Kelley moved from first base to the outfield, as the Reds acquired first baseman Shad Barry from the Chicago Cubs very early in the 1905 season.
Cy Seymour had a career season, leading the National League with a .377 batting average, 219 hits, 40 doubles, 21 triples, and driving in 121 runs.
With Noodles Hahn missing most of the season due to an injury, Bob Ewing emerged as the ace, going 20–11 with a 2.51 ERA.
To make matters worse, the Reds lost ace pitcher Noodles Hahn to an arm injury.
Cincinnati stayed around the .500 mark until going on an eight-game winning streak to up their record to 32–24, and found themselves in third place, 6.5 games back.