1918 Boston Red Sox: Babe In Beantown

1918 Boston Red Sox: Babe In Beantown

1918 Boston Red Sox: Babe In Beantown

George Herman “Babe” Ruth was nearing the end of his run in Beantown as the Boston Red Sox would sell his contract to the New York Yankees after the 1919 regular season. However, Ruth did quite a bit of good for Boston in his 6-year run, including the leadership he showed in transitioning from being a starting pitcher to being an outfielder in the 1918 regular season.

The Boston Red Sox went 75-51 in 1918, finishing 2.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians to win the American League pennant. The Red Sox went 10-10 against the Indians in head-to-head play. The Red Sox went 49-21 at home and 26-30 on the road.

In 95 games Ruth batted .300 with 11 home runs and 61 RBI’s off 95 hits, 26 doubles and 11 triples. On the mound Ruth went 13-7 with a 2.22 ERA, recording 18 complete games and 1 shutout. Right fielder Harry Hooper batted .289 with 44 RBI’s, 137 hits, 26 doubles, 13 triples and 24 stolen bases. First baseman John “Stuffy” McInnis batted .272 with 56 RBI’s, 115 hits, 11 doubles, 5 triples and 10 stolen bases. Left fielder George Whiteman had 14 doubles in 71 games. Shortstop Everett Scott had 98 hits, 11 doubles and 11 stolen bases. Second baseman Dave Shean had 112 hits, 16 doubles and 11 stolen bases. Center fielder Amos Strunk had 106 hits, 18 doubles, 9 triples and 20 stolen bases.

Starting pitcher Carl Mays went 21-13 with 114 strikeouts and a 2.21 ERA, recording 30 complete games and 8 shutouts. “Bullet” Joe Bush went 15-15 with 125 strikeouts and a 2.11 ERA, recording 26 complete games and 7 shutouts. “Sad” Sam Jones went 16-5 with a 2.25 ERA, recording 16 complete games and 5 shutouts. Hubert “Dutch” Leonard went 8-6 with a 2.72 ERA, recording 12 complete games and 3 shutouts. Relief pitcher Walt Kinney recorded a 1.80 ERA in 5 games. Vince Molyneaux went 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA.

The Boston Red Sox faced the National League Champion Chicago Cubs in the 1918 World Series, but this Fall Classic would be held throughout September because of the “Work or Fight” order that was given from the United States Government in response to World War I. Players had also threatened to sit out the World Series for fear of low gate receipts which depended heavily on fan attendance.

In Game 1 on September 5 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the Red Sox blanked the Cubs 1-0. Babe Ruth and James “Hippo” Vaughn put on a great pitching duel as Ruth pitched a complete game and gave up 6 hits and 1 walk, but recorded 4 strikeouts. Vaughn also pitched a complete game and gave up 5 hits, 3 walks and 1 run, but recorded 6 strikeouts. Boston got all the offense they needed in the top of the 4th inning when Stuffy McInnis had an RBI single.

In Game 2 on September 6 the Cubs beat the Red Sox 3-1. In the bottom of the 2nd inning catcher Bill Killefer had an RBI double, and pitcher George “Lefty” Tyler followed with a 2-run single. George Whiteman’s RBI triple in the top of the 9th couldn’t bring Boston back.

The Red Sox did bounce back to win Game 3 on September 7 by the score of 2-1. Carl Mays would oppose Hippo Vaughn in another great pitching duel as Mays pitched a complete game, giving up 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 run while recording 4 strikeouts. Vaughn also pitched a complete game and gave up 7 hits, 1 walk and 2 runs while recording 7 strikeouts. In the top of the 4th inning catcher Wally Schang had an RBI single, and Everett Scott followed with an RBI infield single. Bill Killefer had an RBI single in the bottom of the 5th, but Chicago couldn’t start a rally.

In Game 4 on September 9 at Fenway Park, the Red Sox won another close game by the score of 3-2. In the bottom of the 4th inning Babe Ruth had a 2-run triple. Chicago did come back in the top of the 8th as shortstop Charlie Hollocher had an RBI groundout, and left fielder Les Mann followed with an RBI single. The 2-2 tie would be broken in the bottom of the 8th when Harry Hooper laid down a bunt and reached on an error to score Wally Schang.

The Cubs managed to shut out the Red Sox 3-0 in Game 5 on September 10. Hippo Vaughn stood out by himself this time as he pitched a complete game, giving up 5 hits and 1 walk, but he recorded 4 strikeouts. In the top of the 3rd inning Les Mann had an RBI double, and in the top of the 8th center fielder Dode Paskert had a 2-run double.

The Red Sox would have the last laugh as they beat the Cubs 2-1 in Game 6 on September 11. Carl Mays pitched a complete game and gave up 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 run while recording 1 strikeout. In the bottom of the 3rd inning George Whiteman reached on an error to score both Mays and Dave Shean. First baseman Fred Merkle tried to help Chicago’s cause with an RBI single in the top of the 4th, but the Cubs fell short of forcing a 7th game.

The 1918 World Series turned out to be 1 of only 3 World Series events to not feature a single home run hit by either team. The 1918 World Series would also be the last championship the Boston Red Sox would win until 2004, and the Red Sox wouldn’t clinch another World Series championship at Fenway Park until 2013.