The First World Series and the Birth of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports

Did you know that the first ever World Series was held in 1903 between the Pittsburg Pirates and Boston Americans? That year the Pirates were the best team in the sport, and had won the National League pennant the previous year. By contrast, the American League formed in 1900 was still trying to break from the image of the minor leagues and had assembled many of the sports best players to become a force in its own right. Still, Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss thought he could beat any combination of players. After much political strife, Dreyfuss challenged the American League to a championship between the two pennant winning teams.  Negotiation followed between Dreyfuss and Boston American owner Henry Killilea and a best of nine game series was planned.

In the first game, held at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boson, the Pirates behind their ace pitcher Deacon Phillippe beat Cy Yong and Boston 7-3. In game two, Boston came roaring back and shut out the Pirates to tie the series. In game three, Phillippe was brought off the bench and for the second time in three days threw for an entire game and the Pirates won. Game four was held three days later in Pittsburg’s Exposition Park; again, Phillippe pitched and again Pittsburg won, leading the series 3-1.

In game 5, Cy Young was in magnificent form and only gave up two runs. On the other hand, Pittsburgh's Brickyard Kennedy gave up a record six home runs in one inning. Boston won 11-2. Boston won the next day as well and looked to take the lead in the series in game seven. Phillippe ascended the mound again, but his endurance had hit its limit, in a close game Pittsburg lost 4-3. Returning to Boston on October 13, the Americans looked to close out the series. Phillippe again started, and at first managed to hold off Boston, but his arm was exhausted and he finally gave up three runs. It proved to be decisive. Boston won the game and with it the series. No other team would come back to win the series from such a deficit until 1925.  One player who blamed himself for Pittsburg’s loss was another baseball great, Honus Wagner, who despite being one of the best hitters in the game went only 6 for 27 in the series. In fact, Wagner was so disgusted he asked that his portrait not be hung in the Hall of Fame the following year, saying he didn’t deserve the honor.

At the dawn of the 1904 season, Boston remained the team to beat; then they found themselves challenged by a new team, the New York Highlanders. The teams battled for the lead throughout the season and Boston lead by 1.5 games with only a double header with New York remaining. With a game tied in the ninth, New York’s top pitcher Jack Chesbro – who had won 41 games that season – on the mound, and a man on second, Chesbrio threw the ball, and to everyone’s astonishment it went past the catcher. The runner raced around third and hit home to clinch the game and the pennant. It would be a century before Boston would again defeat New York in a pennant-deciding game.

However, Boston would not be allowed to defend their title as the National League New York Giants had refused to play in the series if the Highlanders won, because they saw them as only a minor league team –  a promise they stuck to even though Boston had won. The World Series had been a voluntary agreement between the club owners anyway, thus the event was skipped entirely in 1904, but brought back permanently the next year.

In 1908, it was announced that all National League teams would wear white. In response to this, Boston announced that their players would wear uniforms with a long red stocking on the front, thus a new name was born: the “Red Sox”. For their part the New York Highlanders underwent changes as well. The team gained respect from the Giants and became recognized as a professional team. In 1913, they moved from their elevated stadium and the term “highlander” didn’t make much sense anymore. However, a new name had already been coined in the press. They would now be known as the “Yankees.”