1897 Major League Baseball season
| 1897 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Number of games | 132 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Pennant winner | |
| NL champions | Boston Beaneaters |
| NL runners-up | Baltimore Orioles |
| Temple Cup | |
| Champions | Baltimore Orioles |
| Runners-up | Boston Beaneaters |
The 1897 major league baseball season began on April 19, 1897. The regular season ended on October 3, with the Boston Beaneaters as the pennant winner of the National League and the Baltimore Orioles as runner-up. The postseason began with Game 1 of the fourth Temple Cup on October 4 and ended with Game 5 on October 11. The Orioles defeated the Beaneaters, four games to one, capturing their second consecutive Temple Cup.
Due to lack of enthusiasm from both players and fans, and the perception that the Temple Cup was more of an exhibition contest than a true championship contest, the 1897 Temple Cup would be the final version of the championship series. Aside from the 1900 Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, this would be the last championship series until the birth of the modern World Series in 1903.