The 1918
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
1918 season. The 15th 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 ...
champion
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
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 ...
champion
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 ...
. The Red Sox beat the Cubs four games to two. The Series victory for the Red Sox was their fifth in five tries, going back to . The Red Sox scored only nine runs in the entire Series, the fewest runs by the winning team in World Series history. Along with the and
1907 World Series (both of which the Cubs also played in), the 1918 World Series is one of only three Fall Classics where neither team hit a
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
.
The 1918 Series was played under several metaphorical dark clouds. The Series was held early in September because of the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
"Work or Fight" order that forced the premature end of the regular season on September 2, and remains the only World Series to be played entirely in September. The Series was marred by players threatening to strike due to low
gate receipts Gate receipts, or simply "gate", is the sum of money taken at a sporting venue for the sale of tickets.
Traditionally, gate receipts were largely or entirely taken in cash. Today, many sporting venues will operate a season ticket scheme, which will ...
.
The Chicago home games in the series were played at
Comiskey Park, which had a greater
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
than
Weeghman Park
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...
, the prior home of the
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...
Chicago Whales
The Chicago Whales were a professional baseball team based in Chicago. They played in the Federal League, a short-lived "third Major League", in 1914 and 1915. They originally lacked a formal nickname, and were known simply as the "Chicago Fed ...
that the Cubs were then using and which would be rechristened
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...
in 1925. The Red Sox had played their home games in the and
1916 World Series in the more expansive
Braves Field
Braves Field was a baseball park located in Boston, Massachusetts. Today the site is home to Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University. The stadium was home of the Boston Braves of the National League from 1915 to 1952, prior to the B ...
, but they returned to
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...
for the 1918 series.
During the seventh-inning stretch of Game 1, the band began playing "
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...
" because the country was involved in World War I. The song would be named the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
of the United States in 1931, and during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
its playing would become a regular pre-game feature of baseball games and other sporting events. The winning pitcher of Game 1 was
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 ...
, who pitched a shutout.
The 1918 championship would be the last Red Sox win until . The
drought
A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...
of 86 years was often attributed to the
Curse of the Bambino
The Curse of the Bambino was a superstitious sports curse in Major League Baseball (MLB) derived from the 86-year championship drought of the Boston Red Sox between and . The superstition was named after Babe Ruth, colloquially known as " Th ...
. The alleged curse came to be when Red Sox owner
Harry Frazee
Harry Herbert Frazee (June 29, 1880 – June 4, 1929) was an American theatrical agent, producer, and director, and owner of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox from 1916 to 1923. He is well known for selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yanke ...
traded the superbly talented but troublesome
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 ...
(who was instrumental in their 1918 victory) to the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
for cash after the 1919 season.
The Cubs would not win their next World Series until
2016. The Cubs, who last won in , won the National League but lost the Series in 1918, , , , , and , allegedly stymied by the infamous
Curse of the Billy Goat
The Curse of the Billy Goat was a sports curse that was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in 1945, by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis. The curse lasted 71 years, from 1945 to 2016. During game 4 of ...
imposed during that latter Series. The Red Sox, who had won the American League but lost the Series in , , , and , finally won the World Series in and then won again in ,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2018. When the Red Sox won in 2018 (against the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
), they became the first team to win the Fall Classic exactly one century apart.
After Game 6, it would be some 87 years until the Cubs and Red Sox would play again. A three-game interleague match-up at Wrigley Field began June 10, 2005, and was Boston's first visit to the park. The Cubs would not return to Fenway Park for nearly 94 years until a three-game interleague match-up beginning May 20, 2011.
To date, Red Sox manager
Ed Barrow
Edward Grant Barrow (May 10, 1868 – December 15, 1953) was an American manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball. He served as the field manager of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox. He served as business manager (de facto ...
is the only manager to win a World Series without previously playing in organized baseball, whether in the minors or majors.
Summary
Matchups
Game 1
Game 1 went to the Red Sox, 1–0, with
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 ...
pitching the shutout before 19,274 fans.
Stuffy McInnis
John Phalen "Stuffy" McInnis (September 19, 1890 – February 16, 1960) was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. McInnis gained his nickname as a youngster in the Boston suburban leagues, where his spectacular playing brought ...
knocked in the game's only run, driving in
Dave Shean
David William Shean (July 9, 1883 – May 22, 1963) was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played from through for the Philadelphia Athletics (1906), Philadelphia Phillies (1908–1909), Boston Doves (1909–1910, 1912), Ch ...
with a fourth-inning single off
Hippo Vaughn
James Leslie "Hippo" Vaughn (April 9, 1888 – May 29, 1966) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. In a career that spanned thirteen seasons, he played for the New York Highlanders (1908, 1910–1912), the Washington Senat ...
. During the seventh-inning stretch, the U.S. Navy band began to play "The Star-Spangled Banner", Red Sox infielder
Fred Thomas—who was in the Navy and had been granted furlough to play in the World Series—immediately turned toward the American flag and gave it a military salute, according to the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
''. Other players turned to the flag with hands over hearts, and the already-standing crowd began to sing. At the song's conclusion, the previously quiet fans erupted in thunderous applause. At the time, ''
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 ...
'' reported that it "marked the highest point of the day's enthusiasm." The song would be played at each of the Series' remaining games, to increasingly rapturous response. Other baseball parks began to play the song on holidays and special occasions, and Red Sox owner Harry Frazee made it a regular part of Boston home games. "The Star-Spangled Banner" officially became the U.S. national anthem in 1931, and by the end of World War II, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden ordered that it be played at every football game. The tradition quickly spread to other sports, aided by the introduction of large sound systems and post-war patriotism.
Game 2
The Cubs rebounded to tie the Series with a 3–1 victory in Game 2 the next day, behind
Lefty Tyler
George Albert "Lefty" Tyler (December 14, 1889 – September 29, 1953) was a professional baseball pitcher from 1910 to 1921.
From 1910 to 1917, Tyler played with the Boston Doves/Braves. He performed well, having an earned run average (ERA) un ...
's six-hit pitching. Tyler himself hit a two-run single in the second inning to make it 3–0 and carried a shutout into the ninth inning, when the Red Sox scored their only run.
Game 3
The series remained in Chicago for Game 3 due to wartime restrictions on travel. The Red Sox won 2–1 to take a 2–1 series lead as
Carl Mays
Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was an American baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and was a member of four Wor ...
scattered seven hits.
Wally Schang
Walter Henry Schang (August 22, 1889 – March 6, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, St. Lou ...
and
Everett Scott
Lewis Everett Scott (November 19, 1892 – November 2, 1960), nicknamed "Deacon", was an American professional baseball player. A shortstop, Scott played in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees ...
's back-to-back
RBI singles in the fourth inning were all Boston needed for the win. Vaughn lost his second game of the Series, which ended when Cub baserunner
Charlie Pick was caught in a rundown between third and home while trying to score on a passed ball.
Game 4
Sunday the 8th was a travel day. The teams didn't arrive in Boston until the next day, shortly before the start of Game 4 that same day. The Cubs tied it in the eighth, ending Ruth's World Series scoreless inning streak on hits by
Charlie Hollocher
Charles Jacob Hollocher (June 11, 1896 – August 14, 1940) was a professional baseball player who was a shortstop in Major League Baseball.
Biography
Born in St. Louis, Hollocher was a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs from 1918 to 1924. His cous ...
and
Les Mann
Leslie Mann (November 18, 1892 – January 14, 1962) was an American college football player, professional baseball player; and football and basketball coach. He played outfield in the Major Leagues from 1913 to 1928. He played for the Boston Br ...
; but the Red Sox won it in the
home half of the inning on a passed ball by Killefer and a wild throw by relief pitcher
Phil Douglas, scoring Schang for a 3–2 victory and a 3–1 series lead.
Starting pitcher
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 ...
batted sixth for the Red Sox in Game 4. He remained the last starting pitcher in World Series history to bat other than ninth in the
batting order until
Zack Greinke
Donald Zackary Greinke ( ; born October 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2004 and has also played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los An ...
batted eighth for the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
in Game 4 of the
2021 World Series.
Game 5
Vaughn finally earned a Series victory in Game 5 with a five-hit shutout, as the Cubs rallied back for a 3–0 victory.
Dode Paskert
George Henry "Dode" Paskert (August 28, 1881 – February 12, 1959) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1907 through 1921 for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs.
Career
Born in Cle ...
's two-run double in the top of the eighth sealed the deal for the Chicagoans after Mann had knocked in the first run in the top of the third.
Game 6
Attendance for Game 6 at Fenway on Wednesday, September 11, was down from over 24,000 on Tuesday to a mere 15,238, but the Red Sox went home happy.
Max Flack
Max John Flack (February 5, 1890 – July 31, 1975) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played twelve seasons in the majors from 1914 to 1925 for the Chicago Chi-Feds/Whales (1914–15) of the Federal League, then the Chicago Cubs (1916– ...
's third-inning error allowed two Sox runs to score, which were all they needed for a 2–1 victory and the World's Championship of 1918 behind Carl Mays' second win of the Series, a complete game three-hitter.
This was the last Red Sox World Series win for 86 years, and the last time they won the deciding game at home until 2013.
The Red Sox won the series despite a team batting average of .186, lowest for a winning club in World Series history.
Players
*The 1918 Boston Red Sox roster included
Sam Agnew
Samuel Lester "Slam" Agnew (April 12, 1887 – July 19, 1951) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1913 through 1919 for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators. Agnew batted ...
,
Stuffy McInnis
John Phalen "Stuffy" McInnis (September 19, 1890 – February 16, 1960) was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. McInnis gained his nickname as a youngster in the Boston suburban leagues, where his spectacular playing brought ...
,
Dave Shean
David William Shean (July 9, 1883 – May 22, 1963) was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played from through for the Philadelphia Athletics (1906), Philadelphia Phillies (1908–1909), Boston Doves (1909–1910, 1912), Ch ...
,
Fred Thomas,
Everett Scott
Lewis Everett Scott (November 19, 1892 – November 2, 1960), nicknamed "Deacon", was an American professional baseball player. A shortstop, Scott played in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees ...
,
Harry Hooper
Harry Bartholomew Hooper (August 24, 1887 – December 18, 1974) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hooper batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Hooper was born in Bell Station, Ca ...
,
Amos Strunk
Amos Aaron Strunk (January 22, 1889 – July 22, 1979) was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1908 through 1924. A member of four World Series champion teams, Strunk batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Philadelphia ...
,
George Whiteman,
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 ...
,
Wally Schang
Walter Henry Schang (August 22, 1889 – March 6, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, St. Lou ...
,
Dick Hoblitzel
Richard Carleton "Dick" Hoblitzell (October 26, 1888 – November 14, 1962) played first base in the major leagues from 1908 to 1918. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox. Nicknamed "Doc" by his teammates, Hoblitzell's baseball c ...
,
George Cochran,
Wally Mayer
Walter A. Mayer (July 8, 1890 – November 18, 1951) was a backup catcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Chicago White Sox (1911–1912, 1914–1915), Boston Red Sox (1917–1918) and St. Louis Browns (1919). Listed at ...
,
Jack Stansbury,
Jack Coffey,
Frank Truesdale,
Walter Barbare,
Hack Miller,
Heinie Wagner
Charles Frederick "Heinie" Wagner (September 23, 1880 – March 20, 1943) was an American baseball player and manager. He played shortstop for the New York Giants (1902) and the Boston Red Sox (1906–1918). He was also the manager of the Red S ...
,
Eusebio Gonzalez,
Red Bluhm,
Carl Mays
Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was an American baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and was a member of four Wor ...
,
Bullet Joe Bush
Leslie Ambrose "Bullet Joe" Bush (November 27, 1892 – November 1, 1974) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, Pittsburgh Pirate ...
,
Sam Jones,
Dutch Leonard,
Lore Bader
Lore Verne Bader (April 27, 1888 – June 2, 1973) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Giants (1912) and Boston Red Sox (1917–1918). Bader batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Bader, Illinois. ...
,
Jean Dubuc
Jean Joseph Octave Dubuc (September 15, 1888 – August 28, 1958), sometimes known by the nickname "Chauncey", was a right-handed American baseball pitcher, manager, and scout, and a coach of both baseball and ice hockey.
A native of Vermont, Du ...
,
Walt Kinney
Walter William Kinney (September 9, 1893 – July 1, 1971) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1918) and Philadelphia Athletics (1919–20, 1923). Kinney batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Deniso ...
,
Dick McCabe,
Vince Molyneaux,
Bill Pertica
William Andrew Pertica (August 17, 1898 – December 28, 1967) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Red Sox (1918) and St. Louis Cardinals (1921–1923). Listed at , 165 lb., Pertica batted and threw ...
, and
Weldon Wyckoff
John Weldon Wyckoff (February 19, 1893 – May 8, 1961) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics (1913–16) and Boston Red Sox (1917-18). Wyckoff batted an ...
.
*The 1918 Chicago Cubs roster included
Bill Killefer
William Lavier Killefer (October 10, 1887 – July 3, 1960), nicknamed "Reindeer Bill" was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillie ...
,
Fred Merkle
Carl Frederick Rudolf Merkle (also sometimes documented as Frederick Charles Merkle; December 20, 1888 – March 2, 1956), nicknamed "Bonehead", was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1926. Although he had a lengthy c ...
,
Rollie Zeider
Rollie Hubert Zeider (November 16, 1883 – September 12, 1967) was a professional baseball player. An infielder (playing over 100 games at all four infield positions in his career), he played nine seasons in the major leagues for the Chi ...
,
Charlie Deal
Charles Albert Deal (October 30, 1891 – September 16, 1979), was a professional baseball player who played third base in the Major Leagues from 1912 to 1921. He would play for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Terrier ...
,
Charlie Hollocher
Charles Jacob Hollocher (June 11, 1896 – August 14, 1940) was a professional baseball player who was a shortstop in Major League Baseball.
Biography
Born in St. Louis, Hollocher was a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs from 1918 to 1924. His cous ...
,
Les Mann
Leslie Mann (November 18, 1892 – January 14, 1962) was an American college football player, professional baseball player; and football and basketball coach. He played outfield in the Major Leagues from 1913 to 1928. He played for the Boston Br ...
,
Max Flack
Max John Flack (February 5, 1890 – July 31, 1975) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played twelve seasons in the majors from 1914 to 1925 for the Chicago Chi-Feds/Whales (1914–15) of the Federal League, then the Chicago Cubs (1916– ...
,
Dode Paskert
George Henry "Dode" Paskert (August 28, 1881 – February 12, 1959) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1907 through 1921 for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs.
Career
Born in Cle ...
,
Turner Barber
Tyrus Turner Barber (July 9, 1893 – October 20, 1968), was an American professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from - for the Washington Senators, Chicago Cubs, and Brooklyn Robins.
In 491 games over nine s ...
,
Bob O'Farrell
Robert Arthur O'Farrell (October 19, 1896 – February 20, 1988) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for 21 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and the New Yo ...
,
Pete Kilduff
Peter John Kilduff (April 4, 1893 – February 14, 1930), was a professional baseball player who played second base from 1917 to 1921, with the Giants, Cubs, and Brooklyn Robbins, and as a player / manager in the minors for several years after. ...
,
Charlie Pick,
Bill McCabe,
Chuck Wortman,
Rowdy Elliott
Harold Bell Elliott owdy(July 8, 1890 – February 12, 1934) was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Doves, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Robins in parts of five seasons spanning 1910–1920. Listed at 5' 9", 160 lb., El ...
,
Tom Daly,
Fred Lear,
Tommy Clarke,
Lefty Tyler
George Albert "Lefty" Tyler (December 14, 1889 – September 29, 1953) was a professional baseball pitcher from 1910 to 1921.
From 1910 to 1917, Tyler played with the Boston Doves/Braves. He performed well, having an earned run average (ERA) un ...
,
Hippo Vaughn
James Leslie "Hippo" Vaughn (April 9, 1888 – May 29, 1966) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. In a career that spanned thirteen seasons, he played for the New York Highlanders (1908, 1910–1912), the Washington Senat ...
,
Claude Hendrix
Claude Raymond Hendrix (April 13, 1889 – March 22, 1944) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in the National League for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1911–13) and Chicago Cubs (1916–20) and in the Federal League with the Chicago Whales ...
,
Phil Douglas,
Paul Carter,
Speed Martin
Elwood Good "Speed" Martin (September 15, 1893 – June 14, 1983) was a Major League Baseball player from 1917 to 1922. He was a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns and Chicago Cubs.
Martin pitched for the Cubs in 1918, but did not appear in the 1 ...
,
Roy Walker,
Grover Cleveland ("Ol' Pete") Alexander,
Harry Weaver
Harry Abraham Weaver (February 26, 1892 - May 30, 1983), was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1915 to 1919. He played for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Athletics. In 1918 Weaver's career was interru ...
,
Vic Aldridge
Victor Aldridge (October 25, 1893 – April 17, 1973), nicknamed the "Hoosier Schoolmaster", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants, and was known to be ...
, and
Buddy Napier
Skelton Le Roy "Buddy" Napier (18 December 1889 – 29 March 1968), was a Major League baseball pitcher from 1912 to 1921. He was born in Byromville, Georgia.
Major league career
Napier played his first major league game with the St. Louis Bro ...
.
Composite box
1918 World Series (4–2):
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
(A.L.) over
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 ...
(N.L.)
Allegations of a Series fix and game tampering
As with the
1917 World Series, there were concerns about whether the 1918 World Series was being played honestly, a rumor revived in 2005 and explored further in the 2009 book ''The Original Curse'' by Sean Deveney (McGraw-Hill). Some of the Cubs were later suspected of being "crooked". Pitcher
Phil Douglas, accused of conspiring to fix a regular-season game in 1922, was suspended for life. Pitcher
Claude Hendrix
Claude Raymond Hendrix (April 13, 1889 – March 22, 1944) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in the National League for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1911–13) and Chicago Cubs (1916–20) and in the Federal League with the Chicago Whales ...
, who didn't play much in the 1918 Series, was suspected of fixing a game in 1920 but retired after that season and was never officially suspended.
There was no solid evidence that the 1918 World Series itself was "fixed", and with the war dominating the news nothing came of the rumors. It was another season before baseball's relationship with gambling erupted in a major scandal. Star pitcher
"Ol' Pete" Alexander of the Cubs saw almost no action in the 1918 regular season due to military service and none in the Series. This left the Cubs pitching corps thin compared to the strong Red Sox staff, which included
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 ...
and
Carl Mays
Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was an American baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and was a member of four Wor ...
.
Hippo Vaughn
James Leslie "Hippo" Vaughn (April 9, 1888 – May 29, 1966) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. In a career that spanned thirteen seasons, he played for the New York Highlanders (1908, 1910–1912), the Washington Senat ...
was the strongest Cubs pitcher, having won the pitching triple crown in 1918, but had the misfortune of starting against the best arms the Red Sox had and taking two of the four Cub losses.
In 2011, a document discovered by the
Chicago History Museum
Chicago History Museum is the museum of the Chicago Historical Society (CHS). The CHS was founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago's history. The museum has been located in Lincoln Park since the 1930s at 1601 North Clark Street at the int ...
cited the court testimony of Chisox pitcher
Eddie Cicotte
Edward Victor Cicotte (; June 19, 1884 – May 5, 1969), nicknamed "Knuckles", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his time with the Chicago White Sox. He was one of eight players permanently ineligible f ...
during the investigation of the 1919
Black Sox Scandal
The Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate l ...
a year after the 1918 World Series. According to the trial transcript, Cicotte made vague references and allegations that the Cubs had purposely lost the 1918 World Series to the Red Sox, and justified their "fixing" the games they had lost (all four by one run) by alleging that the owners of both teams had short-changed their players with insufficient shares of the gate receipts.
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{{1918 Boston Red Sox
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
Boston Red Sox postseason
Chicago Cubs postseason
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 Boston
1910s in Chicago
September 1918 sports events
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Sports competitions in Chicago
Fenway Park