1901 Boston Americans season

Off-Season

On February 11, Jimmy Collins, third baseman for the National League Boston Beaneaters, became the first player under contract for the Boston Americans after being offered $4000 with the added ability to sign subsequent players. Collins was joined on March 4 by outfielder Chick Stahl, also from the Beaneaters, along with outfielder Buck Freeman. The most important signing was 34-year-old St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Cy Young, who accepted a $3500 contract.

Vital to Young's signing was the acquisition of his St. Louis catcher Lou Criger, as Young was unlikely to have signed without Criger. On March 4, Bill Dinneen also defected from the Boston Nationals to play for the Americans for $3600. Outfielder Charlie Hemphill joined from the Kansas City Blues on March 6, and infielder Fred Parent signed on March 16.

Regular season

Spring training took place in Charlottesville, Virginia. The team’s first American League game, on April 26, was a 10–6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park. Win Kellum threw a complete game but took the loss, and player-manager Jimmy Collins scored Boston’s first run in the fifth inning. After dropping their first three contests, the club earned its first win on April 30, an 8–6, 10-inning victory over the Philadelphia Athletics at Columbia Park, with Cy Young getting the win.

Off-Season

On May 2, Boston routed Philadelphia 23–12 in their highest-scoring game of the year; Welsh pitcher Ted Lewis went the distance, becoming the first player born outside North America to appear for the team. The first home game, on May 8, was a 12–4 win over the Athletics. On May 11, Buck Freeman became the first player in franchise history to be ejected, tossed by umpire Jack Haskell after a call at second base in a home loss to the Washington Senators.

A five-game losing streak from May 11 to 16 ended on May 17 with a win over the visiting Orioles. On June 10, a 7–4 victory against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers pushed the team above .500 for the first time, at 17–16. A nine-game winning streak from June 14 to 22 was snapped on June 24 by a loss to the visiting Cleveland Blues.

The team’s June record set a franchise mark for highest monthly winning percentage, later matched by the 1950 Red Sox in August and broken by the 2026 Red Sox in July. The longest game of the season came on August 27, a 2–1, 15-inning win over the visiting Detroit Tigers. The season closed on September 28 with a home doubleheader against the Brewers, winning 8–3 and 10–9 in seven innings. Total attendance was 289,448, second in the American League behind the White Sox and ahead of the crosstown Boston Beaneaters.