DETROIT
TIGERS
(1907-1909)
The
Tigers of the early-1900s were among the best teams of the Deadball Era.
Unfortunately, there were even better teams standing in their way. The club won
three straight American League pennants from 1907-1909 and came close to
avoiding the dubious distinction of becoming the first team to drop three consecutive
World Series during the latter campaign. On the brink of elimination in Game 6
of the ’09 Series and trailing the Pirates 3-1 after the first inning, the
Tigers rallied for a 5-4 win. Game 7 was a blowout with Pittsburgh handing Detroit
a humbling 8-0 defeat. The Tigers would not return to the World Series until
1934.
Key
Players:
Ty
Cobb- Outfield
It can be convincingly
argued that Cobb was the greatest outfielder of his generation or possibly of
all time. In 1907, he began a string of nine consecutive AL batting titles. Surprisingly,
he was less than stellar in postseason play, compiling a very ordinary .262 World
Series batting average. He was particularly ineffective against the Cubs in
’07, managing just 4 hits in 20 at-bats. The ’09 Fall Classic was billed as a
showdown between the game’s greatest players: Cobb versus Honus Wagner. Not
only did Wagner’s Pirates come out on top, but Cobb’s .231 mark paled in
comparison to Wagner’s .333 performance. Cobb later remarked: “That goddamned
Dutchman is the only man in the game I can’t scare.”
Sam
Crawford- Outfield
Hailing from Nebraska, Crawford carried the colorful
nickname of “Wahoo Sam.” He holds the all time mark for lifetime triples with
309 and inside-the-park homers with 51. According to multiple sources, Detroit
manager Hughie Jennings played Crawford in center field because Ty Cobb and
Matty McIntyre disliked each other and refused to call for fly balls hit
between them. Cobb was jealous of Crawford’s popularity, but tolerated him
fairly well. The two were the core of the Tiger offense for more than a decade.
Like Cobb, Crawford fizzled in World Series play, managing a pedestrian .243
batting mark.
George
Mullin- Pitcher
The right-handed Mullin had a good fastball and
effective curve. He won 66 regular season games for Detroit from ’07-’09. He
made six postseason starts in that span, going 3-3 with a 1.86 ERA. In all, he
spent twelve seasons in Detroit, gathering over 200 victories.
Wild
Bill Donovan- Pitcher
Donovan was not the only “Wild Bill” in baseball
history. “Wild Bill” Hallahan was staple in the Cardinal rotation during the
1930s. The right-handed Donovan won 25 games for the Tigers in 1907 and 18 the
following year. Plagued by a sore arm in ’09, he was used sparingly during the
regular season. The Tigers averaged just 2 runs per game in his 6 World Series
starts and he ended up with a 1-4 postseason record.
NEW
YORK GIANTS
(1911-1913)
Manager
John McGraw had enough talent at his disposal to steer the Giants to three
consecutive pennants, but his team couldn’t close the deal against the A’s and
Red Sox in the World Series. After dropping the 1911 Fall Classic to Philly in
six games, the New Yorkers were back in business against Boston the following
year. The BoSox carried one of the greatest outfield trios in major league
history with Tris Speaker in center, Harry Hooper in right and Duffy Lewis patrolling
the left field perimeter. The combination proved to be too much for New York as
a tenth inning rally in the final contest put Boston over the top, 4 games to
3. A ten-inning shutout by staff ace Christy Mathewson in Game 2 was the high
point for the Giants in the 1913 Series as they bowed to the A’s in five games.
The Giants would remain in contention throughout the decade, dropping another World
Series to the White Sox in 1917.
Key
Players
Christy
Mathewson- Pitcher
As legend has it, John McGraw kept two photos on his
desk during his long career in New York. One of them was of Mathewson.
Nicknamed “Matty” or “The Big Six,” the durable right-hander has been widely
hailed as the greatest pitcher of the Deadball Era. He won 30 or more games
four times and captured a pair of triple crowns (in 1905 and 1908). From
1911-1913, he started eight World Series games for the Giants and won just two
of them despite his 1.33 ERA.
Rube
Marquard- Pitcher
The Giants paid a sizeable sum to obtain Marquard’s
contract in 1908 and, when he got off to a poor start in his first few seasons,
he was labeled “the $11,000 Lemon.” By 1911, the Hall of Fame southpaw was at
his peak, winning 73 games for New York over a three-year span. Like Mathewson,
his regular season success didn’t translate into October glory. He made seven
appearances in the Fall Classic between 1911 and 1913, emerging with a 2-2
record and 2.33 ERA.
Larry
Doyle- Second Base
Doyle was given credit for the famous quote: “It’s
great to be young and a Giant!” It wasn’t so great for “Laughing Larry” between
1911 and 1913, however. Though Doyle compiled a .308 regular season batting
average in that span and captured MVP honors in 1912, his World Series efforts
were wasted every year. In three Fall Classics, he reached base consistently
against some of the toughest pitchers of the era, including Eddie Plank and
Smoky Joe Wood.
Chief
Meyers- Catcher
In Meyers’ era, contemporaries weren’t terribly
discreet in their designation of nicknames. A Native American, Meyers was branded
with the handle of “Chief.” From 1909-1914, he was among the best offensive
catchers in the majors. He kept his batting average above .300 in each of the
Giants’ pennant-winning efforts, peaking at .358 in 1912. He was one of McGraw’s
most productive October hitters, going 16-for-52 with 5 RBIs in fifteen games.
WASHINGTON
SENATORS
(1924-1926)
In
their first two decades of play, the Senators finished in fifth place or lower
on fifteen occasions. Fans stayed away from the ballpark in droves. Even when
the club captured the first pennant in franchise history during the 1924 slate,
half the teams in the majors generated higher attendance figures. The Giants
were heavily favored to win the World Series that year and, when the Senators evened
things up at three games apiece on October 9, tickets for the deciding contest at
Griffith Stadium in Washington had not even been printed yet. The game meandered
into the twelfth inning and ended in the Senators’ favor when a succession of
defensive mishaps (a dropped foul pop by catcher Hank Gowdy, a bobbled grounder
by shortstop Travis Jackson and a bad-hop double play ball over the head of
Freddie Lindstrom at third) gave Washington a world championship. The team won
another pennant the following year and carried a 6-3 lead into the fifth inning
of Game 7, but critical errors by MVP shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh allowed the
Pirates to clinch the series with a 9-7 victory. In 1926, the Senators won 81
games and finished in fourth place despite a ten-game winning streak in
late-August and an 8-2 run in mid-September. The championship in 1924 was the
last for the old Senators. In 1961, the club moved to Minnesota and became the
Twins.
Key
Players
Walter
Johnson- Pitcher
Johnson holds a prominent place among the all time
greats with 417 lifetime wins, 110 shutouts and more than 3,500 strikeouts. Ty
Cobb once remarked that “his fastball looked about the size of a watermelon
seed and it hissed at you as it passed.” Johnson made six postseason
appearances in ’24 and ‘25, including a valiant 4-inning relief stint on short
rest in Game 7 of the ’24 Fall Classic. He deserved much better overall,
emerging with a 3-3 record.
Sam
Rice- Outfield
Rice’s spectacular catch in Game 3 of the 1925 World
Series remains one of the most controversial moments in postseason history.
With the Senators leading the Pirates, 4-3, in the bottom of the eighth, Rice flipped
over the outfield barrier into the stands while chasing down a drive off the
bat of Pittsburgh’s Earl Smith. When Rice reemerged several seconds later, the
ball was in his possession and Smith was called out. Rice collected 12 hits in
that series—tops on either club. He ended his twenty-year career with a
lifetime batting mark of .322.
Goose
Goslin- Outfield
The dependable Goslin spent time with three
different teams in an era when many players stayed put. In later years, he
insisted that he was never influenced by money. “I’d have paid them to let me
play,” he said. “It was more than just fun. It was heaven.” Goslin helped two
of his clubs to World Series berths and won a pair of championship rings. He
was the Senators’ principal power source in the ’24 and ’25 Fall Classics,
slamming 6 homers while driving in 13 runs. He eventually landed in the Hall of
Fame.
Joe
Judge- First Base
Judge had a long career in Washington, occupying
first base for the Senators from 1915-1932. He was a first-stringer for fifteen
consecutive seasons. Adept with a glove,
his lifetime fielding percentage was an AL record that stood for more than
thirty years. He was pretty reliable with a bat as well, retiring with more
than 2,300 hits and a .298 batting average. In the ’24 and ’25 Series, he made
122 putouts at first base. He also fashioned a commendable .388 on-base
percentage in fourteen games.
DETROIT TIGERS
(1934-1936)
Before the Yankees began a four-year run of dominance in
the late-‘30s, the Tigers were the team to beat in the American League. With
the Great Depression putting the squeeze on owner/manager Connie Mack, the
Athletics were forced to sell off most of their best players, including
superstar catcher Mickey Cochrane. The addition of Cochrane to the Detroit
roster in 1934 was the spark that had been missing as the Tigers captured
back-to-back pennants for the first time since 1909. Though they couldn’t slip
past St. Louis’s “Gashouse Gang” in the ’34 Series, Cochrane’s resilient crew
overpowered the Cubs the following year, bringing a championship to Detroit for
the first time in history. By 1936, the Yankees had assembled a virtually
unbeatable squad led by newcomer Joe DiMaggio. Detroit would return to the
October stage in 1940, losing to the Reds in seven games. A war-torn Series
victory in ‘45 was followed by two decades of mediocrity in Detroit.
Key Players
Hank Greenberg- First Base
Perhaps the greatest
Jewish player of all time, Greenberg didn’t consider himself to be particularly
religious. Still, he captured national attention when he refused to play on Yom
Kippur in 1934. He later sacrificed portions of five seasons to military duty
during WWII. Before then, he appeared to be well on his way to shattering every
RBI record ever established. The quickest player to reach 1,200 RBIs, he still
holds the AL single season mark for runs batted in by a right-handed batter (183 in
1937). In four World Series with the Tigers, he slammed 5 homers and drove-in
22 runs. He sprained his wrist in Game 2 of the ’35 Fall Classic and sat out
the last four games.
Charlie Gehringer- Second Base
Gehringer was known as
“The Mechanical Man” for the way he quietly and efficiently handled his duties
at second base. Teammate Doc Cramer once said; “You wind him up on opening day
and forget about him.” From 1932-’38, he was among Detroit’s top RBI men,
reaching the century mark six times. He was also among the most gifted
defensive players in the majors. In 1934, he led the club with a .379 World
Series average. The following year, he finished second with a .375 mark. In
all, he appeared in three Fall Classics, gathering 26 hits and 7 walks in twenty
games.
Mickey Cochrane- Catcher
Acting as player/manager, Cochrane's
deeply competitive nature inspired the Tigers to fully realize their vast potential.
He became so popular in Detroit that sportswriters began to speculate that he
might one day take over as team president. When the Tigers clinched the ’35
Series in Detroit, Cochrane said it was the biggest thrill he ever experienced
during his playing days. “The screeching at the ballpark did not stop until the
sun came out over the downtown streets the following morning. No town was ever
more deliriously happy over a baseball triumph.”
Schoolboy Rowe- Pitcher
Lynwood Rowe reportedly
received his nickname after an enthusiastic fan at a church league game
bellowed: “Don’t let that schoolboy strike you out!” Born in rural Arkansas,
Rowe was perceived by fans as a bumpkin. He enhanced the stereotype during a
radio interview one day, when he shouted out to his fiancée: “How’m I doin’,
Edna?!” He enjoyed his best seasons with the Tigers during the mid-‘30s, averaging
21 wins per season in a three-year span. He fared pretty well in the ‘34/’35 World
Series, compiling a 2.76 ERA. He didn’t benefit in the win column, however,
posting a 2-3 record. An excellent hitter, he later posted a .318 average as a
pinch hitter during the ’43 slate.
Goose Goslin- Outfield
Some say that Goslin got
his nickname because he flapped his arms while chasing fly balls. Others
contend that his big nose and long neck led to the sarcastic moniker. Either
way, he was a natural hitter. “I could always swing that bat real quick,” he
once said. “Never had to train or practice a whole lot. Good eyes, quick
reflexes, strong arms—oh, did I ever love to get up there and hit.” Traded to
the Tigers before the 1934 campaign, the self-promoting outfielder drove-in 100
runs for Detroit in three straight seasons. His clutch single in the final game
of the ’35 World Series chased the winning run across the plate. It was the
last postseason appearance of his career.
LOS
ANGELES DODGERS
(1974-1981)
Had the Dodgers not been repressed by some of the
greatest clubs of the era, they might have attained dynastic status during the
mid-to-late-‘70s. In 1974, they were victimized in the World Series by the Oakland
A’s. Without the benefit of a Wild Card format, they were held in check by
Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” over the next two seasons. After finally overtaking
the Reds and efficiently disposing of the Phillies in the playoffs, they fell
prey to the Yankees in ‘77/’78. They avenged their past failures with a
stirring six-game victory over their old rivals in 1981. For the Dodgers, it
was only the third Series win in eleven tries against the Yankees.
Key Players
Steve Garvey- First Base
Garvey maintained a
wholesome public image until 1978, when he got into a locker room brawl with
teammate Don Sutton. He would later be slapped with two paternity suits. Named
NL MVP in 1974, he earned four straight Gold Gloves and made eight consecutive
All-Star appearances. A steady run producer, he drove-in 80 or more runs eight
times with the Dodgers. He had six seasons with at least 200 hits. Later in his
career, he helped the Padres to a World Series berth.
Dave Lopes- Second Base
The speedy Lopes led the
NL twice in steals while swiping 40 or more bags every year from 1974-’79. He
won a Gold Glove at second base in ’78. He had above average power for a
leadoff hitter, peaking at 28 homers in ’79. His most memorable power burst
came against the Yankees in the ’78 World Series, when he outslugged Reggie
Jackson with 3 homers in six games.
Ron Cey- Third Base
Cey was yet another
anchor in an infield that played together for the better part of ten seasons.
Defensively, Cey has been ranked slightly higher than his Dodger teammates. He
finished among the top three in assists eleven times between ’73 and ’82. Still,
he never won a Gold Glove. Nicknamed “Penguin” because he waddled when he ran,
he had good power, clubbing at least 22 home runs in ten seasons. In 1981, his
.350 batting average and 6 RBIs earned him World Series MVP honors. He played
in four Fall Classics altogether, collecting 20 hits with 13 runs batted
in.
Don Sutton- Pitcher
Sutton is the only
pitcher to collect 300 victories with just a single 20-win campaign to his
credit. Highly durable, he logged 200 innings of work in fifteen consecutive
seasons. From 1969-’76, he won at least 15 games every year. Ejected from a
game in ’78 for defacing a baseball, he was put under intense scrutiny in the
years that followed. He continued to practice his dark art, earning the
nickname “Black and Decker.” Asked if he applied foreign substances to
baseballs, he retorted: “Vaseline is made right here in the USA.” Though Sutton
pitched moderately well in the ‘74/’77 World Series, he had a pair of rocky
outings in the ’78 affair, giving up 10 runs in 12 innings. He retired with 324
regular season victories.
Dusty Baker- Outfield
After a weak showing in
his ’76 L.A. debut, Baker came back strong with 30 home runs the following year,
helping the Dodgers become the first club to have four players reach the thirty-homer
plateau in the same season (Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Reggie Smith were the
others). Baker was MVP of the NLCS in ’77, driving-in 8 runs in four games. He
added five more ribbies in the World Series that year. During four National
League Championship Series, Baker was a .371 hitter. He was pretty good with
the leather too, capturing a Gold Glove in1981.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
(1982-1987)
In the early-‘80s, the Cardinals developed a style of
play that was a throwback to an earlier era. At the time, Busch Stadium had
deep dimensions and a hard, artificial playing surface. Without a prototypical
power hitter in the lineup, Manager Whitey Herzog relied on speed, pitching,
defense and line-drives to carry him to the postseason. During the ’82 World
Series, sportswriters coined the phrase “Whiteyball” to describe Herzog’s game
plan. Though the Cardinals never built a dynasty, they captured three pennants
and a World Series title in a six-year span. Herzog employed his “Whiteyball”
strategy throughout his tenure in St. Louis, which ended in 1990.
Key Players
Ozzie
Smith- Shortstop
Nicknamed “The Wizard of Oz” for his defensive
excellence, Smith won thirteen consecutive Gold Gloves from 1980-1992. Though
he hit for low averages at the beginning of his career, his offense improved
over time. He peaked at .303 in 1987. Smith had excellent speed, stealing 580
bases over nineteen seasons. He added 6 more thefts in postseason play. He was
MVP of the 1985 NLCS. A fifteen-time All-Star, he holds the record for lifetime
assists among shortstops. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.
Tom
Herr- Second Base
Herr was a steady hitter for the Cardinals with batting
averages ranging from .252-.323 between ’82 and ’87. He stole no fewer than 22
bases three times in that span. His best offensive campaign came in ’85, when
he collected 38 doubles and drove-in 110 runs. He led the NL in sacrifice flies
that year. Helped tremendously by the defensive wizardry of Ozzie Smith, Herr
led the league in double plays turned by a second baseman four times. He had
good range and sure hands.
Willie
McGee- Outfield
Between 1982 and 1988, McGee’s batting average dropped
below .285 just once. Shy and reserved, he generally avoided the spotlight
until he captured a batting title in 1985 with a .353 mark. He led the NL in
triples that year as well. McGee had speed on the bases, performed well in the
clutch and covered a lot of ground in the outfield. In three World Series with
the Cardinals, he hit.291.
Vince
Coleman- Outfield
Carrying the colorful nickname of “Vincent Van Go,”
Coleman appeared to be headed for the Hall of Fame early in his career, leading
the NL in steals during his first six seasons. The success went to his head and
he later became a malcontent in New York. Despite a slew of injuries, he
retired with 752 career steals—sixth on the all time list through the 2015
campaign. He sat out the entire ’85 World Series due to a freak accident.
Before Game 4 of the NLCS, he failed to notice that the automatic tarp roller
had been set in motion on the field. It rolled over his leg, chipping a bone in
his knee. In the ’87 World Series, he stole 6 bases without being caught.
Terry
Pendleton- Third Base
Pendleton won two Gold Gloves at third base during
his time with the Cardinals. Though he didn’t hit for high averages in St.
Louis, he was a consistent run producer, peaking at 96 RBIs in 1987. In two
World Series as a Cardinal, he fashioned a .300 batting average. He signed with
the Braves before the ’91 campaign and reached the peak of his career, leading the
NL in hits for two straight seasons. He won a batting title and MVP Award in
’91. In all, Pendleton appeared in five World Series, all of which were losing
causes.
