Now they return, this time with home-field advantage. Overall the same team returns, with some improvements, Ed Doheny and Sam Leever played bigger roles in the starting rotation, and improved dramatically as pitchers from 1901. Leever never got a chance to pitch in the 1901 World Series, unlike Doheny, who made his World Series debut in the bottom of the 9th of Game 7 -- talk about battling nerves.
The Pirates' big three return in Jack Chesbro, Deacon Phillippe & Jesse Tannehill -- this time, the other two players (Doheny & Leever) can take the load off them. Honus Wagner has played more center this season, this year the Bucs have played Wid Conroy at short (who played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901). Wagner is hoping for a better series this time around.
They will have to face Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics, who are built on power, led by Socks Seybold's 16 HR's, which almost equal the total of the Pirates' 18 HRs (Philadelphia had 38 HR for the season). Despite the power, the teams are quite equal in OPS, but the Pirates have the advantage in pitching with almost an entire run lower in ERA (2.30) & 20 more victories. The A's will have to lean on Rube Waddell's arm in this series, expect three starts.
Game 1 (at Pittsburgh)
Philadelphia hopes that Rube Waddell's whacky & unpredictable off-the-field (and sometimes on-the-field) antics don't pull the entire team down, at the same time, for this team to beat the heavily favored Pirates, it will be his shoulders they will ride. Waddell (24-7, 2.05 ERA & 210 K's) will face off against Jack Chesbro (28-6, 2.17 ERA & 136 K's).
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| The A's Rube Waddell. |
The game ends up being every bit of the anticipated pitcher's duel, during the bottom of the 7th, both teams scoreless, the Pirates break Rube Waddell's no-hitter bid with lead-off single by Ginger Beaumont. The Athletics are not doing much better, only managing to produce two hits -- both by Dave Fultz up to this point. Beaumont ends up being thrown out stealing second (with a strong throw by Ossie Schrecongost), while Honus Wagner strikes out, for strike out #9 for Waddell through seven.
Al Davis comes in to pinch-hit for Wid Conroy, and reaches first on a two-out swinging bunt, moving the base runner Claude Ritchey to second. Manager/LF Fred Clarke sends Jimmy Burke up to the plate to pinch-hit for the weak-hitting catcher Harry Smith. Waddell strikes out Burke for his 11th K, and ends the threat. Wagner moves to short, as Al Davis comes in to play the outfield, while Jack O'Connor comes in to play catcher.
Bottom of the 9th, Pirates let their starting pitcher Jack Chesbro hit, and he strikes out against Rube Waddell. Ginger Beaumont draws his 2nd walk, and only the 2nd walk allowed by Waddell -- Beaumont is the winning run, if Pittsburgh can capitalize off this. Fred Clarke fails to make contact on the pitch by Waddell, Beaumont is off & running, this time he is safe stealing second. Clarke steps back into the box, Waddell delivers, and Clarke strikes out against Waddell -- that's 13 K's for Waddell. Waddell & the Athletics will have no part with Honus Wagner, as they intentionally walk him to face Tommy Leach (the first & only player to hit a HR in a World Series game). Leach goes down looking. What a magnificent masterpiece Waddell is showcasing.
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| Jack Chesbro of Pittsburgh. |
This one goes to extras with Philadelphia going 1-2-3 in the top of the 10th. Kitty Bransfield leads off the bottom of the 10th, beating out an infield single to deep second. Claude Ritchey follows with a soft single to right, the speedy Bransfield makes it to third on Socks Seybold's weak arm in right. Al Davis comes to the plate, the Athletics are playing for the run at the plate, the pitch, this one is hit to deep left, Topsy Hartsel catches it, Bransfield tags up, the throw, the play at the plate & he's safe! A walk-off sacrifice fly by Davis, as the Pirates win this one, 1-0!
Rube Waddell, despite the loss, pitches a masterpiece, by striking out 14 Pirates, and by allowing only 4 hits through 9.1 innings. Jack Chesbro was no slouch, pitching 10 innings, allowing only 2 hits, and striking out 8 Athletics. Making it a combination of 22 K's & 6 hits allowed by the two starters, never have we seen such a duel in World Series history. Chesbro records his first career victory, during his World Series career.
Game 2 (at Pittsburgh)
The Pirates came out and did what they wanted to do, and that was defeat the Athletics' top gun in Rube Waddell, they will still have to beat Eddie Plank, but the Pirates are in the driver's seat with a stiff 1-0 series lead. The Pirates will send southpaw Jesse Tannehill to the mound.
Tannehill gets the first batters in the order easily, but then gives up back-to-back walks to Socks Seybold and Harry Davis. Lave Cross smacks a double over the out-stretched glove of Honus Wagner into the right-center gap, Ginger Beaumont comes up with it, Seybold scores, the third base coach waves in Davis, testing Beaumont's strong arm & pays the price, for the final out, but Philadelphia scores one run, for 1-0 lead.
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| Lave Cross had the hot stick. |
Danny Murphy smacks a Texas Leaguer to left to lead-off the top of the second for Philly. Ossie Schrecongost takes one deep to left, but not deep enough as Fred Clarke squeezes it right at the wall.
Monte Cross steps to the plate, one of the Cross brothers, and hits into an inning-ending double-play.
Top of the 3rd -- Lead-off single for the Athletics' starting pitcher Eddie Plank to right field off of Tannehill. Plank reaches second on a nicely, laid down sacrifice bunt by Dave Fultz. Jesse Tannehill strikes out Topsy Hartsel for out number two. Tannehill intentionally walks Socks Seybold, they don't want to flirt with his home run power, taking their chances with Harry Davis. Davis pops up to third.
Lave Cross opens up the top of the 4th, by leading off with a stretched double, nearly getting nailed at second on a throw by Honus Wagner; Cross's second double of the game. The Pirates' Jesse Tannehill keeps giving up lead-off hits, he will now face Danny Murphy. Murphy smacks a single to right, Wagner reaches it in the corner, Cross decides to stay at third -- 1st & 3rd, no outs. Ossie Schrecongost sneaks a single past second & first, to right, one runner scores, as Murphy reaches third. The Pirates have arms warming up in the bullpen, as Ossie's hit was the 6th hit allowed by Tannehill already. Monte Cross comes to the plate, Pittsburgh draws in the infield, the pitch, this one gets by Wid Conroy into left, Murphy scores, and Schrec will hold second. 1st & 2nd, still no outs, as the A's starter Eddie Plank (already with a hit) comes to the plate. Plank succeeds with a sacrifice bunt towards first, moving the runners up, one out. Fred Clarke comes jogging over from the outfield to meet at the mound, signals over towards the dugout, as Sam Leever comes running out from the bullpen -- he's a righty, and will have better luck than Tannehill would have had against the current hitter Dave Fultz, Leever is looking to get the Bucs out of this mess. Fultz pops up behind first to Bransfield, two down. Topsy Hartsel hits the ball between Claude Ritchey's legs, one run scores, another follows, score this one as a E-4 on Ritchey, runner on first. Socks Seybold gives a pitch a ride, but it falls short at the warning track to Clarke in left for the final out of the inning, but not before the Athletics put the Pirates in a early 5-0 deficit.
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| The Bucs call on Leever. |
Ginger Beaumont hits one to deep center, but caught at the wall by the A's Dave Fultz. Fred Clarke hits a single to left, which is followed by a beautifully executed hit & run by Honus Wagner, there is suddenly men on the corners for the Bucs, with only one out. Eddie Plank will have to settle down, and refocus as Tommy Leach steps to the plate. Leach grounds it to the mound, Plank looks Clarke back to third, throws to first, second out, as Wagner moves up to second. Kitty Bransfield smacks a two-run single to right, as the Bucs are finally on the board. The Pirates try to stir up some more magic, and call on Jimmy Burke from the bench for Claude Ritchey. Plank comes to the plate, Bransfield is off with the pitch, Burke lines it over Harry Davis's head at first, Socks Seybold has a long way to go after this one, Bransfield scores easily, and Burke makes it over to second with a double. The Pirates' Fred Clarke, makes Wid Conroy come back from the on-deck circle over towards the dugout, but then changes his mind, and sends Conroy to the plate. Conroy finds his pitch and sends a fly ball over Seybold's head in right, hitting the base of the wall, Burke scores, and now Conroy is going to third, the relay throw comes into third, and he's... safe! Safe on a very close play, and now the tying run is on third, the folks in Philadelphia getting this news updated through the morse code wire, has got to be sick to their stomachs suddenly. The Pirates will send in pinch-hitter Fred Crolius for Harry Smith. Plank was cruising through three innings, and the doors just came off their hinges, so much has happened since Leach grounded to the mound for the second out. Here comes Crolius, the pitch from Plank, Crolius has got some serious wood on this one, but got under it just by a hair as Seybold makes the catch, ending this 4th inning, four-run nightmare. The Pirates still trail 5-4, but now it's a ball-game.
Jimmy Burke remains in the game, and will play at second, while Jack O'Connor takes over at catcher.
Honus Wagner leads off the bottom of the sixth, with his second safety of the day. Tommy Leach follows by hitting a ball just over a leaping Monte Cross at short, as the ball goes to left. Runners on 1st & 2nd, with no outs for Kitty Bransfield. Plank still in the game delivers the pitch, Bransfield spanks it past the second baseman, Seybold is running in for it, Wagner scores, the throw comes in, and Leach will make third. Runners now on the corners, with no outs, and we are all tied up.
That will be it for Eddie Plank, some of the Athletics fans in the stands that happened to travel across state, have been scratching their heads for some time, wondering why Plank was still out there. Manager Connie Mack calls on Fred Mitchell, the righty to face second baseman Jimmy Burke, Mack is hoping for a K right now. The Pirates will counter with Jimmy Sebring for a lefty vs righty match-up. Sebring grounds it to Lave Cross, who will only be able to get the out at first, Leach holds third. One out, runners on 2nd & 3rd for shortstop Wid Conroy. Mitchell catches the corner, strike three, a big K for Mitchell & the A's -- making it two outs. Jack O'Connor beats out an infield single hit deep behind first, beating Mitchell to the bag, Leach scores the go-ahead run as Bransfield reaches third. The Pirates call on Warren McLaughlin to come in and pinch-hit for Sam Leever, they really want that insurance run on third. Leever goes 2 2/3 innings on no runs & one hit. McLaughlin pops up behind first to end the inning. The Pirates now lead 6-5, after trailing 5-0.
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| The Bucs' Bransfield. |
Honus Wagner moves in from right to play second, Al Davis comes in off the bench to play left, as Fred Clarke moves from left to right, with Ginger Beaumont still anchoring center field. Plus the Pirates will call on righty Jack Chesbro, who just came off a 10-inning complete game victory, he will certainly only pitch an inning, they wanted to take care of the batch of righties coming up for the Athletics, here in the top of the 7th. Besides giving up a hit to Lave Cross, who collected his 4th hit of the ballgame, Chesbro did everything that was asked of him.
Lead-off single past first baseman Harry Davis for Ginger Beaumont. Fred Mitchell comes to the plate, it's a strike to Fred Clarke, Beaumont is off & running, the throw from Schrecongost, and he's... safe! A steal for Beaumont. Mitchell with the pitch, Clarke punches it to left, it drops, Beaumont is heading for home on Topsy Hartsel's throw, Lave Cross cuts off the throw, and throws it to second to throw out Clarke, but he rings up a single & RBI. Honus Wagner grounds it to third, as Lave Cross's throw gets Wagner at first, second out. Tommy Leach grounds out to end inning, but the Pirates add some insurance, and now have a 7-5 lead.
Deacon Phillippe comes in to pitch in the top of the 8th. With two outs, Philadelphia yanks Fred Mitchell out of the game for pinch-hitter Frank Bonner, who piles into a pitch to right, but his HR is robbed by a leaping Fred Clarke! Clarke doing everything he can, to get his team this victory.
The Athletics call on their slated Game 3 starter in Bert Husting for the bottom of the 8th. Kitty Bransfield leads off by hitting his 4th hit of the ballgame, a single to right. Al Davis smacks a single to right, and moves the speedy Bransfield over to third. Runners on the corners, no outs, for Wid Conroy. Husting with the pitch, Conroy pops out to second. Jack O'Connor comes to the plate, and ends up hitting into a inning-ending double-play.
Deacon Phillippe stays in the game, closes it out for a two-inning save, with a 1-2-3 ninth. Sam Leever is credited with the win, while Eddie Plank picks up the loss. Kitty Bransfield goes 4-for-4 with 3 RBI, while Philadelphia's Lave Cross goes 4-for-4 with 2 RBI.
The Pirates now own 2-0 lead in the World Series, as they will travel through the mountains across state on train to Philadelphia for at least two games.
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