The 1930 Fall Classic saw the winning Philadelphia Athletics touch home twenty-one times in six games. That's an average of little more than three runs per game. The St. Louis Cardinals, their opposition, fared worse. They scored just twelve runs. So only two per game.
Things had been so different all around Major League Baseball that season of 1930. Hitting was up. Way up! Those guys on base were getting around and getting home, too. On average, an MLB team scored 5.5 runs per game, a twentieth century record. The last time teams had scored more than that had been in 1897.
So, what we got in the 1930 Fall Classic was some long-overdue pitching. Philalelphia had average 6.2 runs scored in the regular season, and seemed destined for six in the first game, right there at home in Shibe Park.
They tallied a run in the second, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings to win the game 5-2. But, they left two runners on in the third and sixth frames. St. Louis, meanwhile, managed just two runs off Lefty Grove despite nine hits. And the Cards had scored 1004 runs in 154 games, for an average of 6.5 per game. They knew how to get home. But they hadn't done that in game one.
The A's reached six runs in game two with a 6-1 win. So that moved their Fall Classic average up to 5.5 after two games. But St. Louis, now was down to just 1.5 runs per game. George Earnshaw was the winning pitcher. He had been 22-13 in the regular season, but Earnshaw's ERA was 4.44. But St. Louis could get only six hits off him.
But then, in game three in St. Louis, it was Wild Bill Hallahan with a clutch shutout, to stop Philly from going up 3-0. Hallahan had lead the NL in K's per nine innings, 6.7, but wasn't the type of pitcher to throw a shutout. He had thrown just two in the regular season, and his ERA was 4.66. Here though, he stopped the A's on seven hits. Oh, he lived up to his nickname with five walks. But a shutout is a shutout, right?
Game four was the first pitcher's duel of this matchup, and St. Louis knotted this thing at two with a 3-1 final in their favour. And it was Philly with just four hits. St. Louis, who still were needed some offence, got one better with five.
Game five was not only another pitcher's duel, but it was also another shutout. Earnshaw and Grove combined on a three-hit shutout to push St. Louis to the brink. However, Philly got just five hits themselves. Taking the tough loss, was Burleigh Grimes. Grimes was the last legal spitballer, but if he was using the spitter, it didn't help. Philly got their two runs on five hits.
The 1930 Fall Classic came to an end with a Philly winning it 7-1 in game six back at home. The A's offence, sputtering along in St. Louis, came back alive back at home. For a while, it looked like they'd get another shutout, but the Cardinals managed to score in the top of the ninth.
Neither team hit for a good average, either. St. Louis batted just .200 for this six-game showdown. Philadelphia actually did worse, hitting just .197.
Too much is sometimes not a good thing. In baseball, 1930 had too much offence. I can only imagine that fans in St. Louis and Philadelphia were anticipating a wild World Series that would send pitchers on both sides to the showers in droves. But that's what makes the Fall Classic so enduring and so exciting. You're in for a few surprises. The 1930 Fall Classic must have almost seemed like a let down with such little offence.
Things had been so different all around Major League Baseball that season of 1930. Hitting was up. Way up! Those guys on base were getting around and getting home, too. On average, an MLB team scored 5.5 runs per game, a twentieth century record. The last time teams had scored more than that had been in 1897.
So, what we got in the 1930 Fall Classic was some long-overdue pitching. Philalelphia had average 6.2 runs scored in the regular season, and seemed destined for six in the first game, right there at home in Shibe Park.
They tallied a run in the second, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings to win the game 5-2. But, they left two runners on in the third and sixth frames. St. Louis, meanwhile, managed just two runs off Lefty Grove despite nine hits. And the Cards had scored 1004 runs in 154 games, for an average of 6.5 per game. They knew how to get home. But they hadn't done that in game one.
The A's reached six runs in game two with a 6-1 win. So that moved their Fall Classic average up to 5.5 after two games. But St. Louis, now was down to just 1.5 runs per game. George Earnshaw was the winning pitcher. He had been 22-13 in the regular season, but Earnshaw's ERA was 4.44. But St. Louis could get only six hits off him.
But then, in game three in St. Louis, it was Wild Bill Hallahan with a clutch shutout, to stop Philly from going up 3-0. Hallahan had lead the NL in K's per nine innings, 6.7, but wasn't the type of pitcher to throw a shutout. He had thrown just two in the regular season, and his ERA was 4.66. Here though, he stopped the A's on seven hits. Oh, he lived up to his nickname with five walks. But a shutout is a shutout, right?
Game four was the first pitcher's duel of this matchup, and St. Louis knotted this thing at two with a 3-1 final in their favour. And it was Philly with just four hits. St. Louis, who still were needed some offence, got one better with five.
Game five was not only another pitcher's duel, but it was also another shutout. Earnshaw and Grove combined on a three-hit shutout to push St. Louis to the brink. However, Philly got just five hits themselves. Taking the tough loss, was Burleigh Grimes. Grimes was the last legal spitballer, but if he was using the spitter, it didn't help. Philly got their two runs on five hits.
The 1930 Fall Classic came to an end with a Philly winning it 7-1 in game six back at home. The A's offence, sputtering along in St. Louis, came back alive back at home. For a while, it looked like they'd get another shutout, but the Cardinals managed to score in the top of the ninth.
Neither team hit for a good average, either. St. Louis batted just .200 for this six-game showdown. Philadelphia actually did worse, hitting just .197.
Too much is sometimes not a good thing. In baseball, 1930 had too much offence. I can only imagine that fans in St. Louis and Philadelphia were anticipating a wild World Series that would send pitchers on both sides to the showers in droves. But that's what makes the Fall Classic so enduring and so exciting. You're in for a few surprises. The 1930 Fall Classic must have almost seemed like a let down with such little offence.
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