The 1910 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1910 season. The seventh edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Philadelphia Athletics against the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs. The series was played from October 17 to 23, with the Athletics winning the series 4games to 1, clinching the team's first World Series. This was the first major professional sports championship ever won by a Philadelphia-based team.

Jack Coombs of Philadelphia won three games and Eddie Collins supplied timely hitting.

Background

Philadelphia Athletics

The Athletics were making their second appearance in the World Series. They had lost the 1905 edition four games to one against the New York Giants. They had dominated the American League, leading it since early May, and eventually winning it by games. Their pitcher Jack Coombs led the American League in wins with a 31–9 record, and the Athletics had the lowest ERA in the league by some margin.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs were a dominant team in the first decade of the 1900s. They had already won two World Series, and been runners-up in another; this was their fourth appearance. The National League was initially closer than the American League, with the Cubs wrestling control of the division from the Pittsburgh Pirates in late May after a long winning streak. They never looked back, only increasing their lead over the course of the season. The Cubs' slugger Frank Schulte led the National League in home runs with 10, while pitcher King Cole had the lowest ERA in the league, 1.80. The Chicago Cubs won the division by 13 games.

Series preview

Before the series, pundits were split over who the favorites were. The pitching of the Athletics was generally held to be superior to that of the Cubs, as the Cubs pitchers were thought to be merely decent. The Cubs, however, were felt to have a stronger catcher in Johnny Kling, Former coach Ned Hanlon picked the Athletics, as did former pitcher Jack Dunn. Second baseman Johnny Evers was out injured for the Cubs, while outfielder and strong batter Rube Oldring was injured for the Athletics. The ball was meant to be stronger and hold up better instead of becoming soft and losing its shape after being used for a long period of time.

Summary

Matchups

Game 1

thumb|140px|Chief Bender helped Philadelphia to win a low-scoring Game 1.

Connie Mack chose Chief Bender to start game 1, while Orval Overall was selected by Frank Chance. The second inning began with a double by Home Run Baker. Harry Davis sacrificed, and Danny Murphy singled to left to send Baker home. Murphy then stole second and advanced to third on Jack Barry's sacrifice. Chief Bender, the pitcher, then came up to bat, and managed to bat in a run. The next inning began with a Bris Lord double and a Eddie Collins sacrifice. Home Run Baker hit a single to shortstop which allowed Lord to score, and the score was 0–3. In the ninth inning, a foul by Joe Tinker was fumbled by Athletics catcher Ira Thomas, and on the next pitch, Tinker hit a double. Johnny Kling then doubled and Tinker scored. Frank Schulte was walked, and it seemed a comeback may be on, but Solly Hofman grounded out, ending the game at 1–4. He also registered seven strikeouts, Before the game, Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie, winners of the Chalmers Awards, were presented with new cars from Chalmers Motor Company, In the bottom of the third inning, Ira Thomas advanced to first after an error, and Amos Strunk and Bris Lord had base hits, though Strunk was forced out at second base. Eddie Collins hit a double, allowing Thomas and Lord to reach home and make the score 1–2. which involved getting 3 hits out of four at-bats, scoring two runs and batting in another. An attendance of at least 30,000 fans had been expected by Chicago officials, but only 26,210 people showed up, though those who did stayed almost the entire game in spite of the home team's struggles.

The game got off to an exciting and even start. The first batter, Amos Strunk of the Athletics, was walked by starting pitcher Ed Reulbach. Bris Lord sacrificed, and Home Run Baker singled on a low curveball, putting the Athletics up 1–0. However, in Chicago's half of the inning, they matched the Athletics, as Solly Hofman sent Jimmy Sheckard home after Sheckard had advanced to third on Frank Schulte's double. The game was planned to be held on Friday, but was postponed due to rain.

thumb|left|225px|Frank Chance tripled in the bottom of the ninth, batting in the tying run and helping to keep Chicago in contention.

Chicago began the scoring in the bottom of the first. Jimmy Sheckard was walked and stole second, before being brought home by Solly Hofman. However, in the third inning, with two outs, Amos Strunk tripled and Chief Bender, who was on first having been walked, scored. Strunk accidentally slid past third base and was tagged out, but Bender was home before him, tying the game at 1.

The next few innings passed with many close chances for the Athletics. In both the sixth and the eighth inning Home Run Baker was out at the plate. Chicago pinch hit Johnny Kling for King Cole in their half of the eighth inning, and put Mordecai Brown on the mound for the ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs were still behind 3–2, in serious danger of being swept. Frank Schulte doubled, and got to third when Hofman was tagged out bunting. Player-manager Frank Chance came up to bat with one out, and was hit by the first pitch on the finger, but the umpire ruled that he had walked into it. The game was played on a bright, sunny Sunday.

Topsy Hartsel began the game with a single and stole second while Bris Lord struck out. He scored after Eddie Collins hit a single to center. Philadelphia kept this 1–0 lead until the bottom of the second, when Frank Chance doubled. He made it to third base when Heinie Zimmerman bunted, and scored a tying run on Harry Steinfeldt's hit.

Firsts

  • All nine players in the lineup for Philadelphia got a hit in Game 2, the first time in World Series history.
  • Jimmy Archer became the first player in World Series history to appear in a World Series for both the National and American leagues when he took the field in Game 3 for Chicago. Archer played for the Tigers in the 1907 World Series.
  • Philadelphia entered the series with ten days off compared to only one for Chicago – the largest disparity of rest days in World Series history.

Notes

Sources

Bibliography

  • Film footage from the Series

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