1920 World Series

1920 World Series
Team (Wins) Manager(s) Season Cleveland Indians (5) Tris Speaker (player/manager) 98–56, .636, GA: 2 Brooklyn Robins (2) Wilbert Robinson 93–61, .604, GA: 7
Dates	October 5–12
Venue	Ebbets Field (Brooklyn) League Park (Cleveland)
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 Burleigh Grimes
← 1919 World Series 1921 →

The 1920 World Series was the

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.

In Game 5, Cleveland second basemen

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.

This was the second of three consecutive World Series to use a best-of-nine format, instead of the usual best-of-seven. To reduce travel during the Series, the 2-3-2-2 format that was used in 1919 was changed to 3-4-2. Notably, 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

Matchups

Game 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

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

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

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

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

• CLEVELAND, Sunday Oct 10, 1920 –
  first base and in the outfield. A left-handed hitter, he drove the ball toward right center. Second baseman Wambsganss moved slightly to his right, tipped onto his toes, sprung a little bit and grabbed the ball with his gloved hand. Never hesitating, he continued to second base, easily doubling Kilduff. Then when Wamby turned to throw to first base he saw Miller frozen directly in front of him. Reaching out, Wamby tagged Miller easily. The crowd was silent momentarily, then, realizing what had happened, broke into thunderous applause. In the Brooklyn eighth, Ernie Krueger
  singled to center. But Mitchell grounded to first baseman Johnson, who started a double play. Thus, Mitchell accounted for five outs in two at-bats.

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

The Robins 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):

(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[9]

Notes

1. ^ McEvoy, Colin (February 9, 2023). "The Ultimate Sibling Rivalry: 8 Sets of Brothers Who Faced Off in Sports Championships". Biography. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
2. ^ "1920 World Series Game 1 – Cleveland Indians vs. Brooklyn Robins". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
3. ^ "1920 World Series Game 2 – Cleveland Indians vs. Brooklyn Robins". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
4. ^ "1920 World Series Game 3 – Cleveland Indians vs. Brooklyn Robins". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
5. ^ "1920 World Series Game 4 – Brooklyn Robins vs. Cleveland Indians". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
6. ^ "1920 World Series Game 5 – Brooklyn Robins vs. Cleveland Indians". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
7. ^ "1920 World Series Game 6 – Brooklyn Robins vs. Cleveland Indians". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
8. ^ "1920 World Series Game 7 – Brooklyn Robins vs. Cleveland Indians". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
9. ^ "World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved June 14, 2009.

References

• Cohen, Richard M.; Neft, David S. (1990). The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903–1989. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 82–86.
  ISBN 0-312-03960-3
  .
• Reichler, Joseph (1982). The Baseball Encyclopedia (5th ed.). Macmillan Publishing. p. 2128.
  ISBN 0-02-579010-2
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1920 World Series.

• 1920 World Series at WorldSeries.com via MLB.com
• 1920 World Series at Baseball Almanac
• 1920 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• The 1920 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1920 at The Sporting News. Archived from the original in May 2006.