Both of Moonlight Graham's teams that he played for in fact and fiction won the World Series. Graham obviously didn't play in either Fall Classic. The 1905 and 1922 New York Giants were both managed by John McGraw if you want some real-life common denominators. His only major league game did not go the way it was claimed in the movie.
Graham's only major league game was June 29th of 1905. He entered a road game against the Brooklyn Superbas (later the Dodgers) in the bottom of the 8th. Playing rightfield, he failed to make a putout or an assist. After Brooklyn was retired, Graham was the next scheduled batter in the top of the 9th when the third out was made. He also played the bottom of the frame, but again didn't make a putout or an assist. That was the last you would hear of Moonlight Graham in the big leagues. At least until that sacrifice fly he hit on Shoeless Joe Jackson's team in Field Of Dreams in 1989. He had a nice 84 year wait to do that. The Boston Red Sox had to wait 86 years to win the World Series, but imagine having that long of time in between major league games!
Anyways, Graham had replaced George Browne in right for those 1 1/2 innings. Graham was sold to the Scranton Miners of the New York State league. Archie, his real first name decided to end his season with five games to go for the Miners. It was back for some education. Post-grad education in the medical field. There was some talk that Graham would be back in the bigs with the Giants after the season. Did Moonlight miss out because of going back to school? No one really knows.
Browne was in right field for all five games of the 1905 World Series. He had an interesting time in the second ever Fall Classic. In game 1, he was 0-5 against Eddie Plank of the Philadelphia A's. Plank was rocked for 10 hits and took the loss, however. Bill Dahlen was the only other Giant to fail to get a hit off Eddie.
In game 2, which was the only game Philly would win (and the only game they weren't shutout), Browne was again held to no hits. Interesting enough, the game also featured the only appearance of the 1905 World Series by Sammy Strang, a reserve. He was the Giants' utility man, able to play second, third and the outfield. It might have come down to Strang and Graham for the reserve spot (each team was allowed only one) of the postseason roster. But looking at Strang's versatility and stats for 1905 (.259 batting average, but a .389 OBP, good enough for 10th), Graham might not have had much of a chance to beat him out. Strang fanned in the bottom of the 8th as he batted for Joe McGinnity. The Giants lost 3-0.
Browne needed no replacement in the pivotal game 3. Going 2-5, he scored twice (That's twice more than the entire Athletics' team), George helped propel New York to a 9-0 laugher!
In game 4, Browne got two hits and the rest of the Giants only three. Philly was also held to just five hits, however. The Giants scored once to the A's zero and Browne was not involved in the scoring. Plank pitched much better, but it was not enough.
In game 5, the Giants scored twice. The A's didn't score. Browne got only one hit to finish the 1905 Fall Classic with a .227 average. The hit didn't figure in the scoring, but his groundout in the bottom of the 8th scored the Series' last run. The New York Giants had the 1905 World Series, 4 games to 1.
So in 1922, Moonlight Graham had been out of baseball since 1908. Shoeless Joe was gone from bigs since the end of the 1920 season, but he stayed on the semi-pros. Jackson and Graham may have crossed paths in a game at one point. If not, then the did for real in 1989. Honest!
John McGraw's team was now up against Babe Ruth's New York Yankees. Ruth, by the way, got some pointers from Shoeless Joe Jackson. Pointers on how to really hit the ball with some authority! Ruth was a good student and Jackson was a good teacher!
The Giants managed to hold Ruth in check in the 1922 Fall Classic, which featured the last ever tie game in a World Series.
Who was the Giants' right fielder in the World Series that year, you ask. Why, Ross Youngs, of course. Next to him was one of my all-time favourite characters in baseball, Casey Stengel!
Ross was 0-3 in game 1, which the Giants eked out a 3-2 decision. But high sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8th inning broke a 2-2 tie.
Game 2 was the tie game. Youngs went only 1 for 3 but also drew a walk. He failed to collect an RBI or run scored. Babe Ruth also was 1 for 3 with a walk, but tied the game for good when he scored on a double in the bottom of the 8th. The game was called because of darkness after 10 innings.
The National Leaguers came alive for 12 hits in game 3, but only crossed the plate 3 times. It was enough for a shutout win, however. The Yankees managed just 4 hits. Ruth had zero. Youngs had 3, so almost as many as the entire Yankee team. But again, no RBIs or runs scored. With the win, the Giants were up 2 games to 0 and a tie.
Four runs in the top of the fifth inning of game four helped the Giants erase a 2-0 deficit. Ross did collect and RBI when he singled off Yankee pitcher Carl Mays. That scored the fourth run. It was a clutch, two-out hit. But Ross must have taken too big a lead off first, as he derailed some more potential runs when he was picked off first! In the fourth inning, Youngs singled but was later forced at second. The Giants needed all four runs as it turned out, as the final score was 4-3, Giants. One more win. It may have been 3-0-1 Giants, but it sure hadn't been easy!
In the bottom of the second inning of game 5, Youngs walked and scored the second run of the frame for the Giants. That helped erase a 1-0 Yankee lead. The Yankees tied the game in the 5th, but it was Youngs who stopped them from taking the lead. One the play that scored the tying run, Everett Scott of the Yankees tried for home. Ross fired to Frankie Frisch, who fired home to nail him. Scott ended up in a rundown and was eventually putout.
The Yankees were undaunted. Scott hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 7th. Then, in the bottom of the 8th with the score still 3-2 for the Yankees, Youngs came up with runners on second and third and two outs. The Yankees walked him intentionally, loading the bases. But High Pockets Kelly hit a single to score the tying and go-ahead runs. Youngs then came home with an all-important insurance run via a single by Lee King. It was 5-3 Giants now and the Yankees went 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th.
The Giants had won both the 1905 and 1922 World Series by winning all but one game (and only losing once). They had won both it without Moonlight Graham. Yet, when it comes to favourite baseball movies, it is Field Of Dreams that tops my list. Ask me to name a member of the 1905 Giants, I'll probably say Christy Mathewson. Ask me to name a member of the 1922 Giants, I'll say Casey Stengel.
But on both teams, in fact and in fiction, the name, "Moonlight Graham" will always be there. Stepping up to the plate in my imagination with the bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the 9th inning of game 7 and...
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Montville, Leigh. The Big Bam: The Life And Times Of Babe Ruth. Broadway, 2007. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen. 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.
Retrosheet. Retrosheet. Web. 07 May. 2014. <www.retrosheet.org>.
Society For American Baseball Research, SABR, sabr.org/. Web. 07 May. 2014.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 07 May. 2014.
Weintraub, Robert. The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, The First Yankees Championship, And The Redemption Of 1923. Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company, 2013. Print.
Graham's only major league game was June 29th of 1905. He entered a road game against the Brooklyn Superbas (later the Dodgers) in the bottom of the 8th. Playing rightfield, he failed to make a putout or an assist. After Brooklyn was retired, Graham was the next scheduled batter in the top of the 9th when the third out was made. He also played the bottom of the frame, but again didn't make a putout or an assist. That was the last you would hear of Moonlight Graham in the big leagues. At least until that sacrifice fly he hit on Shoeless Joe Jackson's team in Field Of Dreams in 1989. He had a nice 84 year wait to do that. The Boston Red Sox had to wait 86 years to win the World Series, but imagine having that long of time in between major league games!
Anyways, Graham had replaced George Browne in right for those 1 1/2 innings. Graham was sold to the Scranton Miners of the New York State league. Archie, his real first name decided to end his season with five games to go for the Miners. It was back for some education. Post-grad education in the medical field. There was some talk that Graham would be back in the bigs with the Giants after the season. Did Moonlight miss out because of going back to school? No one really knows.
Browne was in right field for all five games of the 1905 World Series. He had an interesting time in the second ever Fall Classic. In game 1, he was 0-5 against Eddie Plank of the Philadelphia A's. Plank was rocked for 10 hits and took the loss, however. Bill Dahlen was the only other Giant to fail to get a hit off Eddie.
In game 2, which was the only game Philly would win (and the only game they weren't shutout), Browne was again held to no hits. Interesting enough, the game also featured the only appearance of the 1905 World Series by Sammy Strang, a reserve. He was the Giants' utility man, able to play second, third and the outfield. It might have come down to Strang and Graham for the reserve spot (each team was allowed only one) of the postseason roster. But looking at Strang's versatility and stats for 1905 (.259 batting average, but a .389 OBP, good enough for 10th), Graham might not have had much of a chance to beat him out. Strang fanned in the bottom of the 8th as he batted for Joe McGinnity. The Giants lost 3-0.
Browne needed no replacement in the pivotal game 3. Going 2-5, he scored twice (That's twice more than the entire Athletics' team), George helped propel New York to a 9-0 laugher!
In game 4, Browne got two hits and the rest of the Giants only three. Philly was also held to just five hits, however. The Giants scored once to the A's zero and Browne was not involved in the scoring. Plank pitched much better, but it was not enough.
In game 5, the Giants scored twice. The A's didn't score. Browne got only one hit to finish the 1905 Fall Classic with a .227 average. The hit didn't figure in the scoring, but his groundout in the bottom of the 8th scored the Series' last run. The New York Giants had the 1905 World Series, 4 games to 1.
So in 1922, Moonlight Graham had been out of baseball since 1908. Shoeless Joe was gone from bigs since the end of the 1920 season, but he stayed on the semi-pros. Jackson and Graham may have crossed paths in a game at one point. If not, then the did for real in 1989. Honest!
John McGraw's team was now up against Babe Ruth's New York Yankees. Ruth, by the way, got some pointers from Shoeless Joe Jackson. Pointers on how to really hit the ball with some authority! Ruth was a good student and Jackson was a good teacher!
The Giants managed to hold Ruth in check in the 1922 Fall Classic, which featured the last ever tie game in a World Series.
Who was the Giants' right fielder in the World Series that year, you ask. Why, Ross Youngs, of course. Next to him was one of my all-time favourite characters in baseball, Casey Stengel!
Ross was 0-3 in game 1, which the Giants eked out a 3-2 decision. But high sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8th inning broke a 2-2 tie.
Game 2 was the tie game. Youngs went only 1 for 3 but also drew a walk. He failed to collect an RBI or run scored. Babe Ruth also was 1 for 3 with a walk, but tied the game for good when he scored on a double in the bottom of the 8th. The game was called because of darkness after 10 innings.
The National Leaguers came alive for 12 hits in game 3, but only crossed the plate 3 times. It was enough for a shutout win, however. The Yankees managed just 4 hits. Ruth had zero. Youngs had 3, so almost as many as the entire Yankee team. But again, no RBIs or runs scored. With the win, the Giants were up 2 games to 0 and a tie.
Four runs in the top of the fifth inning of game four helped the Giants erase a 2-0 deficit. Ross did collect and RBI when he singled off Yankee pitcher Carl Mays. That scored the fourth run. It was a clutch, two-out hit. But Ross must have taken too big a lead off first, as he derailed some more potential runs when he was picked off first! In the fourth inning, Youngs singled but was later forced at second. The Giants needed all four runs as it turned out, as the final score was 4-3, Giants. One more win. It may have been 3-0-1 Giants, but it sure hadn't been easy!
In the bottom of the second inning of game 5, Youngs walked and scored the second run of the frame for the Giants. That helped erase a 1-0 Yankee lead. The Yankees tied the game in the 5th, but it was Youngs who stopped them from taking the lead. One the play that scored the tying run, Everett Scott of the Yankees tried for home. Ross fired to Frankie Frisch, who fired home to nail him. Scott ended up in a rundown and was eventually putout.
The Yankees were undaunted. Scott hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 7th. Then, in the bottom of the 8th with the score still 3-2 for the Yankees, Youngs came up with runners on second and third and two outs. The Yankees walked him intentionally, loading the bases. But High Pockets Kelly hit a single to score the tying and go-ahead runs. Youngs then came home with an all-important insurance run via a single by Lee King. It was 5-3 Giants now and the Yankees went 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th.
The Giants had won both the 1905 and 1922 World Series by winning all but one game (and only losing once). They had won both it without Moonlight Graham. Yet, when it comes to favourite baseball movies, it is Field Of Dreams that tops my list. Ask me to name a member of the 1905 Giants, I'll probably say Christy Mathewson. Ask me to name a member of the 1922 Giants, I'll say Casey Stengel.
But on both teams, in fact and in fiction, the name, "Moonlight Graham" will always be there. Stepping up to the plate in my imagination with the bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the 9th inning of game 7 and...
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Montville, Leigh. The Big Bam: The Life And Times Of Babe Ruth. Broadway, 2007. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen. 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.
Retrosheet. Retrosheet. Web. 07 May. 2014. <www.retrosheet.org>.
Society For American Baseball Research, SABR, sabr.org/. Web. 07 May. 2014.
Weintraub, Robert. The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, The First Yankees Championship, And The Redemption Of 1923. Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company, 2013. Print.
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