1921 World Series

1921 World Series

Yankees player Roger Peckinpaugh, Giants player Dave Bancroft, and umpires at the Polo Grounds.
Team (Wins) Manager Season New York Giants (5) John McGraw 94–59, .614, GA: 4 New York Yankees (3) Miller Huggins 98–55, .641, GA:  4 1⁄2
Dates:	October 5–13
Radio:	KDKA (Pittsburgh) WBZ (Springfield) WJZ (Newark) KDKA coverage was live, and direct, from the Polo Grounds. WBZ coverage was relayed via studio re-creation. According to Popular Radio, WJZ covered the games live, with some play by play done by Grantland Rice.[1]
Radio announcers:	KDKA and WJZ: Grantland Rice WBZ re-created by Tommy Cowan
Umpires:	Cy Rigler (NL), George Moriarty (AL), Ernie Quigley (NL), Ollie Chill (AL)
Hall of Famers:	Giants: John McGraw (mgr.), Dave Bancroft, Jesse Burkett (coach), Frankie Frisch, George Kelly, Ross Youngs. Yankees: Miller Huggins (mgr.), Frank Baker, Babe Ruth.

The much-anticipated 1921 World Series featured John McGraw's New York Giants, dedicated practitioners of the dead-ball era's "inside game", and the New York Yankees, who relied on the "power game" exemplified by Babe Ruth, who was coming off of what was arguably his best year ever statistically. This was the first World Series appearance by the Yankees, who have gone on to play in the Series a record 40 times. The 1921 Series was a closely contested matchup that ended on a double play featuring a baserunning miscue.

Background

The Series was the last of the experimental best-five-of-nine series, which the Giants won five games to three. All eight games were played at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan, New York, each team alternating as the nominal "home team" since the Yankees had subleased the stadium from the Giants for the 1913 through 1922 seasons, so that it was the home park for both teams during the regular season in those ten years. This marked the first time in World Series history that the series occurred at a single site. It happened again the following year in the same place with the same two teams, and in 1944 at St. Louis' Sportsman's Park between the Cardinals and the Browns. For New Yorkers, this was the first subway Series in World Series history. It was also the first World Series to be broadcast on radio, with Grantland Rice covering the games live through Pittsburgh's KDKA. It was rebroadcast on WBZ in Massachusetts. Announcer Tommy Cowan also recreated the games over Westinghouse-owned WJZ in Newark as he listened to phoned-in reports from the stadium.^[2]

Because of an infected arm and a bad knee (which he wrenched in Game 5), Babe Ruth played only part-time in the series and did not start the final game, appearing only in the bottom of the ninth pinch-hitting for first baseman Wally Pipp. Following the Series, Ruth and Bob Meusel did some postseason barnstorming, against the rules for Series participants at that time. Both were suspended for a number of games at the start of the 1922 season. Ruth filed a personal appeal with Commissioner Landis, who upheld their suspensions but agreed to rescind the rule effective the end of that season.

Then New York Governor Nathan L. Miller, described as "a big baseball fan" by the New York Times, made plans to attend games as a guest of the National Commission (the Commissioner of Baseball).^[3] The Series drew fans to New York City from across the continent, from as far west as California and Mexico to as far south as Cuba. Hotels were booked up, and both the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads made plans to add cars and run their trains in sections if necessary to handle the extra traffic expected. Harry L. Davis, then the Governor of Ohio, was expected to attend the games as were several other VIPs of the time.^[4]

This was the fourth World Series for Giants' assistant coach "Eee-yah!" Hughey Jennings, who had managed young Ty Cobb and the pennant-winning but Series-losing 1907, 1908 & 1909 Detroit Tigers and had been brought in as an assistant coach for the Giants by John McGraw the previous October after Jennings had resigned from the Tigers. The two were teammates on the old Baltimore Orioles in earlier seasons.^[5]

Several players on both teams didn't start the 1921 season with either the Giants or the Yankees, and several others moved to other teams during the regular season earlier that year. For the Giants, Johnny Rawlings, Irish Meusel, Casey Stengel and Red Causey started the season as Philadelphia Phillies, who finished last in the National League that year. Outfielder Bill Cunningham had played for the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League, nor did Cozy Dolan or Red Shea start the season with the Giants, while the Yankees acquired outfielder Elmer Miller and pitcher Tom Rogers during the season. Nonparticipants from either team in the Series included Curtis Walker, Lee King, Johnny Monroe, Rube Benton, Goldie Rapp, Ping Bodie, Tom Sheehan and Tom Connolly.^[6]

Summary

NL New York Giants (5) vs. AL New York Yankees (3)

Matchups

The Polo Grounds during Game 1 of the series.

Game 1

Game 2

Pitching Ruth carefully, the Giants walked the Babe three times; but after the third walk he stole second and then third base, much to the delight of Yankee fans. But when he slid into third, he scraped his elbow severely and the site became infected.

Game 3

After getting outscored 6–0 in the first two games of this series and falling behind 4–0 in the top of the third, the Giants tied it with four runs of their own in the bottom half. Later on, an 8 run 7th inning highlighted by Ross Youngs' bases loaded triple turned the tide as the Giants got their first win of this series. Ruth was taken out in the eighth after again scraping his elbow sliding into a base. The Yankees announced after the game that the elbow would have to be lanced and that he would not return for the rest of the Series.

Game 4

Ruth suited up, but stayed on the bench during batting practice. When the game began, however, to everyone's surprise, he popped out of the dugout and jogged to his outfield position. The crowd roared. He kept touching his bandaged arm throughout the game. Despite the injury, he got two hits including a ninth-inning homer, his first World Series home run as well as the first World Series home run in Yankees franchise history. But the Giants won the game and tied the series at 2–2.

Game 5

Ruth's arm was still bandaged, but he played again. In the fourth, with the score tied 1–1, he shocked everyone by bunting and beating it out. His teammate Meusel then doubled, scoring Ruth all the way from first base for the go-ahead run in a 3–1 Yankee win.

Game 6

The Giants battled back from 3–0 and 5–3 deficits to take game 6.

Game 7

Game 8

Facing elimination, Yankee manager Miller Huggins sent Ruth out to pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth. The Babe, nursing both elbow and knee injuries, had sat out this game and missed all of Games 6 & 7. The bases were empty and the Yankees still trailed by the lone run of the game scored by the Giants in the top of the first. A HR would tie the game, and a hit or a walk would give the Yankees a chance. But Ruth grounded out, and shortly afterwards infielder Aaron Ward would make the final out of the Series, giving the Giants their first world championship since Christy Mathewson's record three complete shutouts in 1905.

Composite line score

1921 World Series (5–3): New York Giants (N.L.) over New York Yankees (A.L.)

Notes

References

• 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. 87–92. ISBN 0-312-03960-3. 
• Reichler, Joseph (1982). The Baseball Encyclopedia (5th ed.). Macmillan Publishing. p. 2129. ISBN 0-02-579010-2. 

External links

• 1921 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
• 1921 World Series at Baseball Almanac
• 1921 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• The 1921 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1921 at The SportingNews. Archived from the original on 2008.

World Series
No World Series was held in 1904 because the NL champions refused to participate; no World Series was held in 1994 due to a players' strike.
1900s	1900 · 1901 · 1902 · 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910s	1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920s	1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s	1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s	1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
See also	Pre-World Series champions World Series champions Most Valuable Players Starting pitchers Babe Ruth Award Commissioner's Trophy Appearances Streaks Droughts Broadcasters TV ratings ALCS NLCS ALDS NLDS ALWC NLWC 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake Dauvray Cup Temple Cup Chronicle-Telegraph Cup Game 7 World Series ring
Book:World Series

New York Yankees
Formerly the New York Highlanders – Based in The Bronx, New York City, New York
Franchise	History Seasons Records No-hitters Awards Players Managers Coaches Owners and executives Broadcasters Opening Day starting pitchers Team captains Members of the Hall of Fame First-round picks YES Network
Ballparks	Hilltop Park Polo Grounds Yankee Stadium (opened 1923) (Events) Shea Stadium Yankee Stadium (opened 2009) Spring training: Whittington Park West End Park Barrs Field Bader Field Al Lang Stadium Fort Lauderdale Stadium George M. Steinbrenner Field
Lore	Curse of the Bambino Johnny Sylvester Murderers' Row Babe Ruth's called shot Ed Lucas Don Larsen's perfect game M&M Boys Harmonica Incident 1978 AL East tie-breaker game Pine Tar Incident Jeffrey Maier The Yankee Years The Core Four David Wells' perfect game David Cone's perfect game
Culture	Monument Park New York Yankees Museum New York Yankees appearance policy Old-Timers' Day Bleacher Creatures Yankees Universe Eddie Layton Jim Hall Logos, uniforms and dress code "Holy Cow!" Robert Merrill John Sterling Ronan Tynan "Here Come the Yankees" "New York, New York" "God Bless America" The Pride of the Yankees The Babe Ruth Story Damn Yankees musical film The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant Safe at Home! 61* The Bronx is Burning Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning The Bronx Is Burning The Bronx Zoo The Scout Bronx Bombers The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty Everyone's Hero Gene Monahan Dandy Freddy Sez George Costanza Paul Olden Yankee Stadium Legacy Yankees HOPE Week
Rivalries	Boston Red Sox New York Mets Los Angeles Dodgers San Francisco Giants Subway Series
Monument Park honorees	Mel Allen Ed Barrow Yogi Berra Bill Dickey Joe DiMaggio Whitey Ford Lou Gehrig Lefty Gomez Goose Gossage Ron Guidry Elston Howard Miller Huggins Reggie Jackson Mickey Mantle Roger Maris Billy Martin Tino Martinez Don Mattingly Joe McCarthy Thurman Munson Paul O'Neill Andy Pettitte Jorge Posada Willie Randolph Allie Reynolds Phil Rizzuto Red Ruffing Jacob Ruppert Babe Ruth Bob Sheppard George Steinbrenner Casey Stengel Mel Stottlemyre Joe Torre Bernie Williams
Key personnel	Owners: Yankee Global Enterprises Hal Steinbrenner Hank Steinbrenner General Manager: Brian Cashman Manager: Joe Girardi
Championships (27)	1923 1927 1928 1932 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 1943 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1956 1958 1961 1962 1977 1978 1996 1998 1999 2000 2009
American League Pennants (40)	1921 1922 1923 1926 1927 1928 1932 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 1942 1943 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1955 1956 1957 1958 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1976 1977 1978 1981 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2009
Division titles (18)	1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2009 2011 2012
Wild Card titles (5)	1995 1997 2007 2010 2015
Minors	AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders AA Trenton Thunder A Adv. Tampa Yankees A Charleston RiverDogs Short A Staten Island Yankees Rookie Adv. Pulaski Yankees Rookie GCL Yankees West GCL Yankees East DSL Yankees1 DSL Yankees2
Seasons (115) 1900s 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Book:New York Yankees