Tuesday, January 14, 2014

World Series: Did You Know?

The 1906 World Series was also the first ever Subway Series. Amazing to think it wasn't the Yankees, Dodgers or Giants. Baseball fans associate the term "Subway Series" with thee Big Three from New York. But it was first the Big Two from Chicago.

So the all-Chicago affair of '06 was and upset, a pitcher's series, a classic, and a first! Sadly, it was also the only time both Chicago teams (which are still around more than 100 years later) would meet in October.

The Dodgers didn't reach the World Series until 1920, so it lessoned the odds a little. The New York Yankees had to wait a little longer. The Giants, meanwhile, did enjoy some early success.

And it should be noted that in 1889, the Giants did face a team from Brooklyn in a 9-game series. Seems sort of fitting that the Giants won it. Brooklyn was known as the Bridgerooms at this point. Soon they'd be the Superbas. The name "Dodgers" wasn't used until the next century.

Then the New York Giants won the World Series in 1905, but seemed stuck in the mode of runner-ups for a time. They lost the 1911, 1912, and 1913 World Series. A loss to the Chicago White Sox in 1917 seemed to seal their fate!

After Brooklyn lost to the Boston Red Sox World Series, it was only the Yankees who hadn't made it. Brooklyn even made another appearance in the 1920 World Series. They lost it, again. Would there ever be a Brooklyn / New York World Series? A new arrival in the Bronx that very game year would make that and a Yankees / Giants Fall Classic a strong possibility. Guess who showed up in pinstripes in 1920, poised and ready to help the Yankees win?

That would be Babe Ruth!


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.

Retrosheet. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

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