Boston Americans win 1st World Series

Cy Young and Freddy Parent split series MVP honors

Don Cundy
Baseball editor

The first "World Series" is played between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans. It was an exciting series going the full 7 games to determine the champion. The Red Sox took the first two contests in Pittsburgh by the scores of 1-0 and 4-2. George Winter shut out the powerfull Pirates in game one giving up only 6 hits. Freddy Parent had the game winning RBI with a sac fly in the 4th scoring Buck Freeman. Pirates starter also had a great outing allowing one run on 4 hits. BOX SCORE GAME ONE

World Series co-MVP Freddy Parent

Game two in Pittsburgh saw the visting Americans defeat their starter Deacon Phillippe 6-4. Ted Lewis Boston's starter got the win while Buck Freeman hit the game winner an exciting 10th inning 3 run homer. BOX SCORE GAME TWO Game three brought the series to Boston and in front of the hometown crowd at the Huntington Avenue Grounds the Americans took a demanding 3 games to none lead on the Pirates. Both teams pitching ace where macthed up against each other in this contest with Boston's Cy Young defeating Pittsburgh Jesse Tannehill. Buck Freeman once again provided the offence as he went 3 for 4 with a double. BOX SCORE GAME THREE With the series on the line the Pirates took game four 9-5, Ely Bones was the game MVP and provided the game winning hit in the contest.BOX SCORE GAME FOUR Game 5 in Boston was an extra inning affair and in the 14th inning the visiting Pirates scored 4 times on a triple a double and two singles to take the series back to Pittsburgh. BOX SCORE GAME FIVE In game 6 the hometown crowd was not disappointed as the Pirates topped the Americans 10-6. Ginger Beaumont went 3 for 5 with a home run 4 RBI's and scored twice in the contest. BOX SCORE GAME SIX

world series co-MVP Cy Young

Now with the series tied at 3 games a piece the Pirates force a game 7. Once again both teams start with their aces, Young for Boston and Tannehill for Pittsburgh. Cy Young gets the better of the Pirates today giving up 2 runs on 8 hits while Tannehill allows 3 runs on 13 hits. BOX SCORE GAME SEVEN Boston wins the series in an exiciting show down 4 games to 3. Jimmy Collins and Fred Parent provided the hitting for Boston going 7 for 10 with a triple and 2 RBI while Tommy Leach and Honus Wagner go 5 for 9 for Pittsburgh in the loss.

1901 Year in Review

A new American League is formed

Don Cundy
Baseball editor

The American League formally organized with the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Athletics,

Pitching wins and era champion Jesse Tannehill

Boston Americans, Washington Senators, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Stockings. Three of the leagues original clubs in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Buffalo were dropped. The player limit was set at fourteen per team, and the inaugural schedule was set at one-hundred forty games. The National League Rules Committee decreed that all foul balls are to count as strikes, except after two. With this new league there will be a series played at the end of each season to determine the top team in major league baseball, this series will be titled the "World Series". A couple of league records were broken this season two by Jesse Tannehill, ace pitcher of the Pirates, most pitching wins 27 and lowest era 1.62. Other record brakers where John Anderson of Milwaukee with 55 doubles. Topping Ed Delahanty's 50 of 1895 and 1899. And last but not least Ned Garvin also of the Milwaukee club struck out 285 batters. Rookies this year are Baltimore catcher Roger Bresnahan, New York pitcher Christy Mathewson, Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Eddie Plank, and Boston Americans shortstop Freddy Parent. In the regular season the Pirates won the National League pennant by 16 games over the Phillies as they won 103 games on the season. The Americans were two games better than the Senators of Washington, D.C. The series will start in Pittsburgh due to their winning more games than the Americans. The Pirates are led by an excellent pitching rotation, Jesse Tannehill winner of a record 27 games, Ed Doheny and Deacon Phillippe with 22 wins, Jack Chesbro with 18 wins, and Sam Leever with 12 victories. The starting lineup is also loaded with talent starting with Honus Wagner as leadoff hitter, Lefty Davis is next playing right field,

Ned Garvin strikeout leader

Fred Clarke bats third and is the player manager, in cleanup is centerfielder Ginger Beaumont. Wagner lead the club with 11 homers, followed by Clarke at 6. The Boston Americans starting lineup includes Chic Stahl leading off, Jimmy Collins batting second, Buck Freeman 3rd, rookie Freddie Parent in the cleanup spot. Their starting rotating is anchored by Cy Young who won twenty games with a 1.91 era, Geroge Winter won 18 and Ted Lewis with 17 wins.