Attendance Dips
The team turned into a disappointment in 1923 and the attendance dipped under 200,000 fans for the year. Rogers Hornsby led the team with .384 average but only played in 106 games. Branch Rickey suspended “Rajah” for faking an illness and calling him name he couldn’t print. Bottomley, now called “Sunny Jim” due to his pleasant disposition, batted .371 and finished second in the batting race. Hornsby suspended.
Stuart Starts and Wins Both Games of Doubleheader
One thing of oddness during the season happened on July 23 when Johnny Stuart was given his first start of the season in the first of a doubleheader. He pitched a three-hit game and won 11-1. Manager Rickey rewarded him with a start in game two and he won that game 6-3. Stuart finished the year 9-5 and Jesse “Pops” Haines was a 20 game winner while Bill Sherdel was 15-13.