World Series (1912)

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Lore & Background

The 1912 World Series was the first of seven meetings between teams from Boston and New York City for a major professional sports championship. This was the first World Series where a venue (Fenway Park) hosted five home games; of the four occasions this has occurred (1912, 1921, 1944, 2020), 1912 was the only one to have alternating venues. This was one of only four World Series to go to eight games, and the only best-of-seven Series to do so. While the 1912 Series was extended to eight games due to a tie game being called on account of darkness, the 1903, 1919, and 1921 World Series were all best-of-nine affairs that happened to run eight games. To date, this is the only World Series to end on a sacrifice fly.

In Their Own Story

The series showcased star pitching from Giant Christy Mathewson and Red Sox fireballer Smoky Joe Wood. Wood won two of his three starts and pitched in relief in the final game. In the deciding game, Boston rallied for two runs in the tenth inning thanks to two costly Giants fielding misplays. Nearly all of the games were close. Four games in this Series were decided by one run. A fifth ended in a tie. A sixth was decided by two runs. Game 7 was the only one with a margin greater than three runs. Two games, including the decisive Game 8, went to extra innings. In Games 1 and 3, the losing team had the tying and winning runs on base when the game ended. In Game 1, after the game Wood said, 'I threw so hard I thought my arm would fly right off my body.' In Game 2, Christy Mathewson later said of the moment when he took the mound at Fenway Park, 'This was the only place in the world that I wanted to be. I could think of nothing greater than pitching this game for the glory of the New York Giants.' That game ended in a 6–6 tie called on account of darkness after 11 innings. In Game 3, the Giants won 2–1 when Josh Devore caught the final out bare-handed. In Game 4, the Red Sox won 3–1 on Wood's complete game, eight-strikeout effort. In Game 5, the Red Sox scored two quick runs in the bottom of the third against Mathewson, and Mathewson then proceeded to retire the next 17 Red Sox batters.

Did You Know?

• This is the only World Series to end on a sacrifice fly.
• This was the first World Series where a venue (Fenway Park) hosted five home games.
• The 1912 Series was extended to eight games due to a tie game being called on account of darkness.
• In Game 1, Tris Speaker drove a ball not only over the right field grandstand but completely out of the Polo Grounds during batting practice.
• In 2020, ESPN ranked the 1912 World Series as the 8th best World Series ever played.