davis, second baseman Nap Lajoie, third baseman Lave Cross, shortstop Monte Cross, left fielder Topsy Hartsel, center fielder Dave Fultz, and right fielder Elmer Flick.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments in the Phillies' appeal of last year's decision by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas that allowed Nap Lajoie, Bill Bernhard, and Chick Fraser play for the Athletics.
Francis Richter of Sporting Life reported that manager Connie Mack planned to send his pitching staff south in the spring to get ready for the season, but that his position players could all be relied upon to keep themselves in shape during the winter and did not need the extra work.
The Times published the official roster of the Athletics as released by American League president Ban Johnson.
To wit: pitchers Snake Wiltse, Chick Fraser, Bill Bernhard, Eddie Plank, and Bill Duggleby, catchers Farmer Steelman and Doc Powers, infielders Harry Davis, Nap Lajoie, Lave Cross, and Monte Cross, and outfielders Socks Seybold, Topsy Hartsel, Dave Fultz, and Elmer Flick.
Business manager Billy Sharsig died of stomach cancer at his Philadelphia home at the age of 47.
The Record reported that manager Connie Mack had offered outfielder Socks Seybold to St Louis in exchange for right-handed pitcher Bill Reidy, but no deal had yet been consummated.
Among the attendees at the funeral of the team’s business manager, Billy Sharsig, was a man named Charles Goodfellow, who was identified only as a “club employee”. Other than this note in the Times, Goodfellow’s connection to the team doesn’t seem to have been mentioned in the press.
Sporting Life reported that the team was trying to acquire Baltimore catcher Roger Bresnahan.
According to the Record, third baseman Lave Cross told manager Connie Mack that the knee he injured late in the 1901 campaign was fully healed and that he would be ready to go when the team got back together in April.
President Ben Shibe and manager Connie Mack were off to Buffalo to attend American League meetings. While there Mack planned to suggest a rule allowing a team to substitute another hitter for the pitcher in the batting lineup – a designated hitter, if you will. His argument was two-fold: first, that most pitchers were bad hitters and, second, that games were unnecessarily delayed while a pitcher recovered his wind between innings after having exerted himself on the basepaths in the previous half-inning.
The Record reported that the team’s pitchers would convene for spring training on March 1 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, while the position players would “limber up on the home grounds.”
As an outgrowth of an existing and unresolved schism among National League owners a rumor was making the rounds that the Phillies and Athletics might merge with Connie Mack managing the team and Phillies manager Bill Shettsline taking over as business manager. Both Shettsline and Mack scoffed at the idea with Mack calling it “presposterous”.
The Record reported more specifics about manager Connie Mack’s plan to send his pitchers to North Carolina next month for spring training. Scheduled to go were pitchers Bill Bernhard, Eddie Plank, Bill Duggleby, and Snake Wiltse, along with catcher Farmer Steelman. Chick Fraser was excused from attending but would work out in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The remaining position players would begin training in Philadelphia on April 1.
Contradicting earlier reports that the team’s position players would train in Philadelphia, Sporting Life reported they would instead train in Newport News, Virginia.
Work had begun on an upgrade to the left-field bleachers at Columbia Park that would double the seating capacity of the area and move the fence 25 feet closer to home plate. Total capacity of the park would be 16,500 when the work was complete. The work also included raising the infield five feet and laying down a new soil composition that was expected to improve drainage. The team expected construction to be done by April 1.
Pitchers Eddie Plank and Bill Duggleby reported to the team in Philadelphia
Pitchers Eddie Plank and Bill Duggleby were joined by catcher Farmer Steelman aboard a train bound for Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where they would begin spring training. The players planned to spend the entire month there. Pitcher Bill Bernhard and utility infielder Clyde Robinson had planned to be on the same train, but their transportation to Philadelphia had been delayed. Pitcher Snake Wiltse was expected to join them on the 6th and outfielder Dave Fultz would travel to North Carolina directly from Leadville, Colorado where he was working as a miner. Second baseman Nap Lajoie and first baseman Harry Davis were in Philadelphia and were reported to be in good shape already.
The team hired a new groundskeeper: Joe Schroeder.
President Ben Shibe and manager Connie Mack were en route to Detroit for the American League schedule meeting. The Times reported that Mack had reached out to the New York Giants to arrange a pair of exhibitions at the Polo Grounds, but hadn’t received a response so far.
The American League released their official 140-game 1902 schedule. The Athletics were set to open the season on April 23 at Baltimore and would close on September 29 at Washington.
The Record reported that manager Connie Mack had offered Georgetown University shortstop Charles Moran a $3,000 contract before signing Monte Cross.
The players at Chapel Hill planned to get their first workout in today, but weather forced them to move inside to a gym on the University of North Carolina campus. Bill Duggleby, Eddie Plank, and Bill Bernhard spent the day tossing easily to catcher Farmer Steelman, just to work out the arm kinks.
The players in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, worked on their endurance with a five-mile run.
The Times reported that the team’s exhibition schedule would open on April 3 with a game against a squad of Athletics second-stringers leavened by a number of local players and captained by third baseman Lave Cross. Other opponents on the spring schedule were Yale University, Jersey City, Villanova University, Hobart College, Bucknell University, Princeton University, and Newark.
Pitcher Snake Wiltse and outfielder Dave Fultz arrived in Philadelphia in the morning and immediately boarded a train bound for Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
In Chapel Hill, Bill Bernhard and Eddie Plank each pitched several informal innings of practice against members of the University of North Carolina varsity. Bill Duggleby missed practice because of a cold.
In Chapel Hill, pitcher Snake Wiltse made his first appearance in practice against the University of North Carolina varsity.
Rain in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, forced the players training there to practice indoors.
For the second straight day, the players in Chapel Hill worked out indoors while it rained outside. Pitcher Snake Wiltse missed practice while he recovered from the side effects of a recent vaccination. Pitcher Bill Duggleby was still suffering from a cold and planned to return to Philadelphia soon.
Pitcher Bill Duggleby arrived in Philadelphia to recuperate from a recent cold and planned to return to North Carolina when he was able. Pitcher Eddie Plank was still in North Carolina trying to add a slow curve and a change-up to his arsenal
The Record reported that utility infielder Clyde Robinson was performing well in practice. The paper added that, according to their information, Robinson had signed a contract with manager Connie Mack on August 5 of last year, which predated his personal contract with Kansas City’s George Tebeau, dated August 10.
The players in North Carolina moved their base of operations from Chapel Hill to Latta Park in Charlotte and cited poor weather and substandard facilities in Chapel Hill as the reason.
Pitcher Bill Duggleby had recovered from his cold and was back in Charlotte to resume spring training. Pitcher Snake Wiltse had a sore arm and was on limited duty as a result.
The Inquirer reported that the facilities at Latta Park were in rough shape and that the players’ workouts were suffering accordingly.
The Inquirer reported that Bill Bernhard was showing good speed and control in practice, that Eddie Plank and Snake Wiltse were somewhat behind Bernhard in control of their pithcers, and that Bernhard, Farmer Steelman, and Dave Fultz were all hitting the ball well.
The Times reported that the Columbia Park upgrades would be completed by April 5.
The team signed Indiana-born third baseman Harry Hebble.
Practice in Charlotte was rained out for the second-straight day. Utility infielder Clyde Robinson left Charlotte saying he was headed to Philadelphia where he would rejoin the team and work out with the other position players.
Infielder Clyde Robinson turned up in Kansas City two days after he left Charlotte, ostensibly headed for Philadelphia to join the Athletics’ position players for spring training. Robinson had reportedly signed both a contract with the A’s and a personal services contract with George Tebeau of the Kansas City club and decided to go with the latter.
Outfielder Topsy Hartsel reported to the team in Philadelphia.
Manager Connie Mack had planned to open the Philadelphia portion of training camp today but canceled it because of cold weather. On hand were second baseman Nap Lajoie, outfielder Topsy Hartsel, shortstop Monte Cross, third baseman Lave Cross, and outfielder Socks Seybold. First baseman Harry Davis was away due to the recent death of his brother. Pitcher Chick Fraser was still in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and said he would leave that town’s warm climes on the 14th. Catcher Doc Powers and outfielder Elmer Flick were due to report tomorrow. The players in Charlotte were expected back on the 12th.
Manager Connie Mack named his starters for tomorrow’s exhibition opener against Yale: catcher Doc Powers, first base Harry Davis, second base Nap Lajoie, third base Lave Cross, shortstop Monte Cross, left field Topsy Hartsel, center field Socks Seybold, and right field Elmer Flick. On the mound would be 21-year-old right-hander Frank Leary of the University of Pennsylvania.
The players in Charlotte broke camp about a week earlier than expected and began to head north. Bill Duggleby, Snake Wiltse, Bill Bernhard, Eddie Plank, and Farmer Steelman were expected in Philadelphia on the 6th. Dave Fultz was scheduled to arrive on the 7th.
In their spring training exhibition opener, the team lost to Yale, 7-5.
The Inquirer printed a story asserting that a representative of the New York Giants had approached second baseman Nap Lajoie with the offer of a three-year contract that would pay as much as $10,000 per year. The story added the Lajoie had turned down the deal, citing fair treatment by the Athletics.
On a drizzly day and a wet field in Weehawken, New Jersey, the team beat Jersey City of the Eastern League, 13-11, in a spring training contest. Second baseman Nap Lajoie had five hits.
Pitchers Bill Bernhard, Snake Wiltse, Eddie Plank, and Bill Duggleby, and catcher Farmer Steelman arrived in Philadelphia from Charlotte.
New player Lou Castro, who was with Norwich and New London in the Connecticut State League last year, made his Athletics debut at third base.
The team’s scheduled exhibition contest in Weehawken with Jersey City was canceled because of wet grounds.
Outfielder Dave Fultz reported to the team after arriving from Charlotte.
Outfielder Topsy Hartsel was expected to miss a few days of practice with a bruised leg.
For the second straight day, the team’s spring training game with Jersey City in Weehawken was rained out.
The team’s scheduled exhibition game against Villanova was rained out.
The morning featured sunshine and the hope that the team would be able to get in a game after three straight rainouts, but the rain returned in the afternoon, and in any event their opponents from Hobart College failed to show at the appointed time.
The Athletics beat Bucknell in a spring training game, 12-1.
The team beat Princeton in a spring training game, 21-4. First baseman Harry Davis hit three doubles.
The team beat Jersey City, 4-0, in a spring training game. Pitchers Bill Duggleby and Snake Wiltse combined on a one-hitter.
Socks Seybold’s pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Athletics a 3-2 win over Newark.
Chick Fraser made his first mound appearance of the spring for the Athletics in their 10-5 win over Newark.
The team beat Villanova, 16-2, in a spring training game.
The Athletics beat Jersey City in a spring game, 12-4.
Second baseman Nap Lajoie belted four doubles in an 18-5 spring training win over Jersey City.
The Athletics beat Newark, 7-5, in a spring exhibition game.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision regarding second baseman Nap Lajoie. A year ago the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled that Lajoie, along with pitchers Chick Fraser and Bill Bernhard were not bound by contracts they had signed with the Phillies in 1900 and were free to play for the Athletics in 1901. The Philadelphia court based their decision on two factors: that the players in question did not provide a unique and irreplaceable service to the Phillies and that the contracts lacked “mutuality” because they allowed the team to dismiss the players on ten-days notice while not affording the players the same option.
In this new decision, the Supreme Court said that Lajoie’s skill set made him unique among players and hard to replace and said that mutuality did not require a precise 1:1 relationship between sides. The court accepted the Phillies argument that the salary ($2,400) offered to Lajoie was sufficiently high to compensate him for the lack of an out clause. Following the decision, Athletics president Ben Shibe and manager Connie Mack withheld comment until they could consult with the team’s lawyers
Other Athletics players thought to be possibly affected by the ruling were pitcher Bill Duggleby, third baseman Lave Cross, shortstop Monte Cross, and outfielders Topsy Hartsel and Elmer Flick.
In less exalted matters, the team beat the University of Pennsylvania, 12-8, in the final game of spring training. The school had a standing rule prohibiting their students from competing against pro teams and the Athletics had to arrive at the ballpark under a mantle of stealth
After consulting with their lawyers, president Ben Shibe and manager Connie Mack asserted that yesterday’s court ruling overturning the decision that allowed second baseman Nap Lajoie to play for the Athletics last season only applied to Lajoie and not to pitchers Chick Fraser and Bill Bernhard who had also figured in last year’s decision. Phillies owner John Rogers announced he would petition the court to issue an injunction against all three players appearing for the A’s in the upcoming season.
The Athletics opened the regular season in Baltimore where they defeated the Orioles, 8-1
In response to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s reversal of the Lajoie decision, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas issued a temporary five-day injunction against the second baseman appearing for the Athletics pending further deliberations. Lajoie had started the season opener in an A’s uniform, but when manager Connie Mack received word of the court’s decision in the eighth inning he immediately pulled Lajoie from the game.
With Dave Fultz appearing at second base in place of Nap Lajoie who was legally barred from playing, the Athletics lost to Baltimore, 6-2, in Baltimore.
On a windy, dusty day in Baltimore, the Orioles beat the Athletics, 6-2.
Shortstop Monte Cross belted a pair of three-run homers to lead the Athletics to a 12-9 win over the Senators in Washington.
The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled that the injunction against second baseman Nap Lajoie playing for the A’s was permanent and added pitchers Chick Fraser and Bill Bernhard to the injunction.
On a gray and sometimes rainy day, the Senators beat the Athletics, 7-2, in Washington.
The Athletics beat the Senators, 11-7, in Washington.
American League owners met and vowed to fight court-ordered injunctions preventing Nap Lajoie and others playing for American League teams. League president Ban Johnson said they had new evidence to submit.
The team signed right-handed pitcher Ed Kenna. Released by Cleveland on the 27th, he had most recently pitched for Grand Rapids in the Western Association last year.
• The Athletics beat the Senators, 6-3, in Washington
• Team attorneys filed an appeal with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas of that court's recent injunction preventing Nap Lajoie, Bill Bernhard, and Chick Fraser from playing for them
• The team purchased the contract of right-handed pitcher Pete Husting from Boston
• In their 1902 home opener at Columbia Park, the Athletics fell to the Senators, 7-6
• Neither Harry Wolverton nor Ed Delahanty were able to appear for Washington because of recent court rulings
• Under lowering skies, with periodic drizzle during the game, Washington beat the Athletics, 9-3, at Columbia Park
• Newly-acquired right-handed pitcher Pete Husting made his A's debut, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out seven
• In a move that was roundly scorned in some corners of the Philadelphia press, pitcher Bill Duggleby abruptly left the Athletics and returned to the Phillies
• The Athletics beat Washington, 7-5, at Columbia Park
• First baseman Harry Davis had the key blast, a three-run homer in the seventh inning, to give the A's the lead for good
• Right-hander Ed Kenna made his A's debut in relief of Snake Wiltse, going eight innings and giving up two runs off five hits
• Athletics starter Eddie Plank fired a four-hitter to beat Washington, 6-2, at Columbia Park
• The Athletics held off a three-run, ninth-inning charge by the Orioles to eke out a 6-5 win over Baltimore at Columbia Park
• With the approval of manager Connie Mack the team transferred outfielder Elmer Flick to Cleveland, his hometown, where he could play without fear of running afoul of the Philadelphia injunction
• The Athletics beat Baltimore, 6-3, at Columbia Park
• The Inquirer reported that Detroit had offered the A's second baseman Kid Gleason in exchange for Nap Lajoie, but Lajoie nixed the deal saying he didn't want to move away from Philadelphia
• Baltimore beat the Athletics, 13-6, at Columbia Park
• The game marked Baltimore manager John McGraw's return to the field after serving a five-game suspension
• Umpire Silk O'Laughlin tossed A's shortstop Monte Cross in the sixth for arguing over an infield fly which was not caught but was ruled an out
• Dave Fultz hit a pair of triples in the Athletics' 13-4 win over the Orioles at Columbia Park
• The Athletics dropped a game to Boston, 8-2, at Columbia Park
• The game scheduled against Boston at Columbia Park was postponed due to “threatening weather”
• The teams expected to make the game up as part of a double header later in the season
• Boston beat the Athletics, 6-3, at Columbia Park
• Pitcher Chick Fraser signed with the Phillies, ending his attempt to remain employed by the A's
• Second baseman Nap Lajoie had emptied his locker in the A's clubhouse, but his future plans were still uncertain
• Pitcher Bill Bernhard continued to hold out hope he could again play for the A's
• The Athletics beat Boston, 7-5, in 10 innings in Boston
• A's third baseman Lave Cross went 5-for-5 in the game and scored the go-ahead run in the tenth
• Boston starter Cy Young threw a four-hitter to beat the Athletics, 2-1, in Boston
• Socks Seybold hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the Columbia Park fans home happy with a 12-11 win over Cleveland
• First baseman Harry Davis had five hits in the team’s 11-9 win over Cleveland at Columbia Park
• The team signed recently released Cleveland catcher/first baseman Ossee Schrecongost
• The Athletics beat Cleveland, 6-2, at Columbia Park
• In a wild contest at Columbia Park, Cleveland beat the Athletics, 15-9, in 11 innings
• The A’s scored five runs in the ninth to tie it up, but were outdone by Cleveland’s six runs in the top of the 11th to get the win
• Recent acquisition Ossee Schrecongost made his Athletics debut, not at catcher or first base, his usual positions, but in center field after pinch hitting for second baseman Lou Castro
• Dave Fultz moved from center field to second base in the shuffle
• The Athletics beat Detroit, 8-6, at Columbia Park
• The Inquirer reported that pitchers Jack Katoll of Chicago and Fred Mitchell of Boston were expected to join the club in a few days
• The scheduled game against Detroit at Columbia Park was rained out
• Right-hander Howard Wilson was slated to make his Athletics regular season debut on the mound in the game but missed his chance because of the weather
• On a chilly, windy day at Columbia Park the Athletics beat Detroit, 11-4
• After several days of rumors hinting at it, second baseman Nap Lajoie and pitcher Bill Bernhard were in Cleveland, in uniform, practicing with the team before the game, but did not play
• Both said they hadn’t yet signed a contract
• Phillies owner John Rogers vowed legal action if they appeared in a game with the Cleveland team
• Lou Castro went 4-for-4 as the Athletics beat Detroit, 6-4, at Columbia Park to complete the sweep
• The Inquirer reported that the team had signed second baseman Tom Logan from the Scranton team in the Pennsylvania State League
• The Athletics met the Browns for the first time since the team moved from Milwaukee to St Louis in a Decoration Day double header at Columbia Park
• Third baseman Lave Cross went 4-for-4 in the first game, but St Louis came out on top, 11-7
• The A’s took the second game, 11-4
• The Athletics scored three in the bottom of the ninth to beat St Louis, 7-6, at Columbia Park
• Browns starter Bill Reidy had to leave the game in the third when a Socks Seybold liner glanced off his hand, injuring a finger
• The Athletics had another walk-off win when Topsy Hartsel singled in Doc Powers to beat St Louis, 5-4, at Columbia Park
• Chicago made a late charge, scoring five runs in the top of the ninth, but still fell short to the Athletics, 9-7, at Columbia Park
• As suggested in the press about a week ago, the team acquired right-hander Fred Mitchell “on loan” from Boston
• The Athletics lost to Chicago, 3-0, at Columbia Park
• Roy Patterson tossed a four-hitter for the Sox to get the shutout
• Former Athletics second baseman Nap Lajoie made his Cleveland debut against Boston
• The Athletics lost to Chicago, 11-3, at Columbia Park
• Following the game, the team boarded a train for Altoona, where they would play an exhibition game on the morrow before making a road swing to play the four Western teams
• The team opened their road trip with a stop in Altoona, where they defeated the local side, 13-2, in an exhibition game
• Fred Mitchell made his unofficial Athletics debut on the mound
• The Athletics fell to the Tigers, 9-1, in Detroit
• Former Athletics pitcher Bill Bernhard made his Cleveland debut, against Baltimore
• The Athletics committed seven errors in the field in a 10-5 loss to the Tigers in Detroit
• Right-hander Fred Mitchell made his official A’s debut, giving up 12 hits, striking out one, and walking one
• Morning rain left a wet field in Cleveland, where the Athletics beat the locals, 4-3
• The game was second baseman Nap Lajoie’s first appearance against the A’s since going to Cleveland last month and he homered to mark the occasion
• The A’s signed recent Cleveland castoff second baseman Frank Bonner just before the game and he was in the starting lineup, getting a single in four trips to the plate
• The Athletics beat Cleveland, 6-4, in Cleveland
• The team signed left-handed fireballer Rube Waddell
• Waddell was reportedly en route from Los Angeles, where he’d been playing in the California League and was expected to make his A’s debut on the 15th
• The game scheduled between the Athletics and the White Stockings in Chicago was rained out
• Pitcher Rube Waddell had been expected to make his first start today, but he still hadn’t arrived from Los Angeles
• The Athletics lost to the White Sox in Chicago, 10-5
• Rube Waddell still hadn’t arrived from the West, so manager Connie Mack gave Indiana University left-hander Odie Porter the start
• Porter gave up seven runs in the first before getting his nerves settled and pitched adequately the rest of the way, but Mack said he’d seen enough and would not offer him another chance
• The scheduled game between the White Sox and Athletics in Chicago was rained out
• The teams were negotiating a trade involving pitcher Jack Katoll going to the A’s, but no deal had been settled on yet
• Katoll had appeared in just one game for Chicago so far this season
• The game between the Athletics and the Browns in St Louis was rained out
• The Athletics beat the Browns, 5-1, in St Louis
• Pitcher Rube Waddell, signed by the A’s back on the 13th, and expected to have joined the team nearly a week ago, was just now, reportedly, leaving San Francisco by train and heading East
• Despite two Lave Cross triples, the Browns beat the Athletics, 7-4, in St Louis
• While his team traveled to Baltimore to meet the Orioles for a three-game series, manager Connie Mack went to Kansas City to meet pitcher Rube Waddell’s train and shepherd him the rest of the way into port
• The Orioles beat the Athletic, 6-4, in Baltimore
• First baseman Harry Davis went to Philadelphia after the game have an infected fingertip lanced and planned to be back in Baltimore and in the lineup tomorrow
• Harry Davis, who had gone to Philadelphia overnight to deal with an infected finger, hit a pair of triples as the Athletics beat the Orioles, 8-6, in Baltimore
• Left-hander Rube Waddell finally joined the team nearly two weeks after signing
• Rube Waddell made his mound debut for the Athletics but had control trouble in a 7-3 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore
• Waddell gave up seven hits and three walks in his outing while striking out five
• Jack Cronin pitched a four-hitter for Baltimore
• Snake Wiltse pitched a four-hitter to lead the Athletics to a 4-2 over the Senators in Washington
• Manager Connie Mack issued a two-week suspension to infielder Frank Bonner for being “out of shape”
• Bonner was still traveling and practicing with the team
• The Senators beat the Athletics, 4-3, in Washington
• The team released second baseman Frank Bonner one day after suspending him for poor conditioning
• Today’s scheduled game against the Senators in Washington was rained out
• Rube Waddell pitched a two-hit gem, striking out 13, to beat Baltimore, 2-0, at Columbia Park
• Jack Cronin of the Orioles gave up just three hits of his own in the losing effort
• The Athletics lost to Baltimore, 2-1, at Columbia Park
• Today’s scheduled game against Baltimore at Columbia Park was rained out
• The Athletics took both ends of a holiday double header from Washington at Columbia Park
• They won the first game 3-1 and Ossee Schrecongost’s three doubles led the way to a 12-9 victory in the afternoon contest
• Washington beat the Athletics, 9-5, at Columbia Park
• Dave Fultz was late arriving to the game, forcing manager Connie Mack to use Fred Mitchell for an inning in center field
• The Athletics fell to Boston, 4-2, Boston
• Third baseman Lave Cross managed the team while manager Connie Mack was in Springfield, signing Norwich second baseman Danny Murphy to a contract
• The Athletics scored 12 runs in the sixth inning and thumped Boston, 22-9, in Boston
• New second baseman Danny Murphy led the way going 6-for-6 with a homer in his A’s debut
• The Athletics beat Boston, 4-2, in a 17-inning contest in Boston
• Both starting pitchers, Bill Dineen for Boston and Rube Waddell for the A’s, pitched the entire game
• Waddell struck out 16 batters while walking only one
• Boston pitcher Cy Young hurled a four-hitter to beat the Athletics, 3-1, in Boston
• John McGraw, who had just left the Orioles in a huff over his beef with American League president Ban Johnson to take over the New York Giants, told a New York reporter that the Athletics weren’t profitable and that the team had a “big white elephant on its hands”
• The Athletics beat Boston, 3-2, at Columbia Park
• Before the game, the A’s starter that day, Rube Waddell, and Boston first baseman Candy LaChance held a “friendly wrestling match, much to the amusement of the spectators”
• Waddell was ruled the winner in both contests
• Lave Cross’s sac fly to short left with one out in the bottom of the 10th scored Topsy Hartsel with the game-winner in a 4-3 decision over Boston at Columbia Park
• Right-hander Howard Wilson made his regular season A’s debut in the contest
• Wilson, who previously had had a cup of coffee with Cleveland in 1899, had made a handful of appearances for the A’s last season during spring training
• The Athletics committed a whopping 10 errors, including four by shortstop Monte Cross, in a 9-4 loss to Chicago at Columbia Park
• Down by a run with two out and two on in the bottom of the ninth, Ossee Schrecongost doubled to score Danny Murphy and Monte Cross and give the Athletics a 7-6 win over Chicago at Columbia Park
• The team transferred pitcher Snake Wiltse’s contract to Baltimore to help stock that team’s roster in the wake of John McGraw’s defection to the National League
• The Athletics beat Cleveland, 9-3, at Columbia Park
• Because of the injunction issued by the Philadelphia courts, neither Nap Lajoie, Bill Bernhard, nor Elmer Flick appeared for Cleveland
• For the second time in three games, Ossee Schrecongost was the hero when his two-out single in the bottom of the ninth drove in Topsy Hartsel and gave the Athletics an 11-10 win over Cleveland at Columbia Park
• The A’s overcame a six-run deficit to get the win
• The Athletics scored eight runs in the last three innings to beat Cleveland, 9-4, at Columbia Park
• The Athletics won their sixth straight, beating Detroit, 5-2, at Columbia Park
• With the score tied at one, the Athletics/Tigers game at Columbia Park was called in the second inning because of rain
• Today's game between the Athletics and Detroit at Columbia Park was rained out
• With a light rain falling, the Athletics beat St Louis, 3-1, at Columbia Park
• In a game marked by a pair of rain delays, the Browns beat the Athletics, 3-1, at Columbia Park
• St Louis second baseman Mike Padden and Athletics starter Rube Waddell nearly came to blows after the third inning in response to a verbal barb launched by Padden
• The team was en route to St Louis to start a road trip against the Western teams that would close on August 11 in Detroit
• With the score tied at four in the tenth inning, the Athletics/Browns game in St Louis was called because of darkness
• Back in Philadelphia, former A's groundskeeper Thomas Murphy was arrested and charged with assault in last year's near-fatal beating of manager Connie Mack's brother, Dennis McGillicuddy
• The Browns beat the Athletics, 11-5, in St Louis
• St Louis police tried to get A's pitcher Rube Waddell to stop verbally jousting with the bleacher denizens in the fourth inning, but a Browns official called them off, saying Waddell, who was not playing that day, was “clearly within his rights”
• The Athletics beat the Browns in St Louis, 4-1
• Third baseman Lave Cross, disrobing in the clubhouse prior to the game, gave himself a deep scratch across his face and nose when the diamond stick pin in his dress shirt became unfastened
• The injury drew a lot of blood, but Cross played in the game though the Inquirer said he looked “like a battle-scarred veteran of San Juan Hill”
• The White Stockings got the best of a pitcher's duel in Chicago between the Athletics' Rube Waddell and Chicago's Roy Patterson, winning 3-1
• Waddell and Patterson each gave up just four hits in the contest
• With one out in the bottom of the 11th, Sam Mertes drove Danny Green home with the game-winning run in the White Stockings' 8-7 win over the Athletics in Chicago
• The Athletics beat the White Stockings, 4-3, in Chicago
• A's first baseman Harry Davis made a spectacular leaping grab of Jimmy Callahan's line drive with two out and a man on in the bottom of the ninth to end it
• Former Athletics second baseman Nap Lajoie had the game-winning RBI in the ninth for Cleveland to give them a 5-4 win over the Athletics in Cleveland
• A's starter Rube Waddell had 12 strikeouts in a losing effort
• The game against Cleveland, in Cleveland, was rained out
• The Athletics lost to Cleveland, 5-4 in Cleveland
• Dave Fultz had four stolen bases for the A's, including a theft of home
• The Tigers beat the Athletics, 4-3, in Detroit
• Rube Waddell was scheduled to start for the A's, but went AWOL, deciding to visit nearby family members instead, forcing manager Connie Mack to start Eddie Plank instead
• The Tigers committed six errors and fell to the Athletics, 9-1, in Detroit
• Rube Waddell was back with the team, pitching a shutout and scoring the winning run in the 13th, as the Athletics beat the Tigers, 1-0, in Detroit
• The team was headed back home for three days of double headers against the Tigers to open a two-week stand
• The Athletics swept a double header from the Tigers at Columbia Park
• Rube Waddell fired a two-hitter for the A's to win the early game, 8-0, and Pete Husting nearly matched him with a five-hitter in a 9-0 win in the afternoon contest
• For the second straight day, the Athletics took both ends of a double header from the Tigers at Columbia Park
• The A's took the first one, 4-3, as Howard Wilson hurled a four-hitter, and then added the afternoon tilt, 5-1
• Manager Connie Mack was reputed to be interested in a Dover, New Jersey, left-hander named Rogers
• The Athletics completed the sweep, capturing both games of a double header for the third straight day against the Tigers at Columbia Park, winning the first, 11-4, and the second, 5-2
• In front of a record Columbia Park crowd of 18,765, the Athletics beat Chicago, 2-1
• Rube Waddell struck out 11 in the contest and was at the center of a wild rhubarb at the end
• Waddell, covering first on Tom Daly's ground ball to Harry Davis, took the throw to get the force out and end the game
• Sox players argued that Waddell had dropped the ball before making the out and Frank Isbell pushed the umpire Jack Sheridan to emphasize the point, whereupon a number of spectators jumped the wall and entered the fracas
• Eventually matters calmed down but not until after fans began to hurl seat cushions around the park to celebrate the fact that the call remained unchanged
• Team president Ben Shibe announced that the team planned to enact ballpark renovations before the 1903 season, presumably to house an expanding fanbase
• The Athletics ran their winning streak to 10 games by beating Chicago, 12-5, at Columbia Park
• Despite getting four hits from Harry Davis, the Athletics fell to Chicago, 5-2, at Columbia Park to end their 10-game winning streak
• Pete Husting fired a four-hitter to lead the Athletics to a 4-1 win over St Louis at Columbia Park
• The Athletics defeated St Louis, 12-5, at Columbia Park
• The Athletics beat the Browns, 12-4, at Columbia Park
• The Athletics scored 12 runs for the third straight game in beating Cleveland at Columbia Park, 12-1
• The game was played before a new Columbia Park record 21,086 fans, breaking the record of 18,765 set just a week ago
• The Athletics beat Cleveland, 7-2, at Columbia Park
• The game was the A's fifth straight win and and their 15th in the last 16
• The Athletics won their sixth straight, a 13-2 decision over Cleveland at Columbia Park
• The Inquirer reported that Brooklyn had offered A's pitcher Rube Waddell a $500/month salary and $1,000 bonus to defect and join their team with the promise of the same deal for 1903
• Waddell asked for time to think about it, then reported the offer to manager Connie Mack who endeavored to be with Waddell when he next met the Brooklyn representative, but the representative never showed at the appointed place and time
• On the first day of a 13-day road trip, the Athletics fell to Cleveland, 2-1, in Cleveland
• Former A's pitcher Bill Bernhard got the win for Cleveland
• The Athletics and the White Stockings split a double header in Chicago
• The Sox took the opener, 4-1, and the A's scored three runs in the eighth to win the afternoon game, 5-4
• The A's accused Chicago of soaking the fair territory down the third base line with the goal of preventing A's pitchers from being able to field Chicago bunts effectively
• The Athletics beat the White Stockings, 10-6, in Chicago
• Yesterday, the A's complained that the Sox watered down the third base line and today they complained that the Sox had watered the area around first base to prevent A's runners from stealing on emergency catcher Ed Hughes
• Hughes, a local man, was in there because their only healthy backstop, Ed McFarland, had injured himself on the bases yesterday
• McFarland was actually the team’s reserve catcher, but their first-stringer, Billy Sullivan, had split his right thumb on a foul tip a week ago and was still out of commission
• If the Sox did, in fact, soak the basepath, it didn't work as the A's stole eight bases in the game, including four by Topsy Hartsel
• The Athletics and White Stockings split a double header in Chicago with the Sox getting the opener, 4-2, and the A's taking the second game, 6-5
• The Browns took a double header from the Athletics in St Louis, 1-0 and 3-2
• The Browns took both games of a double header from the Athletics in St Louis
• In the first game, St Louis starter Willie Sudhoff pitched a three-hitter to win, 5-1
• In the second, A's starter Fred Mitchell walked seven, including Bobby Wallace with the bases loaded in the ninth to give the Browns a 4-3 win
• In the second inning of the second game, A's manager Connie Mack spotted a man in the stands, probably Browns catcher Jiggs Donahue according to sources, signaling St Louis hitters as to what Mitchell was throwing
• After the fourth inning, Mack complained to Browns manager Jimmy McAleer, who denied the accusation, but Donahue or whoever it was disappeared shortly afterward
• After the game, St Louis pitcher Jesse Burkett all but admitted to the scheme
• Around 4:30 in the morning, as the Athletics were aboard a train near Peru, Indiana, en route to Detroit from St Louis, when their train collided with a freight train coming the other way
• Fortunately, neither train was traveling at full speed at the time of impact, though one of the engines of the A's train derailed into a ditch
• No players were injured, though they were delayed several hours waiting for another train to take them to Detroit, where they arrived seven hours later than expected
• They played a game in Detroit anyway, beating the Tigers, 5-1
• The Senators, who were on their way to St Louis, also were held up by the wreck and were forced to postpone that day's game
• The Athletics rapped out 18 hits to beat the Tigers in Detroit, 13-4
• The Athletics got just four hits off Cleveland starter Addie Joss but managed to eke out a 3-2 win in Cleveland anyway
• The team returned to Philadelphia after their Western swing and were greeted by a large, cheering crowd at the train station
• With 22 games to play, the Athletics held a two-game lead over St Louis for first place in the American League standings
• The Athletics took a pair from the Orioles at Columbia Park
• In the first game, the A's got 16 hits, including eight doubles, to beat Baltimore, 9-5, and won the second as well, 5-4
• Rube Waddell got the win in relief in both contests
• For the second straight day, the Athletics swept a double header from Baltimore at Columbia Park
• The A's took the first, 9-1, and the second, 4-3
• In the first game, former A's pitcher Snake Wiltse faced his old team for the first time since being sent to Baltimore last month
• The game between the Athletics and Boston, in Boston, was rained out
• The Athletics swept a double header from Boston in Boston
• The A's won the first game, 6-4, then took the afternoon contest, 9-2, in a game shortened to eight innings by darkness
• Lave Cross went 4-for-4 with a double and Rube Waddell struck out 10 in the nightcap
• Though darkness was the official reason for the shortening of the second game, it was really ended by “mutual agreement” between the teams at 6pm to allow the A's to catch their train back to Philadelphia
• Socks Seybold went 4-for-4, with a double and a triple, to lead the Athletics to a 7-5 win over Washington at Columbia Park
• The Athletics defeated Washington, 6-5, at Columbia Park
• A heretofore unknown pitcher named McAllister started for the A's on a tryout basis, giving up six hits and three walks, while strking out six, to get the win
• The Athletics beat Washington, 6-2, at Columbia Park
• Rube Waddell bested Cy Young to give the Athletics a 6-4 win over Boston at Columbia Park
• The league announced that the site of the Athletics/Orioles games scheduled for the 23rd and 24th had been shifted from Baltimore to Philadelphia
• Before a new Columbia Park record crowd of 23,897, the Athletics beat Boston, 7-2
• Morning rain left a wet, slippery field, but the Athletics and Boston played anyway, splitting a double header
• Boston took the first one, 5-1, with the A's winning in the afternoon, 5-3
• In the second game, everyone in the A's lineup had exactly one hit
• The Athletics beat Baltimore, 4-3, at Columbia Park
• The game had originally been scheduled to be played in Baltimore, but had been moved to Philadelphia by the league last week
• The Athletics took a pair from Baltimore at Columbia Park and, with the win in the second game, clinched the American League pennant
• The A's won the morning game, 7-5, and took the afternoon tilt, 5-4, when, with two out in the bottom of the ninth, Topsy Hartsel scored from third on former A's pitcher Snake Wiltse's wild pitch
• The game against the Senators at Columbia Park was rained out
• A scheduled double header against Washington at Columbia Park was rained out
• Closing out the 1902 season, the Athletics dropped both ends of a double header to Washington at Columbia Park
• Right-hander Tad Quinn made his major league debut, pitching the first game for the A's and losing 9-4
• Philadelphia-born Tom Walker made his major league debut in the afternoon game, pitching for the A's and losing 7-5
• Dave Fultz left the team before the day's games to assume football coaching duties at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, and Harry Davis sat out the game just to rest
• Rube Waddell was absent from the team as well, having “gone fishing” according to the Inquirer
• The A's finished with an 83-53 record, five games ahead of the second place St Louis Browns
• The city of Philadelphia celebrated the Athletics' American League championship with a gala parade down Broad Street and capped it with a benefit game won by the A's over the Wilmington Athletic Association, 10-8
• The mostly Athletics–Boston's Buck Freeman was playing center field–fell to the Wilmington Athletic Association, 4-2, in Wilmington. Rube Waddell had to leave the game after being hit on the wrist by a batted ball.
• The mostly Athletics, with Boston's Buck Freeman again in center field, beat the Negro League Philadelphia Giants, 8-3, at Columbia Park
• The postseason Athletics traveled to Pottstown, where they beat the local nine, 4-0. Rube Waddell, hit on the wrist by a batted ball a couple of days ago, was back on the diamond, mostly in left field, though he did take the mound for a couple of batters late in the game after being exhorted to do so by the 1,500 spectators on hand.
• On a rainy day in Wilmington, the postseason Athletics committed nine errors and fell to the local Athletic Association squad, 4-3.
The barnstorming Athletics beat the Negro League Philadelphia Giants, 13-9, at Columbia Park.
The Inquirer reported Connie Mack was already looking for players for next year. In his sights were a couple of pitchers and an outfielder, needed because of Dave Fultz's heretofore unannounced retirement.
The paper also reported that the Athletics had drawn 411,329 spectators at home on the 1902 season and in ten head-to-head dates with the Phillies, outdrew them 59,367 to 6,928.
The barnstorming Athletics beat the Wilmington Athletic Association, 2-1, in Wilmington.
The Wilmington Athletic Association beat the barnstorming A's, 2-0, in Wilmington.
In Chester, Pennsylvania, the local nine thumped the postseason Athletics, 10-4.
The barnstorming Athletics fell to Camden in Camden by a 7-6 score in ten innings.
The Athletics announced the signing of outfielder Danny Hoffman to a two-year deal. Hoffman played for Springfield in the Connecticut League in 1902, leading the league in batting. He also pitched in 26 games, but Connie Mack said he planned to use him exclusively in the outfield. The signing involved a buyout of his contract from Springfield.
The Inquirer published a list of the American League team rosters. Outfielder Dave Fultz, who had left the Athletics just before the end of the season to coach football and had later been said to be retired, was now listed with the New York squad that had replaced the league's Baltimore franchise. There were a couple of names listed on the A's roster not previously associated with the team: outfielder Ollie Pickering, who was with Cleveland last season, and a pitcher named Atwood.