1906 World Series

Simulated replay. This post describes a season played out with sports simulation software. Scores, standings and winners are the simulation's results, not the real historical record.

For the first time in baseball history, a World Series was taking place without the involvement of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Instead, the St. Louis Cardinals had emerged from the National League, and with their solid pitching staff, they were ready to face the best that the American League had to offer.  This year, the Cleveland Naps answered the challenge, and they had a rather excellent pitching staff of their own.

Which team would rise to the top and take their first ever World Series title?  The full results of the exciting series are below.

1906 World Series

Game 1

With Ed Walsh pitching for the Naps, and Doc White taking the mound for the Cardinals, most people expected a low scoring affair in Game 1, and for four innings, they were right.  Neither Cleveland nor St. Louis were able to push a runner past second base, and the Cardinals were held without a hit through the first four innings of the game.  Finally, in the fifth inning, the Naps broke through against White.  A one out single by Dutch Meier was followed by a line drive single to left from Ed Phelps.  St. Louis left fielder Sherry Magee's throw to third base sailed well over the third baseman's head and towards the first base line, allowing Meier to score.  Next up was Tommy Corcoran, and he singled home Phelps, giving the Naps a 2-0.  Ed Walsh followed with a triple that shocked the St. Louis crowd.

Now down 3-0, all Doc White wanted to do was get through the fifth inning, but Danny Hoffman followed Walsh's triple with an RBI single, and then he stole second with Bill Bradley at the plate.  Bradley hit what should have been an easy ground ball to third, but the ball rolled right between Rube Oldring's legs and the Naps ended the fifth with a 5-0 lead.  Walsh's mastery on the mound kept St. Louis without a hit in the fifth inning, and after two quick outs in the sixth, Larry Schlafly finally ended Walsh's no-hit bid with a single into left field.  Two batters later, Schlafly would score on a single by Sherry Magee, but it would be the last hit that Walsh would allow on the day.  Cleveland couldn't muster any more offense against Doc White, but they didn't need to, as they rode their fifth inning and the arm of Ed Walsh to a commanding Game 1 win.










Cleveland leads World Series 1-0

Game 2

Knowing that a second straight loss at home would spell doom for their title hopes, the Cardinals put young Jimmy Dygert on the mound for Game 2.  His orders were to stop the Naps from taking that commanding 2-0 lead in the series, but with Red Ames on the mound for Cleveland, runs were going to be hard to come by once again.

For the second straight day, runs were at a premium through the first three and a half innings.  In the bottom of the fourth, the Cardinals were able to mount a rally and take their first lead of the series.  After Sherry Magee reached first base via walk, he would steal second base with Rube Oldring at the plate.  Eventually, Oldring would smack a single into center field, and Magee's speed allowed him to cross the plate with the first run of the game.  Oldring would steal second base on Red Ames during Bobby Wallace's at-bat, and then Wallace singled Oldring home on a hard shot into left field.  Now armed with a two run lead, Jimmy Dygert went to work making the lead last, but his defense let him down in the top of the fifth.  An error on shortstop Bobby Wallace allowed Tommy Corcoran to reach base, and two batters later, Danny Hoffman singled him home, cutting the St. Louis lead in half.

The Cardinals answered back in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Dan McGann hit the first home run of the World Series with one out.  Sherry Magee followed with another walk, and reached third on a throwing error while attempting to steal second base.  After a Rube Oldring strike out, Bobby Wallace came to the plate and singled home Magee for the second time in the game, putting the Cardinals up by a score of 4-1.  This time, Dygert would make the lead stick, as he kept the Naps from mounting any offensive threat for the remainder of the game.  St. Louis would add on an additional run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but by then, Cleveland's chances of coming back were dead in the water.  Thanks to some timely hitting and great pitching from Jimmy Dygert, the Cardinals had evened the series up before it went to Cleveland.










World Series tied 1-1

Game 3

With the series tied at a game a piece, both Cleveland and St. Louis brought out who they thought were their best pitchers for Game 3.  The Naps trotted out Addie Joss, who had won 25 games during the regular season, while the Cardinals called on World Series veteran Bill Bernhard.  By the end of the day, it would be obvious who made the right choice in this game.

St. Louis wasted little time in attacking Joss, who was known to be slightly more aggressive than most pitchers early in a count.  Rather than allowing Joss to throw early strikes, the Cardinal batters swung early and often.  The plan worked perfectly in the first inning, when three of the first four St. Louis batters reached base, and Larry Schlafly scored on a double by Rube Oldring.  The strategy did well in the second inning as well, as Schlafly this time singled home Billy Sullivan, who had reached on a one out double into left field.  Schlafly almost scored when Dan McGann doubled, but he was thrown out at the plate on an excellent throw by right fielder Jack McCarthy.  After a quiet third inning, the Cardinals struck again in the fourth, plating another run on a double by Bill Bernhard.

With Joss struggling, the Cleveland offense was unable to give their pitcher any support against Bernhard.  The St. Louis pitcher kept the Naps from making any offensive threats, and by the time the Cardinals added another run in the sixth inning with three straight singles, the Naps looked like a lost team at the plate.  Another St. Louis run would score in the seventh, and then the Cardinals would kick the gates down in the ninth inning, scoring five more runs and finally driving Joss out of the game and into the locker room.  The Cleveland crowd booed loudly throughout the ninth inning, and when the final out was recorded, those fans that had stayed gave their Naps a well deserved final booing after an 11-0 defeat.










St. Louis leads World Series 2-1

Game 4

Ed Walsh and Doc White faced off again in Game 4 of the World Series.  Momentum was clearly on the side of the Cardinals, as their pitching had completely shut down Cleveland's offense in the last two games.  Meanwhile, St. Louis's offense seemed to wake up after their poor showing in Game 1, scoring 16 runs in their two wins.  What Walsh needed to do was shut the now potent St. Louis offense down and put his Naps right back into the thick of things in the series.

Unfortunately for Walsh and the Naps, the Cardinals picked up right where they left off in Game 3.  St. Louis used two hits and three walks to score twice.  Bobby Wallace drove home the runs on a single that scored Sherry Magee and Rube Oldring, and once again, Cleveland found themselves behind early.  The Naps were able to muster a little answer in the bottom of the first inning.  Danny Hoffman led off the inning with a walk, and then stole second base.  One out later, George Stone drove Hoffman in with a single, cutting the St. Louis lead to 2-1.  St. Louis wasn't done with Walsh just yet, though.  After Walsh started the second inning by striking out Billy Sullivan, Doc White worked a five pitch walk.  Larry Schlafly followed with a single, and one out later, Sherry Magee singled home White.  Rube Oldring was up next, and he lined a single into right field that allowed Dan McGann to score.  Suddenly, the Cardinals had a 4-1 lead, and Doc White was looking settled down after a tough first inning.

To say that Doc White took over Game 4 after the first inning was a bit of an understatement.  Ed Phelps led off the bottom of the second with a single, and following that hit, White wouldn't allow another Cleveland hit until the bottom of the ninth inning.  While Cleveland did have batters reach base via walk and being hit by a pitch, the Naps were unable to advance them thanks to the pitching of White.  Meanwhile, St. Louis was able to kick a little more dirt onto Cleveland's grave, as they scored two more runs in the top of the ninth inning on a double from Larry Schlafly.  For the third game in a row, the Naps had been shut down by a Cardinal starting pitcher, and their room for mistakes had been cut to nothing.  In St. Louis, fans were already preparing to celebrate their World Series title.










St. Louis leads World Series 3-1

Game 5

With one win between them and their first world championship, the St. Louis Cardinals felt supremely confident going into Game 5 of the World Series.  After all, Jimmy Dygert had already shut down Cleveland's offense once in the series, and the Naps had shown very little at the plate in three straight losses.  Despite their offensive shortcomings, the Naps weren't ready to give up yet.  Red Ames was going to the mound for Cleveland, and he was confident that the series wasn't going to end on his time.

For the first time since Game 2, the Cardinals were held scoreless early in a game by a Cleveland pitcher.  Red Ames did his part early, but the Naps were still unable to get any sort of offense going at the plate.  In the bottom of the fourth inning, that changed.  George Stone singled to center field, and Billy Maloney struggled to field to ball, resulting in Stone winding up on second base.  Erve Beck's ground ball back to the pitcher advanced Stone to third base, and Whitey Alperman drove Stone in with a single to left field.  For the first time since the early part of the World Series, the Naps had a lead, and Red Ames was going to make it last.

Ames kept the Cardinals from scoring through eight innings, and by the time St. Louis was finally able to do anything against the Cleveland pitcher, the Naps had struck again at the plate.  In the bottom of the eighth inning, Cleveland took advantage of two St. Louis errors to pepper Jimmy Dygert with four additional runs.  Dygert looked to be working through the inning relatively easily, recording two outs quickly.  He looked like he had the third out in the bag as well, but Bobby Wallace booted an easy ground ball from Jack McCarthy.  George Stone followed with a single, and then Dygert again looked like he would get out of the inning when Erve Beck grounded to Rube Oldring.  Oldring's throw to first base missed the mark, gave Cleveland an additional run, and extended the inning.  A Whitey Alperman single scored two more runs, and then Bill Bradley finished the scoring with a triple.  The Cardinals did manage to score two runs in the ninth inning on a Bobby Wallace double, but it wasn't enough.  Red Ames had done his part, and Cleveland was sending the World Series back to St. Louis for at least one game.

 








St. Louis leads World Series 3-2

Game 6

With the Naps and Cardinals back in St. Louis for Game 6, Cardinals fans were very confident in their team's ability to close out the World Series.  Despite Addie Joss's excellent regular season record, he did not perform well in his first World Series start, and Bill Bernhard looked like one of the best pitchers in baseball just a few days ago.  Even most St. Louis players felt like the World Series title was already in their grasp, all they had to do was play relatively well for one more game, and they would be champions.

Unlike his first start, Addie Joss was able to keep the Cardinals from doing much of anything at plate in the first inning.  Bill Bernhard did the same to the Naps in innings one and two, and the teams headed to the bottom of the second.  Once there, Dan McGann greeted Joss with a leadoff single.  After he advanced to second on a Bob Ganley ground out, Billy Maloney singled him home, giving St. Louis an early 1-0 lead.  Unfortunately for the already celebrating Cardinals fans, that lead did not last long.  Ed Phelps led off the third inning with a double, and a hard hit single from Tommy Corcoran moved him to third.  After Addie Joss advanced Corcoran to second on a bunt, Danny Hoffman, Cleveland's most successful batter in the series, tripled home Phelps and Corcoran, giving the Naps a 2-1 lead.  Bill Bradley singled home Hoffman on the very next pitch, and he advanced to third on a single by George Stone.  Erve Beck grounded out to third base, but Bradley was able to score.  A double from Whitey Alperman scored Stone and finished the damage.  By the time the dust settled, the Naps had a 5-1 lead, and Addie Joss was in control of the game.

Just like Red Ames had done in Game 5, Addie Joss took over Game 6 following the one big offensive outburst that Cleveland had.  Joss held the Cardinals to just three hits after the second inning, and kept them from cutting into the Cleveland lead with excellent pitching and good defense from his fielders behind him.  Without any sort of offense to guide them, the Cardinals looked like Cleveland did at the plate during Games 2-5.  After St. Louis went down in order in the bottom of the ninth inning, the fans leaving Robison Field seemed much, much more nervous than they did before Game 6 had started.  Somehow, the Naps had turned the 1906 World Series into a one game, winner take all affair.










World Series tied 3-3

Game 7

For the third time in the World Series, Ed Walsh and Doc White were ready to face off against each other.  This time, the two aces would be going to battle with the World Series on the line.  Thanks to back to back wins from Cleveland, the Naps had forced St. Louis into a winner take all Game 7 to see which team would be declared champions of baseball for the 1906 season.  A nervous crowd in St. Louis settled in for what they were hoping was going to be a win by their home team Cardinals, but at this point, they were very, very unsure about victory.

The resolve of those St. Louis fans was shaken even more in the very first inning.  After Danny Hoffman grounded out to start the game, Bill Bradley singled and George Stone followed that up with a double.  Erve Beck grounded a ball to Bobby Wallace, but the St. Louis shortstop let the ball roll between his legs.  Two runs scored on the error, and after Doc White retired the side, Cardinal fans booed Wallace off the field.  When Dan McGann was thrown out trying to reach third base on a Billy Maloney single in the bottom of the second inning, the boos got even louder.  Ed Walsh kept St. Louis from scoring in the first four innings, and the tension inside Robison Field was obvious.  After all, the Cardinals had the World Series in the palm of their hand just two games ago, and now, they were at the mercy of the Cleveland pitching staff.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, that all changed.  After Billy Maloney grounded out to start the inning, Billy Sullivan doubled.  A single from Doc White moved Sullivan to third base, and Larry Schlafly followed that with a four pitch walk to load the bases.  Bobby Wallace stepped to the plate, and he atoned for his earlier error by legging out an infield single.  Sullivan scored, and the Cleveland lead was cut to a single run.  Sherry Magee came to the plate next and flew out, but Rube Oldring sent the St. Louis fans into a fervor with a two run single into left field.  Though Dan McGann would strike out to end the inning, the damage was done and the Cardinals had the lead.  All they needed to do was have Doc White record another 12 outs, and the World Series would be theirs.

White looked like he was going to be able to give the title to St. Louis very easily, as he recorded two quick outs in the top of the sixth inning.  However, Dutch Meier was able to reach base after Dan McGann dropped a throw that would have ended the inning, and the Naps had new life.  A single by Ed Phelps moved Meier to third base, and then Tommy Corcoran tied the game with a single.  The St. Louis fans went quiet, but they quickly picked up their voices in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Billy Maloney hit a one out double into left field.  With Billy Sullivan at the plate, Maloney attempted to steal third base, and Cleveland catcher Ed Phelps' throw sailed into left field.  Maloney popped up from third base and scored moments before the ball reached the plate, and St. Louis had taken the lead once again.

Doc White would set the Naps down with relative ease in the top of the seventh inning, but in the eighth Whitey Alperman led off the inning with a ringing double off the right field wall.  With the tying run on second base, White settled down, and forced three straight Nap batters into harmless ground ball outs, ending the threat and putting the Cardinals three outs away from a title.  In the top of the ninth inning, Danny Hoffman managed a one out single, but White struck out Bill Bradley, leaving the World Series up to George Stone.  Stone put up a valiant fight, but was only able to muster a ground ball to first base in the end.  When Dan McGann stepped on first base, the Cardinal fans that had become so tense over the last few days let out a roar.  For the first time, their team was champions of baseball.










St. Louis wins World Series 4-3