April 18, 1920 featured five games. Two of the games saw pitching duels, as the Pirates beat the Reds 2-1 in Cincinnati, and the Cardinals shutout the visiting Cubs 2-0. The big offense of the day came in Cleveland, where the Indians beat the Tigers 11-4.

Note that five days into the season, no day featured a full slate of games. Weather, sunlight, and playing surfaces figured much more strongly in 1920 than today. The modern ball field is now built on top of a engineered drainage system, so there is little puddling. When the rain ends, the field is in playable condition quickly. This also allows teams to play through light rain, as the lights come on and visibility is less of a problem. Of course, in 1920 there were no weather satellites or AI weather prediction, so knowing how long a storm would last or how powerful it would be involved a lot more guess work. Teams needed to start games by about 4 PM in the afternoon to get the game in before dark. In general, there were many more weather postponements leading to many more double headers.

Tris Speaker ranked as the offensive start of the day, going two for four with a double, home run, and a walk. He scored two runs and drove in four. Speaker would set the career mark for doubles, a record that has never been challenged. The record has been soft for about 30 years. A number of players reached 600 doubles in that time frame, but no one has been consistent enough to reach 700.

Bill Doak takes home the pitching star of the day, tossing a the shutout for the Cardinals. He allowed seven hits, no walks, and struck out five. Close on his heels was Dutch Ruether of the Reds, who took the loss on two unearned runs. He allowed five hits, walked three, and struck out seven.

The 1920 season would be one of Doak’s top two seasons, the other coming in 1914. In 1920, he would win 20 games for the only time in his career while posting a 2.53 ERA in 270 innings. He led the NL in ERA twice, in 1914 and 1921, although his innings fell in ’21 to 208 2/3. He finished his career with a very respectable 29.3 WAR, with two seasons over five. He would have made a lot of money today.

Here is the New York Tribune sports page reviewing the day.