The Wonderful '99

[RMc]

(The title comes from this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWcP27W219s)

With the White Sox threatening to surpass (subpass?) the '62 Mets as the worst MLB team in modern times, I thought I would take a look at the real worst team ever: the infamous 1899 Cleveland Spiders.



The 1899 season is not in the game, of course, so I painstakingly re-created not just the Spiders but all of the 1899 National League:



I also re-created the Western League, the circuit that would become the American League a year later. (The teams are accurate but the players are not...)



So, I wondered: why were the Spiders so bad? Why did the AL become an equal partner to the NL and not subordinate? What would happen if I changed things? Why can't I have money for nothing and chicks for free?

Well...let's find out, shall we?!

[RMc]

Here are the NL standings:



The Phillies are on top, with the Dodgers and Braves fighting for second place and a spot in the Temple Cup Finals. (You remember the Temple Cup, right? I used it in my other dynasty.) The Cubs are hot, winning ten straight, and OHMYGODKILLITWITHFIRE!

The real '99 Spiders had a 20-134 record for a .130 winning percentage. In this sim, they're...EXACTLY THE SAME!



Good lord, Cleveland is awful: last in batting, pitching and fielding. But they're about to get a break: in real life (except for a brief home stand in late August), the Spiders stopped playing home games after July 3. But since I'm too lazy to manually alter the schedule, we'll let them play half of their games in Cleveland for the rest of the season. ("Gee, thanks, mister!" say the Cleveland fans.)

Meanwhile, back in the west:



The WL has a playoff series, too: the Dauvray Cup (which in real life pre-dated the Temple Cup, being awarded from 1887-93). Like the Temple Cup, it will pit the top two teams in bast-of-seven.

[RMc]

The Phillies, led by Ed Delahanty and Nap Lajoie, practically lapped the National League with 113 wins, while the Dodgers edge out the Braves for second place:



...while the Spiders finish six whole games in front of their historical record with a sizzling 26-128 mark! (I told you those extra home games would be the difference...!)

Meanwhile, the Hoosiers take the WL flag, while the Bisons and the Tigers tie for second. Buffalo wins the one-game playoff, though, sending them to the Dauvray Cup Finals:



The WL playoff series goes the full seven games, with Indianapolis coming out on top:




The Hoosiers score three times in the ninth to win it! What a thriller!

[RMc]

The fifth edition of the Temple Cup -- the Baltimore Orioles had played in each of the first four editions, winning the last two in 1896 and 1897 -- was a barn-burner.

In Game 1 in Philadelphia, six Phillies errors led to six unearned runs and a 6-2 Brooklyn win; the Phils responded with a 13-hit attack (four by Delahanty, three by Lajoie) in Game 2, taking a 6-3 win and leveling the series.

Back in Washington Park in Brooklyn, Philadelphia booted away Game 3 when a bad throw by 2B Lajoie led to John Anderson reaching base; back-to-back singles by Jones and Hughes then gave the Dodgers a 4-3 win and a 2-1 series lead. But Philly stormed back in Game 4, with 16 hits -- every man in Phils line-up getting at least one safety -- and a 9-2 win. The Phillies would produce 12 more hits in the fifth game -- but so would Brooklyn, including three from Doc Casey and two from Joe Kelley (and 3 RBI) in a 7-3 victory and a 3-2 series lead.

Poised just one game away from an upset victory, though, the Brooklyn bats would fail them in Game 6, managing only one run on six hits off Al Orth in a disheartening 6-1 loss. That meant it would be one game for all the marbles:



Game 7 promised to be a tight, well-played affair...it was not. In the third, Delahanty slapped an RBI single followed by Lajoie's two-run triple; that was more than enough, as Wiley Piatt scattered seven Brooklyn hits in a 9-0 Phillies triumph, bringing the Temple Cup to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time:




What would happen in the off-season, as the 19th century gave way to the 20th? Stay tuned!

[RMc]

Timothy J. Zarley's book "1901: The War of the Baseball Magnates" describes how the Western League became the American League, partially by grabbing three of the four markets that the National League jettisoned after the 1899 season: Cleveland, Washington, Baltimore (but not Louisville).

But what if the NL didn't contract after the 1899 season, keeping all four of those markets (yes, even the woeful Spiders)? Would the WL -- now the AL -- become the NL's equal?

Well...in this universe, the NL decides to hold tight, unwilling the give the newly-christened American League an opening. They would return the same twelve teams the loop had had since the collapse of the old American Association in 1892. In real life, the Western League technically disbanded and was replaced by the AL, with teams in all of the previous WL cities -- except St. Paul, which was replaced by a new White Sox team in Chicago.

In this reality, the new AL will simply add two new squads: the Chicago White Sox and the Toronto Maple Leafs, making it a ten-team circuit. They will also demand to be taken seriously as a "major league"...the NL will kindly demur on that point.

[RMc]

With two new clubs, the new AL demanded that the NL regard them as an equal, a fellow major league. After much discussion, the older circuit rebuffed Ban Johnson, et. al. by saying that a "major league" had to have at least twelve clubs -- like the NL did. A mere ten was insufficient. Many thought the NL's proviso was cynical -- by forcing the AL to expand to an even dozen, the new league would be overstretched and promptly go out of business.

By the 4th of July, it was a hot race in the National: the Cubs were on top, with the Cards, Reds and Braves close behind. Surprisingly, the defending champion Phillies were struggling in tenth place; not so surprisingly, the Spiders, once again, really, really sucked.



The Spiders traded their one good player, Ossie Schreckengost, to the also (if not equally) struggling Giants for Cy Bentley, who led the NL with 53 starts on the mound in 1899, and rookie Joe Delahanty, kid brother to "Big Ed" and the rest of the Delahanty clan:



In the AL, Detroit, led by star pitchers Ed Scott and Don Newton, pace the circuit, with Indianapolis and Columbus battling for a spot in the Cup playoff:

[RMc]

The Cardinals, powered by Turkey Mike Donlin's 27 home runs, win the 1900 NL pennant, beating out the Reds by five games. Last year's Temple Cup combatants, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, slip to the second division, and Cleveland...?



Cleveland, incredibly, is even worse in 1900!



Yikes.

In the AL, the Tigers rule, with the Hoosiers claiming the second spot in the Dauvray Cup final. The new teams, Chicago and Toronto, finish mid-table.

[RMc]

The "cranks" of St. Louis and Cincinnati know their beer, and they know their baseball. And the well-lubricated followers of the Cardinals and Reds would see one the greatest Temple Cup Finals in history.

The first game, in front of a packed house in St. Louis, went back and forth until the Reds' Bob Woods singled home Kip Selbach to give Cincy a 5-4 lead in the 10th. The Cards' Lou Criger led off the bottom of the inning with a double, but was stranded, giving Cincinnati the win.

The city of St. Louis is also known for its gambling, and the two teams led with a pair of Jacks -- as Jack Powell of the Cardinals and Jack Taylor of the Reds locked into a pitching duel, with neither team scoring for 7 1/2 innings. Finally, Bobby Wallace led off the bottom of the eighth with a single, then scored the game's only run on Cupid Childs' triple. A 1-0 win for St Lou, and a tie series.

The next two games at the Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati were also a split decision. Criger and Donlin each homered an drove in a pair as the Cardinals took Game 3 by a 5-3 count, but the Redlegs ran over the Cards in Game 4, 6-2, as Jimmy Barrett and Sam Crawford each had three of Cincy's 12 hits. Series even, 3-2.

Game 5 in front of a packed house in Cincinnati, put the Reds on the brink of the claiming the Cup, as Pink Hawley (a fitting name for a Red) held the Cards to six hits in a 6-3 win. Barett and Selbach each slammed RBI triples, and Cincy led the Temple Cup series, 3 games to 2.

In the sixth game, back in St. Louis, the Reds' Noodles Hahn was masterful, shutting out the home team on just four hits. Cincinnati's offense wasn't stellar, either, but they did manage to score a run off Cy Young, on an RBI single by Selbach in the third inning. So, the teams went to the bottom of the ninth, with the Reds up, 1-0, and three outs away from the Cup.

After Burkett grounded out, the next three batters -- Wallace, Heidrick and O'Connor -- each swung at the first pitch they saw from the obviously tiring Hahn and slapped them into the outfield, with Wallace scoring on O'Connor blow and tying the game. The raucous crowd threatened to storm the field, but they held off just long enough to watch Criger slap a 2-2 pitch past the shortstop to settle the matter, 2-1.

And once again, the Cup Final would go to a seventh game:



The seventh game would see the third match-up of the series between Taylor and Powell. At first, it seemed Powell would be the Jack that was aces, as he held the Redlegs motionless for eight innings, scattering six hits. Meanwhile, St Lou touched Taylor for three runs, including a homer by Donlin. The fans at Sportsman's Park looked ready to celebrate wildly for a second straight day, as the Cards were themselves three outs from the Cup, leading 3-0..

Ah, but what fools these mortals be! After Selbach grounded out, Smith and Irwin each singled off a tiring (does this sound familiar?) Powell. Algie McBride (a back-up player most of the season) proceeded to lash a double to cut the lead to 3-2, then Bob Wood slammed the ball to the top of the center field fence for a triple, tying the game. Heinie Pietz drew a walk, setting up a potential inning-ending double play -- and the Cards seemingly had it, when Barrett grounded to short. But 2B Childs' throw to first was late, allowing Wood to score the go-ahead run. 4-3, Cincinnati!

The Cards still had three outs to tie or win the game, but Taylor sent them down quickly in front of the stunned crowd. With two away, Stenzel hit a foul pop-up that was nabbed by the catcher Pietz, and the Cincinnati Reds had made of the greatest comebacks in baseball history. Meanwhile, the crowd, ready to break loose at any moment, finally did -- but there was no violence, only the fans congratulating both teams for a fine series and ushering the players to the beer garden beyond the left field fence.

[RMc]

The Temple Cup Final was a non-stop thrill ride, while the Dauvray Cup was...not so much.

The Tigers laid their claim to American League supremacy by sweeping out the Hoosiers in four straight games, as Detroit hurlers each won two games and allowed Indy only three runs total. Afterwards, Detroit owner George Vanderbeck loudly proclaimed his Tigers were the equal of any team in the National, even challenging the woeful Spiders to a series of games for Cleveland's "spot" in the NL. This was angrily refused.

[RMc]

In 1901, the American League, having been told that they needed twelve teams to be considered a "major league", became a twelve-team league. And the way they did it outraged new NL president Albert Spalding.

"This will not stand!" Spalding fumed after finding out the AL secretly built ballparks in Boston and Philadelphia. "We let them have a team in Chicago, as long as they referred to them as simply the White Stockings with no city name attached. They reneged on that promise, and now have the gall to invade the National League territory!" Oh, and the AL again asked for major league status, and even wanted their teams to compete for the cherished Temple Cup; the NL denied them by a 12-0 vote.

The biggest shock came just before Opening Day, when four of the biggest stars in the National -- Nap Lajoie and Big Ed Delahanty of Philadelphia and Jimmy Collins and "Slidin' Billy" Hamilton of Boston -- all "crossed the street" and joined their American League counterparts, with Hamilton being named player-manager of the new Red Sox. The NL attempted to get injunctions against the wandering players, but were denied in the courts. There was nothing left to do but...PLAY BALL...!

[RMc]

The first (or second?) Independence Day of the new century revealed a tight race in the National League:



The Cup-holding Cincinnatis, the defending pennant winners from St. Louis and the usurping Orioles were locked in a three-way tie, with the Colonels just a game back and the Cubs and Braves well within striking distance: fully half the loop was in position to play for the hardware in October.

And Cleveland...well, they had improved (how could they not?) but were still hanging out in the cellar:



The Spiders tried a new strategy in '01: they actually acquired men who could play baseball, such as Brooklyn's "Wee" Willie Keeler and the perhaps ironically-named Win Mercer, who did double duty on the mound and in center field.

In the American, the spanking new Athletic Club of Philadelphia, with Lajoie and Delahanty, shot to the top of the table, while the defending champion Detroits slid back to the middle:

[RMc]

As the National race thundered into September, three teams were within two games of the top. John McGraw's O's were still leading, but the Reds were closing fast, with Honus Wagner and the Colonels also in the hunt:



The Philly A's had all but clinched the American, with the defending champion Tigers still struggling at mid-table and the brand new Red Sox mired in tenth place:



Down the stretch! With three games remaining, the O's led by two, and thus needed only one win on the weekend to claim their first pennant since their 1890s trifecta. But getting that win wouldn't be easy, as Baltimore would be finishing the regular season in...Cincinnati!



St. Louis still had a mathematical chance, but to grab second place and a spot in the Cup Final, they would need to sweep Louisville while Baltimore did the same to Cincinnati. But that dream evaporated when Noodles Hahn held the O's to five hits in a 3-1 win, pulling the Reds within one game. The next day, the Redlegs banged out 17 hits, including two doubles by Harry Steinfeldt, smothering the Orioles, 13-8. Suddenly, the pennant race would come down to a single game!

Meanwhile, the A's raced to the American League title, while the St. Paul Saints took second and a spot in the Dauvray Cup final:

[RMc]

After punting away the pennant (hey, is it football season already?), the Baltimore Orioles returned to the Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati, the same place they had lost three straight games and the NL's regular season title.

The Temple Cup opener was a classic see-saw battle, with the O's scoring twice before Cincy even got to bat, led off by a John McGraw triple. The game stood 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth when a Sam Crawford home run keyed a three-run outburst; then, the Reds added to more runs on an 2 RBI single by Kip Selbach to make it a 8-3 game going into the top of the ninth.

But two key errors by usually sure-handed Cincy 2B Sam Mertes, along with three singles and a double off an exhausted Noodles Hahn, tied the game at eight. After allowing back-to-back singles in the 10th, Hahn finally gave way to Brickyard Kennedy, who proceeded to give up some bricks: back-to-back safeties to Bill Keister and Steve Brodie -- the latter after Brodie fouled off no fewer than nine pitches! The Reds put two men on in the 10th, but Socks Seybold grounded out to end the game, an 11-8 triumph for Baltimore.

The O's looked like they had Game 2 in hand after 7 1/2 innings, as Tom Colcolough held Cincy to a pair of runs on five hits, while Baltimore's offense staked him to a 5-2 lead. But the Reds loaded the bases with none out in the 8th, aided by errors from 3B McGraw and 2B Joe Quinn. Colcolough bared down and threw a fastball to Harry Steinfeldt, who promptly deposited the spheroid in the deepest part of the ballpark. All four runners scored, marking the first grand slam in Temple Cup history.

McGraw and the Orioles furiously protested, saying the ball had bounced into the crowd and had been "molested" by the partisan Cincinnati cranks. The umpire was not impressed, however, and the score stood, 6-5, Cincinnati. Livid, the Orioles took their anger out on the baseball, and Jack Taylor, the man hurling it. Jimmy Sheckard's single tied the game, and Keister's RBI knock put Baltimore back ahead, 7-6, with McGraw himself scoring the go-ahead run. It look like the Orioles would wing their was back to Maryland with a 2-0 series lead.

Not so fast. After Colcolough got the first two Reds out, he walked Kid Elberfield, who went to second on a single by Jimmy Barrett. Dave Fultz, who had come in the game defensively at the beginning of the frame, slashed a single to left; a misplay by Sheckard allowed Elberfield to score and place the winning run at third. After Jerry Nops came in to pitch, Steinfeldt was the hero again, slashing a single inches past McGraw at third base, giving the Reds an exhausting 8-7 win.

The Orioles were glad to return to their nest in Baltimore, hoping that the series wouldn't have to return to the beer-soaked madhouse in southern Ohio. They got their wish.

In Game 3, Cincy rookie pitcher George Winter was the star, shutting out the O's on six hits. Every man in the Redlegs lineup reached base at least once (including Winter himself, who ripped a triple and scored in the third) as Cincinnati took an easy 6-0 win and a 2-1 Cup series lead.

The morning of the fourth game dawned gloomy in Baltimore, but the sun came out just as home team scored in the first, third, fourth and fifth off Hahn to take a 4-1 lead. But the Redlegs came back in the sixth, with Jimmy Barrett doing the most damage with a two-out, two-run single that knotted the contest at four. Baltimore jumped back ahead in the seventh on Brodie's single scoring Sheckard to make it 5-4, but a long single by Elberfeld scored Crawford from second to make it five-all. In the top of the ninth, Steinfeldt -- that man again! -- led off with a double and scored on a Heinie Peitz single. Kennedy relieved Hahn in the bottom of the frame and set the O's down in order to give Cincy a 6-5 win and a 3-1 series lead.

The Birds seemingly needed a miracle in Game 5, and got two in the very first inning, when the Reds' usually sure-footed outfielders, Crawford and Selbach, committed errors that staked Baltimore to a 3-1 lead. The Orioles then continued to batter Cincy starter Jack Taylor with a remarkable 16 hits -- but could only occasionally get the big hit, stranding 14 runs all told, and leading just 5-4 after six innings. In the seventh, the Reds took the lead for good on a Peitz double and a pair of singles, then added two more in the eighth to take a 8-5 advantage. The O's flew the coop quietly in the ninth, and Cincinnati had their first Temple Cup, and their first pro baseball title since the legendary, unbeaten Red Stockings of 1869.



Over in the Dauvray Cup, when the high-flying Athletics won the opener, 3-2, there were many knowing glances, as many referred to the club as the AL's "super team", with not only Lajoie and Delahanty but also star hurlers Harold Cribbins and Harry Felix. Many thought they were about to see a sweep. And they were right.

The second-place St. Paul Saints began to rise in the standings in July, thanks to a decision made 1,400 miles away in Boston: the struggling baby Red Sox fired player/manager Billy Hamilton and traded him to the Saints. In Minnesota, "Slidin' Billy" batted .288 and unparalleled on the base paths, swiping 57 bags in 61 attempts. In Game 2 in Philadelphia, Delahanty staked the A's to a 3-0 lead on Big Ed's two-run blast in the first...but that was all Philly would get, as the Saints torched Cribbins for six runs in a 6-3 triumph.

The series headed to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and the Saints pitching dominated the proceedings. In the third game, after spotting the A's a 3-0 lead, St. Paul struck back with six tallies in the sixth, keyed by Frank isbell's three-run homer and rookie Burley Beyers' two-run shot. Fred Mitchell, another rookie, shut down Philly the rest of the way, giving the Halos a 6-3 win and a 2-1 series lead.

The 1901 Dauvray Cup Final, as it turned out, would never leave the state of Minnesota -- and neither would the Cup. Happy Townsend -- another St. Paul rookie -- would live up to his name by handcuffing the A's on six hits in a 12-1 rout in Game 4. Finally, in the fifth game, A's hurler Harold Cribbins would toss a four-hitter and sock a home run -- but it wouldn't be enough, as Philly's big bats would fail in a 2-1 loss. The Philadelphia hitters, who led the AL with a .255 average, could bat only .173 in the Cup final, while Hamilton of the Saints tallied a .412 average with a home run and 7 RBI -- and was declared the Cup Final Most Valuable Player!



At the box office, the AL actually outdrew the National, with 3.1 million admissions to 2.9 million for the NL. Nevertheless, Spalding continued to consider the Americans "pretenders" and openly mocked the Saints: "Do they even play baseball out in Indian country? All St. Louis [sic] won was a broken-down trophy, named for a broken-down actress!"

The lack of respect was palpable, and so was the fury of the so-called "junior circuit". The AL refused to sign a "peace agreement" that they considered ridiculously one-sided -- no "major league" recognition, no "World's Series" between the two leagues in the fall -- so, the Americans decided to set their sights on even more of the NL's star players. War, it seemed, had begun.

Until a snowy night in Cleveland, when a man named Byron Bancroft Johnson, inebriated and returning from a birthday celebration, stepped in front a streetcar.

[RMc]

The death of American League president Ban Johnson shook the foundations of the AL -- and all of baseball -- to its core. Charlie Comiskey, the old star pitcher who now led the Chicago club, agreed to step in to head the league, and the NL quickly realized he was not as militant as the unfortunate Johnson.

So, NL prexy Albert Spalding met with Comiskey in a hotel in downtown Chicago, hoping to hammer out a peace plan. Spalding first suggested an outright merger, which Comiskey rejected. "We want the two leagues to be equals," the AL man said, but Spalding said no. "Well, what if kept the leagues separate, but invite teams from both leagues into a Temple Cup tournament?"

Coincidentally, the NL had secretly decided to expand the Temple Cup playoffs anyway, from two to four teams -- all from the National, of course. Spalding made a counter-proposal: "I'll do you one better, Charlie. What if the top American teams had a chance to actually play in the National League?"

Comiskey blinked. "You mean, the NL would have 14 teams and the AL would only have ten, Albert? I don't see..."

"No, no, Charlie. Both leagues would have twelve, every year. The top two in the AL would replace the bottom two in the NL. And, say, five teams from the National and three from the American would play for the Cup, every year."

The AL prexy's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying the American League would be in a subordinate position?"

"Not at all," Spalding smiled. "In England, they did the exactly same thing with their football leagues. Better that than trying to destroy each other."

"But why should the National be in charge?" Comiskey demanded.

"We've been a going concern for a quarter-century, Charlie. We've had many great players, great managers, great owners...including you."

Comiskey laughed. "You old son-of-a..." The AL boss shook his head. "I'll have to think about it."

[RMc]

The 1902 season began with a shocker, as A's star "Big Ed" Delahanty jumped the team...literally.

During a pre-season trip to Buffalo, Delahanty got into a drunken argument with the conductor, who proceeded to tell Big Ed to get the hell off his train. And he did. Only one problem: the train was still moving, and Ed tumbled down a hill into the Niagara River.

After searching the river for two days, there was no sign of Ed...until he suddenly turned up at the home "Slidin' Billy" Hamilton in Minnesota, with the surprising news he had just joined the defending champion St. Paul Saints! With the slugging left fielder in the lineup, the Minnesotans found themselves on top of the table:



Over in the senior circuit, an exciting three-team race for the pennant broke out between the Cubs, Reds and Colonels, with several more clubs fighting for the #4 spot and a shot at the Temple Cup:



And, yep, the Spiders were still getting stomped on:



Even with a mostly new lineup and "Wee Willie" having another fine season in the leadoff spot, Cleveland found the cellar door firmly locked for the fourth straight season. And when rumours of the peace deal began to waft its way towards northern Ohio, Spiders fans -- those that were left, anyway -- would begin to wonder if their club would be staying in the National League at all...

[RMc]

The opening round of the newly-expanded Temple Cup playoffs featured a matchup between two red-hot teams: the fourth-place Cardinals, winners of nine straight, and Louisville, who edged out Cincinnati for the pennant by winning their last fourteen contests.



Louisville seemed to take the Cards too lightly, though, as St. Louis shockingly swept the Colonels in three straight, as Cy Young, Jock Menefee and Jack Powell each tossed complete games.

The other Challenge Series proved to be much more interesting. In the opener, Reds catcher Mike Kahoe had three hits, including the game winner in the eleventh, 8-7. The Cubs then took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five with a 5-3 win in Chicago and a 6-5 victory in Cincinnati.

Then in Game 4, the Cubs nearly won the game and the series...without a base hit! Three walks and two errors gave Chicago four runs in the sixth, but Cincy came back with four tallies of their own in the bottom of the frame, and then a sac fly put the Reds ahead in the seventh. George Winter wound up tossing a no-hitter, despite allowing four unearned runs and twelve walks.

The fifth and deciding game was tied at two in the fifth, when Sam Crawford delivered with a two-run single to put the Reds up, 4-2. Chicago threatened in the eighth and ninth, but Cincy pitcher Hahn used his noodle and hurled the Reds into the Temple Cup Finals for the second straight year.



In the American League, the St. Paul Saints -- with their new addition, "Big Ed" -- took the pennant. Delahanty nearly won the "triple crown of batting", with a league-leading 27 homers and 122 RBI. (His .385 average was second only to his old teammate Lajoie.) They would meet their fellow northern Midwesterners, the Milwaukee Brewers, in the battle for the Dauvray Cup.

[RMc]

The Cincinnati Reds' bid to win their second straight Temple Cup took a hit in the very first inning in the opening game at the Palace of the Fans. Emmet Heidrick and Jesse Burkett each smacked triples in the opening frame to give the Cardinals three runs before Cincy could even get to bat. That turned out to be enough: Cy Young did the rest, holding the Reds to two runs on six hits as St. Louis won, 6-2. The next day, George Winter (whose last start was a no-hitter!) dueled with Jock Menefee for thirteen innings, with the score knotted at two. Finally, St. Louis broke through in the fourteenth with five runs, including a two-run knock by Menafee himself. Suddenly, the Cup Final was headed to the Midwest with the Cards up, 2-0.

The Reds needed a win, and had a 3-2 lead in Game 3 in the eighth, but pinch-hitter Joe Sugden slapped a two-run single to give St. Louis a 4-3 lead. The Reds tied the game in the ninth on an RBI single by Charlie Erwin, but two errors and a walk-off walk by Lou Criger gave the Cardinals a 5-4 win and a 3-0 series lead. Backs against the wall, Cincy banged out seven hits in Game 4 behind Frank Kitson en route to a 7-1 victory.

Back to Cincinnati, and Winter and Menefee hooked up in another classic pitcher's duel: ten innings later, neither team had crossed home plate. In the bottom of the eleventh, Kid Gleason led off with a single then went to second on a bunt by Sugden. After Jack O'Connor struck out, Jock Menefee decided to take matters into his own hands. Despite batting only .190 for season, Jock delivered his second big hit of the series and brought the Cup to old Saint Lou: the city's first world championship since the old Browns beat the White Stockings in 1886.



Over in the American, the Milwaukee Brewers took second place -- led by speedster Billy Hamilton, to whom the Brew Crew offered a three-year contract to play and manage. And play he did, batting .300 and swiping 120 bases.

In the Dauvray Cup, both teams won twice at home to set up a Game 5 in Wisconsin, in which the Saints' 3B Jimmy Collins was a one-man army: four hits, including two doubles and a triple, and six RBI in a 10-4 win. Back in Minnesota, Game 6 saw the Brewers leading, 1-0, in the fifth, looking to possibly force a Game 7. But the Saints had other ideas: a two-run double by pitcher Harvey Bailey gave St. Paul a 2-1 advantage, and the pennant winners added two more in the eighth. Milwaukee could do nothing with Bailey, who held the Brewers to six hits on the day, and the Saints had marched to their second straight Cup.



With the season finally over, attention turned to the Hot Stove League -- or, rather, the hot stove in a downtown Chicago hotel, where league prexies Spalding and Spalding were about to make an announcement...

[RMc]

After much wrangling, the peace agreement between the National and American Leagues was signed. And with it a lot of changes, which delighted and infuriated baseball "cranks" across the nation.

The Temple Cup Playoffs were going to expand from four to eight teams, with five coming from the National and three from the American. But after the NL pennant-winning Louisville Colonels were swept from the Challenge Series in three straight games -- causing a reduction in ticket revenue for the Cup Finals -- the decision was made to reward the National Champion with an automatic bye to the semifinals, cutting the number of teams to seven. So, instead, only two AL teams would qualify.

Those same top two teams would get another reward: admittance to the National League. It was first thought the "promotion and relegation" (as they call it merrie old England) wouldn't occur until 1904, but the NL saw an opportunity to finally cut the woeful Cleveland Spiders, as well as the 11th-place Brooklyn squad -- which made the New York Giants happy: less competition. In their place, the two-time defending AL champs from St. Paul would move up to the senior circuit, as well as the Milwaukee Brewers.

And the NL would finally recognize the American as a fully major league; in fact, the two circuits would operate as one corporate entity: Major League Baseball.

[RMc]

After they were promoted to the National League in the spring, fans of the two-time Dauvray Cup-winning St. Paul Saints (and the Milwaukee Brewers) were eager to prove that they could play with the big boys and contend for the NL pennant.

Oops.


The only Saint proving to be one of the National's top batters was, of course, "Big Ed" Delahanty -- and this was despite the abuse he suffered at the hands of fans (especially in Philadelphia!) who called him a "traitor" and much, much worse.

And over in the AL, an even more shocking thing was occurring: the Cleveland Spiders had a shot at the pennant and a Temple Cup Playoffs berth:


The Spiders had improved, certainly; Cy Seymour and Willie Keeler -- now the club's manager -- were hitting well, and the pitching staff -- led by Malarkey and Henry -- was second-best in the AL:


But the four teams that had switched leagues in 1904 looked like they would switch right back again in 1905! Clearly, some tweaking of the rules would be required...