[FuzzyRussianHat]

Game seven of the 19th World Series was Friday, October 17, 1902 in front of 10,383 fans on a clear 54 degree afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park. The Pirates struck in the first inning with a Roy Thomas two-out triple, followed by Homer Smoot’s RBI double. New York tied it in the fourth with a Nap Lajoie double, followed by a single and error to score him. In the fifth, Frank Belt smacked a leadoff double and later scored on a sacrifice fly to put the Yankees ahead 2-1. Pittsburgh countered in the bottom half on a two-out walk for Dan McGann, which set up a steal and RBI single by George Yeager.

In the sixth, Pittsburgh loaded the bases up with two outs and got a two RBI line drive single to short by Smoot for the 4-2 Pirates lead. They added three more in the eighth on four hits and one error. Pittsburgh held onto the 7-2 home win to secure their first-ever MLB title. The Pirates were the sixth different franchise to win it all in as many years. 14 of 24 Major League franchises have won it all through 19 seasons. The National League still trails the all-time series 12-7 to the American League.



Homer Smoot was 3-5 in the finale with four RBI and a run, helping him earn World Series MVP. Overall, he was 12-32 with two homers and 11 RBI in the series. It was Smoot’s first year as a starter but third season overall. The #10 pick in 1899, he led the NL in hits (222), doubles (55), and RBI (139) in 1902. Jerry Nops pitched six innings in the game seven win, allowing five hits, two runs, and four walks with one strikeout.



In playoff records, New York’s George Davies set the high for saves (5) and Pittsburgh’s Otis Stocksdale set the high for games pitched (9). Smoot had 22 hits, the third-most in playoff history. Kansas City’s Matty McIntyre set playoff records for batting average (.556) and OBP (.600); minimum 20 plate appearances.