History of the World (Series) Began in 1903

 

 

Baseball's postseason is upon us as October is fast approaching. Ever wonder how this all started? In mid-September of 1903, the owner of the Pittsburg Pirates, Barney Dreyfuss, issued a challenge to Boston Americans owner, Henry Killilea, to a best of nine series to be played at the conclusion of the regular season. The Americans, champions of the 3 year old upstart American League, agreed and history was about to be made. Still, there were road bumps to navigate over and around, like the fact that Boston’s player contracts expired on September 30th, while Pittsburg’s ended on October 15th. (Apologies to those offended by the spelling of the Steel City, but in 1903, it was Pittsburg. For details on that, you can look it up for yourself, if so inclined.) Plus the usual injuries and such; the Pirates’ Sam Leever, 25-7 and league leading 2.06 ERA, had been out since early September due to a hunting accident. Their third hurler, Ed Doheny, was, as it turns out, in the middle of a mental breakdown. But on the morning of September 26th, the Boston Globe ran the headline, “Boston Team Will Play.”

 

The first three games were held in Boston at the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds. (pictured below) October 1st saw Cy Young make the first ever pitch in a World Series game. Specific ground rules were in place if a ball landed in the crowd, who apparently were not held back by fences, but rather by ropes. Hence, we had ground rule triples. This would be the only World Series Cy would participate in and it did not begin well. After some shoddy fielding behind him, Young and his compatriots found themselves looking at a 4-0 deficit heading into the bottom of the 1st. This would prove to be more than enough for Bucs’ hurler, Deacon Phillippe, who got the win in the first of his 5 (yes, FIVE) complete games. FINAL: PITT 7 BOS 3

 

Game Two featured Leever for the Pirates and Bill Dineen for Boston. The crowd was much less than in Game 1, so the crowd ground rules had no effect. Game 1 featured 5 triples. Dineen, the future longtime AL arbiter, was on top of his game and shut the Bucs down on just 3 hits, while Leever could only get through the first inning. He gave up a leadoff homer to Patsy Dougherty, his first of two on the day, en route to spotting Boston a 2- 0 lead. FINAL: PITT 0  BOS 3

 

Game Three had Long Tom Hughes pitching for Boston, while Pittsburg would again turn to Phillippe as Doheny proved to be unavailable. Hughes would last but two innings as the Pirates jumped to a 3-0 lead. Again, this was ample support for the Bucs hurler, who on his way to second victory and complete game, would hold Boston to just 4 hits. Cy Young pitched the last 7 innings for the Americans, keeping his team within reach, but the offensive support could not be found. Young was also helping take tickets prior to the game as the crowds returned. There were probably 30,000 people at the facility, while the announced attendance was roughly 18,000. The ground rules now called for doubles, as opposed to being given three bases.

 

“The ballpark was packed to twice its listed capacity. As many as 10,000 more may have been turned away. Pleased to take revenue from as many patrons as possible, even Cy Young was pressed into service as a ticket taker and box-office worker. Word was sent to police headquarters for another 100 men to supplement the initial force.”-Bill Nowlin-SABR

 

The large crowd may have cost Boston the game as some of Pittsburg’s hits clearly took advantage of the two-base rule, leading to their quick 3 run advantage. FINAL: PITT 4  BOS 2

 

Game 4 had a change of venue as the series moved to the Steel City and Exposition Park III (shown below) played host. Dinneen was going for Boston and the Bucs countered with the seemingly indefatigable Phillippe, working on 3 days' rest as there was a travel day and a rainout. A crowd of 7,600 was there as the weather had left the left field bleachers uninhabitable for fans.

The Pirates, again, would score in the first inning, to forge a 1-0 lead on a two out RBI single by Kitty Bransfield. It remained that way until the Americans’ half of the fifth, when they had a 2-out RBI of their own by Lou Criger. Pittsburg answered with a run of their own to regain the lead in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI single by Tommy Leach. In the bottom of the 7th, Phillippe started a 3 run outburst with a single, later scoring on a 2 RBI triple by Leach. Through 8,  the Boston group had amassed only 4 hits off Deacon. In the ninth, they managed to collect 5 more, but could only push three across. Another win and complete game for Phillippe, now with 3 of each to his credit through only 4 games. FINAL: PITT 5  BOS 4

 

Game 5 would have Cy Young making his 2nd start after his long relief role in Game 3. He would be facing Roaring Bill “Brickyard’ Kennedy, who would match goose eggs with the Hall of Famer through five innings. In the 6th and 7th, however, Boston erupted for 10 runs, 6 of which were unearned as the Bucs committed 4 errors in those frames. Cy would get the complete game win, giving up 2 unearned runs of his own. FINAL: PITT 2  BOS 11

 

Game Six featured a rematch of Game Two’s pitchers. Scoreless through 2, the Americans staged a two out rally started by their pitcher with an infield single off Leever’s glove, another hit, a walk, and some more poor fielding made the score 3-0 going to the home half of the 3rd. It would stay that way until the fifth when Boston would tack on 2 more, and then one more in the 7th. Pittsburg would break through in the home half for 3 of their own and had the tying run on first when Dinneen induced Claude Ritchey to hit into a force out to second base. The Pirates would strand 9 going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Dinneen would pick up the complete game victory, scattering 10 hits, en route to his second victory of the Series. And the Series was now even at three games apiece. FINAL: PITT 3  BOS 6

 

Game Seven, still in the Steel City, again featured a rematch; this time of Game 1 combatants: Young for the Bostonians and, who else, Phillippe, for the Bucs. In a precursor to the praying for rain slogan used by Braves’ fans many years later, the Bucs did get a rainout, pushing Game 7 to Saturday, so they could once again call on Deacon, as well as get a sizable gate increase as opposed to a Friday contest. That’s where their good fortune ran out. Maybe, as Boston’s Jimmy Collins said, “...Phillippe will go up against us just once too often.” Boston tallied twice in the first, fourth, and sixth, while Phillippe was ”scattering” 11 hits and the Bucs were again poor in the field, committing 3 more errors. Young fared much better. He, too, threw a complete game while surrendering 10 hits and Boston’s defense committed 4 miscues of their own. Again, the Pirates stranded 9 runners going an abysmal 1 for 11 with men in scoring position. Turned out, Phillippe was mortal, after all. FINAL: PITT 3  BOS 7

 

Back to Boston for Game Eight with Bill Dinneen making his 4th start of the Series going against, drumroll, please: Deacon Phillippe. Yes, I know I gave it away earlier, but here he goes again, on three days’ rest, about to start and complete his 5th game of this series. Phillippe pitched heroically, allowing 2 earned runs on 8 hits, walking none. Dinneen pitched better, notching his second shutout of this series, blanking the Bucs on just 4 hits, gaining his 3rd win, as well. Attendance was just 7,455, as several large blocks of tickets were bought by speculators only to be disappointed that the public did not want to pay their inflated prices. FINAL: PITT 0  BOS 3

 

In summary, Boston won the first Series ever, five games to three, and would go on to win a few more prior to going on an epic 88 year drought. They would win the American League the following year, as well, but no World Series would be played as the animosity between the leagues was far from over. Patsy Dougherty became the first player with two home runs in a World Series game. There were two 3 game winners. Boston was the first team to win a Series after being down 3 games to 1, as well as the first to win 4 games in a row after being down 2 games in the Series. Phillippe’s 5 complete games was and is the record still, safe to say, never to be broken. He also hit .222 which isn’t all that noteworthy, but that’s also what Honus Wagner hit for the Series. Wagner was so disappointed by his performance that when asked for a portrait for a “Hall” of batting champions, he refused citing his poor play in the Series.

 

            “I was too bum last year”, he wrote. “I was a joke in that Boston-Pittsburg Series. What does it profit a man to hammer along and make a few hits when they are not needed only to fall down when it comes to a pinch? I would be ashamed to have my picture up now.”

 

While Phillippe was the unsung hero of this Series, Boston had its own group of heroes as well, and they sang. The Royal Rooters, led by Michael T (Nuf Ced) McGreevey, were a group of sportsmen, politicians, and gamblers who were patrons of the “Third Base” saloon, owned by McGreevey. He earned the nickname by ending arguments by pounding on the bar and shouting, “”Nuff said!”

 

 This may have been the first Fan Club. They would, literally, parade to games; harass the opposing team’s fans and players at the ballpark, occasionally get arrested for going onto the field and punching an umpire, and dance on the dugout while leading cheers and get everyone to sing the song, “Tessie.” They even traveled to Pittsburg for the road games and were influential in the outcomes according to some of the Pirate players. One of the Pirates’ stars, Tommy Leach, said the loud singing won the game for Boston, saying, “It was a real hum-dinger of a song, but it sort of got on your nerves after a while.”

 

                

 

Besides the first Fan Club, we saw the advent of the first scalpers. As was mentioned previously, large blocks of tickets were bought before Game 8 of the Series by those speculating on the resale market. Their efforts were foiled though as the public was not so inclined to see their beloved team at anything more than the printed price. Another first, and only time, the Series winners received a smaller share than their counterparts. Dreyfuss, the Bucs’ owner, contributed his share of the gate receipts to the players’ share, thus resulting in his players getting more than Killilea’s Amnericans. Imagine, a Pirates ownership willing to give more money to their players. Times have changed! So peace reigned between the two leagues, at least for one season. Boston would win the AL again the following season, but the New York Giants would refuse to play in that post-season. That would lead to an agreement defining scheduling, players’ shares, and other matters between the leagues to stage the Series every year.