Casey Stengel made his debut in the Fall Classic in 1916. Funny, I would have said sometime in the 1920s with the Giants. But in '16 he was on the 'Giants and the Yankees bitter rival, the Brooklyn Robins. But Stengel would not face the team he would later manage. But he would face someone who made it big in New York later.
It was actually the Boston Red Sox that opposed the Robins that World Series. And did the Red Sox ever have a pitching staff! How would the 26 year-old right fielder do?
Game one saw Ernie Shore take the hill for Boston. Shore had not thrown his famous no-hitter in relief of Babe Ruth yet (that was next season), but he was a great pitcher at the time. Having gone 19-8 in 1915 with an ERA of 1.64, his numbers had dropped at bit. Shore was only 16-10 that year, but did he bring it in the first 8 innings of this one!
In the to of the first, it was Stengel grounding out, as the Robins went down in order. Rube Marquard of Brooklyn would win 201 games in his career. But here, he struggled to keep pace with what Ernie was doing.
Marquard managed to get through the first two innings, despite facing a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the third, and with a runner 90 feet away from scoring, Duffy Lewis hit a double, as the Red Sox drew first blood.
Stengel would actually score the Robins' first run. Leading off the top of the 4th inning, he singled. When Zack Wheat hit a triple, the score was deadlocked at one. Wheat ended up being cut down trying to score on a fly ball and for a while it looked like that would be all that Brooklyn would get.
But Boston had no intention of losing this game. Harry Hooper led of the bottom of the 5th with a double to center. A bunt moved him to third. Tillie Walker's single drove home Hooper. Shore had his lead back. Brooklyn was in trouble.
Shore retired the side in the top of the 6th inning. Jake Daubert grounded out. Stengel came to bat again, and Ernie got him on a K. Wheat grounded out. Shore must not have broken a sweat that inning. In the top of the 7th, Brooklyn got a base runner, but it was quickly erased on a double play. Once again, Shore had faced three batters in the inning. Marquard would not be so lucky. He faced seven batters and three of them scored. It was 5-1, Boston. Things now looked pretty grim for Stengel and his mates.
Shore got 'em 1-2-3 again in the top of the 8th. Marquard was now out of the game, but the Sox scored another run in the bottom of the frame. Five runs up with three more outs to go. What could go wrong?
After Daubert drew a crucial leadoff walk, it was Stengel who singled him to second. After a force at third, George Cutshaw was hit by a pitch and the bases were loaded with just one out. An error then scored two runs. It was 6-3 Red Sox still, but Brooklyn had found a way to score twice on just one hit!
Ivy Olson got Brooklyn's second hit of the inning and the bases were loaded again. But when Shore got Chief Meyers to pop out, the Robins were down to their last out!
Fred Merkle, who had committed a base running blunder that cost the Giants the pennant in 1908, got a walk to force home a run. Shore was removed for Carl Mays. The Sox also took out catcher Hick Cady and put in Pinch Thomas behind the plate. But when Hi Myers hit a single, the Red Sox's lead was down to just one and the bases were still loaded. Daubert grounded out to end the game.
Babe Ruth, still with the Red Sox, pitched a gem in game 2. The game went into extras and Boston took it in the bottom of the 14th. Casey Stengel did not play. Amazing to think that in 1916 The Babe was not quite The Guy With The Big Stick, and Stengel was not quite The Character. But both of them were to make this Fall Classic one for the books!
Stengel was back in right for game three, now in Brooklyn. In the bottom of the first, Casey hit a sac bunt to get the runners to second and third. An intentional walk loaded the bases, but Brooklyn could get the man home.
But in the bottom of the third, The Old Perfessor helped get it going!
Daubert singled with one out. Casey hit a single to send him to second. Cutshaw singled to left off Carl Mays. That scored Daubert with the first run of game three. Brooklyn, of course, really needed to win, being down 2-0 in this World Series.
Brooklyn would pick up another run in the bottom of the fourth. Ivy Olson bunted his way to first, then reached second via an error on the play. Another bunt, this one a sac, got Ivy to third. When Jack Coombs, that starting pitcher for the Robins, got a single, it was 2-0 Brooklyn. Coombs was pitching well too, it should be pointed out. He had a 1-2-3 top of the 5th.
Casey was unable to contribute in the bottom of the frame. He fouled out to third. Then, Brooklyn went to some Moneyball to get a run. Zack Wheat walked, and then with two outs, Mike Mowrey walked. Olson, having a great game, hit a clutch triple to score both runners and make it a 4-0 game.
In the top of the 6th, Boston finally got to Coombs. Harry Hooper hit a triple to score a man, then he scored himself on a single. 4-2, Brooklyn. A home run by Larry Gardner got the Sox to within a run. But they were unable to score another.
Stengel himself would do no more. Leading off the bottom of the 7th, he flied out to right. But with two outs in the top of the 9th, Duffy Lewis hit a fly ball that Stengel caught in right for the last out of the game. Stengel had finished the day with only one hit, but his batting average was .429 at this point! Pretty good first two World Series games for the man with all the quotes.
Despite all this, Brooklyn and Stengel's joy was short lived. The Boston Red Sox were just too strong. And it showed in game four, a crucial game. It was all Boston. Stengel did not get into the game until the bottom of the 9th.
Dutch Leonard, one of the more underrated pitchers of his generation, took a 6-2 lead into the last of the 9th for Boston. He would allow the Robins just five hits, total, in the game. With one out in the 9th, Olson drew a walk of Dutch. Meyers hit into a force. Stengel came in to pinch run. But the game ended as pinch hitter Gus Getz grounded out to third. Boston now led the best-of-seven affair, three games to one!
Brooklyn needed a win in game five, but they would not get it. Although he allowed a run in the top of the second on a wild pitch, Ernie Shore was masterful. Brooklyn would get only three hits this afternoon. Gardner tied it in the bottom of the frame on a sac fly.
Two more runs in the bottom of the third put Boston up for good. A triple by Hal Janvrin scored the last run of the 1916 World Series.
Stengel reached base on an error in the top of the first, but was stranded. He flied out in the top of the fourth as Shore got Brooklyn 1-2-3 in that inning. Another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth saw Stengel make the last out by popping out to short.
But there was Stengel stroking a single to lead off the top of the 9th, as the defiant Dodgers gave it one last try. Wheat fanned. A ground ball for out two saw Stengel advance into scoring position. But Shore got Mowrey to pop out to short and end it.
Casey Stengel's had played in his first Fall Classic. This was a pretty good time for him, despite the loss. He batted .364 and scored twice, placing him in a tie for fourth among all players in the 1916 World Series. And he'd be back. At the time, Casey must have been, just another player. But here was someone who would become one of baseball's all-time great characters. Later still, he'd become one of the all-time great managers in baseball.
Years later, his famous line "There's a time in a man's life, and I've had plenty," could be used to describe his entire baseball career, including that as a player! The World Series is always a "Time in your life" for baseball players, managers, fans, and this blogger!
It was actually the Boston Red Sox that opposed the Robins that World Series. And did the Red Sox ever have a pitching staff! How would the 26 year-old right fielder do?
Game one saw Ernie Shore take the hill for Boston. Shore had not thrown his famous no-hitter in relief of Babe Ruth yet (that was next season), but he was a great pitcher at the time. Having gone 19-8 in 1915 with an ERA of 1.64, his numbers had dropped at bit. Shore was only 16-10 that year, but did he bring it in the first 8 innings of this one!
In the to of the first, it was Stengel grounding out, as the Robins went down in order. Rube Marquard of Brooklyn would win 201 games in his career. But here, he struggled to keep pace with what Ernie was doing.
Marquard managed to get through the first two innings, despite facing a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the third, and with a runner 90 feet away from scoring, Duffy Lewis hit a double, as the Red Sox drew first blood.
Stengel would actually score the Robins' first run. Leading off the top of the 4th inning, he singled. When Zack Wheat hit a triple, the score was deadlocked at one. Wheat ended up being cut down trying to score on a fly ball and for a while it looked like that would be all that Brooklyn would get.
But Boston had no intention of losing this game. Harry Hooper led of the bottom of the 5th with a double to center. A bunt moved him to third. Tillie Walker's single drove home Hooper. Shore had his lead back. Brooklyn was in trouble.
Shore retired the side in the top of the 6th inning. Jake Daubert grounded out. Stengel came to bat again, and Ernie got him on a K. Wheat grounded out. Shore must not have broken a sweat that inning. In the top of the 7th, Brooklyn got a base runner, but it was quickly erased on a double play. Once again, Shore had faced three batters in the inning. Marquard would not be so lucky. He faced seven batters and three of them scored. It was 5-1, Boston. Things now looked pretty grim for Stengel and his mates.
Shore got 'em 1-2-3 again in the top of the 8th. Marquard was now out of the game, but the Sox scored another run in the bottom of the frame. Five runs up with three more outs to go. What could go wrong?
After Daubert drew a crucial leadoff walk, it was Stengel who singled him to second. After a force at third, George Cutshaw was hit by a pitch and the bases were loaded with just one out. An error then scored two runs. It was 6-3 Red Sox still, but Brooklyn had found a way to score twice on just one hit!
Ivy Olson got Brooklyn's second hit of the inning and the bases were loaded again. But when Shore got Chief Meyers to pop out, the Robins were down to their last out!
Fred Merkle, who had committed a base running blunder that cost the Giants the pennant in 1908, got a walk to force home a run. Shore was removed for Carl Mays. The Sox also took out catcher Hick Cady and put in Pinch Thomas behind the plate. But when Hi Myers hit a single, the Red Sox's lead was down to just one and the bases were still loaded. Daubert grounded out to end the game.
Babe Ruth, still with the Red Sox, pitched a gem in game 2. The game went into extras and Boston took it in the bottom of the 14th. Casey Stengel did not play. Amazing to think that in 1916 The Babe was not quite The Guy With The Big Stick, and Stengel was not quite The Character. But both of them were to make this Fall Classic one for the books!
Stengel was back in right for game three, now in Brooklyn. In the bottom of the first, Casey hit a sac bunt to get the runners to second and third. An intentional walk loaded the bases, but Brooklyn could get the man home.
But in the bottom of the third, The Old Perfessor helped get it going!
Daubert singled with one out. Casey hit a single to send him to second. Cutshaw singled to left off Carl Mays. That scored Daubert with the first run of game three. Brooklyn, of course, really needed to win, being down 2-0 in this World Series.
Brooklyn would pick up another run in the bottom of the fourth. Ivy Olson bunted his way to first, then reached second via an error on the play. Another bunt, this one a sac, got Ivy to third. When Jack Coombs, that starting pitcher for the Robins, got a single, it was 2-0 Brooklyn. Coombs was pitching well too, it should be pointed out. He had a 1-2-3 top of the 5th.
Casey was unable to contribute in the bottom of the frame. He fouled out to third. Then, Brooklyn went to some Moneyball to get a run. Zack Wheat walked, and then with two outs, Mike Mowrey walked. Olson, having a great game, hit a clutch triple to score both runners and make it a 4-0 game.
In the top of the 6th, Boston finally got to Coombs. Harry Hooper hit a triple to score a man, then he scored himself on a single. 4-2, Brooklyn. A home run by Larry Gardner got the Sox to within a run. But they were unable to score another.
Stengel himself would do no more. Leading off the bottom of the 7th, he flied out to right. But with two outs in the top of the 9th, Duffy Lewis hit a fly ball that Stengel caught in right for the last out of the game. Stengel had finished the day with only one hit, but his batting average was .429 at this point! Pretty good first two World Series games for the man with all the quotes.
Despite all this, Brooklyn and Stengel's joy was short lived. The Boston Red Sox were just too strong. And it showed in game four, a crucial game. It was all Boston. Stengel did not get into the game until the bottom of the 9th.
Dutch Leonard, one of the more underrated pitchers of his generation, took a 6-2 lead into the last of the 9th for Boston. He would allow the Robins just five hits, total, in the game. With one out in the 9th, Olson drew a walk of Dutch. Meyers hit into a force. Stengel came in to pinch run. But the game ended as pinch hitter Gus Getz grounded out to third. Boston now led the best-of-seven affair, three games to one!
Brooklyn needed a win in game five, but they would not get it. Although he allowed a run in the top of the second on a wild pitch, Ernie Shore was masterful. Brooklyn would get only three hits this afternoon. Gardner tied it in the bottom of the frame on a sac fly.
Two more runs in the bottom of the third put Boston up for good. A triple by Hal Janvrin scored the last run of the 1916 World Series.
Stengel reached base on an error in the top of the first, but was stranded. He flied out in the top of the fourth as Shore got Brooklyn 1-2-3 in that inning. Another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth saw Stengel make the last out by popping out to short.
But there was Stengel stroking a single to lead off the top of the 9th, as the defiant Dodgers gave it one last try. Wheat fanned. A ground ball for out two saw Stengel advance into scoring position. But Shore got Mowrey to pop out to short and end it.
Casey Stengel's had played in his first Fall Classic. This was a pretty good time for him, despite the loss. He batted .364 and scored twice, placing him in a tie for fourth among all players in the 1916 World Series. And he'd be back. At the time, Casey must have been, just another player. But here was someone who would become one of baseball's all-time great characters. Later still, he'd become one of the all-time great managers in baseball.
Years later, his famous line "There's a time in a man's life, and I've had plenty," could be used to describe his entire baseball career, including that as a player! The World Series is always a "Time in your life" for baseball players, managers, fans, and this blogger!
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