In 1904, as in 1994, there was no Fall Classic. Two times in ninety years may not seem like much, but you had to feel a tad bit ripped off that when the last game of the regular season ended for everyone, there was nothing left to play for. Even if you were in first place.
The 1994 strike in August probably cost the Montreal Expos their best shot at a Fall Classic win. They did have the talent. But the 1904 no event seemed so odd. Had there not been an agreement to play it. No, their hadn't. At least that's probably what John McGraw and some other people thought back then. Was the 1903 October Classic a one-and-done deal? Perhaps. The American League formed in 1901, and not everyone looked at both leagues as the same skill set.
The 1904 American League dwindled down to both the Boston Pilgrims (Having just won the very first Fall Classic in '03) and New York Highlanders offering up any challenge from the senior circuit. That would come in the form of McGraws' New York Giants. Hey, the possibility existed for the first Subway Series! What better way? Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle weren't even alive, and Babe Ruth was only ten, but come one, this was going to be a classic.
Well, scratch that. Boston clinched it AL flag, and probably had thoughts down the stretch at a repeat. Hmmm, first team to win a Fall Classic, first team to repeat...Sounds great. Except to McGraw. And John T. Bush. He was the Giants' president of operations. But it was McGraw that had a very dim view of the American League. To him, the American League was more of a bush league. Not in the NL's class. But wait a minute! Had the Pilgrim's not dis-proven that? Did they not have the greatest pitcher of all time (At that point, at least) in Cy Young? And another pretty good pitcher, Bill Dinneen? Who did McGraw have? 33-year old Joe McGinnity, a 35-game winner (You read that right) and some kid named Christy Mathewson, who won 33 himself. This looked like a classic!
But John McGraw had not had a good time in the American League. Back in 1902, it had been McGraw as skipper of the Baltimore Orioles of the junior circuit. A dispute between McGraw and Ban Johnson had developed. You see, Ban Johnson was the president of the AL. McGraw was known to give it to umpires if needs be. To win, of course. In a 1902 game between Baltimore and Boston, as McGraw was still a player, he was hit five times by pitches in one game. Coincidentally, it was Dinneen who hit him. Did Dinneen give him more fuel for his refusal of 1904? Gotta think so. Not once was he awarded first after all those nickings, and the ruling was that John was doing all this to himself, intentionally. Was this some sort of a conspiracy against him for all the times he tries to bait umpires? Well, McGraw was soon back in his happy world of the National League later in 1903.There was one time in the spring of '04 where McGraw and some of his Giants' players beat an umpire to unconscious. Don't mess with Little Napoleon.
When you do, you get deprived of a Cy Young vs. Christy Mathewson pitching matchup! What might have been!
While the blame seem to be actually towards Bush rather than McGraw, it was actually the Giants' manager that wrote a letter (An open one, that is) that explained it all. He took the heat for some reason. Bush may have just been backing him up, but deep down, he knew that a World Series every year was a good idea.
So it was then Bush that did the smart thing. He sent a letter to the president of the National League, Harry Pulliam. Well, Bush wanted some pull for something like a World Series the next year, only in the spring. Well, that did not go anywhere, but Bush had the right idea. It seemed everyone liked the thought of more gate receipts, or at least a chance at it. But how about in October? Like they did in 1903. It seems everyone agreed? Did McGraw? Well, let's put it this way. The Giants won the pennant the next season, and met the Philadelphia A's in the World Series. With that, it officially became an annual event. And when McGraw saw his team win, he too, must have liked the thought.
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.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
The 1994 strike in August probably cost the Montreal Expos their best shot at a Fall Classic win. They did have the talent. But the 1904 no event seemed so odd. Had there not been an agreement to play it. No, their hadn't. At least that's probably what John McGraw and some other people thought back then. Was the 1903 October Classic a one-and-done deal? Perhaps. The American League formed in 1901, and not everyone looked at both leagues as the same skill set.
The 1904 American League dwindled down to both the Boston Pilgrims (Having just won the very first Fall Classic in '03) and New York Highlanders offering up any challenge from the senior circuit. That would come in the form of McGraws' New York Giants. Hey, the possibility existed for the first Subway Series! What better way? Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle weren't even alive, and Babe Ruth was only ten, but come one, this was going to be a classic.
Well, scratch that. Boston clinched it AL flag, and probably had thoughts down the stretch at a repeat. Hmmm, first team to win a Fall Classic, first team to repeat...Sounds great. Except to McGraw. And John T. Bush. He was the Giants' president of operations. But it was McGraw that had a very dim view of the American League. To him, the American League was more of a bush league. Not in the NL's class. But wait a minute! Had the Pilgrim's not dis-proven that? Did they not have the greatest pitcher of all time (At that point, at least) in Cy Young? And another pretty good pitcher, Bill Dinneen? Who did McGraw have? 33-year old Joe McGinnity, a 35-game winner (You read that right) and some kid named Christy Mathewson, who won 33 himself. This looked like a classic!
But John McGraw had not had a good time in the American League. Back in 1902, it had been McGraw as skipper of the Baltimore Orioles of the junior circuit. A dispute between McGraw and Ban Johnson had developed. You see, Ban Johnson was the president of the AL. McGraw was known to give it to umpires if needs be. To win, of course. In a 1902 game between Baltimore and Boston, as McGraw was still a player, he was hit five times by pitches in one game. Coincidentally, it was Dinneen who hit him. Did Dinneen give him more fuel for his refusal of 1904? Gotta think so. Not once was he awarded first after all those nickings, and the ruling was that John was doing all this to himself, intentionally. Was this some sort of a conspiracy against him for all the times he tries to bait umpires? Well, McGraw was soon back in his happy world of the National League later in 1903.There was one time in the spring of '04 where McGraw and some of his Giants' players beat an umpire to unconscious. Don't mess with Little Napoleon.
When you do, you get deprived of a Cy Young vs. Christy Mathewson pitching matchup! What might have been!
While the blame seem to be actually towards Bush rather than McGraw, it was actually the Giants' manager that wrote a letter (An open one, that is) that explained it all. He took the heat for some reason. Bush may have just been backing him up, but deep down, he knew that a World Series every year was a good idea.
So it was then Bush that did the smart thing. He sent a letter to the president of the National League, Harry Pulliam. Well, Bush wanted some pull for something like a World Series the next year, only in the spring. Well, that did not go anywhere, but Bush had the right idea. It seemed everyone liked the thought of more gate receipts, or at least a chance at it. But how about in October? Like they did in 1903. It seems everyone agreed? Did McGraw? Well, let's put it this way. The Giants won the pennant the next season, and met the Philadelphia A's in the World Series. With that, it officially became an annual event. And when McGraw saw his team win, he too, must have liked the thought.
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.
Snyder,
John S. World Series!: Great Moments and
Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
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