World Series: Did You Know?

Casey Stengel not only performed excellently in each of his three Fall Classics, but his hitting improved with the subsequent appearances in the postseason.

It all started for Stengel in the 1916 World Series. Playing on the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers up against the Boston Red Sox, Stengel wasted no time in taking centre stage.

Brooklyn, however, wasted his strong 2-4 performance in game one. The Dodgers came up short,
6-5. Stengel singled and scored in the fourth and did that again in the ninth.

Casey didn't play in game one, and the Dodgers lost again. Again by one run. So game three at Ebbets Field. Stengel got only one hit, but in this must-win game at home, the Dodgers did so, 4-3.

Alas, it was Boston that took the next two games. And although Stengel did little in both, managing just a pinch-running appearance in game four and going 1-4 at the dish in the last game, he ended the 1916 World Series with a .364 batting average. That was tops on both teams.

Stengel was then on the Giants in 1921. Having faced Babe Ruth the pitcher in 1916, Casey appeared ready to face the batter version of the Sultan Of Swat five years later. Although Stengel was his new team's (New York Giants) postseason roster, he did not appear. The Giants won the best-of-nine affair from the New York Yankees, 5-3.

Stengel was back in the World Series the following year, 1922, and so were the Yankees. The good news was another World Series ring for Stengel, in just five games (One tie). The bad news was a leg injury that limited him to just two of those games. Still, Casey was 2-5 in those, batting an even .400.

The two teams squared off again in 1923, and this time the Giants' weren't so lucky. Babe Ruth and company won it, four games to two. However, Casey was still the star, hitting .417. He also hit two home runs and led both teams in on-base percentage with a whopping .563. Only Ruth hit more home runs. Stengel was clutch, too. His walk-off, inside-the-park home run won game one. Casey's home run (This one went into the stands) in game three was the one tally of either teams, giving Art Neft a 1-0 win.

Stengel wouldn't play in another Fall Classic, as his career came to an end as a player later in the 1920s. Managing became his forte. And what a career he had there, with the Yankees from 1949-1960. During that time, New York won ten pennants and seven World Series. Because of that, it's usually forgotten when you think of Stengel. His playing career saw him play under a great manager in John McGraw. And when it came to the Fall Classic, McGraw's top player was none other than someone who'd make another name for himself as a manager years later!


References


Bishop, Bill. “Casey Stengel.” Casey Stengel | Society For American Baseball Research. Society For American Baseball Research. Web. 19 Apr. <https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/bd6a83d8>.

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.

Mantle, Mickey, and Mickey Herskowitz. All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. 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.

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.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 19 Apr. 2018. <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 19 Apr. 2018.

Baseball And Father's Day

Well, Happy Father's Day to all the sports dads out there. You persistence and passion in getting 'em to the game or practice on time never gets enough appreciation. My father was one such parent to myself and my two brothers. And we have all grown up to like sports.

As for things I do every Father's Day. Well, let's start with baseball, right? How about a movie? Field Of Dreams. I saw that movie for the first time in the early 90s, I think. From the start, it led me down the path of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the 1919 World Series. Poor Joe, for something he probably didn't realize what the consequences were, had to take the fall for that Fall Classic. As for the film's accuracy, Joe batted left and threw right. In the film, Joe batter right and threw left. Moonlight Graham's one game was actually June 29th, 1905. Not the last game of the regular season in 1922. The book, Shoeless Joe, which the movie is based on, gets the correct date. But both the novel and movie state that Graham played just a half of an inning in the outfield. Graham played the bottom of the eighth and ninth, but did not bat.



Jim Bunning is one of my favourite Father's Day story. In 1964, as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, he tossed a perfect game against the Mets. The final score was 6-0 for Philly, but there's a little known fact to this game. Bunning delivered two RBIs, for good measure. The Phillies, weren't so good down the stretch as they had the pennant in the bag. 6 1/2 with 12 to play, before a 10-game losing streak derailed their hopes. I met Jim Bunning earlier this year at a forum for the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team (Not to be confused with the hockey team) and we had a great conversation.



My father was a huge Yankee fan in the Mantle era of the 50s and 60s. I'd read dad's books cover to cover, and it made me a fan of the game from back then, appreciating the history. Recently, I decided to renew my interest in baseball, which was at it's peak in the early 90s when the Jays were winning. Time to get back to that, Toronto!

My father and I went to our first game together May 29, 1992. Toronto beat Chicago 3-0. We made it a point to go to some games after that. My big regret was my interest in baseball started to wane in the early 2000s. I'd still read and watch about the history of it, but that was it.

But dad and I made it back to the Roger's Centre last year, and for the first time since 2001. Actually, we went to two games last year. And I went to the season finale. 2015 saw dad and I go twice more. On May 24th, we saw the Jays pound Seattle 8-2. Likewise, on the 17th of June they pounded the Mets 8-0, bringing back memories of the 1993 team with all this offence.



A big thank you to my father, for making me a baseball fan. It's been quite a journey!

World Series: Did You Know?

In the 1922 Fall Classic, at least one team scored exactly three runs in all five games. But the New York Yankees could not find a way to beat their cross-town rivals in this World Series. The Babe and his teammates had to accept being a bridesmaid. It was a tight one all the way, though.

In game one, the Giants, the home team at the Polo Grounds, edged the Yankees 3-2. But the Giants could have scored more as they banged out eleven hits to the Yankees seven. It was the Bronx Bombers with a 2-0 lead until the Giants scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In game two, the Giants wasted no time, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. The game was also played at the Polo Grounds, but it must have felt like the Giants were the home team. Yankee Stadium did not come along until the next season. But the Yankees did not go away quietly. The got a run back in the bottom of the first to make it 3-1. Another tally in the bottom of the fourth on an Aaron Ward solo home run got the Yankees to within a run. And then, Mr. Home Run himself tied it. No, not with a home run, but Babe Ruth doubled and scored on Iris Meusel's two-bagger. From there, it was the Bob Shawkey and Jesse Barnes show. No more runs scored and the game was called due to darkness after ten innings. But some felt there enough time to play at least another inning.

Certainly the Yankees wish they could have. From their, they came up short every game. Their effort in game two was as close as they would come to not losing. It was also the last tie ever in the Fall Classic. The Giants took game three, 3-0 behind a splendid pitching performance from Jack Scott, who finished with a four-hit shutout. The National Leaguers had a 2-0 lead in October's Classic of '22 and were getting stronger.

But the Yankees scored twice in the bottom of the first inning of game four, and looked to get back in it. The Giants scored all four of their runs in the top of the fifth. The Yankees got a run back in the bottom of the bottom of the seventh on another home run by Ward. But that would prove to be the final score. With a 4-3 win in this game, the Giants were looking for the sweep in game five.

And they got it, but it was another nail-biter. The game see-sawed back and forth. First it was 1-0, Yankees, then 2-1, Giants. Two more runs by New York on single tallies in the top of the fifth and seventh game the Yankees one last lead, but the Giants were not about to be denied the sweep. The scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to put this game away. Art Neft retired the Yankees 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth to clinch it.

So, for the second year, the Giants and Yankees had met, and the Giants had won both. The Yankees needed a change, obviously. And it seemed to come with the new ballpark. Remarkably enough, the Yankees and Giants would meet again in the 1923 Fall Classic (The Dodgers and Yankees never met in the World Series three years in a row). But this time, Babe Ruth and company would prevail. And with the coming of Lou Gehrig as a regular in 1925, the Yankees turned the tide in this historic rivalry. There wasn't Mickey and Willie there yet, but as 1922 proved, it was still exciting when the Giants and Yankees met in the final showdown in baseball!


References

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. 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.

Retrosheet. Web. 20 Jun. 2015.  <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 20 Jun. 2015

World Series: Did You Know?

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.

World Series: Did You Know?

Game 2 of the 1922 World Series was the last "tie" game in the Fall Classic. A tie in the World Series?

And, yes, Babe Ruth played in it.

In the first ever Subway Series (involving New York teams) in 1921, it was the Giants' prevailing. They would again meet their cross-town rivals the Yankees the next year. And again, the World Series was held in it's entirely in the Polo Grounds. But things would be different this time.

The New York Giants swept the Yankees. Well, sort of. There was game 2 of the Series, which made it a 5 game affair!

The Series itself was actually quite close, as the winning margin was no more than two runs in any of the games. The Giants just seemed to have the answers and the pitching. Having said that, the Yankees' pitching was far from shabby in this Series.

After dropping a tough 3-2 decision in the opener, the Bronx Bombers went out to square things up in game 2. It didn't quite happen, but they did manage to avoid a loss! And what a pitcher's duel this gem of a game was!

It was the Giants' Jesse Barnes vs. the Yankees' Bob Shawkey. These two men were destined to go the distance on this day. And the distance was past the 9th inning!

The Giants scored three times in the top of the first on a 3-run dinger by Irish Meusel. But the Yankees came right back with a run in the bottom of the frame. Joe Dugan reached on an error. It was a bad throwing error and Joe made it to second. After Babe Ruth grounded out, Wally Pipp cashed Dugan in with a single. Both pitchers were about to settle down, however.

Shawkey would allow just 5 hits and no runs over the course of the next 9 innings. Barnes didn't quite do that, as the Yankees came at him with everything they had. They had to win this game, you know!

Barnes had a 1-2-3 2nd. In the 3rd inning, Jesse gave up a double to Dugan and a walk to Ruth. The Yankees, however, failed to score. Barnes then got the first two batters out in the bottom of the 4th, but a home run by Aaron Ward. Ward had hit just 7 in the regular season that year. The Yankees were within a run!

Dugan got still another hit in the bottom of the 5th, but Jesse retired Babe Ruth to end the inning. In the 6th, Jesse walked Bob Meusel, but got out of that with no damage. Then came the 7th.

Barnes retired Dugan to lead it off, but then The Bambino went the other way for a 2-bagger. Wally Pipp became the second out on a booming fly to center. But another double, this by Meusel, scored Ruth and tied the game. The Babe didn't have to go yard to hurt you, as the Giants had found out.

In the bottom of the 9th, the Yankees seemed poised to win it, right then, right there. Singles by Everett Scott and Whitey Witt meant a single would win it. Red-hot Joe Dugan was up, with Babe Ruth on deck! But all Dugan could do was K!

With the game now in extras, the Giants went quietly against Shawkey, who was just humming along on a day that seemed made for him. Could the Yankees take it in the bottom of the 10th?

Not so. Ruth fouled out to the catcher, Wally Pipp grounded out. Bob Meusel then fouled out to the catcher, as well. Darkness had descended on the Polo Grounds. The game was called.

The Yankees lost the next three games, and the Giants sort of had the sweep. But this would be the last tie game in the World Series. Somehow, a memorable pitcher's duel and Babe Ruth made it okay for a tie game.

Not that it would ever happen again in the World Series.