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It's an odd thing, that two franchises so storied and with so many overlapping glory would not have rained headlong into each other in a century. The Dodgers date back to the 19th century, and the Red Sox trace their modern origins back to 1901. Even so, the 2018 World Series marks the first time these last two squadrons standing since way back yonder in 1916. Not surprisingly , a look back at the game 102 years ago.
Back in 1916, The Red Sox is in the pennant in surprise fashion. The prior year they won 101 games during the season and took the World Series in five games over the Phillies. However, coming into the 1916 season they were not regarded as favorites on their trading center. As well, Smoky Joe Wood's weapon finally failed after the 1915 season, which marked the end of his Boston tenure and in essence the end of his career. Still, the Sox won 91 games in 1916 and fended off the White Sox and Tigers thanks to a 19-9 mark in September. They did all that in part because of a 21-year-old left-hander by the name of Babe Ruth enjoyed a breakout campaign on the mound: A majors-leading 1.75 ERA in 323 2/3 innings with 23 complete games and nine shutouts.
Across the way were the Brooklyn Robins. The Dodgers, of course, made Brooklyn their home before relocating to Los Angeles in 1958. For a time, they were known to the Robins in honor of Wilbert Robinson's manager. Over the years, we've seen teams named after owners, coaches, and even players, but the extent to which the managerial class has been exalted in the world of the World's Series program:
(Image used with permission of Robert Edward Auctions)
Nothing rouses the roost like headshots of managers, presidents, and owners, you know. Anyhow, in 1916 the Robins went 94-60, won their first pennant since 1900 and played in their first World Series (or "World's Series," as it is known in those days). Future Hall of Famer Zack Wheat paced the attack with an OPS + of 150, Casey Stengel, age 25. The powerhouse rotation was fronted by Marquard Rube, Jeff Pfeffer, and Larry Cheney.
The 1916 Series took place against the backdrop of the deadball era, in which runs were hard to come by and home runs were impossibly scarce by modern standards. Within a few years, a tectonic shift in baseball would take place. The spitball was outlawed, save for a handful of pitchers who were "grandfathered" permission to use the devastating pitch. Rules mandated new baseball game of the game, which means – wonder of wonders – hitters could see the ball in the middle and late innings. In 1919, the construction of the baseball itself was improved and standardized. Ruth is swinging for the basics of baseball, and his approach to the field of imitated. Whether or not, the best pitchers – i.e., starting pitchers – during this time. All in the world of scoring and the sweeping of "small ball" strategies.
The Robins-Red Sox hugging up-and-coming Boston's way in five games. The first three games of the series have been decided by a single runner, but the last two provided in the way of drama, as the Red Sox prevailed by a four and three runs respectively – routs by the standards of the times.
The Dodgers would not claim their first title until 1955, while the Red Sox would win again in 1918 and then, as the story goes, not until 2004. Speaking of time being the fire in which we burn, things – as noted at the outset of this perambulation – change. And things have changed since last these two teams for the belt and the title. To wit …
Home runs
It's a power game, of course. It's been a power game for a long time, and it's now that more than ever. During that 1916 regular season, the Red Sox hit 14 home runs as a teamwith a number of them never clearing the fence. And they were not even last in the league (the Washington Senators hit 12). Ruth, the pitcher, tied for the club lead with three.
To put in perspective, the 2018 Dodgers on three occasions this season hit the total – i.e., seven – in a single game. Framed another way, the Robins / Dodgers and Red Sox in 1916 combined for 42 home runs. The Dodgers and Red Sox in 2018 combined for 443 home runs. In the 1916 World's Series, the two teams accounted for three home runs, two of which were inside-the-park. We'll be very happy with you in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
Small ball
The reverse of the above is the decline of small ball strategies. The Robins and Red Sox in 1916 combined for 316 stolen bases in 156 regular season games apiece. This season, the Dodgers and Red Sox teamed up for 300. Wait, those are pretty close, no? Yeah, they are. Stolen bases, executed successfully at a high rate, still have value and a place in the contemporary game. Here, though, is where we really see the difference:
- The Robins and Red Sox in 1916 teamed up for 408 sacrifice bunts by non-pitchers.
- The Dodgers and Red Sox in 2018 teamed up for 15 sacrifice bunts by non-pitchers.
In the current environment, a lot of things are going well, willfully giving up. Time was when, though, it did.
Pitcher usage
In Game 2 of the 2016 World's Series, Ruth started for the Red Sox, thus making his World's Series pitching debut. Here's his final line for the game, a 2-1 Boston win:
14 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 SO, 3 BB
Yes, Ruth pitched all 14 frames. Along the way he faced 48 batters, and he got into the opposite order for a sixth time. Per a very basic pitch-count estimator, that comes to 171 pitches. Pitchers throw a long throw, throw a large percentage of breaking pitches that can stress the arm more, and face deep lineups that allow no opportunity to "take a batter off." Also, teams actually take the long view with their arms. For those reasons and other such workload is unthinkable these days.
Bill Carrigan used this series of games: Ruth, Rube Foster, Dutch Leonard, Ernie Shore, Carl Mays. Here are three of those four twirlers:
Yes, Carrigan went through games of winner-take-all stakes and used five moundsmen. In contrast, Dave Roberts in the seven-game NLCS against the Brewers used 12 pitchers. In Game 2 alone, Roberts used eight different pitchers.
Framed another way, the Red Sox in the 1916 World's Series pitched 49 total innings, and starting pitchers worked 46 of those innings, or 93.9 percent. In the recently completed LCS round, the Dodgers and Red Sox combined for 110 innings pitched, and starters worked 68 2/3 of those innings, or 62.4 percent. It's a game of these days, especially in the postseason when managers are more likely to get started.
Game times
So that 14-inning Game 2 noted above? It lasted two hours and 32 minutes. The decisive Game 5, which Boston won 4-1, spanned just one hour and 43 minutes.
In Game 4 of this year's NLCS, the score was 2-1 – just as Game 2 of the 1916 World Series was last 13 innings. The run time? Five hours and fifteen minutes. Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS spanned the usual nine innings, yielded a 6-5 final score, and lasted four hours and two minutes. Game 1 of the 1916 World's Series is also well-rounded, yielded a 6-5 final score, and lasted … two hours and 16 minutes.
Frequent pitching changes, longer between-inning breaks for TV commercials, more pitches for flat appearances – all over the world. Nothing etches that in sharp relief at the baseball contests.
Day games
MLB's first night game under the lights did not take place until 1935. Necessarily, all the games of the 1916 World's Series were daytime affairs. This, of course, is no longer the case. Not since 1987 have we had a daytime World Series game (and that game was played indoors, at the Metrodome). This time will be with some glimpses of sunshine, since Games 3, 4, and 5 in Los Angeles will start a little after 5 pm local time, but that's not really the same thing. This trend is often cited as evidence of MLB's shortsightedness when it comes to attracting younger fans, but rights-holders are not going to give up those primetime TV slots. A World Series in which every game is a matinee these days is as foreign, well, dressing up a game to go to a game.
The crowd
Speaking of dressing up to go to game, drink in the crowd at Game 1 back in 1916:
We do not wear suits and fedoras and ankle-length dresses with parasols to games anymore. (We also do not smoke.) Perhaps it is for the better – this scribe would argue for comfort above all else – but the difference in the attractiveness of paying customers is striking.
Also, Game 5 of the 1916 World's Series is a history record, as a record crowd of 42,620 turned out to be Braves Field in Boston (selected as host site for the Red Sox's home games, on account of Fenway's modest capacities). Attendance at Fenway during this year's ALCS never broke 40K, and that was also the case during Boston's home games in the curse-busting 2004 World Series. So the Red Sox is likely to be in their home crowd from Game 2 in 1916. Incidentally, the Red Sox back in 1916 averaged just over 6,000 fans per home game during the regular season, so walking into a seven-fold increase over what they were accustomed to might have been a bit jarring. That's a foreign dilemma to the modern player.
The ticket prices
The long, hard market of inflation carries us ever onward. For the 1916 Classic Fall, you could secure a seat along the third-base line for $ 1. A seat in the outfield would run you half that. Game 1 of the 2018 World Series in Fenway Park? Similar seats will run around $ 500 and $ 350, respectively, according to a cursory inspection of the secondary market.
The uniforms
The Red Sox and Dodgers have two of the classic uniforms in baseball right now (Dodgers 'red jersey numerals remain a masterstroke), but please look at the Robins' look of 1916:
Checked patterns! Stengel's misaligned leather belt! Hy Myers' conveniently fingered! They went with checks at home and on the road that year, by the way. Perhaps we will never agree that some team should bring back the checks, but can we at least reach an agreement on the notion that the Dodgers should include this look at their repertoire of throwbacks? Yes, we can.
How we follow the game
The first MLB game to be broadcast on the radio did not happen until 1921, so did not wait for the games back in 1916, assuming they did not get updates via word of mouth, had to wait until the morning paper arrived on their stoops for word of recent baseball events. These days, well, we dedicate whole pieces on the various ways you can consume each game from afar.
Some things, it turns out, are better these days. Actually, almost everything is better these days – except, of course, for the galling absence of checked uniforms.
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Tags Babe Boston Brooklyn Dodgers Red Ruth Series Sox world years
