Never Before, Never Since

Likewise, one of the inherent dangers is presenting a "first and only" event that has, since the creation and publication of this book, gone on to happen once again.

So even if, at the time of your reading, one or more of these occurrences have fallen into that category the originals are still interesting and noteworthy. You will relive memories of "only time" events you may have witnessed either at the ballpark or on television, heard on the radio, or told to you through the eyes of others.

Few players or managers ever make it to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, but that is not the only thing that can distinguish an accomplishment of one player or manager over another, or provide a topic of conversation or bring a smile of remembrance through the years.

Being the first and only player to do something on the field can be a source of great pride to a ballplayer, or a bit of an embarrassment, and this book is about those that have fallen into both categories. Whichever way it turns out, they can say that no one else has ever done it.

Sit back, get comfortable, and let your senses take you to the ballpark where you can smell the freshly mown grass of the playing field, feel the warmth of the summer sun, hear the roar of the crowd, taste the food and drink that complements a day at the ballpark, see in the mind’s eye the wonderful and unusual unfold, and recall the players and managers of yesterday and today who are all the subjects of this book.

THE LOSS OF INNOCENTS

In 1899 the Pittsburgh ballclub of the National League was known as the Alleghenys. The following year they were renamed the Innocents.

In 1890 second baseman Lou Bierbauer jumped from Philadelphia’s American Association team to Brooklyn in the Players League. That league quickly folded and the players, under an agreement made, were to return to their previous ballclubs.

In 1891, due to a clerical error, Pittsburgh swiped Bierbauer from the Phillies, thereby giving birth to yet another name change. The Pittsburgh Innocents, for their act of thievery, were to become known, from that year forward, as the Pittsburgh Pirates.

THE BIRTH OF A HERD OF ELEPHANTS

Have you ever heard of an opposing manager’s wrath being the inspiration for another team’s logo? Well, it happened, way back in 1901.

John McGraw was the manager of the Baltimore Orioles that year, in the newly formed American League. Also entering the league that year, over the strenuous objections of McGraw, was the Philadelphia Athletics who were not only managed, but owned, by Connie Mack. Infuriated by their entrance into the league McGraw disparagingly labeled the Athletics "a bunch of white elephants."

Mack, knowing of McGraw’s fury at the new league president, Ban Johnson, and at himself for the A’s entry into the league, took the white elephant as the team’s new logo to further upset McGraw. Although slipping into obscurity from time-to-time over the years the elephant has returned and is proudly displayed today as the logo of the Athletics, now residing in Oakland.

To add insult to injury Mack’s A’s beat out the Orioles by six games that season to capture the last rung of the first division, and subjected the Orioles to a second division finish.

Halfway through the 1902 season McGraw moved over to manage the Giants in the National League. He had the opportunity to get back at Mack and his team when the Giants shut out the A’s in each of the four games they won in the famous "all shutout World Series" of 1905.

THESE PIRATES SWEPT THE LEAGUE CLEAN

You have to travel all the way back to 1902 to record this first and only story. The team was the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates (the World Series wouldn’t start until the following year). The Pirates ran away with just about every offensive category.

Centerfielder Ginger Beaumont took the batting crown with a .357 average. Third baseman Tommy Leach captured the home run title with six, and shortstop Honus Wagner led the league in RBIs with 91. The Pirates became and are the only team to capture the Triple Crown with three different players.

In addition Beaumont led the league in hits with 194, Wagner in doubles with 33, slugging average at .467, stolen bases with 42, and runs scored with 105. Leach led in home run percentage, 1.2, and fell one shy of winning the triples title with 22. Talk about your clean sweeps in offense. Never before, never since.

THEY ERRED BY THE DOZEN

It may have happened one hundred years ago but the original record still stands. And an interesting quirk happened two years later. It all started on May 1, 1901 when the Detroit Tigers committed twelve errors in a game against the Chicago White Sox.

I guess the White Sox thought that turnabout was fair play for on May 6, 1903 they returned the favor. They committed twelve errors in their game against the Tigers. Never before, never since have there been so many errors in one game by one team.

ENOUGH ALREADY

The St. Louis Browns started a series with the Detroit Tigers on September 8, 1904, played them eleven straight games, concluding on September 14^th. No other series has lasted as long.

THESE BEANEATERS WERE LOSERS

Fred Tenney, the skipper of the 1905 and 1906 Boston Beaneaters (later to become the Braves) had to have a two-year headache. In 1905 his starting staff each were 20-game losers. Racking up losses were Irv Young (21), Chick Fraser (22), Kaiser Wilhelm (22), and Vic Willis (29).

In 1906 he shuffled his mound staff but the losses continued, from Big Jeff Pfeffer (22), Vive Lindaman (23), Irv Young (25), and Gus Dorner (25). Again he had a starting staff of four 20-game losers. The first and only team to have a back-to-back 20-game losing staff.

CREDENTIALS WITHOUT A FLAG

Only three times in American League history, and five times in the senior circuit, has a team led their league in the three major components for success ie. batting average, fielding average, and earned run average in the same season.

Naturally with those credentials one would think that they would have captured the pennant. Well, that was true in all but one case.

In 1906 the Cleveland Naps (the nickname given the franchise a year earlier when the Cleveland franchise acquired stellar second baseman Nap Lajoie from the Philadelphia Athletics. They would later change their name to the Indians for the 1915 season after a Cleveland newspaper ran a contest to rename the team. Due to the popularity of right fielder Lou Sockalexis, the first American Indian to play in the major leagues, the new name was chosen) came in third by six games to the Chicago White Sox. This being the only major league team to ever capture the three elements of success, but fail to capture the pennant.

Cleveland was again successful in all three categories and this time took the American League flag and the World Series in 1948 by beating the Boston Braves.