1890 WORLD SERIES: New York Giants (NL) vs. St. Louis Browns (AA)
Giants build huge lead, survive late rally by Browns
Game 1: Both teams come into the World Series with different strategies to win. The New York Giants try to overpower their opponents with their bats while the St. Louis Browns rely on potent pitching and key hitting. New York will send Frank Brill to the mound. He went 15-11 in the regular season. Meanwhile, St. Louis sends probable Cartwright Award winner Bert Dorr to the hill. Dorr went a staggering 42-18 in 65 games this season. Both pitchers work a 1-2-3 opening inning and they look like they’ve been on this stage before. In the New York 2nd, Mike Tiernan draws a leadoff walk, steals 2nd, goes to 3rd on a groundout, and comes home on a Al McCauley sac fly making it 1-0 Giants. Through 3 innings, the Browns have the only hit, but the Giants oddly have the only run at 1-0. In the 4th, the Giants once again plate a run without the benefit of a hit as a walk and 2 errors lead to a 2-0 lead. With 1 out in the 5th, George Van Haltren bloops a single into left for the first hit of the game for New York. The Giants tack on 2 more runs in the 7th on a Mark Creegan single making it 4-0. After two more Browns’ errors make it 7-0, Dave Orr knocks a double to right making it 9-0 going into the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the 8th, St. Louis’ Ed Cartwright breaks up the shutout with a single as the Browns trail 9-1. Tommy Corcoran delivers the 2nd run with another single giving the Browns’ faithful something to cheer about. Pitching with a 9-2 lead in the 9th, Frank Brill may have relaxed too much as he allows 5 runs to make it 9-7 before Silver King has to come on in relief for the final out. The Giants take Game 1 on the road and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Creegan collects 5 hits, Orr delivers clutch homer as Giants take 2-0 lead
Game 2: The Giants cruised through most of Game 1 without their top pitcher even on the mound. For the 2nd game, they send the man with the elastic arm Harry Salisbury to the mound. For the Browns, they send out unproven starter Frank Dwyer who was 25-12 in the regular season. The Giants strike twice in the 1st inning. George Van Haltren draws a leadoff walk, then the next man up Mark Creegan singles moving Van Haltren up to 3rd. Jesse Burkett grounds out for the first run of the game. Two batters later, Fred Dunlap singles home the 2nd run of the inning. In the bottom of the 2nd, Tommy Corcoran singles to lead off, steals 2nd, and comes home on a Jim McTamany single. In the 3rd, Mike Tiernan belts a double to left scoring Creegan to make it 3-1 New York. St. Louis leads off the bottom of the 4th with three straight singles off Salisbury. The next man up, Dan Shannon delivers a RBI single to left and the bases are still loaded up. Then, Jack O’Brien keeps the train moving as he ties up the game at 3 with another RBI single. Frank Dwyer then helps his own cause as he gives the Browns the lead at 4-3 with a groundout. Another groundout, this time by Walt Wilmot, results in another run for St. Louis and a 5-3 lead. After George Schoch pinch hits for Salisbury in the top of the 5th, Nat Hudson comes on in the bottom of the inning in relief. He allows 2 singles, but gets a timely double play ball to get out of the jam. In the top of the 6th, Giants rookie sensation Jessie Burkett leads off with single. With Tiernan at the plate, Burkett steals 2nd, and comes home on a single cutting the lead to 5-4. Tiernan then steals 2nd base with Dunlap at bat, then advances to 3rd on a flyout. Al McCauley makes sure Dwyer doesn’t get off the hook as he rips a single up the middle scoring Tiernan and tying the game up at 5! In the bottom of the inning, the Browns answer right back as Dan Shannon draws a leadoff walk, advances to 2nd on an O’Brien groundout. Then, with pitcher Frank Dwyer at the plate, Shannon steals 3rd and comes home when New York catcher Mark Creegan zings it into the outfield. Dwyer then singles and the next man up Walt Wilmot singles too. Now up is Ed Cartwright who is 0-3 in the game so far. On the 1-1 offering from Hudson, Cartwright drills it deep into the crowd standing beyond the left field fence! A 3 run shot now gives St. Louis a 9-4 lead. With no outs in the New York 8th, Fred Mann doubles home 2 runs to cut the lead to 9-7 and chase Frank Dwyer out of the game. With Billy Hart now pitching, the batter is Bobby Wheelock. Wheelock hits a routine grounder down to third basemen Spud Johnson. He fields it smooth, but airmails the throw into the stands behind first base. Mann comes in with the 8th run and Wheelock ends up at 2nd. A single by reliever Jack Jones advances Wheelock to 3rd and a walk to Van Haltren loads up the bases with no outs. Trailing 9-8, Mark Creegan steps up to the plate, he’s already 3 for 4 this game. He doesn’t disappoint as he drills a double off the right field fence that scores 2 runs and gives New York the 10-9 lead! The next batter, Jesse Burkett, grounds out for the first out. The Browns decide to walk Mike Tiernan to load up the bases again. Next up is Fred Dunlap for the 2nd time in the inning. Dunlap hits a grounder that gets booted at third and allows 2 more runs to score making it 12-9. Another run would make it 13-9 before the inning finally ends. Walt Wilmot attempts to get the Browns back in the game as he knocks a solo homer making it 13-10. In the 9th, Mark Creegan picks up his 5th hit of the day for New York. A few batters later, Fred Dunlap hits a routine popup that nobody takes charge of and it drops for a hit and another run making it 14-10. The next batter is Dave Orr, who entered last inning as a pinch hitter. Orr drills the 2-0 fastball from St. Louis reliever Bob Caruthers deep to left for 3 more runs and a 17-10 lead! The Giants have exploded for 12 runs over the past 2 innings. This can be described as a game where the Browns got a lot of offense, but their pitching was nonexistent. This game saw 27 runs, 32 hits, and 7 errors resulting in a 17-10 New York win and a 2-0 series lead going home!
Trio of hits for Cartwright, Johnson, and McTamany pull Browns back into series
Game 3: With all the momentum from winning the first two games on the road, the New York Giants come home with a chance to put a stranglehold on the series. The Giants will send out Frank Brill against St. Louis’ Bert Dorr. The Browns must have realized the magnitude of the game as they strike for 4 runs before recording an out in the 1st inning. Spud Johnson, Tommy Corcoran, Jim McTamany, and Dan Shannon all collect RBI singles as the Browns score 5 runs on 5 hits. The Giants manage to reclaim a run in their first inning when George Van Haltren scores, after he doubled earlier. The Browns chase Frank Brill out of the game in the 3rd as they add 3 more runs on 3 hits making it 8-1. Brill’s final line wasn’t too good: 2.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R (6 ER). Nat Hudson comes on in relief to finish out the inning. The Giants load up the bases in the 3rd, but only manage 1 run as Dorr unleashes a wild pitch to make it 8-2 St. Louis. In the bottom of the 6th, the Giants manage 2 more runs before recording an out, but that’s as far as the rally would go. They have narrowed the lead to 8-4 now. The Giants chip another run off the lead as Jesse Burkett crosses the plate for the 5th run after a throwing error. The Browns answer right back in the 8th as they respond with 2 more runs and now lead 10-5. St. Louis starter Bert Dorr would have no trouble the final 2 innings as he brings the Browns back to a 2-1 series deficit.
Youngster Dwyer shuts out Giants to even up series
Game 4: In a pivotal game, the Giants turn to veteran Harry Salisbury while the Browns will put their faith in young Frank Dwyer. After getting the first 2 out in the 3rd inning, Salisbury lets the Browns load up the bases. Jimmy Ryan makes him pay as he knocks a 2 run single up the middle for a 2-0 lead. The Browns tack on another run for a 3-0 lead. Six innings are done and Frank Dwyer is dominating the Giants as he has held them to 0 runs and 3 hits thus far. The Browns still lead 3-0 as they try to even up the series at 2. In, the 8th, the Browns make it 4-0 when Ed Cartwright comes home on an error. Then, Jimmy Ryan collects his 3rd RBI of the game on a single to left making it 5-0. A wild pitch by Salisbury allows the 6th run to cross the plate. The game ends appropriately for New York as Al McCauley is thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. A magnificent pitched game by Frank Dwyer as he tosses a 6 hit shutout to even up the series!
Mann's 4 hit, 4 RBI day give Giants back the series lead
Game 5: After coming home with a 2-0 series lead, the Giants leave head back to St. Louis tied at 2. All the momentum seems to be riding with the Browns now. On the mound, they give Bert Dorr the call while the Giants will let it ride with Frank Brill. The Giants silence the home crowd as they plate the 1st run of the game. George Van Haltren singles to lead off and scores when Mike Tiernan singles with 2 outs. The Browns quickly tie up the game as Ed Cartwright drills a homer to right, his 2nd of the postseason. In the 2nd, the Giants reclaim the lead again when Bobby Wheelock hits a sac fly scoring Al McCauley. In the 3rd, Walt Wilmot delivers a 2-out double. The next batter, Ed Cartwright singles to center scoring Wilmot tying the game at 2. After Cartwright steals 2nd, Spud Johnson singles, but Cartwright is thrown out by Tiernan trying to score the go-ahead run. In the 4th, the Giants retake the lead once again as McCauley scores Tiernan on a sac fly. The Giants miss a golden chance to add another run when McCauley is thrown out at home by Jimmy Ryan. In the 8th, the Giants load up the bases until Fred Mann unloads them with a devastating 3-run double to make it 6-2. The Browns bring on Bob Caruthers in relief in the 9th. He allows 5 runs as the Giants now lead 11-2. Frank Brill doesn’t have the easiest of final innings as he does allows 2 runs, but that doesn’t put a damper on the Giants 11-4 win. They now take the series lead 3-2.
Dwyer takes shutout into the ninth as Browns even up series
Game 6: After having the best aspect of their team fail them last game, the Browns send Frank Dwyer to mound. In Game 4, Dwyer threw a shutout. It may take another performance like that for the Browns to even up the series. The Giants give the ball to Harry Salisbury, who is 0-1 this postseason. The Browns start off with two straight hits in the bottom of the first. Walt Wilmot singles and Ed Cartwright doubles putting men on 3rd & 2nd with no outs. The next batter, Spud Johnson gives his team a 2-0 lead when he doubles into the gap. Johnson steals 3rd and comes home on a groundout for a 3-0 lead. The Browns collect their 4th run of the game on a sac fly by Wilmot. Through 3 ½ innings, Frank Dwyer is doing his job as he has limited the Giants to 1 hit. Dwyer has pitched 7 innings of 2 hit ball so far. What a performance in such a critical game! The Browns knock Giants starter Harry Salisbury out of the game after scoring 3 more runs in the 7th. His final line is pretty ugly: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R (7 ER). Nat Hudson comes in to relieve him once again. Tommy Corcoran greets him with a 2 run single for a 9-0 lead. Dan Shannon chips in a RBI single for a 10-0 lead going into the 8th. The Giants thwart Dwyer’s shutout when Jesse Burkett drills a double to left scoring Dave Orr. An error gives New York their 2nd run. Pinch hitter George Schoch then grounds into the game ending double play. The Browns even up the series at 3 with a 10-2 bashing of New York!
Giants still cant solve Browns' pitching, trail 4-3 in series
Game 7: The Giants return home with the series tied at 3 games. For the fourth time in the series, New York will send Frank Brill while St. Louis will allow Bert Dorr to take the mound. In the top of the 3rd, the Browns load up the bases on two singles and a walk. Then, Jimmy Ryan hits a routine grounder that gets misplayed by Giants 3B Fred Mann allowing 2 runs to score. Through 4 innings, Bert Dorr is shutting down the Giants as they have only managed 1 hit. Through 6 innings, the score still remains 2-0 as the Giants have only managed 3 hits off Dorr. The Browns make it 3-0 when Walt Wilmot leads off the 7th with a homer, his 2nd of the postseason. The Browns tack on 2 more runs when the Giants get sloppy in the field. The Giants’ Mike Tiernan draws a leadoff walk, and advances to 3rd on a Fred Dunlap single to begin the bottom of the 7th. The Giants plate their first run of the game when Al McCauley reaches base on an error by Bert Dorr. The rally is killed when Fred Mann grounds into a double play making it 2 outs and a man on 3rd. After 7 innings, the Browns hold a 5-1 lead as the Giants blew a golden opportunity to close the gap. After getting 2 outs in the 9th, Dorr issues back to back walks. That brings up Fred Mann with a chance to extend the rally. On a 1-2 pitch, Mann grounds out to second ending the game. The Browns now hold a 4-3 series lead as they have won all 3 games in New York!
What an encore! Dwyer goes absolute zero as Browns capture title!
Game 8: It would seem home field advantage means nothing in this series as the visitor has won 6 of the 7 games so far. In what could be their final game of the postseason, the Giants send the man with 372 wins to the mound, Harry Salisbury. Opposing him will be Frank Dwyer, who owns a 2-0 record with a 1.44 this postseason. Already up 1-0 in the 3rd, Jimmy Ryan singles in 2 more runs as the Browns take a 3-0 lead. The 4th run comes home on a wild pitch by Salisbury, who is falling apart in this inning. Jim McTamany singles up the middle for the 5th run of the game. The inning finally comes to an end, but not before Salisbury allows 5 runs on 5 hits. The Giants now face an uphill struggle on their home field. After a Walt Wilmot triple in the 4th, Ed Cartwright collects his 7th RBI of the series on a sac fly for a 6-0 lead. In the 5th, Tommy Corcoran leads off with a single, and then comes home on a McTamany double making it 7-0. That would be the last batter Salisbury would face in the game. He would be after 4+ innings, 10 hits, 8 runs (6 ER). His series ERA ballooned to a staggering 7.23 ERA. Nat Hudson comes on again in relief. The first batter he faces lofts a sac fly to right scoring the 8th run of the game. Once again, Frank Dwyer is shutting down Giants’ hitters as they only have 1 hit through 5 innings. The Browns are getting closer to winning the World Series and winning all 4 games in New York. It will be an amazing feat indeed. Through 7 innings, Dwyer is pitching beyond marvelous as he has allowed just 2 hits. Burkett tripled in the 1st and Dunlap singled in the 7th for the only blemishes off Dwyer. Despite getting 2 hits in the 8th, the Giants fail to push across a run. The score remains 8-0 after 8 innings and it appears to be all but over for the Giants’ faithful this year. As 22-year old Frank Dwyer comes out of the dugout, he can’t help but grin as he steps on the mound. He gets the first batter Jesse Burkett to ground out on the first pitch for 1 out. Another quick out is recorded as Mike Tiernan grounds out on the 1-0 pitch for the 2nd out. It all comes down to Fred Dunlap, who knows he may be the final out of the 1890 World Series. Dwyer delivers the pitch, fouled back. Dwyer throws the 0-1 offering outside for a ball. The 1-1 pitch is popped out into right field, drifting under it is Jimmy Ryan, who holds the gloves in the air, and clamps his other hand over the ball as he makes the catch. THE ST. LOUIS BROWNS ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS FOR THE 1ST TIME IN THEIR HISTORY!! Frank Dwyer pitches another shutout, this time allowing 4 hits. A thrilling series that saw the road team win 7 of 8 times.
SERIES SCORES
Game 1: NYG 9 STL 7
Game 2: NYG 17 STL 10
Game 3: STL 10 NYG 5
Game 4: STL 6 NYG 0
Game 5: NYG 11 STL 4
Game 6: STL 10 NYG 2
Game 7: STL 5 NYG 1
Game 8: STL 8 NYG 0