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This month's Iconic Image is...
The 1st World Series
Intro
This photograph was taken in the year, 1903. It shows a large crowd of people walking around on a baseball diamond. They are gathering for a very special game that is about to be played in the city of Boston. Although the identity of the photographer is unknown, this image is of a game that is the third of a special tournament that would bring about an amazing change in American sports, the World Series.
Part I
By the turn of the 20th century the sport of baseball was nothing new to the American public. Although it had been played since the American Civil War there had never been an official tournament for the teams. All of that changed in 1903, when Byron Johnson and Harry Pulliam, (the heads of the American and National leagues) agreed to square off their best teams to an inter-league exhibition game.
Up until now, the highest winning platform was that league's pennant race. Now the two winners of each pennant race would compete in a best-of-nine series. A commission was formed (National Baseball Commission) to preside over the games. They dubbed the nine game series, the "World Series". And the two teams that would be facing off were, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans.
Part II
Game one of the World Series began on October 1st. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the game 7-3. In this game featured the very first home run in World Series history, when the Pirate's outfielder Jimmy Sebring hit an inside-the-park homer in the top of the seventh inning. The Americans retaliated by winning game 2 (3-0) when outfielder Patsy Dougherty hit two home runs in the first and sixth innings. His second was the very first to sail over the fence (a rarity for the time). The Pirates won both games 3 and 4.
But in game 5, the Americans' star pitcher (Cy Young) delivered an amazing performance that shut down the Pirates' offense; enabling Boston to win 11-2. From there, the Boston Americans turned the tables. Games 6,7 (where Cy Young once again shut down the Pirates offense), and 8 were all won by the Americans. As a result, the victory of the very first World Series went to Boston (5 to 3).
Part III
The photograph depicted, is an image of the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, Massachusetts. The Huntington Avenue Grounds officially opened in the year 1901. It was built on a former circus lot and was approximately 530 feet (expanded to 635 in 1908) from center field to home plate. The grounds were used from 1901 to the end of the season in 1911.
In the year 1912, the Huntington Avenue Grounds was demolished as the Americans (now the Red Sox) moved to a new park that had just been built on Boston's Jersey Street (aka: Yawkey Way). This park was named, Fenway Park. And from that point onward, it was the permanent residence of the Boston Red Sox. Today, the Grounds have been incorporated into the Northeastern University College. A plaque and statue of the famous pitcher Cy Young mark the spots where the pitcher's mound and home plate used to be.
Epilogue
The World Series of 1903 officially concluded on October 13. In 1904, the Americans again emerged victorious in the American League. But when their manager (Jimmy Collins) once again attempted to challenge the National League champion to a World Series championship (the New York Giants), the latter's owner refused to play them against a team from what he considered to be an, "inferior league". Therefore, there was no World Series played in 1904.
For the 1905 baseball season however, the World Series was brought back once again. For this series, the amount of games was lowered from a best-of-nine series to a best-of-seven series. And this time the New York Giants accepted the challenge of the American League team (the Philadelphia Athletics) and won the series 4 games to 1. Since then, the World Series has been played at end of every single baseball season (except for 1994) to the present day.
The Boston Americans changed their name to the Boston Red Sox at the end of the 1907 baseball season. After moving to the newly constructed Fenway Park in 1912, they won that year's World Series. They would win three more World Series championships in the same decade (1915, 1916, and 1918) before enduring a devastating 86-year winning drought after trading one of their star players (Babe Ruth) to the New York Yankees (the Curse of the Bambino). This drought officially ended when the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals the 2004 World Series. Since then, they have won three more championships (2007, 2013, and 2018). In total, they have won nine World Series Championships.
Although they had suffered a humiliating loss to Boston in 1903, the Pittsburgh Pirates returned to win the World Series in the 1909 baseball season. They have won a total of five World Series (1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, and 1979). Unlike the Red Sox, the Pirates have switched home stadiums much more frequently. They currently play at PNC Park on 115 Federal Street.
Despite all of the attention it received in 1903, the very first World Series has largely faded into obscurity. Only two players (Cy Young and Honus Wagner), the managers (Jimmy Collins and Fred Clarke), and two umpires (Tom Connolly and Hank O'Day) were inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. Most of its other participants are hardly ever mentioned. However, the legacy of the 1903 World Series continues to live on today for those who play the game. Every time a post-season series is held, players and spectators are reminded of how this magnificent series that came to be a major symbol of American sports began. It will likely continue to do so in the future. And as long as the sport of baseball is played, the 1903 World Series and those who played in it will never truly be forgotten.
https://thisgreatgame.com/1903-baseball-history/
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1903ws.shtml
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/422426-honoring-the-pastime-a-look-at-the-inaugural-1903-world-series
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/stadium/huntington_avenue_baseball_grounds.shtml
