World Series: Did You Know?

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been involved in three Fall Classics where the team up three games to one came home empty handed!

In the very first World Series, the National Leaguers looked poised in ready to take the best-of-nine affair. Taking three of the first four games, the Bucs needed just two more wins. Their opponents, Boston then went on a tear thanks to some great pitching. And they took over the World Series from there! The 1903 Fall Classic would not go to the senior circut!

The immortal Cy Young stopped Pittsburgh in game five with a 6-hitter to pull Boston to within a win of squaring the World Series. Boston exploded for 11 runs in the game.

In game 6, the Americans (as Boston was called then) tied it at 3, as Bill Dinneen won his second game of the Series. Boston only scored six runs this time, but the Pirates were held to just 3 themselves. Now, the first Fall Classic was down to best two-out of-three!

And it would be Boston that took the Series lead in game 7. Cy Young gave up 10 hits and 3 runs, but Boston got 11 hits and 7 runs of their own. Now, one more win and the Americans would have it all! Boston would have two cracks at it and they would take the first opportunity.

Bill Dinneen won game 8 and the Series for Boston with a 4-hit masterpiece. Boston had come all the way back. Long before Boston Strong, came Boston, Young And Restless And Relentless!

The Pirates would find themselves down 3-1 to the Washington Senators in the 1925 World Series. This was only a best-of-seven affair. They would need 3 straight wins. They got them!

In game 5, the Pirates won 6-3, but the score was closer than that. Each team had a 1-run lead. Then tied at 2 in the top of the 7th, Pittsburgh scored twice. Washington got one run back in the bottom of the frame, but would get no closer. It was back to Pittsburgh for game 6.

And game 6 was even closer. The Senators took an early 2-0 lead before the Pirates came back and squared things with a pair in the bottom of the third. A run in the bottom of the 5th by the Bucs concluded the scoring. There would be a winner-take-all game 7 in the 1925 World Series.

But it was Walter Johnson on the hill for the Senators. Washington quickly got ahead 4-0 in their first at-bats. The Pirates clawed back to 4-3 in the bottom of the 3rd. Two more runs by Washington in the top of the 4th seemed to spell the end for the Pirates. But Pittsburgh got one back in the bottom of the 5th and scored five more times to Washington's one to take it, 9-7.

Most recently, it was 1979, and Baltimore looked dangerous to the Pirates. The Orioles pitching staff and bats of the had kept Pittsburgh off-guard for the first four games. Even when the Bucks scored some, like 4 runs in game 3, plus 6 more in game 4, it was the O's that had the last word.

In game 5, the Pirates won at home 7-1. But they trailed 1-0 through 5 before they scored twice in the 6th, two more times in the 7th and finally 3 more times in the 8th. The Pirates were within a game, 3-2. But game 6 was in Baltimore.

And the Orioles' Jim Palmer, as he so often did in the postseason, tied up the Pirates' bats in knots. Through 6 innings, the Pirates were looking down and out. But Pittsburgh's John Candeleria matched Jimmy's 0's with 6 of his own. In the top of the 7th, as had happened in game five, the Pirates scored twice. Then, two more runs in the 8th, plus some fine relief work by Ken Tekulve, and Pittsburgh had squared the Series at 3 with a 4-0 win.

In game 7, the O's struck first as Rich Dauer hit a solo home run in the bottom of the bottom of the third. Again, the Pirates' offence just wasn't there. But again, it would pick up. I guess the Pirates of 1979 just needed a few innings to get the old motor up and going.

Willie Stargell erased that lead and put Pittsburgh up for good with a 2-run dinger in the top of the 6th. Inspired by that blast, the Pirates plated two more runs in the top of the 9th to salt away a 4-1 win. But once again, you wouldn't know who was going to win until the last out. But no matter! The Pirates had again overcome a 3-1 deficit in the World Series again. Now if only they hadn't botched that lead in the first World Series! I wonder how many fans of the Bucks ever bring up blowing a 3-1 lead in '03 when they talk about the comebacks of '25 and '79?

References

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

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.

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.

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.

Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.

World Series: Did You Know?

Even though Washington eventually came up short in the 1925 Fall Classic, the Senators' 3-1 Series lead against the Pirates was not without some controversy.

It was game 3, with the Series tied at 1 and the Series' lead at stake. Washington had already used Walter Johnson to win game 1. Stan Coveleski took a tough 3-2 loss for the Nats in game 2.

So here was game 3 in Washington. And it was a real gem of a game! But there was one play that would be talked about for years after.

The Senators sent Alex Ferguson to the mound. It must have sort of seemed like a bad move, as Fergie had led the AL in losses with 17 the previous year. But this was 1925, and Alex pitched for three different teams. Finally landing in Washington, he was good! Here's a breakdown of Ferguson's 1925 W-L, ERA breakdown:

Boston Red Sox: 0-2, 10.91 ERA

New York Yankees: 4-2, 7.79 ERA

Washington Senators: 5-1, 3.25 ERA

Not sure if I would want this guy on the hill at any point in any World Series game. But looking at his numbers with Washington, I guess it's not so bad. And he pitched well here and also in game 6.

But what about his mound opponent for Pittsburgh? Ray Kremer! This guy was a pretty good pitcher, says I! Only in his third year was Ray. But look at his numbers.

1924: 18-10, 3.19 ERA

1925: 17-8, 3.69 ERA

So, a great W% and a pretty good ERA. Looks like a TKO for the Bucs in game 3 of the 1925 Fall Classic.

Pie Traynor made it look that way when he hit a leadoff triple to start the top of the 2nd for Pittsburgh. A sacrifice fly scored him. But leave it to the Judge, as in Joe Judge, to drive home Sam Rice in the bottom of the 3rd to tie it. Rice would be heard from later this game, believe you me!

But once again, reality set in for Alex. In the top of the 4th, the Pirates, undaunted, tallied another run and then loaded the bases. Ferguson had to fan his mound opponent, Kremer, to escape further damage. The Pittsburgh Pirates had the lead again, 2-1.

In the top of the 6th, with runners on the corners and two down, Kremer got another chance at Fergie. This time, he came through by stroking a single to center to extend the Pirates' lead to 3-1. But the Nationals came back in the bottom of the frame as Goose Goslin took Ray deep.

Washington then looked like they might get more, as they got two more hits that inning. Kremer bore down and got out of it, still ahead, 3-2.

After Alex had a 1-2-3 7th, it was time for a dramatic comeback by Washington!

Nemo Leibold, who had played on the infamous 1919 Chicago White Sox (obviously, he was clean in that Series), hitting for Ferguson, drew a walk. After two singles loaded the bases, The Judge tied the game with a sacrifice fly! Joe Harris' second hit of that game, then put the Senators up, 4-3!

Firpo Marberry, the great relief pitcher (Yes, they had them back then, too! Well, some of them) came in to pitch the top of the 8th and K'd the first two Pirate batters. But then Earl Smith didn't go down on strikes!

Actually, he launched one to right. This had a chance to go out. Sam Rice, playing rightfield (actually, Sam had switched from centerfield to right in the top of this fateful inning!) raced over to the wall, reached over, and disappeared from sight!

Had he caught the ball?

Had he dropped the ball as we went over the wall?

The umpires held a conference, where it was ruled that Rice, did in fact, make the catch. And held on to the ball. The Senators were out of the inning with a slim one-run lead.

Marberry loaded the bases on two singles and a hit batter in the top of the ninth. There was only one out. But the man who collected many a save (although, of course, Firpo would not have been aware of it at the time), bore down and got Clyde Barnhart to pop up to catcher Muddy Ruel. Pie Traynor then flied out to Earl McNeely in center.

But what about Rice's catch? Did he really hold on to it?

Rice for years would only say that "The umpire said I did." Then he would smile. Many claimed he didn't. But finally, he said he would reveal the truth about the catch (or no catch) after he died. Sam sent a letter to the Hall Of Fame, to be opened after his death. The truth, lay inside. When he passed away in 1974, the letter was opened.

He caught it and held on to it!

Just had to get it off his chest after death, eh?

World Series: Did You Know?

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the first team to come back from a 3 games to 1 deficit (in a best of seven format) to win the World Series. It was 1925, and the Washington Senators were looking for a repeat! And their side-arming righty was awesome here!

Long before the days of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Sidney Crosby breaking Washington's hearts again and again in the NHL playoffs, the Sens took a 3-1 lead in the 1925 Fall Classic. Walter Johnson looked unhittable. In winning his first two starts (game 4 was a shutout gem) he certainly added to his status as one of the game's all-time greats! But baseball was about to repeat what I saw in hockey from 1992 on between Washington and Pittsburgh: Pitt on the brink, and coming back to win!

In game 5, it was back-and-forth, with each team touching home twice after 6 innings. In the top of the 7th, the Bucs finally broke through with a lead of more than a run when they scored twice. But Sam Rice's single in the bottom of the frame brought Washington back to within a single run, 4-3.

The Pirates were not to be denied, however. Stuffy McInnis singled home a run in the top of the 8th to restore the two-run lead. Another run in the top of the 9th meant this thing was heading back to Steeltown for game 6. And maybe, game 7!

Game 6 was a great pitcher's duel, and Washington looked ready to win it. They scored a run in the top of the 1st and the top of the 2nd. The way unheralded Alex Ferguson was pitching, it looked like curtains for the Pirates. Fergie had beaten Pittsburgh 4-3 in game 3, as the Senators must have had a lot of faith in him. Why not? It was a fine 6-hitter over 7 innings there. Here, the Pirates couldn't touch him in the first 2 innings.

But in the bottom of the 3rd, the Pirates tied it. Pie Traynor drove home the second run with a single. Fergie bore down after than, and Pitt got just one more run on a solo home run by Eddie Moore in the 5th. That made it 3-2 for the Bucs. Alex finished the game going 7 strong innings. He allowed 7 hits, but just 3 runs and 2 walks. He fanned 6. Win Ballou came in for Washington and easily retired the Pirates in the bottom of the 8th. Washington had gotten the pitching they needed to win this game.

But what the Senators didn't have was the hitting. Ray Kremer did not allow another run after the second inning. He finished the game by going all 9 innings. Washington managed just 6 hits, 2 runs and 1 walk. Ray fanned only 3 but also faced just 33 batters in the game. This thing was going the distance.

With Walter Johnson on the hill for the Nats, game 7 should have been a cinch for the Sens. But it was not to be.

The game never should have been played. It was raining hard. There was fog. But the game was played, anyway. Everyone might as well been blind!

The Senators lost 9-7 despite having leads of 4-0, 6-3 and even 7-6 in after 7 1/2. Johnson went the distance, gave up 15 hits, but only 5 of the runs were earned. He walked only 1, but could fan only 3.

Ray Kremer won this game too, but it was in relief. No one really pitched well, but given then conditions, it would be a tall order to do that. No one could see anything, including the umpires.

I guess you could point the finger at the Senators' Roger Peckinpaugh. He made 2 errors on the day and 8 overall in the Series. He did, however, hit a home run to give the Sens a 7-6 lead. That was Washington's last lead of the game. In the first inning, Roger reached first on a rare occurrence: catcher's interference! That, too, led to a run. As you can see, no one could see what was going on out there!

But my favourite Walter Johnson story (ever) is The Big Train, having watched some real tragedy unfold in the bottom of the 8th (with the Senators but 4 outs away from winning the 1925 Fall Classic), show such great character. With two outs, the Pirates tied it. Peckinpaugh's second error (Roger's first was in the 7th, and Pittsburgh scored twice that inning to pull within a run, 6-5) allowed the Bucs to score twice more and conclude the scoring. The Big Train waited for Peckinpaugh, and in one of the game's most touching moments, put his arms around him. Can you imagine doing that for someone who sort of cost you the game and the Fall Classic with his fielding?

The Senators were retired 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th. The Pirates had come back all the way from 3-1 down!

World Series: Did You Know?

The Big Train then won his first two starts of the 1925 World Series. He almost brought the Senators back-to-back World Series. But it was not quite to be.

Taking the hill in game 1 of the 1925 Fall Classic against Pittsburgh, Walter made sure the Pirates didn't have a chance!

The Washington Senators got a run in the top of the 2nd on a Joe Harris home run. Then the Nats tallied two more in the top of the 5th on a 2-run single by Sam Rice. Pie Traynor then took away Johnson's shutout bid in the bottom of the frame with a 4-bagger. But it was still 3-1, Washington.

But that would be the only run the Bucs got!

Settling down into clutch mode, it was a 1-2-3 6th and 1-2-3 7th for Johnson. In the 8th, the Pirates got a 1-out single. Then they sent pinch hitter Stuffy McInnis to the plate. But The Big Train fanned him and got Eddie Moore to ground out.

In the top of the 9th, the Senators plated another man to make it 4-1. The, in the bottom of the frame, Pittsburgh got two men on when Johnson hit a batter and gave up a single. There was only 1 out, but Johnson retired the next two batters. Johnson had looked so masterful out there: 5 hits, 1 walk, 10 K's!

And Johnson was not done.

In game 3, with the Senators up 2 games to 1 in the Series, Johnson was even better. The Senators scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. The Pirates' pitchers managed to hold the Nats at bay the rest of the way. But Walter Johnson was just too good here. Johnson gave the Senators' fans a World Series moment they would not soon forget.

He gave up a walk in the top of the first. In the top of the 2nd, it was 2 hits by Pittsburgh. In the 7th, the Bucs got 2 more. They would end the day with 6 hits. But none of them would lead to any scoring and neither did anything else. Johnson, despite only 2 K's this time, had blanked the Pirates. He was 37 years old at the time.

The Senators were up 3-1 in the Series. But it was not quite to be. The Pirates came back and took game 7 away from Johnson and Washington. But the Big Train had pitched nearly 2 shutouts and brought the Senators so much respectability with his pitching.