The 1911
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
was the championship series in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
for the
1911 season. The eighth edition of the World Series, it matched the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
(AL) champion
Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...
against the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
(NL) champion
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. The Athletics won the best-of-seven series four games to two, in a rematch of the
1905 World Series
The 1905 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1905 season. It was the second edition of the World Series after the 1903 Series, since the 1904 season ended with no Series held. The 1905 Series matched the Nat ...
, getting revenge over the Giants, who had won in their previous meeting.
Philadelphia third baseman
Frank "Home Run" Baker
John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman, Baker played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922 for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees. Althoug ...
earned his nickname during this Series. His home run in Game 2 off
Rube Marquard
Richard William "Rube" Marquard (October 9, 1886 – June 1, 1980) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s. He achieved his greatest success with the New York Giants. He was inducted into the Ba ...
was the margin of victory for the Athletics, and his blast in Game 3 off
Christy Mathewson
Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "the Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "the Gentleman's Hurler", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Giant ...
tied that game in the ninth inning, and the Athletics eventually won in the 11th. The Giants never recovered. Ironically, Mathewson (or his ghostwriter) had criticized Marquard in his newspaper column after Game 2 for giving up the gopher ball, only to fall victim himself the very next day. Baker was swinging a hot bat in general, going 9 for 24 to lead all batters in the Series with a .375 average.
According to his obituary in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' (July 28, 1971), Giants catcher
Chief Meyers
John Tortes "Chief" Meyers (July 29, 1880 – July 25, 1971) was a Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants, Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Robins from 1909 to 1917. He played on the early ...
threw out 12 runners, creating a record for the most assists by a catcher during the World Series.
The six consecutive days of rain between Games 3 and 4 caused the longest delay between World Series games until the
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
-interrupted
1989 Series (which incidentally featured the same two franchises, albeit on the West Coast, and which also resulted in an A's victory over the Giants). With the sixth and final game being played on October 26, this was also the latest-ending World Series by calendar date until the
1981 Series.
This was the second time in World Series history that two teams met in a World Series rematch. The first time was when the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
and
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
met in consecutive years, in 1907 and 1908.
Summary
Matchups
Game 1
With a perfect top of the first, Christy Mathewson set the record with 28 straight shutout innings in World Series play, a record that would be broken by Boston Red Sox's
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
with innings in the
1918 World Series
The 1918 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1918 season. The 15th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Boston Red Sox against the National League champion Chicago Cubs. The ...
. Mathewson's postseason record for consecutive scoreless innings against one team would not be broken until 2013 when the Detroit Tigers'
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...
shut out the Athletics (now playing in Oakland) for 30 consecutive innings in the 2012 and 2013 ALDS.
Game 2
With the score tied at 1 and with Eddie Collins on second, Frank Baker blasted a two-run home run off Rube Marquard to deep right field for the go ahead score and the Athletics held on to win game 2, 3–1.
Game 3
With the Giants up 1–0 going into the ninth with Mathewson on the mound, it appeared the series was going to be 2–1 New York. But with one out, Baker stepped up to the plate and blasted his second home run in as many games to tie it at 1. Thus, the nickname "Home Run" Baker was born. Two innings later with the score still tied at 1, Baker singled and scored on an error to make it 3–1. The Giants rallied for one run in the bottom half but the game ended with a runner being thrown out on a stolen base attempt.
Game 4
After six days of rain, the series resumed.
Chief Bender
Charles Albert "Chief" Bender (May 5, 1884There is uncertainty about Bender's birth-date. He was voted the SABR "Centennial Celebrity" of 1983, as the best baseball player or figure born in 1883. However, the SABR ''Baseball Research Journal'' fo ...
, after giving up two runs in the first, shut out the Giants the rest of the way on his way to a 4–2 win and 3–1 series lead.
Game 5
On the verge of elimination, the Giants fought back. They tied it at 3 with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, and then won it with a run in the tenth when
Larry Doyle scored on a sacrifice fly. Home plate umpire
Bill Klem
William Joseph Klem, born William Joseph Klimm (February 22, 1874 – September 16, 1951), known as the "Old Arbitrator" and the "father of baseball umpires", was a National League (NL) umpire in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1941. He worked ...
later said Doyle had failed to touch home plate after sliding in. Since none of the Athletics noticed this and Philadelphia failed to appeal, Klem had to let the winning run stand.
Josh Devore
Joshua M. Devore (November 13, 1887 – October 6, 1954), was a professional baseball player who played outfielder in the major leagues from –. He would play for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and Boston Braves. ...
became the first player to get a game-tying hit in the World Series with his team one out from elimination,
a feat that would not be repeated until
Otis Nixon
Otis Junior Nixon (born January 9, 1959) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1983), Cleveland Indians (1984–87), Montreal Expos (1988–90), Atlanta Brav ...
in
1992 World Series.
Game 6
Bender threw a 4-hitter to clinch the series, the Athletics second consecutive World Series title. The A's pitching staff held the Giants to a .175 team batting average, lowest ever for a 6-game series.
Composite line score
1911 World Series (4–2):
Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...
(A.L.) over
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
(N.L.)
See also
*
Playograph
The Playograph was a machine or an electric scoreboard used to transmit the details of a baseball game in the era before television. It is approximated by the "gamecast" feature on some sports web sites: it had a reproduction of a baseball diamon ...
– photo during 1911 World Series game
Notes
References
External links
{{San Francisco Giants
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
New York Giants (NL) postseason
Philadelphia Athletics postseason
World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
1910s in Philadelphia
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
Sports competitions in New York City
Sports competitions in Philadelphia
1910s in Manhattan
Washington Heights, Manhattan