Seems like history loves to mark historical anniversaries every five years, and so on that note let’s take a look at October baseball happenings in seasons that ended in 7s and 2s.
For the sake of being a completest, let’s first take a brief stroll through 19th Century baseball. The postseason series that occurred prior to the first Modern World Series of 1903 are considered exhibitions, and are not counted towards postseason totals of the franchises involved, but they were postseason series that were contested for (including two Cups that currently reside in the Museum up in Cooperstown), and deserve spots in detailing October baseball.
What Happened When: 2017 Postseason Anniversaries Part 1/3 covers 1887 to 1927.
What Happened When: 2017 Postseason Anniversaries Part 1/3
1887
The annual World Series between the National League and American Association (running from 1884-1890) was usually dominated by the National League pennant winner. This year, was no exception with the Detroit Wolverines (who would fold after the following season) defeating the Beer & Whiskey League’s St. Louis Browns (the franchise now known as the NL’s St. Louis Cardinals) 10 games to five. Hall of Famer Sam Thompson was the Wolverine’s hitting star with two home runs, an .893 OPS, a .362 batting average, and seven runs driven in.
1892
Following the Player’s League War, and the absorption of the American Association, the NL had bloated to 12 franchises. As a gimmick, and a way to keep postseason revenues flowing, the season was split, and a Championship Series was played to determine the NL Champion for 1892. The Boston Beaneaters (today’s Atlanta Braves) won the first half and played the Cleveland Spiders (folded after the 1899 season). Boston took the pennant five games to none, and there was one tie.
The future Braves led by future Hall of Famers Hugh Duffy, Tommy McCarthy, Kid Nichols and manager Frank Selee were quite a dominant force in 1890s. Which dovetails nicely into the next postseason on the list.
1897
The regular season was not split in 1893, and the Beaneaters would again capture the pennant. The following year a postseason series called The Temple Cup was created, and paired the champion and regular season runner-up. These series were generally not taken as seriously, due to the exhibition and non-official championship nature, but 1897 seemed different.
The Beaneaters were back and looking to upend the three-time, NL Pennant-winning Baltimore Orioles (who were folded by the end of the century). Boston did capture the regular season pennant, but the scrappy O’s, led by Hall of Famers John McGraw, Willie Keeler, and manager Ned Hanlon, took the final Temple Cup series four games to one.
In 2007 a good book about the season and series by author Bill Felber came out called A Game of Brawl. Also 1999’s Where They Ain’t by Burt Solomon is a good look at those fabled Orioles of this era.
1902
There was no postseason in 1902.
1907
Moving on to the 20th Century and the modern World Series proper. The Chicago Cubs followed up their defeat to the hands of their cross-town rival Chicago White Sox the prior year with the front half of back-to-back World Series titles. Yes, when the Cubbies won it all back in 1908, it was done as defending champions, and a three-peat NL pennant winning franchise. The Cubs swept the Detroit Tigers four games to none, and there was one tied game.
1912
1912 would see the Boston Red Sox start staking their claim as a team of the 1910s. Defeating the New York Giants four games to three, with one tie. Hall of Famer Tris Speaker was the Red Sox hitting star of the series with an .849 OPS and only Sox regular to hit .300. Incredibly, despite a 0.94 ERA, the Sox were able to defeat the iconic Christy Mathewson twice in the series (he was the pitcher in the tied game as well).
1917
Of the three World Championship droughts that pre-dated the end of World War I and ended within the last 14 years (and despite a legitimate reason for baseball karma to be against them) the White Sox were very much the lesser celebrated, or lamented.
Either way, the drought had to start somewhere, and it indeed was following the 1917 championship, which they won with a 4-2 World Series victory over the New York Giants. Eddie Cicotte and Hall of Famer Red Faber were the pitching stars for the Sox. Faber went 3-1, with a 2.33 ERA, while Cicotte, who would be a key figure in the World Series fix two years later, went 1-1, with a 1.57 ERA. The Sox biggest hitters were also a future Hall of Famer, Eddie Collins, and a soon-to-be embroiled star in Shoeless Joe Jackson.
1922
The middle series of the 1921-1923 All-New York City World Series would be the final one held in the same ballpark (overall would be 1944’s Cardinals and Browns with all games in Sportsman’s Park). And it would see the defending Champion New York Giants defeat their soon-to-be ex-Polo Grounds tenants, the New York Yankees 4-0, with one tie. The following year the Yankees would move into their Bronx home, again face the Giants, but would win the first of 27 championships.
1927
Ninety years later, and the Murderer’s Row Yankees are still among the greatest single-season teams in the sports history. There isn’t much more to say beyond that with their four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as there was an urban myth around the idea that they were defeated as soon as they saw Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and company take batting practice before the first game.
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