RedSoxRooter

This series was mentioned on ESPN Classic as being the #1 or #2 World Series of all time. Could you imagine a series like this happening today? It would have been killer to watch.

History of the World Series - 1912 Manager John McGraw's Giants received an astonishing performance in 1912 from lefthander Rube Marquard, who set a modern major-league record by winning his first 19 decisions. Marquard finished with 26 victories. Christy Mathewson won 23 games. Rookie Jeff Tesreau was a key find, winning 17 games, leading the league in earned-run average with 1.96 figure and tossing a no-hitter against Philadelphia in early September. Offensively, New York got big seasons from second baseman Larry Doyle, who batted .330 and hit 10 home runs; first baseman Fred Merkle, a .309 hitter who hit 11 homers; catcher Chief Meyers, who had a .358 batting average 371 at-bats; and Red Murray, who led the team with 92 RBIs. Put together, the Giants were a team that, despite a second-half slump, won 103 games and outdistanced its closest National League rival by 10 games. The American League champs, of course, were expected to be the Philadelphia Athletics, Series winners the previous two years. However, Connie Mack's A's never got fully cranked up and plunged to third place, 15 games behind the pennant-winning Boston Red Sox and one game I back of the second-place Washington Senators. The Red Sox got a phenomenal year from 22-year-old righthander Smokey Joe Wood, who won 34 of 39 decisions and pitched 10 shutouts. Another young player, outfielder Tris Speaker, batted .383 in his fourth full season in the majors. Wood was Boston Manager Jake Stahl's pitching selection for Game 1 of the 1912 World Series. Giants Manager John McGraw opted for Tesreau over either Marquard or Mathewson. Wood and the Red Sox prevailed, 4-3, with second baseman Steve Yerkes delivering a tie-breaking, two-run single in the seventh inning. Game 2 was a stem-winder as the Giants overcame a 4-2 deficit with three runs in the top of the eighth inning, only to allow a tying run by the Red Sox in the bottom of the inning. New York regained the lead, 6-5, in the 10th, but Boston showed its pluck by rebounding once more in its half of the inning. With one out, Speaker drove a smash to deep center field and, running full steam, circled the bases when Giants reserve catcher Art Wilson (who had just entered the game) dropped the ball on a play at the plate. Speaker was credited with a triple. Neither club scored in the 11th, and darkness put an end to the proceedings. The game went into the books as a 6-6 tie. After Marquard deadlocked the Series the next day with a 2-1 victory, Wood and Tesreau renewed acquaintances in Game 4. Wood got the upper hand again, spacing nine hits in a 3-1 triumph. Then Red Sox rookie Hugh Bedient, a 20-game winner in 1912, outdueled Mathewson in a 2-1 decision that put the American Leaguers in command of the Series, three games to one (with one tie). Their work obviously cut out for them, the Giants went to work with a vengeance. They blasted Buck O'Brien for five first-inning runs in Game 6 and hammered Wood for six runs in the opening inning of Game 7. With Marquard pitching a seven-hitter and Tesreau turning the tables on Wood, New York won those games by 5-2 and 11-4 scores. The best-of-seven battle would require an eighth game. Mathewson, winless in this Series after going the distance in the tie game and dropping Game 5, and the 22-year-old Bedient hooked up again in the finale. And, after nine tense innings, it was a 1-1 standoff. Mathewson was still pitching for New York, while Wood had taken over in the eighth for Bedient (who left the game in the seventh for a pinch-hitter, Olaf Henriksen, whose double tied the score). In the 10th, New York's Murray laced a one-out double and scored on Merkle's single. While Wood retired the side without further damage, the Red Sox were faced with trying to rebound from a 2-1 deficit against Mathewson, who had been his usual stingy self all afternoon. A happy ending to New York's storybook campaign -- a year featuring a spirited World Series comeback -- appeared one out closer when Boston pinch-hitter Clyde Engle began the bottom of the 10th by lofting a routine fly ball to center field. Fred Snodgrass camped under the ball-and dropped it. With Engle on second base after the misplay, Harry Hooper was robbed of a hit when Snodgrass made a great catch of his long drive. Engle advanced to third after Snodgrass' grab, and Yerkes followed with a walk. Speaker hit a pop foul between a "frozen" Merkle and Meyers and, incredibly, the ball fell safely near the first-base coach's box. Given a reprieve, Speaker singled home Engle with the tying run. With Yerkes stationed at third and Speaker on first with one out, Duffy Lewis was walked intentionally. Third baseman Larry Gardner then belted a deep fly ball to Josh Devore in right field, and Yerkes tagged up and scored. The Red Sox, with more than a little help from the Giants' Snodgrass, had come back against the mighty Matty for a 3-2 victory and their second World Series championship. For the stunned Giants, it was an unbelievable finish to what had been a make-believe season.

What state, outside of NY, has hosted the most World Series games? We should do this for the rest of the series: When they announce the trivia question, we all log on and post our guess, then see who's right.

I own.

For the answer to the trivia question, I say it's Missouri - but it could be Mass.

dang. I tuned in 25 minutes late just so I could miss all the pregame crap, AND IT'S STILL ON.

Not a model, but I have one of these. It's pretty cool. http://www.ballparkblueprints.com/downloads/Fenway_Park_800.jpg

I personally think Boston needs another baseball team. Boston is a big enough town to support two teams like NY or Chicago. That would help delude the fan frenzy and give the radio idiots something else to talk about instead of Red Sox all the time. As for it getting worse, I think it bottomed out in 2001 with the whole Joe Kerrigan thing. That was just a bad situation. Since the World Series win, I think there's been a mild swing the other way. I think the fans on EEI do not represent the typical Red Sox fan anymore. And I think most fans know that. Also, what the Sox could do, and I think it's part of Theo's plan, is to bring up more home grown tallent than bringing in hired guns down the line. Sox fans are fiercly loyal to home-grown tallent and the more you have of them, the more forgiving the fans and media seem to be.

Reasons to root for the Astros: Never won a WS before. Never took a dive in a WS. The White Sox should be forever cursed. Carl Everette Roger - oh hell, he's earned it just by leaving the Spanks. Pettitte - best non-move the Yanks ever made. :thumbsup: Ozzie is a dick. The Killer B's deserve one WS win. Carl Everette I don't want to see the team that beat the Red Sox win anything. Ever again. Kevin Millar is from Texas. Sox fan in Tex is from Texas. I like saying "Ass-tros" "Stro's" or "Pale Ho's"??? A team from TX winning may give Joe Morgan a stroke. I like Cub fans more.

And when you say "man" I assume you mean "woman". He sucked worse than Dale (gay name too, btw).

Not to be a bad egg but... Foulke - may never be what he once was Timlin - hope he stays, but what more can you ask of him. He's over 40 Paplebon - rotation, baby. All the way. Delcarmen - Timlins replacement Hansen - Foulke's replacement Bradford - who cares? Myers - I'd like him back, but see Timlin's prospects Dinardo - everyone's high on one good month. The kid has yet to impress one ounce of me. Hirotoshi Ishii - BK Kim minus the baggage. Not a bad bullpen, but nothing great either.

suckers!

Great game. Wow. That sucked for the Stros. Hey Roger, remember Calvin Sheraldi???

AMEN. I thought I was fighting that fight all alone.

Thanks again, Dave! http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2004/10/31/1099232034_3054.jpg

I think the Sox will offer Theo part ownership, but it's just a hunch.

No, it's the "was" that I had a problem with.

I think it will go down in history more as Curt Gowdy. Ned Martin. Jerry Remy.

Don Orsillo is way better than McDonough. McDonough was an ******* who tried to pick a fight with everybody. He second guessed everything - something annoying fans only do.... McDonough was also borderline vulgar. I hated him long before Orsillo came around. Orsillo is funnier and a better play caller than McDonut ever was. He lets Remy be Remy (which is sometimes a lot more annoying than Orsillo). Orsillo is National Broadcast quality in voice/call/stats. McDonough was just an opinionated prick who thought he had some sort of power because of his father. I'll take Orsillo any day. He's not Ned Martin, but who is? McDonough can take that weasly bald little head of his and suck himself. I'm glad he's gone. Oh, he also was a large reason why Boston fans were so negative. I still can't even watch his college football games.

Also, from the banner hanging... are they really going to call it the "E=MC2" club? Henry is such a nerd.

I don't know. I was wondering that too. Maybe they just said "screw it" and plan to remove the rest of foul territory? Now THAT would be cool.

http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/Headline_Archives/BDD_fenway-park-.406-club-1.jpg http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/Headline_Archives/BDD_glass2.jpg I'm glad it's going away. But is this really the best way to remove the glass????

Sushi will go where the money is, like any other grown man would.

I think he was talking about the Black Sox there.

Yeah, for some reason he was running on the inside of the line when he should have been running straight at the firstbaseman or inside the box. It was sort of like he was trying to be hit by the throw if the throw were not wild off the bag.