1903 Pittsburgh Pirates | ||
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National League Champions | ||
League | National League | |
Ballpark | Exposition Park | |
City | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | |
Owners | Barney Dreyfuss | |
Managers | Fred Clarke | |
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The 1903 Pittsburgh [lower-alpha 1] Pirates season was the 22nd year the Pittsburgh Pirates played in Major League Baseball. The club finished its season as National League champions, beating the second-place New York Giants by 6+1⁄2 games.
The team went on to participate in the World Series, the first to be played between the champions of the National League and American League. The Pirates started off well, winning 3 of the first four games, but the Boston Americans won the last four straight to win the series five games to three. The Pirates set a record of 56 consecutive innings without allowing the opposing team to score a run, a record that still stands today.
National League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh Pirates | 91 | 49 | 0.650 | — | 46–24 | 45–25 |
New York Giants | 84 | 55 | 0.604 | 6½ | 41–27 | 43–28 |
Chicago Cubs | 82 | 56 | 0.594 | 8 | 45–28 | 37–28 |
Cincinnati Reds | 74 | 65 | 0.532 | 16½ | 41–35 | 33–30 |
Brooklyn Superbas | 70 | 66 | 0.515 | 19 | 40–33 | 30–33 |
Boston Beaneaters | 58 | 80 | 0.420 | 32 | 31–35 | 27–45 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 49 | 86 | 0.363 | 39½ | 25–33 | 24–53 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 43 | 94 | 0.314 | 46½ | 22–45 | 21–49 |
Sources: | |||||||||||||
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Team | BOS | BRO | CHC | CIN | NYG | PHI | PIT | STL | |||||
Boston | — | 9–11 | 7–13–1 | 7–13 | 8–12 | 10–8–1 | 5–15 | 12–8 | |||||
Brooklyn | 11–9 | — | 8–12 | 10–10 | 7–12–2 | 11–8–1 | 9–11 | 14–4–1 | |||||
Chicago | 13–7–1 | 12–8 | — | 9–11 | 8–12 | 12–6 | 12–8 | 16–4 | |||||
Cincinnati | 13–7 | 10–10 | 11–9 | — | 12–10 | 12–8–2 | 4–16 | 12–7 | |||||
New York | 12–8 | 12–7–2 | 12–8 | 8–12 | — | 15–5 | 10–10 | 15–5–1 | |||||
Philadelphia | 8–10–1 | 8–11–1 | 6–12 | 8–12–2 | 5–15 | — | 4–16–1 | 10–10 | |||||
Pittsburgh | 15–5 | 11–9 | 8–12 | 16–4 | 10–10 | 16–4–1 | — | 15–5 | |||||
St. Louis | 8–12 | 4–14–1 | 4–16 | 7–12 | 5–15–1 | 10–10 | 5–15 | — |
1903 Pittsburgh Pirates | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Ed Phelps | 81 | 273 | 77 | .282 | 2 | 31 |
1B | Kitty Bransfield | 127 | 505 | 134 | .265 | 2 | 57 |
2B | Claude Ritchey | 138 | 506 | 145 | .287 | 0 | 59 |
SS | Honus Wagner | 129 | 512 | 182 | .355 | 5 | 101 |
3B | Tommy Leach | 127 | 507 | 151 | .298 | 7 | 87 |
OF | Fred Clarke | 104 | 427 | 150 | .351 | 5 | 70 |
OF | Ginger Beaumont | 141 | 613 | 209 | .341 | 7 | 68 |
OF | Jimmy Sebring | 124 | 506 | 140 | .277 | 4 | 64 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Otto Krueger | 80 | 256 | 63 | .246 | 1 | 28 |
Harry Smith | 61 | 212 | 37 | .175 | 0 | 19 |
Art Weaver | 16 | 48 | 11 | .229 | 0 | 3 |
George Merritt | 9 | 27 | 4 | .148 | 0 | 3 |
Joe Marshall | 10 | 23 | 6 | .261 | 0 | 2 |
Gene Curtis | 5 | 19 | 8 | .421 | 0 | 3 |
Fred Carisch | 5 | 18 | 6 | .333 | 1 | 5 |
Hans Lobert | 5 | 13 | 1 | .077 | 0 | 0 |
Lou Gertenrich | 1 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Reddy Grey | 1 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 1 |
Ernie Diehl | 1 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
Solly Hofman | 3 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deacon Phillippe | 36 | 289.1 | 25 | 9 | 2.43 | 123 |
Sam Leever | 36 | 284.1 | 25 | 7 | 2.06 | 90 |
Ed Doheny | 27 | 222.2 | 16 | 8 | 3.19 | 75 |
Brickyard Kennedy | 18 | 125.1 | 9 | 6 | 3.45 | 39 |
Kaiser Wilhelm | 12 | 86.0 | 5 | 3 | 3.24 | 20 |
Lave Winham | 5 | 36.0 | 3 | 1 | 2.25 | 22 |
Jack Pfiester | 3 | 19.0 | 0 | 3 | 6.16 | 15 |
Doc Scanlan | 1 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 4.00 | 0 |
Lew Moren | 1 | 6.0 | 0 | 1 | 9.00 | 2 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bucky Veil | 12 | 70.2 | 5 | 3 | 3.82 | 20 |
Cy Falkenberg | 10 | 56.0 | 1 | 5 | 3.86 | 24 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
George Merritt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 | 2 |
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Boston Americans
October 1, 1903, at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, Massachusetts
The Pirates started Game 1 strong, scoring six runs in the first four innings. They extended their lead to 7–0 on a solo home run by Jimmy Sebring in the 7th, the first home run in World Series history. Boston tried to mount a comeback in the last three innings, but it was too little, too late, as they ended up losing by a score of 7–3 in the first ever World Series game. Both starting pitchers, Deacon Phillippe of the Pirates and Cy Young of Boston, threw complete games, with Phillippe striking out 10 and Young fanning 5, but Young also gave up twice as many hits and allowed 3 earned runs to Phillippe's 2.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 2 |
Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
W: Deacon Phillippe (1–0) L: Cy Young (0–1) | ||||||||||||
HR: PIT – Jimmy Sebring (1) |
October 2, 1903, at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, Massachusetts
After starting out strong in Game 1, the Pirates simply shut down offensively, managing to get a meager 3 hits, all of which were singles. Pirates starter Sam Leever went only one inning and gave up 3 hits and 2 runs before being replaced by Bucky Veil in the second inning due to injury, who finished the game for Pittsburgh. Bill Dinneen struck out 11 and pitched a complete game for the Americans, while Patsy Dougherty hit home runs in the first and sixth innings to produce 2 of the Boston's 3 runs.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Boston | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 8 | 0 |
W: Bill Dinneen (1–0) L: Sam Leever (0–1) | ||||||||||||
HR: BOS – Patsy Dougherty 2 (2) |
October 3, 1903, at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, Massachusetts
Deacon Phillippe, pitching on only one day rest, started Game 3 for the Pirates, and did not let them down as he pitched his second complete-game victory of the series to put the Pirates up two games to one.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
W: Deacon Phillippe (2–0) L: Tom Hughes (0–1) |
October 6, 1903, at Exposition Park in Allegheny, Pennsylvania
After two days of rest, Deacon Phillippe was ready to pitch his second straight game. He threw his third complete-game victory of the series against Bill Dinneen, who was pitching in his second start of the series. However, Phillippe's second straight victory was almost not to be, as the Americans, down 5–1 in the top of the ninth, staged a rally to bring the game within one. The comeback attempt failed, though, as Phillippe managed to put an end to it and give the Pirates a commanding 3–1 series lead.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
Pittsburgh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 5 | 12 | 1 |
W: Deacon Phillippe (3–0) L: Bill Dinneen (1–1) |
October 7, 1903, at Exposition Park in Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Game 5 was a pitcher's duel for the first five innings, with Boston's Cy Young and Pittsburgh's Brickyard Kennedy giving up no runs. That changed at the top of the sixth, however, when the Americans scored a then-record 6 runs that inning. Young, on the other hand, managed to keep his shutout intact before finally giving up a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth. He went the distance and struck out four for his first World Series win.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 2 |
Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
W: Cy Young (1–1) L: Brickyard Kennedy (0–1) |
October 8, 1903, at Exposition Park in Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Game 6 featured a rematch between the starters of Game 2, Bill Dinneen (Boston) and Sam Leever (Pittsburgh). This time, Leever would pitch the entire game, but despite throwing a complete game he was outmatched by Dinneen, who ended up with his second complete-game victory of the series. After losing three of the first four games of the World Series, the underdog Boston Americans had tied the series at three games apiece.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 | |
Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3 | |
W: Bill Dinneen (2–1) L: Sam Leever (0–2) |
October 10, 1903, at Exposition Park in Allegheny, Pennsylvania
The fourth and final game in Allegheny City saw Deacon Phillippe start his fourth game of the series for Pittsburgh. This time, however, he wouldn't fare as well as he did in his first three starts. Cy Young, pitching in his third start of the series, would face a much more favorable fate, holding the Pirates to only three runs.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 4 | |
Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 3 | |
WP: Cy Young (2–1) LP: Deacon Phillippe (3–1) |
October 13, 1903, at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, Massachusetts
The final game of the inaugural World Series started out as an intense pitcher's duel, with no runs being scored until the fourth inning – when a Hobe Ferris single scored two runners. Deacon Phillippe started his fifth and final game of the series, while Bill Dinneen started his fourth game of the series. As he did in Game 2, Dinneen threw a complete-game shutout while striking out seven, leading the Boston Americans to victory, while Phillippe, who also threw a respectable game, just couldn't pitch at Dinneen's level due to wearing out his arm in the series (as a result of playing so many games in such a short time span) and gave up three runs in the defeat. Honus Wagner struck out to end the Series.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | |
Boston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 8 | 0 | |
W: Bill Dinneen (3–1) L: Deacon Phillippe (3–2) |
The 1903 World Series was the first modern World Series to be played in Major League Baseball. It matched the American League (AL) champion Boston Americans against the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates in a best-of-nine series, with Boston prevailing five games to three, winning the last four. The first three games were played in Boston, the next four in Allegheny, and the eighth (last) game in Boston.
Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered the major leagues in 1890 with the National League's Cleveland Spiders and pitched for them until 1898. He was then transferred to the St. Louis Cardinals franchise. In 1901, Young jumped to the American League and played for the Boston Red Sox franchise until 1908, helping them win the 1903 World Series. He finished his career with the Cleveland Naps and Boston Rustlers, retiring in 1911.
In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine complete innings recorded no hits. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is thereby said to have "thrown a no-hitter". In most cases, no-hitters are recorded by a single pitcher who throws a complete game; one thrown by two or more pitchers is a combined no-hitter.
The 1979 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1979 season. The 76th edition of the World Series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates (98–64) and the American League (AL) champion Baltimore Orioles (102–57). The Pirates won in seven games, becoming the fourth team in World Series history to come back from a three games to one deficit to win the Series. This marked the second time in the 1970s the Pirates won a World Series Game 7 on the road against the Orioles, the previous time being in the 1971 World Series. The Pirates were famous for adopting Sister Sledge's hit song "We Are Family" as their theme song during the 1979 season.
The 1927 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1927 season. The 24th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion New York Yankees against the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees won in four games. This was the first sweep of a National League team by an American League team.
Samuel Leever, nicknamed "the Goshen Schoolmaster", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Charles Louis "Deacon" Phillippe was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Louisville Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Irvin Key "Kaiser" Wilhelm was a pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball. Between 1903 and 1914, he moved between the major and minor leagues several times. He played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Beaneaters, Brooklyn Superbas and Baltimore Terrapins. After 1914, Wilhelm spent time as a player, manager and scout for the minor leagues. In 1921, he became the manager for the Philadelphia Phillies and pitched in four games for the team.
William Henry Dinneen, alternately spelled Dineen, was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who followed his 12-year career from 1898 to 1909 with a highly regarded tenure as an American League umpire from 1909 to 1937.
Randy Leon Tomlin is a former left-handed starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1990-94). He stands 5'11" and weighs 170 pounds. In five seasons, he had a 3.43 earned run average (ERA).
Thomas Virgil Sturdivant, nicknamed "Snake", was an American pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets of Major League Baseball. He threw a curveball and a knuckleball, among other pitches. He batted left-handed but threw right-handed.
Bruce Eugene Kison was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971–79), California Angels (1980–84) and Boston Red Sox (1985). Kison won two World Series championships with the Pirates, both over the Baltimore Orioles, and is perhaps best remembered for throwing 6+1⁄3 scoreless innings of relief to win Game 4 of the 1971 World Series. He batted and threw right-handed.
The Chronicle-Telegraph Cup was the trophy awarded to the winner of a postseason competition in American professional baseball in 1900. The series, played only once, was a precursor to the current World Series.
Robert Cleveland Muncrief was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 288 games in Major League Baseball over 12 seasons between 1937 and 1951 with the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Born in Madill, Oklahoma, he batted and threw right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg). He is perhaps best known as a key starting pitcher for the 1944 Browns, the only American League team from St. Louis to win a pennant. The following season, in 1945, Muncrief led all Junior Circuit hurlers in winning percentage, posting a .765 mark based on his 13–4 record.
The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.
The 1902 Boston Americans season was the second season for the professional baseball franchise that later became known as the Boston Red Sox. The Americans finished third in the American League (AL) with a record of 77 wins and 60 losses, 6+1⁄2 games behind the Philadelphia Athletics. The team was managed by Jimmy Collins and played its home games at Huntington Avenue Grounds.
The 1903 Boston Americans season was the third season for the professional baseball franchise that later became known as the Boston Red Sox. The Americans finished first in the American League (AL) with a record of 91 wins and 47 losses, 14+1⁄2 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. Boston went on to participate in the first World Series held between the AL and National League (NL) champions. The Americans won the 1903 World Series in eight games over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team was managed by Jimmy Collins and played its home games at Huntington Avenue Grounds.
The 1901 Pittsburgh Pirates finished in first place in the National League, 7½ games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies. It was the first year that the American League operated as a major league, but there would be no World Series between the leagues until 1903.
George Lovington Winter, nicknamed "Sassafrass", was a professional baseball pitcher. Winter played eight seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1901 through 1908, for the Boston Americans/Red Sox (1901–08) and the Detroit Tigers (1908). Listed at 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) and 155 pounds, Winter batted and threw right-handed.