1920 World Series

1920 World Series
Team (Wins) Manager Season
Cleveland Indians (5) Tris Speaker (player/manager) 98–56, .636, GA: 2
Brooklyn Dodgers (2) Wilbert Robinson 93–61, .604, GA: 7
Dates: October 5–12
Umpires: Bill Klem (NL), Tommy Connolly (AL), Hank O'Day (NL), Bill Dinneen (AL)
Hall of Famers: Umpires: Bill Klem, Tommy Connolly, Hank O'Day.
Indians: Stan Coveleski, Joe Sewell, Tris Speaker.
Robins: Wilbert Robinson (mgr.), Rube Marquard, Zack Wheat.

In the 1920 World Series, the Cleveland Indians beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, then known interchangeably as the Robins in reference to their manager Wilbert Robinson, in seven games, five games to two. This series was a best-of-nine series, like the first World Series in 1903 and the World Series of 1919 and 1921. The only World Series triple play, the first World Series grand slam and the first World Series home run by a pitcher all occurred in Game 5 of this Series. The Indians won the series in memory of their former shortstop Ray Chapman, who had been killed earlier in the season when struck in the head by a pitched ball.

The triple play was unassisted and turned by Cleveland's Bill Wambsganss in Game 5. Wambsganss, playing second base, caught a line drive off the bat of Clarence Mitchell, stepped on second base to put out Pete Kilduff, and tagged Otto Miller coming from first base. It was the second of fifteen (as of 2009) unassisted triple plays in major-league baseball history, and it remains the only one in postseason play. Mitchell made history again in the eighth inning by hitting into a double play, accounting for five outs in two straight at-bats.

The fifth game also saw the first grand slam in World Series history (hit by Cleveland's Elmer Smith) and the first Series home run by a pitcher (Cleveland's Jim Bagby, Sr.). And in that same game, Brooklyn outhit Cleveland but lost 8–1.

Cleveland had won the American League pennant in a close race with the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees. The Sox's participation in the Black Sox Scandal the previous year had caught up to them late in the season, and their star players were suspended with three games left in the season, when they were in a virtual tie with the Indians. The Yankees, with their recently acquired star Babe Ruth, were almost ready to start their eventual World Series dynasty. For Cleveland, it would prove to be one of their few successes in a long history of largely either poor or not-quite-good enough clubs.

It is notable that all seven games of the 1920 World Series were won by the team who scored first. In fact, Game 4 was the only game in which the losing team scored a run before the winning team had scored all of its runs. The lead never changed hands in any game.

This would be the last World Series until 1980 to feature two franchises that had not previously won a championship.

Summary

AL Cleveland Indians (5) vs. NL Brooklyn Robins (2)

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 5Cleveland Indians – 3, Brooklyn Robins – 1Ebbets Field1:4123,573[1] 
2October 6Cleveland Indians – 0, Brooklyn Robins – 3Ebbets Field1:5522,559[2] 
3October 7Cleveland Indians – 1, Brooklyn Robins – 2Ebbets Field1:4725,088[3] 
4October 9Brooklyn Robins – 1, Cleveland Indians – 5Dunn Field1:5425,734[4] 
5October 10Brooklyn Robins – 1, Cleveland Indians – 8Dunn Field1:4926,884[5] 
6October 11Brooklyn Robins – 0, Cleveland Indians – 1Dunn Field1:3427,194[6] 
7October 12Brooklyn Robins – 0, Cleveland Indians – 3Dunn Field1:5527,525[7]

Matchups

Game 1

Game 1 at Ebbets Field

Tuesday, October 5, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cleveland 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 0
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 1
WP: Stan Coveleski (1–0)   LP: Rube Marquard (0–1)

Game 1 took a mere 1 hour, 41 minutes. Steve O'Neill supplied RBI doubles in the second and fourth innings in support of Stan Coveleski, who won it for the visiting Indians with a five-hitter.

Game 2

Wednesday, October 6, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
Brooklyn 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 X 3 7 0
WP: Burleigh Grimes (1–0)   LP: Jim Bagby (0–1)

A first-inning run on a Jimmy Johnston single and Zack Wheat double would be all Dodger pitcher Burleigh Grimes would require in a complete-game shutout.

Game 3

Thursday, October 7, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cleveland 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1
Brooklyn 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 2 6 1
WP: Sherry Smith (1–0)   LP: Ray Caldwell (0–1)

Brooklyn scored twice in the first on hits by Zack Wheat and Hi Myers that chased Cleveland starter Ray Caldwell from the game. The only run winning pitcher Sherry Smith gave up in a three-hitter came when Tris Speaker came all the way around on a double that was misplayed in left field.

Game 4

Saturday, October 9, 1920 at Dunn Field in Cleveland, Ohio

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 1
Cleveland 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 X 5 12 2
WP: Stan Coveleski (2–0)   LP: Leon Cadore (0–1)

Brooklyn starter Leon Cadore didn't make it past the first inning. His relievers didn't fare much better, Al Mamaux being removed in the third and Rube Marquard greeted by a George Burns two-run double. Stan Coveleski cruised with a five-hitter for his second win of the Series.

Game 5

Sunday, October 10, 1920 at Dunn Field in Cleveland, Ohio

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 13 1
Cleveland 4 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 X 8 12 2
WP: Jim Bagby (1–1)   LP: Burleigh Grimes (1–1)
Home runs:
BRO: None
CLE: Elmer Smith (1), Jim Bagby (1)

The Cleveland Times ran the following article on Monday, October 11, 1920, recounting Game 5 and Wambsganss' triple play:

Bill Wambsganss (upper left) completing his unassisted triple play in Game 5, about to tag a stunned Otto Miller after touching second to double up Pete Kilduff (right foreground, touching third).

Wamby Makes Unassisted Triple Play

Game 6

Monday, October 11, 1920 at Dunn Field in Cleveland, Ohio

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 1 7 3
WP: Duster Mails (1–0)   LP: Sherry Smith (1–1)

Even faster than Game 1, this one was done in just 94 minutes. Duster Mails twirled a three-hit shutout, and the lone run came in the sixth on a Tris Speaker two-out single, followed by a George Burns double.

Game 7

Tuesday, October 12, 1920 at Dunn Field in Cleveland, Ohio

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2
Cleveland 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 X 3 7 3
WP: Stan Coveleski (3–0)   LP: Burleigh Grimes (1–2)

The Dodgers didn't score in the last two games. Their pitcher, Burleigh Grimes, committed an error on a Cleveland double steal that resulted in the game's first run. Stan Coveleski needed no more, but got one in the fifth from a Tris Speaker run-scoring triple and another in the seventh on Charlie Jamieson's RBI double. Spitball pitcher Coveleski won for the third time and the Indians celebrated before their home fans.

Composite line score

1920 World Series (5–2): Cleveland Indians (A.L.) over Brooklyn Robins (N.L.)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cleveland Indians 6 2 2 6 2 2 1 0 0 21 53 12
Brooklyn Robins 3 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 8 44 6
Total attendance: 178,557   Average attendance: 25,508
Winning player's share: $4,168   Losing player's share: $2,420[8]

Notes

References

External links

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