1909...Tragedy and Growth

1909...Tragedy amid growth

            The 1909 baseball season ended with the Pittsburgh Pirates beating the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. It was the Pirates' first World Series win, and the Tiger's third straight World Series loss. The Tigers would be the first team to lose three straight Series'.

            The Series also featured the first post-season meeting between each league's batting champion. Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner topped their leagues in batting average. It also featured the first rookie to ever start a game seven in a Series, Babe Adams pitched a complete game win over Detroit, 8-0, to clinch Pittsburgh's title.

            Adams started three of the seven games in the Series.

            But before we got to the Series, we had two significant incidents that overshadowed the season.

            In Philadelphia, the Athletics opened the season with a new home field.

            Shibe Park debuted in April, historic in many ways. It was the first true concrete and steel structure, and truly set in place a template for baseball stadiums to emulate for the decades to come.

            The double decked stadium, which cost approximately $600,000 to build, featured seating for 23,000 fans, and accommodations were made to 'rope off' areas of the outfield for standing room only ticket holders, should the need arise.

            The Boston Red Sox were the first visiting team to be hosted in the new ballpark, and excitement was definitely in the air for the Opening Day festivities. In all, it's estimated that over 30,000 fans made their way into the stadium, a good amount of those getting in free due to the massive crowd necessitating another gate to be opened. Another estimated 6,000 people watched the game from nearby rooftops as well. The excess crowd was situated seven deep cordoned off behind ropes that stretched from the left field to the right field wall.

            That early attendance success, combined with the success of the ball club, led to further stadium expansion by the Shibe family, which continued into the 1950's., by which time the Phillies were the sole tenant. Shibe Park, which later became Connie Mack Stadium, remained the home of Philadelphia baseball until 1970, when the Phillies moved into Veteran's Stadium.

            The A's defeated the Sox that day, by the score of 8-1, but the A's suffered a big loss that day.

Michael “Doc” Powers, and eleven year veteran,was the starting catcher for the A's. Powers, who was a licensed physician, was injured when he crashed into the concrete wall at the stadium while chasing a foul ball late in the game.  

            His intestinal injuries, which he also somehow blamed on his eating a cheese sandwich before the game, led to internal bleeding, and he required surgery. Three surgeries, in fact, to help stop the internal bleeding. And while the third surgery was successful, it led to an infection, and then gangrene.

            Two weeks after the opening game, the thirty-eight year old catcher would pass away. Making him the first player to die as a result of an injury in a major league game.

            Meanwhile, National League President Harvey Pulliam was having some issues.

            Harvey Pulliam was a sportswriter from Kentucky, who was recognized early on for his knowledge of the history of the game. He worked for the Louisville Commercial, where he worked hi way up to City Editor.

            He was hired away from the Commercial by Louisville Colonels owner Barney Dreyfus, to become the club secretary. He became the club president a short time later, negotiating for a portion of the club in the process. As president, he was instrumental in the acquisition of player Honus Wagner.

            Prior to the forming of what is the modern day National League, the League had twelve teams. Those twelve were contracted to eight after 1899 season, leaving the Louisville franchise (along with Baltimore, Cleveland and Washington) out of the loop.

            Dreyfus purchased and interest in the Pittsburgh franchise, bringing Pulliam with him. They also brought several players from Louisville, including Chief Zimmer, Fred Clarke, Rube Waddell and Honus Wagner.

            Pulliam was elected as President of the National League in 1902, and also served as Treasurer and Secretary of the league simultaneously. He held all three positions until 1907,when, according to The New York Times, “...his health began to give way under the strain of the multitude of duties.”

           

            In 1908, Pulliam made a ruling in the infamous Fred Merkle play, which resulted in that game being replayed in its entirety, and ultimately led to the Chicago Cubs defeating the New York Giants for the National League pennant, a race that was decided by that singular replayed game.

            As a quick recap, Merkle singled and was on first base when the next batter singled in the winning run. Merkle, seeing the winning run score, neglected to run to second base, and went to the Giants clubhouse. The Cubs second baseman, Johnny Evers realized his goof, and got a hold of the ball (or a ball) and told an umpire. Evers touched second base, and the umpire called Merkle out, for the last out of the inning.

            By that time, the Giants had left the field, and the fans had entered the field, streaming towards the exit. The umpires declared the game a tie, since darkness was setting in, and the Cubs protested the game, and asked for a ruling from Pulliam.

            Pulliam decided that the game should be replayed, which it was, with the Cubs winning the game and the pennant.

           

            The National League Board of Directors met in a special meeting to discuss the decision made by Pulliam, and decreed that he did, in fact, make the correct decision. That committee, who released their report in early October, also criticized Merkle for his “reckless, careless, inexcusable blunder”.

            Pulliam was exonerated by the league as a whole, although the Giants may not have done so, since it cost them the pennant. But Pulliam was troubled by his decision, and its aftermath.

            His health, both physical and mental, became a concern to the National league owners. He had been granted a leave of absence in early 1909, taking a 'long trip through the Western states'. He returned to office in late June, 1909.

            On July 29th, while staying at his apartment in the New York Athletic Club, Pulliam made the decision to shoot himself. He left no note behind.

            Every Major League Baseball games were canceled on the day Pulliam was buried, something that had never been done in the history of baseball. And for the first time ever, each team wore a black armband on their jersey for 30 days, in remembrance of Pulliam.

           

            His maxim “Take Nothing for Granted in Baseball” is still used today.

            Let's move on to highlights from the field of play.

            In Philadelphia, Athletics rookie pitcher Harry Krause pitched seven shutouts.

            In Cleveland, shortstop Neal Ball performed the first recorded unassisted triple play in American League history.

            In Washington, pitcher Dolly Gray, who would give up Tris Speaker's first home run, established a record on August 28^th. In the first game of a doubleheader, he pitched an historic second inning. He walked eight batters, which is the record for most in an inning, and walked seven of those batters consecutively, which is also a record.

            In all, Gray walked eleven batters, giving up six runs, earning the loss. But, on a bright note, he allowed just one hit.

            Teammate Bob Groom lost 26 games that year.

            In Chicago, the Cubs won 104 games, but didn't win the pennant. (The Pirates won 110 games and ran away with the title) That record would stand until the 1998 Atlanta Braves, who won 106 games, but lost to the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series.

            Outfielder Jimmy Sheckard established a record with 46 sacrifice hits.

            For the cross-town White Sox, the established a record by winning three consecutive games by a 1-0 score.

            Pitcher Ed Walsh stole home in a game, one of twelve steals by the White Sox that day. In doing so, Walsh became the first American League pitcher to have a steal of home in two consecutive seasons. Joe McGinnity (in 1903-04) is the only other pitcher to accomplish this.

            And the Sox hit just four home runs for the season, five less than Ty Cobb, whose nine led the American League.

            In New York,  the Giants' Arlie Latham became the oldest second baseman to play in a game. And, at 49 years old, remains the oldest player to steal a base in a game.

            And outfielder Red Murray became the first Giant player to lead the league in home runs. He hit seven.

            In Brooklyn, Superbas catcher Bill Bergen homered. It was his first homer since 1901, or 2,480 at bats earlier. This was, at the time, the second longest streak of this kind.

            Infielder Whitey Alperman set a record for the lowest walks per at bat in a season for players with 300 or more at bats. He walked just twice in 420 at bats.

            In Boston, Red Sox rookie outfielder, Tris Speaker, had 35 outfield assists. How important is this? Well, Dave Parker's 26 was the last time anyone had 25 or more in a season, and Gene Moore's 32 in 1936 was the last time that 30 or more were recorded...

            The Detroit Tigers were all about Ty Cobb. He won the Triple Crown, leading in Home Runs, Runs Batted In and Batting Average. His nine home runs were all of the inside the park variety, the only time that had happened.

            He won his third straight batting title, and third straight RBI title. He was the first to steal 2^nd, 3^rd and home in an inning three times. He set the record for stolen bases (76) by the League's home run champion. He is also the first to have amasses 100 runs batted in and 75 or more stolen bases in a season. He would also do this in 1911, the only other time it had been done.

            He, along with teammate Donie Bush, became the first teammate to combine for 125 stolen bases in a season.

            But it was Pittsburgh that was standing tall when the dust cleared, winning the World Championship over the Tigers in seven games. And for the Pirates, it was all about Honus Wagner.

            Wagner, the preeminent shortstop of the day, completed his fifth season in which he tallied 35 doubles and 35 stolen bases. He won his third consecutive Runs Batted In title, and his sixth straight batting title.

            He stole 2^nd, 3^rd and home in an inning in two consecutive games. Wagner, along with teammates Fred Clarke, Tommy Leach and Bobby Byrne held the top four places in runs scored.

            As for the team statistical rankings, the top three in each league in pitching were:

National League	American League
Chicago Cubs	Detroit Tigers
Pittsburgh Pirates	Chicago White Sox
New York Giants	Philadelphia Athletics

            And for hitting, that list is:

Pittsburgh Pirates	Detroit Tigers
Chicago Cubs	Philadelphia Athletics
New York Giants	Boston Red Sox

            So our overall top 5 teams for 1909 were as follows:

Pittsburgh Pirates	World Series Champion
Chicago Cubs	Won 104 games, 2nd in NL
Detroit Tigers	American League Champions
New York Giants	3rd in National League
Philadelphia Athletics	2nd in American League

                       

            For this season, the 'power ranking' held true to the eventual outcome.

            As for the player rankings, we'll start with the National League pitching, again featuring Runs Allowed Average as well as Earned Run Average. The initial top performers list is as follows:

Pitcher	Team	W-L	RAA	ERA
Christy Mathewson	Giants	25-6	1.86	1.14
Three Finger Brown	Cubs	27-9	2.05	1.31
Howie Camnitz	Pirates	25-6	2.39	1.62
Orvall Overall	Cubs	20-11	2.08	1.42
Ed Reulbach	Cubs	19-10	2.36	1.78
Vic Willis	Pittsburgh	22-11	2.61	2.24
Art Fromme	Reds	19-13	2.71	1.90
Hooks Wiltse	Giants	20-11	3.04	2.00
Jake Pfeister	Cubs	176	3.07	2.37
Lefty Leifield	Prates	19-8	3.39	2.37

            Then, as we compare the pitchers to their team's pitching performances, we get this next top ten performers:

Nap Rucker	Brooklyn	13-19	2.76	2.24
Christy Mathewson	Above
George Bell	Brooklyn	16-15	3.62	2.71
Art Fromme	Above
Lew Richie	Boston/Phillies	8-8	3.67	2.24
Johnny Lush	Cardinals	11-18	3.90	2.37
Al Mattern	Boston Doves	15-21	4.04	2.85
Fred Beebe	Cardinals	15-21	4.44	2.82
Earl Moore	Phillies	18-12	2.79	2.10
Harry Gaspar	Reds	19-11	3.36	2.01

            This brings us to our overall top ten National league pitching performers:

Christy Mathewson

Three Finger Brown

Howie Camnitz

Orval Overall

Art Fromme

Ed Reulbach

Vic Willis

Hooks Wiltse

Nap Rucker

Earl Moore

            Mathewson had another stellar season, with a ridiculously low ERA, and a runs allowed average of less than two, meaning he averaged giving up less that two runs per game, and still managed to lose six times for the Giants team that won 92 games, but still finished 18 ½ games behind the high powered Pirates.

            Now, we'll look at the American League pitchers, which features a few lesser known pitchers. That initial list looks like this:

George Mullin	Tigers	29-8	2.84	2.22
Harry Krause	Athletics	18-8	2.07	1.39
Ed Walsh	White Sox	15-11	2.03	1.41
Chief Bender	Athletics	18-8	2.46	1.66
Eddie Plank	Athletics	19-10	2.51	1.76
Frank Smith	White Sox	25-17	2.56	1.80
Cy Morgan	Boston/Athletics	18-17	2.30	1.81
Ed Summers	Tigers	19-9	2.91	2.24
Ed Killian	Tigers	11-9	2.34	1.71
Addie Joss	Cleveland	14-13	2.63	1.71

           

            And then compared to their team's, we get:

Walter Johnson	Senators	13-25	3.40	2.22
Barney Pelty	Browns	11-11	2.84	2.30
Harry Krause	Above
Ed Walsh	Above
Jake Powell	Browns	12-16	3.13	2.11
Addie Joss	Above
Chief Bender	Above
Eddie Plank	Above
Cy Young	Cleveland	19-15	3.36	2.26
George Mullin	above

            So, our final American League pitching rankings are:

Harry Krause

George Mullin

Ed Walsh

Chief Bender

Eddie Plank

Frank Smith

Cy Morgan

Addie Joss

Ed Summers

Ed Killian

            The American League pitchers outperformed the National League pitchers by 3.5%.

            Switching over to the offensive side, we'll start looking at the American League first.

            The rankings will include runs scored and runs created per game, instead of home runs, which were not a critical part of the game during this time.

            The initial list for the American League is:

Player	Team	Avg	RBI	Runs	RC/G
Ty Cobb	Tigers	.377	107	116	1.37
Sam Crawford	Tigers	.314	97	83	1.12
Eddie Collins	Athletics	.347	56	104	1.03
Frank 'Home Run' Baker	Athletics	.305	85	73	1.04
Tris Speaker	Red Sox	.309	77	73	1.00
Jake Stahl	Red Sox	.294	60	62	0.91
Clyde Engle	New York Highlanders	.278	71	66	0.99
Hal Chase	Highlanders	.283	63	60	1.01
Harry Davis	Athletics	.268	75	73	0.97
Donie Bush	Tigers	.273	33	114	0.94

            And then comparing the players to their team average performances, we get this list:

Ty Cobb	Above
Patsy Dougherty	White Sox	.285	55	71	0.90
Bob Unglaub	Senators	.265	41	43	0.62
Nap Lajoie	Cleveland	.324	47	56	0.80
Eddie Collins	Above
Sam Crawford	Above
George Browne	Senators	.272	16	40	0.53
Tris Speaker	Above
Frank Baker	Above
Bill Hinchman	Cleveland	.258	53	57	0.78

            This helps us get to the final rankings, Which were:

Ty Cobb

Sam Crawford

Eddie Collins

Frank Baker

Tris Speaker

Patsy Dougherty

Jake Stahl

Clyde Engle

Nap Lajoie

Hal Chase

            And then the National League, where the offense averaged 6.1% better than the American Leaguers, we get this initial ranking:

Honus Wagner	Pirates	.339	100	92	1.36
Ed Konetchy	Cardinals	.286	80	88	1.08
Fred Clarke	Pirates	.287	68	97	1.07
Tommy Leach	Pirates	.261	43	126	1.08
Moose McCormick	Giants	.291	57	68	1.01
Dots Miller	Pirates	.263	87	71	1.03
Red Murray	Giants	.263	74	91	1.06
Dick Hoblitzel	Reds	.308	67	59	0.86
Larry Doyle	Giants	.302	49	86	0.88
Sherry Magee	Phillies	.270	66	60	0.87

            And then, against their team performances, the top players were:

Tim Jordan	Brooklyn	.273	36	47	0.78
Ginger Beaumont	Boston	.263	60	35	0.77
Honus Wagner	Above
Johnny Bates	Boston/Phillies	.291	38	70	0.76
Ed Konetchy	Above
Sherry Magee	Above
John Hummell	Brooklyn	.280	52	54	0.70
Al Burch	Brooklyn	.271	30	80	0.72
Dave Shean	Phillies/Boston	.243	33	46	0.70
Moose McCormick	above

            Bringing us to this final ranking:

Honus Wagner

Ed Konetchy

Moose McCormick

Fred Clarke

Red Murray

Tommy Leach

Tim Jordan

Sherry Magee

Dots Miller

Dick Hoblitzel

            So, were I to vote on the best players in each league, my vote would have been thus:

American League Player of the Year: 

Ty Cobb

American League Pitcher of the Year:

Harry Krause

National League Player of the Year:

 

Christy Mathewson

National League Offensive Player of the Year:

 

Honus Wagner

            This would be the eighth straight year that Wagner was the best in the league...and the third straight for Cobb. Christy Mathewson's second time as the player of the year, and Harry Krause's first time on the list.