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1915 World Series

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1915 World Series
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson throws out the ceremonial first pitch, first for a president in a World Series.
Team (Wins) Manager(s) Season
Boston Red Sox (4) Bill Carrigan 101–50, .669, GA: 2+1⁄2
Philadelphia Phillies (1) Pat Moran 90–62, .592, GA: 7
DatesOctober 8–13
Venue(s)Baker Bowl (Philadelphia)
Braves Field (Boston)
UmpiresBill Klem (NL), Silk O'Loughlin (AL)
Cy Rigler (NL), Billy Evans (AL)
Hall of FamersUmpires:
Bill Klem
Billy Evans
Red Sox:
Harry Hooper
Herb Pennock (DNP)
Babe Ruth
Tris Speaker
Phillies:
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Dave Bancroft
Eppa Rixey
World Series program
← 1914 World Series 1916 →

The 1915 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1915 season. The 12th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Boston Red Sox against the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Red Sox won the Series four games to one. It was the last World Series to start on a Friday until the 2022 World Series.[1]

In their only World Series before 1950, the Phillies won Game 1 before being swept the rest of the way. It was 65 years before the Phillies won their next Series game. The Red Sox pitching was so strong in the 1915 series that the young Babe Ruth was not used on the mound and only made a single pinch-hitting appearance.

Series arrangements

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Arrangements for the Series were made on October 2, 1915, in a meeting of the team owners, league presidents and the National Commission at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin lost the coin toss for home field advantage, and Phillies owner William F. Baker chose to have the first two games of the Series in Philadelphia. The league presidents selected the umpires, and it was announced that J. G. Taylor Spink would be one of the official scorers.

One controversy surrounded the allocation of tickets to the Red Sox' Royal Rooters fan club. Each visiting team was allocated 200 tickets, but the Red Sox requested an additional 400 on behalf of their supporters. The Phillies' Baker Bowl sat only 20,000, and their above-cited owner, William Baker, refused to allocate additional tickets for visiting fans. The matter was resolved by National Commission chairman Garry Herrmann, who gave the Red Sox tickets from the Commission's own Series allocation.[2]

Series summary

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The Phillies won Game 1 3–1, although The New York Times reporter Hugh Fullerton wrote of the future 300+ game-winning Hall of Famer, "[Grover Cleveland] Alexander pitched a bad game of ball. He had little or nothing" in his review of the game, headed "Nothing but luck saved the Phillies." The Times also reported that a crowd of 10,000 gathered in Manhattan's Times Square to view a real-time mechanical recreation of the game on a giant scoreboard sponsored by the newspaper.[3]

The Phillies were not to win another postseason game until 1977, nor another World Series game until 1980. The Red Sox swept Games 2–5, all by one run, and by identical scores of 2–1 in Games 2–4.

In Game 2, Woodrow Wilson became the first U.S. President to attend a World Series game.

This was the second straight year that a Boston team beat a Philadelphia team in the World Series after the Braves had swept the Athletics the year before.

Unlike the 1913 Series, where the home team won only one of the five games, home field was often very much an advantage in the 1915 October classic. Fenway Park, paradoxically the Braves' home field in their 1914 Series sweep of the A's while Braves Field was still being built, had been the home of the Red Sox for four seasons and was fully functional in 1915; yet the Red Sox played their 1915 Series "home" games in the brand-new Braves Field to take advantage of its larger seating capacity. Beyond the added revenue, the long ball was affected by this arrangement, as follows:

  • In the top of the third inning of Game 3 at Boston, with two out, one run in and two runners in scoring position, Phillies' slugger "Cactus" Gavvy Cravath hit a line drive to deep left field which was caught for a harmless inning-ending out in the spacious Braves Field outfield. In Fenway or Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, it might have been a home run or at least an extra-base hit which might have turned the Series around.
  • The Phillies had packed some extra outfield seats into their already-small bandbox of a ball-field, shortening the distance from home to the outfield wall even more. This proved crucial in the decisive Game 5, in which Boston's Harry Hooper twice homered over the moved-in center field fence and Duffy Lewis followed suit. In Braves Field, those would have been extra-base hits at best. Both of Hooper's hits, including the eventual game-winner in the top of the ninth, actually bounced over the fence and were home runs by the rules of that era although they would have been only ground-rule doubles by present-day rules.

Summary

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Philadelphia team photo taken on October 4, 1915.

AL Boston Red Sox (4) vs. NL Philadelphia Phillies (1)

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 October 8 Boston Red Sox – 1, Philadelphia Phillies – 3 Baker Bowl 1:58 19,343[4] 
2 October 9 Boston Red Sox – 2, Philadelphia Phillies – 1 Baker Bowl 2:05 20,306[5] 
3 October 11 Philadelphia Phillies – 1, Boston Red Sox – 2 Braves Field 1:48 42,300[6] 
4 October 12 Philadelphia Phillies – 1, Boston Red Sox – 2 Braves Field 2:05 41,096[7] 
5 October 13 Boston Red Sox – 5, Philadelphia Phillies – 4 Baker Bowl 2:15 20,306[8]

Matchups

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Game 1

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Game 1 starting pitchers Ernie Shore (left) and Grover Cleveland Alexander (right).
Friday, October 8, 1915 2:00 pm (ET) at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Boston 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 1
Philadelphia 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 X 3 5 1
WP: Grover Cleveland Alexander (1–0)   LP: Ernie Shore (0–1)

Alexander scattered eight hits, winning 3–1, in giving the Phillies their only win of the series and their last until Game 1 of the 1980 Series.

Game 2

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Baker Bowl bleachers in 1915
Saturday, October 9, 1915 2:00 pm (ET) at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Boston 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 10 0
Philadelphia 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 1
WP: Rube Foster (1–0)   LP: Erskine Mayer (0–1)

Rube Foster pitched a 3-hitter, allowing no walks, and retiring the last 10 Phillies he faced, and helped his own cause with the game-winning RBI single in the top of the ninth.

Game 3

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Monday, October 11, 1915 2:00 pm (ET) at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Philadelphia 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0
Boston 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 6 1
WP: Dutch Leonard (1–0)   LP: Grover Cleveland Alexander (1–1)

Dutch Leonard and Grover Cleveland Alexander engaged in a classic pitcher's duel, Leonard retiring the last 20 Phillies to face him, winning 2–1 on an RBI single by Duffy Lewis in the bottom of the 9th.

Game 4

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Tuesday, October 12, 1915 2:00 pm (ET) at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Philadelphia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 0
Boston 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 X 2 8 1
WP: Ernie Shore (1–1)   LP: George Chalmers (0–1)

Ernie Shore held the Phillies scoreless until the eighth inning, winning 2–1, giving the Red Sox a 3–1 series lead.

Game 5

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Harry Hooper hit two home runs in game five
Wednesday, October 13, 1915 2:00 pm (ET) at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Boston 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 10 1
Philadelphia 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 9 1
WP: Rube Foster (2–0)   LP: Eppa Rixey (0–1)
Home runs:
BOS: Harry Hooper 2 (2), Duffy Lewis (1)
PHI: Fred Luderus (1)

The Red Sox won on three home runs by two of their outfielders, two cheapies by Harry Hooper (see above) and one by Duffy Lewis. Fred Luderus homered for the Phillies only home run of the series in the bottom of the fourth inning. Those were the only round-trippers in the entire Series, the first four games being pitchers' duels. The Phillies were held to a weak .182 team batting average in the 5-game set.

Composite Line Score

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1915 World Series (4–1): Boston Red Sox (A.L.) over Philadelphia Phillies (N.L.)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Boston Red Sox 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 3 3 12 42 4
Philadelphia Phillies 2 0 1 3 1 0 0 3 0 10 27 3
Total attendance: 143,351   Average attendance: 28,670
Winning player's share: $3,780   Losing player's share: $2,520[9]

The winning margin of two runs remains the lowest for a five-game series, followed by three runs in 2000, and five runs in 1933, 1942, and 1974.

Series Statistics

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Boston Red Sox

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Batting

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Note: GP=Games Played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting Average; OBP=On Base Percentage; SLG=Slugging Percentage

Player GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB AVG OBP SLG Reference
Hick Cady 4 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 .333 .429 .333 [10]
Dick Hoblitzell 5 16 1 5 0 0 0 1 0 .313 .313 .313 [11]
Jack Barry 5 17 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 .176 .222 .176 [12]
Larry Gardner 5 17 2 4 0 1 0 0 1 .235 .278 .353 [13]
Everett Scott 5 18 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .056 .056 .056 [14]
Duffy Lewis 5 18 1 8 1 0 1 5 1 .444 .474 .667 [15]
Tris Speaker 5 17 2 5 0 1 0 0 4 .294 .429 .412 [16]
Harry Hooper 5 20 4 7 0 0 2 3 2 .350 .435 .650 [17]
Pinch Thomas 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200 .200 .200 [18]
Del Gainer 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 [19]
Bill Carrigan 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .333 .000 [20]
Olaf Henriksen 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 [21]
Babe Ruth 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 [22]
Hal Janvrin 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 [23]
Rube Foster 2 8 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 .500 .500 .625 [24]
Ernie Shore 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200 .200 .200 [25]
Dutch Leonard 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 [26]

Pitching

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Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average

Player G GS IP H BB R ER SO W L SV ERA Reference
Rube Foster 2 2 18 12 2 5 4 13 2 0 0 2.00 [27]
Ernie Shore 2 2 17 12 0 4 4 6 1 1 0 2.12 [28]
Dutch Leonard 1 1 9 3 0 1 1 6 1 0 0 1.00 [29]

Philadelphia Phillies

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Batting

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Note: GP=Games Played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting Average; OBP=On Base Percentage; SLG=Slugging Percentage

Player GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB AVG OBP SLG Reference
Ed Burns 5 16 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 .188 .235 .188 [30]
Fred Luderus 5 16 1 7 2 0 1 6 1 .438 .500 .750 [31]
Bert Niehoff 5 16 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .063 .118 .063 [32]
Milt Stock 5 17 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 .118 .211 .176 [33]
Dave Bancroft 5 17 2 5 0 0 0 1 2 .294 .368 .294 [34]
Possum Whitted 5 15 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 .067 .125 .067 [35]
Dode Paskert 5 19 2 3 0 0 0 0 1 .158 .200 .158 [36]
Gavvy Cravath 5 16 2 2 1 1 0 1 2 .125 .222 .313 [37]
Bobby Byrne 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 [38]
Bill Killefer 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 [39]
Oscar Dugey 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ─ ─ ─ [40]
Beals Becker 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ─ ─ ─ [41]
Grover Cleveland Alexander 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200 .200 .200 [42]
Erskine Mayer 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 [43]
George Chalmers 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 [44]
Eppa Rixey 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 [45]

Pitching

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Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average

Player G GS IP H BB R ER SO W L SV ERA Reference
Grover Cleveland Alexander 2 2 17+2⁄3 14 4 3 3 10 1 1 0 1.53 [46]
Erskine Mayer 2 2 11+1⁄3 16 2 4 3 7 0 1 0 2.38 [47]
George Chalmers 1 1 8 8 3 2 2 6 0 1 0 2.25 [48]
Eppa Rixey 1 0 6+2⁄3 4 2 3 3 2 0 1 0 4.05 [49]

Notes

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  1. ^ "World Series will start on a Friday for the 1st time since 1915 and could end on Nov. 5 — its latest date ever". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. August 15, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "World's Series Starts on Friday" (PDF). The New York Times. October 3, 1915. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  3. ^ Fullerton, Hugh S. (October 9, 1915). "Nothing but luck saved the Phillies" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  4. ^ "1915 World Series Game 1 – Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  5. ^ "1915 World Series Game 2 – Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  6. ^ "1915 World Series Game 3 – Philadelphia Phillies vs. Boston Red Sox". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  7. ^ "1915 World Series Game 4 – Philadelphia Phillies vs. Boston Red Sox". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  8. ^ "1915 World Series Game 5 – Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  9. ^ "World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  10. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Hick Cady". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  11. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Dick Hoblitzell". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  12. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Jack Barry". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  13. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Larry Gardner". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  14. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Everett Scott". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  15. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Duffy Lewis". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Tris Speaker". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  17. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Harry Hooper". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  18. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Pinch Thomas". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  19. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Del Gainer". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  20. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Bill Carrigan". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  21. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Olaf Henriksen". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  22. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Babe Ruth". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  23. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Hal Janvrin". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Rube Foster". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  25. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Ernie Shore". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  26. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Batting Splits for Dutch Leonard". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  27. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Pitching Splits for Rube Foster". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  28. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Pitching Splits for Ernie Shore". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  29. ^ "The 1915 BOS A World Series Pitching Splits for Dutch Leonard". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  30. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Ed Burns". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  31. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Fred Luderus". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  32. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Bert Niehoff". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  33. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Milt Stock". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  34. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Dave Bancroft". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  35. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Possum Whitted". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  36. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Dode Paskert". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  37. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Gavvy Cravath". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  38. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Bobby Byrne". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  39. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Bill Killefer". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  40. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Oscar Dugey". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  41. ^ "Beals Becker". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  42. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Pete Alexander". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  43. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Erskine Mayer". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  44. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for George Chalmers". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  45. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Batting Splits for Eppa Rixey". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  46. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Pitching Splits for Pete Alexander". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  47. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Pitching Splits for Erskine Mayer". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  48. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Pitching Splits for George Chalmers". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  49. ^ "The 1915 PHI N World Series Pitching Splits for Eppa Rixey". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2024.

References

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  • Cohen, Richard M.; Neft, David S. (1990). The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903–1989. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 57–60. ISBN 0-312-03960-3.
  • Reichler, Joseph (1982). The Baseball Encyclopedia (5th ed.). Macmillan Publishing. p. 2123. ISBN 0-02-579010-2.
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