Monday, February 17, 2014

World Series: Did You Know?

The 1912 Fall Classic was the first to end with a team pulling it off in their last at-bats.

Yeah, this is the famous, "Fred Snodgrass Error" game, between Boston and New York. But actually, it wasn't Fred's fault. Rather, it was a compilation of mistakes by the New York Giants. Much like we saw in a World Series 74 years that was also between New York and Boston.

You know? Mets and Red Sox, 1986? Bill Buckner? It wasn't his fault the Red Sox lost. The Sox blew their own brains out long before that.

And long before that Series, it was the Giants that did the same in 1912. Though it actually seems like the Giants did what the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs did against the Boston Bruins in 2013. Watch! They came back from 3-1 down to force a deciding game, only to lose it with a lead! Real late in the game, too!

So the Red Sox ace, Smoky Joe Wood got the better of Jeff Tesreau in game one. While there are some who don't remember Wood, (who developed a sore arm the next season and was never able to put together a full season on the mound again) Tesreau is completely forgotten. Odd, since he was almost always among the National League leaders in wins and ERA. His career lasted just 7 total seasons, though. Wood's pitching career was only about 7 full seasons. Wood ended his career with 117 wins and Tesreau, 119. Yet, both were great for about 5 years. Neither was too good here, but it was still a pretty good opening act as Boston took it, 4-3.

The New York Giants hoped to square things in game 2, but the Giants could manage only a 6-6 tie. Worse still, Christy Mathewson picked a fine time not to pick up a win. Christy usually did in the World Series. But really, it was some bad fielding that did in New York. Some better glove work and the 1912 World Series would have been tied after 2 games. But now, the Red Sox had a huge advantage. Or did they? No Mathewson for game 3!

But what about Rube Marquard?

He actually was the Giants' big winner that year. Rube led the National League in wins with 26. Wood, by the way, was the junior league leader with 34 in 1912.

And Marky came through. Firing a 7-hit gem, he squared the Series 1-1-1 (Gotta remember the tie, right?) with a narrow 2-1 win. But now the Giants had to face Wood again.

Yep, it was Wood back on the hill again in game 4. And again, New York sent up Tesreau. This time, Jeff pitched better, as did Smoky. However, once again, Tesreau came away second best. Yielding just 5 hits and 2 (earned) runs, Jeff trailed 2-1 after 7. Another Red Sox run off Red Ames made the final, 3-1 in favour of Boston. Wood, the winner again! And once again, Boston was ahead in the Series! 2-1 (plus a tie), Red Sox.

Mathewson went out in game 5, and gave up 5 hits in 9 innings. And the Red Sox scored only 2 runs. The Giants scored 1. Now, it was 3-1, Boston.

The Giants scored five times in the bottom of the first inning of game 6. Marquard, again brilliant, was on his way to a 5-2 win (Both of Boston's runs scored in the top of the second). But New York was still behind 3 games to 2. Now, for game 7, it was back to Boston to face...Wood.

The Giants had an even better offensive output in the first inning of game 7. Six runs drove the Red Sox ace out of there. Five more runs the rest of the way, and this thing was a laughter, 11-4 for the Giants. The Series was tied at 3. It was a winner-take-all game 8. 3-3-1!

And it was Christy Mathewson again. Who better to put the finishing touches on the choke by Boston. Just like the NHL Leafs, they had made it look almost too easy against such stiff competition.

The game was tied at 1 after 9. Mathewson was poised for the kill here. Wood had entered the game in the 8th. He shut down the Giants for 2 innings. But in the top of the 10th, an unlikely source seemed to put the final nail in Boston's coffin.

With a runner on second and only one out, Fred Merkle came to bat. Yes, the same Merkle who had failed to touch second on the hit that would have won the 1908 pennant for the Giants. It this situation, the goat of four years ago was as clutch as Kirk Gibson or Michael Jordan! Stroking a single to right, he gave the Sox a 2-1 lead. When Red Sox center fielder Tris Speaker made an error, Merkle was on his way to second. And he touched it and stayed on it! Alas, that's as far as he got as Smoky got the next two Giants out. But three more outs, and and extraordinary comeback would be complete for John McGraw and his Merry Men of Giants!

Wood was slated to lead off the bottom of the 10th, so he was replaced by pinch hitter Clyde Engle. Christy got him to hit a fly to centerfielder Fred Snodgrass. Snodgrass, though, dropped it! Engle made it to second. The next batter, Harry Hooper, saw the Red Sox moved everybody in. So Harry lashed the ball in the air to center. This one was past Fred. This one was deep, real deep. Snodgrass would have had difficulty catching this had he been playing at normal depth. Racing at full speed, Snodgrass atoned for his error by taking away a sure triple. Two more outs to go and New York had it!

Mathewson, though, did what they teach you not to do in the Great Pitchers' Union: He walked the potential winning run (Steve Yerkers) on!

The Red Sox needed a double play. Tris Speaker popped it up foul along the first base side. It looked like New York would be one out away. But none of the three men who should have caught it, Mathewson on the mound, Merkle at first, and catcher Chief Meyers seemed to react in time. The ball bounced harmlessly foul, but Speaker had a new lease on life. When Tris singled to right, the game was now tied. Speaker motored into second on the throw home for good measure. Yerkers, representing the 1912 World Series winning run, was now just 90 feet away. And there was only one out. Just a fly ball or even a grounder would do in New York.

So Mathewson had no choice but to walk Duffy Lewis, Boston's left fielder. That loaded the bases. The batter was now third sacker Larry Gardner. Once again, the Giants had to move their defence in.

And once again, there was a loud crack. Gardner sent a fly to right. Josh Devore made a fine play to make the catch for out number two (not as good as Snodgrass' one though), then made a quick throw home. But Yerkers tagged and scored rather easily. The Red Sox had won the 1912 Fall Classic 4 games to 3 with a 3-2, extra inning win in the deciding game. A walk-off sacrifice fly, as we would say now!

In the end, the Giants had no one but themselves to blame. And really, it was themselves. Although he posted an ERA of just 0.94, Mathewson was 0-2 in this Series. Someone should have caught that pop-up. Yes, Snodgrass should have made the play on Engle. Art Fletcher had batted .179 in 8 games. The New York Giants had committed 5 errors in game 2, 4 errors in game 7 and 2 more in game 8. The Giants' fielding was so bad that they still lost despite batting .270 as a team compared to Boston's .220! You just can't win a Fall Classic with mistakes aplenty in the field! And that one by Snodgrass was just one of many, by the Giants!


References

Burns, Ken, director. Ken Burns' Baseball. PBS, 1994. DVD.

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Golenbock, Peter. Fenway: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball. New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group, 1992. Print.

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