The 1920 World Series was the

championship series In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...

for

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), ...

's 1920 season. The series was a best-of-nine format played between 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

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

and 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 Brooklyn Robins, with the Indians defeating the Robins five games to two. The only World Series

triple play In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season. Th ...

, the first World Series

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

and the first World Series

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 ...

by a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

all occurred in Game 5 of this Series. The Indians won the series in memory of their former shortstop

Ray Chapman Raymond Johnson Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920) was an American baseball player. He spent his entire career as a shortstop for the Cleveland Indians. Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by pitcher Carl Mays and died ...

, who had been killed earlier in the season when struck in the head by a pitched ball. The

was unassisted and turned by Cleveland's

Bill Wambsganss William Adolf Wambsganss (March 19, 1894 – December 8, 1985) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 in baseball, 1914 through 1926 in baseball, 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia ...

in Game 5. Wambsganss, playing second base, caught a line drive off the bat of Clarence Mitchell, stepped on second base to put out

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. ...

, and tagged Otto Miller coming from first base. It was the second of 15 (as of 2022)

unassisted triple play In baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes all three outs by himself in one continuous play, without his teammates making any assists. Neal Ball was the first to achieve this in Major League Baseball (MLB) under ...

s in major-league baseball history, and it remains the only one in postseason play. Mitchell made history again in the eighth inning by hitting into a double play, accounting for five outs in two straight at-bats. The fifth game also saw the first

in World Series history (hit by Cleveland's Elmer Smith) and the first Series

by a pitcher (Cleveland's

Jim Bagby, Sr. James Charles Jacob Bagby Sr. (October 5, 1889 – July 28, 1954) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Bagby was the first pitcher to hit a home run in a modern World Series, and one of the last pitchers to win ...

). And in that same game, Brooklyn outhit Cleveland but lost 8–1. Cleveland had won the

pennant in a close race with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

and 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 ...

. The Sox's participation in the

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 led ...

the previous year had caught up to them late in the season, and their star players were suspended with three games left in the season, when they were in a virtual tie with the Indians. The Yankees, with their recently acquired star

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 ...

, were almost ready to start their eventual World Series dynasty. For Cleveland, it would prove to be one of their few successes in a long history of largely either poor or not-quite-good enough clubs. It is notable that all seven games of the 1920 World Series were won by the team who scored first. In fact, Game 4 was the only game in which the losing team scored a run before the winning team had scored ''all'' of its runs. The lead never changed hands in any game. This would be the last World Series until to feature two franchises that had not previously won a championship.

Summary

Matchups

Game 1

Game 1 took a mere 1 hour, 41 minutes.

Steve O'Neill Stephen Francis O'Neill (July 6, 1891 – January 26, 1962) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, most notably with the Cleveland Indians. As a manager, he led the Detroit Tig ...

supplied RBI doubles in the second and fourth innings in support of

Stan Coveleski Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski, July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four American League (AL) teams between and , primarily the Cleveland Indians. ...

, who won it for the visiting Indians with a five-hitter.

Game 2

A first-inning run on a Jimmy Johnston single and

Zack Wheat Zachariah Davis Wheat (May 23, 1888 – March 11, 1972), nicknamed "Buck", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left fielder from 1909 to 1927, most notably as a member of the Brooklyn Do ...

double would be all Dodger pitcher

Burleigh Grimes Burleigh Arland Grimes (August 18, 1893 – December 6, 1985) was an American professional baseball player and manager, and the last pitcher officially permitted to throw the spitball. Grimes made the most of this advantage, as well as his unshav ...

would require in a complete-game shutout.

Game 3

Brooklyn scored twice in the first on hits by

and Hi Myers that chased Cleveland starter

Ray Caldwell Raymond Benjamin Caldwell (April 26, 1888 – August 17, 1967) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians from 1910 to 1921. He was known f ...

from the game. The only run winning pitcher

Sherry Smith Sherrod Malone (Sherry) Smith (February 18, 1891 – September 12, 1949) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1911 until 1927, he pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1911–12), Brooklyn Robins (1915–17, 1919–1922) and Clevela ...

gave up in a three-hitter came when

Tris Speaker Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career bat ...

came all the way around on a double that was misplayed in left field.

Game 4

Brooklyn starter

Leon Cadore Leon Joseph "Caddy" Cadore (November 20, 1891 – March 16, 1958) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1924. Early life Born in Chicago, Illinois, Cadore was orphaned at 13 and went to live with his uncle, ...

didn't make it past the first inning. His relievers didn't fare much better, Al Mamaux being removed in the third and

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 ...

greeted by a

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

two-run double.

cruised with a five-hitter for his second win of the Series.

Game 5

The ''Cleveland Times'' ran the following article on Monday, October 11, 1920, recounting Game 5 and Wambsganss' triple play: Wamby19201010UATP

Wamby Makes Unassisted Triple Play *CLEVELAND, Sunday Oct 10, 1920 –

highlighted the most unusual game in

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 ...

history today and helped the

to a wild 8–1 victory over the Brooklyn Robins. Elmer Smith hit a

and Jim Bagby also homered as the Indians took the lead in games three to two. The

and grand slam had never happened before in World Series history and Bagby became the first

to homer in a World Series. "I've been in baseball 40 years", Robins

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Wilbert Robinson Wilbert Robinson (June 29, 1864 – August 8, 1934), nicknamed "Uncle Robbie", was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Philadelphia Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Cardinal ...

said, "and I never saw one like this." The first Indian to face

was Charlie Johnson, who singled. He stopped at second on Wambsganss' single. Then Grimes fell fielding

bunt Bunt may refer to: * Bunt (community), an elite social group from Karnataka, India * Bunt (baseball), a batting technique in baseball * Bunt (sail), a part of a ship's sail * Bunt Island, island in Antarctica * The Bunt, nickname of the Bunting ...

, loading the bases. Then Smith hit a 1–2 pitch over the right field screen for a 4–0 lead. In the home fourth,

Doc Johnston Wheeler Roger "Doc" Johnston (September 9, 1887 – February 17, 1961) was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1909 through 1922. During eleven seasons in the major leagues, Johnston play ...

singled to center and moved up on a

passed ball In baseball, a catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, with ordinary effort, should have been maintained under his control, and, as a result of this loss of control, the batter or a ru ...

. After Grimes put

on, Bagby homered into the center field stands.

began the top of the fifth with a single to left center. When Otto Miller singled to center, Speaker's quick throw to third drove Kilduff back to second. That brought up reliever Clarence Mitchell, who went six for sixteen as a

pinch-hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

this

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

and sometimes fills in at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and in the outfield. A left-handed hitter, he drove the ball toward right center. Second baseman Wambsganss moved slightly to his right, tipped onto his toes, sprung a little bit and grabbed the ball with his gloved hand. Never hesitating, he continued to second base, easily doubling Kilduff. Then when Wamby turned to throw to first base he saw Miller frozen directly in front of him. Reaching out, Wamby tagged Miller easily. The crowd was silent momentarily, then, realizing what had happened, broke into thunderous applause. In the Brooklyn eighth,

Ernie Krueger Ernest George Krueger (December 27, 1890 – April 22, 1976) born in Chicago was a catcher for the Cleveland Naps (1913), New York Yankees (1915), New York Giants (1917), Brooklyn Robins (1917–1921) and Cincinnati Reds (1925). Biography ...

singled to center. But Mitchell grounded to first baseman Johnson, who started a double play. Thus, Mitchell accounted for five outs in two at-bats.

Game 6

Even faster than Game 1, this one was done in just 94 minutes.

Duster Mails John Walter "Duster" Mails (October 1, 1894 – July 5, 1974) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Robins (1915–16), Cleveland Indians (1920–22) and St. Louis Cardinals (1925–26). Mails pitched for three pennant ...

twirled a three-hit shutout, and the lone run came in the sixth on a

two-out single, followed by a

double.

Game 7

The Robins didn't score in the last two games. Their pitcher,

, committed an error on a Cleveland double steal that resulted in the game's first run.

needed no more, but got one in the fifth from a

run-scoring triple and another in the seventh on

Charlie Jamieson Charles Devine "Cuckoo" Jamieson (February 7, 1893 – October 27, 1969) was an American baseball player, an outfielder for the Washington Senators (1915–17), Philadelphia Athletics (1917–18) and Cleveland Indians (1919–32). Professional ...

's RBI double.

Spitball A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. This technique alters the wind resistance and weight on one side of the ball, causing it to m ...

pitcher Coveleski won for the third time and the Indians celebrated before their home fans.

Composite line score

1920 World Series (5–2):

(A.L.) over Brooklyn Robins (N.L.)

Notes

References

External links

{{Los Angeles Dodgers World Series

Cleveland Indians postseason Brooklyn Dodgers postseason

1920s in Cleveland Sports competitions in New York City

Sports competitions in Cleveland 1920s in Brooklyn Flatbush, Brooklyn