View source for 1905 World Series

{{Short description|1905 Major League Baseball championship series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox World Series Expanded
| image =1905WorldSeries.png
| image_size = 300
| caption = New York Giants, 1904 and 1905 National League Champions.
| country = World
| year = 1905
| champion = [[1905 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] (4)
| champion_manager = [[John McGraw]] (player/manager)
| champion_games = 105–48, {{winpct|105|48}}, GA: 9
| runnerup = [[1905 Philadelphia Athletics season|Philadelphia Athletics]] (1)
| runnerup_manager = [[Connie Mack]]
| runnerup_games = 92–56, {{winpct|92|56}}, GA: 2
| date = October 9–14
| venue = [[Columbia Park]] (Philadelphia)<br />[[Polo Grounds]] (New York)
| television = <!-- none -->
| announcers = <!-- none -->
| radio_network = <!-- none -->
| radio_announcers = <!-- none -->
| umpires =  [[Jack Sheridan (umpire)|Jack Sheridan]] (AL)<br>[[Hank O'Day]] (NL)
| HOFers ='''Umpire:''' <br>[[Hank O'Day]] <br> '''Giants:''' <br>[[John McGraw]] (mgr.)<br>[[Roger Bresnahan]]<br>[[Christy Mathewson]]<br>[[Joe McGinnity]] <br> '''Athletics:''' <br>[[Connie Mack]] (mgr.)<br>[[Chief Bender]]<br>[[Eddie Plank]]<br>[[Rube Waddell]] (DNP)
| ALCS = <!-- none -->
| NLCS = <!-- none -->
| image2 = <!-- none -->
}}
The '''1905 [[World Series]]''' was the championship series in [[Major League Baseball]] for the [[1905 in baseball|1905 season]]. The [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) champion [[1905 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] defeated the [[American League]] (AL) champion [[1905 Philadelphia Athletics season|Philadelphia Athletics]], with the Giants winning 4 games to 1, now in a best-4-of-7 format. Four of the five games featured duels between future [[National Baseball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] pitchers.  The games were the second edition of the World Series after the initial meeting in {{wsy|1903}}, since the 1904 season ended with no Series held, and the first to be officially sanctioned by the leagues and the [[National Baseball Commission]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-9-1905-mathewson-giants-dominate-athletics-in-world-series-opener-as-interleague-championship-resumes/|title= October 9, 1905: Mathewson, Giants dominate Athletics in World Series opener as interleague championship resumes|last=Stowell|first=Alan|website=sabr.org|access-date=2025-08-18}}</ref>

Games 1 and 3 were played in Philadelphia; games 2, 4, 5 in New York.

Each of the five games was a shutout. Three of those, over a six-day span, were pitched and won by [[Christy Mathewson]].

== Summary ==
Before the Series began, the Athletics were already at a major disadvantage. For the Series, they were without the services of [[Rube Waddell]], who was arguably their best pitcher that year. The reason for Waddell's absence was listed as a shoulder injury from some sort of 'wrestling match' with teammate [[Andy Coakley]], though in years since some have speculated that Waddell was actually bribed or 'paid off' to fake the injury and thus not play in the Series.<ref name="Rube Waddell">{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-strangest-month-in-the-strange-career-of-rube-waddell/|title=The Strangest Month in the Strange Career of Rube Waddell|access-date=January 15, 2023|work=Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)}}</ref> Philadelphia manager [[Connie Mack]], however, refused to believe this theory, finding it ridiculous.

John McGraw, the Giants' manager, had previously referred to the Athletics as a "white elephant", which the club defiantly adopted as a symbolic mascot. At the conference at home plate before Game 1, A's team captain [[Lave Cross]] gave McGraw a wrapped package, which turned out to contain a toy white elephant. McGraw responded with a big grin, and the crowd laughed.[Philadelphia ''Inquirer'', October 10, 2005, p.&nbsp;10] McGraw and the Giants would have the last laugh, easily defeating the A's in the Series.

{{MLB Playoff Summary
| summary = NL [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] (4) vs. AL [[Philadelphia Athletics]] (1)
| winner =
| score =
| score1 = '''New York Giants''' – 3, Philadelphia Athletics – 0
| date1 = October 9
| loc1 = [[Columbia Park]]
| time1 = 1:46
| att1 = 17,955
| ref1 = <ref name="Game1">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10090PHA1905.htm|title=1905 World Series Game 1 – New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Athletics|access-date=September 13, 2009|work=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score2 = '''Philadelphia Athletics''' – 3, New York Giants – 0
| date2 = October 10
| loc2 = [[Polo Grounds III|Polo Grounds]]
| time2 = 1:55
| att2 = 24,992
| ref2 = <ref name="Game2">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10100NY11905.htm|title=1905 World Series Game 2 – Philadelphia Athletics vs. New York Giants|access-date=September 13, 2009|work=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score3 = '''New York Giants''' – 9, Philadelphia Athletics – 0
| date3 = October 12
| loc3 = Columbia Park
| time3 = 1:55
| att3 = 10,991
| ref3 = <ref name="Game3">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10120PHA1905.htm|title=1905 World Series Game 3 – New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Athletics|access-date=September 13, 2009|work=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score4 = Philadelphia Athletics – 0, '''New York Giants''' – 1
| date4 = October 13
| loc4 = Polo Grounds
| time4 = 1:55
| att4 = 13,598
| ref4 = <ref name="Game4">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10130NY11905.htm|title=1905 World Series Game 4 – Philadelphia Athletics vs. New York Giants|access-date=September 13, 2009|work=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score5 = Philadelphia Athletics – 0, '''New York Giants''' – 2
| date5 = October 14
| loc5 = Polo Grounds
| time5 = 1:35
| att5 = 24,187
| ref5 = <ref name="Game5">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10140NY11905.htm|title=1905 World Series Game 5 – Philadelphia Athletics vs. New York Giants|access-date=September 13, 2009|work=Retrosheet}}</ref>
}}

== Matchups ==
=== Game 1 ===
[[File:Conference on the field at the Columbia Avenue Grounds, 1905 World Series.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Conference on the field during one of the games at Columbia Park.]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Monday, October 9, 1905
|Location=[[Columbia Park]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]
|Road='''New York'''|RoadAbr=NYG
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=2|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=1|RR=3|RH=10|RE=1
|Home=Philadelphia|HomeAbr=PHA
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=0|HH=4|HE=0
|WP=[[Christy Mathewson]] (1–0)|LP=[[Eddie Plank]] (0–1)|SV=
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10090PHA1905.htm
}}
The opening game was a [[pitchers' duel]] between Christy Mathewson and Eddie Plank. Both got out of jams, shutting the opposing offense down. In the Giants' top of the fifth, Mathewson singled, but was forced by Roger Bresnahan, who [[Stolen base|stole]] second shortly afterwards. After George Browne [[pop fly|popped out]], Mike Donlin singled to left, scoring Bresnahan and advancing Donlin to second. After Dan McGann [[base on balls|walk]]ed, Sam Mertes doubled, bringing home Donlin. In the Athletics' half of the sixth, Ossee Schreckengost doubled and advanced to third on a [[wild pitch]], but did not score, and was the lone runner to reach third base against Mathewson in the entire series. The Giants added an [[insurance run]] in the ninth, when Billy Gilbert scored on Bresnahan's single. This was the first of Mathewson's three [[complete game|complete-game]] [[shutout (baseball)|shutout]]s, a World Series record that may never be matched.

=== Game 2 ===
[[File:Connie Mack and the Philadelphia Athletics, 1905 World Series.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Philadelphia Athletics and [[Connie Mack]] before one of the games at the Polo Grounds.]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Tuesday, October 10, 1905
|Location=[[Polo Grounds|Polo Grounds (III)]] in [[Upper Manhattan]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
|Road='''Philadelphia'''|RoadAbr=PHA
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=1|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=2|R9=0|RR=3|RH=6|RE=2
|Home=New York|HomeAbr=NYG
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=0|HH=4|HE=2
|WP=[[Chief Bender]] (1–0)|LP=[[Joe McGinnity]] (0–1)|SV=
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10100NY11905.htm
}}
The A's called on Chief Bender to turn the tables on the Giants. His opponent was 21-game winner "Iron Man" Joe McGinnity. The game was scoreless until the top of the third. Ossee Schreckengost, leading off, reached on a Dan McGann's [[error (baseball)|error]]. Bender [[sacrifice bunt|sacrifice]]d, moving Schreckengost to second. After a [[Ground out (baseball)|groundout]] by Topsy Hartsel moved Schreckengost to third, Bris Lord singled to left and drove Ossee home with an [[unearned run]]. The slim margin held until the top of the eighth, when the A's scored multiple times. With one out, Schreckengost was once again the catalyst, singling to center. After Bender flied out to right field, Hartsel's double scored Schreckengost all the way from first (helped by an error from Bresnahan), and a single by Lord brought Hartsel home, making it 3–0 in favor of the A's with all three runs unearned. Bender continued to cruise, got out of late-inning jams and ended up with a complete-game shutout that tied the series at one game each.

=== Game 3 ===
[[File:1904 Christy Mathewson-restore.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Christy Mathewson]], winning pitcher of Games 1, 3, and 5]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Thursday, October 12, 1905
|Location=Columbia Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|Road='''New York'''|RoadAbr=NYG
|R1=2|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=5|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=2|RR=9|RH=9|RE=1
|Home=Philadelphia|HomeAbr=PHA
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=0|HH=4|HE=4
|WP=[[Christy Mathewson]] (2–0)|LP=[[Andy Coakley]] (0–1)|SV=
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10120PHA1905.htm
}}
Christy Mathewson once again took the mound for the Giants in Game 3. Opposing him this time was Andy Coakley, who [[Hit by pitch|hit]] the first batter he faced, [[Roger Bresnahan]], with a pitch. A single to right by Mike Donlin moved Bresnahan to third with one out. Dan McGann singled to right, bringing Bresnahan home. An error by Danny Murphy scored Donlin and put Sam Mertes on base. Bill Dahlen walked, [[bases loaded|loading the bases]] with one out, but Art Devlin hit into a [[double play]] to end the rally. The Giants put the game away in the top of the fifth. Bresnahan walked with one out. George Browne singled and went to second on the throw to third base. Donlin was [[Intentional base on balls|walked intentionally]], setting up a possible inning-ending double play, but things continued to crumble for Coakley and the A's. McGann reached on another error by Danny Murphy, reloading the bases and scoring a run. Mertes singled, reloading the bases and driving in another run. Bill Dahlen hit into a [[force play]] at second, scoring Donlin. After Dahlen stole second, Devlin singled, bringing home McGann and sending Dahlen to third. Devlin then stole second and Dahlen stole home on a [[double steal]], scoring the fifth and last run of the Giants' fifth. They scored two more runs in the top of the ninth, when McGann doubled home Browne and Donlin. Mathewson pitched his second complete-game shutout, giving the Giants a 2–1 lead in the series. This was the first 9–0 World Series game—the next one occurred when the Cubs shut out the Tigers by that lopsided score in Game 1 in {{wsy|1945}}, although Detroit ended up taking that series four games to three.

=== Game 4 ===
[[File:Polo grounds panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Polo Grounds during one of the games.]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Friday, October 13, 1905
|Location=Polo Grounds (III) in Upper Manhattan, New York
|Road=Philadelphia|RoadAbr=PHA
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=0|RH=5|RE=1
|Home='''New York'''|HomeAbr=NYG
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=1|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=X|HR=1|HH=5|HE=0
|WP=[[Joe McGinnity]] (1–1)|LP=[[Eddie Plank]] (0–2)|SV=
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10130NY11905.htm
}}
Eddie Plank returned for the A's against Joe McGinnity for the Giants in Game 4. Both [[left on base|left men on base]] in [[scoring position]] early on, and kept the game scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when Sam Mertes led off the inning by reaching on an error by Monte Cross. After Bill Dahlen flied to right Art Devlin grounded out, moving Mertes to second. With two outs, Billy Gilbert singled to left, bringing Mertes home for the only run of the game, McGinnity outdueling Plank 1–0 and giving the Giants a three-games-to-one lead.

=== Game 5 ===
[[File:New York Giants team picture.jpg|thumb|right|300px|New York Giants at the Polo Grounds before one of the games.]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Saturday, October 14, 1905
|Location=Polo Grounds (III) in Upper Manhattan, New York
|Road=Philadelphia|RoadAbr=PHA
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=0|RH=5|RE=0
|Home='''New York'''|HomeAbr=NYG
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=1|H6=0|H7=0|H8=1|H9=X|HR=2|HH=5|HE=2
|WP=[[Christy Mathewson]] (3–0)|LP=[[Chief Bender]] (1–1)|SV=
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1905/B10140NY11905.htm
}}
The Giants looked to wrap up the series behind the perennial Christy Mathewson, who faced Chief Bender this time. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Sam Mertes scored during a bizarre double play involving Bill Dahlen and Billy Gilbert; with one out, Mertes on third, and Dahlen on second, Gilbert hit a [[sacrifice fly]] that scored Mertes, but Dahlen was out attempting to advance to third, and this third out was recorded after Mertes had scored. In the eighth, the Giants got an insurance run when Mathewson scored on George Browne's ground out after Roger Bresnahan's double had sent him to third with less than two out. Mathewson then took the mound for the top of the ninth and induced three ground outs, thereby completing arguably the single greatest performance by any player in World Series history with his third complete-game shutout of the series.

== Composite line score ==
1905 World Series '''(4–1): [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] (N.L.)''' over [[Philadelphia Athletics]] (A.L.)
{{Linescore
|Road='''[[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]]'''
|R1=2|R2=0|R3=0|R4=1|R5=8|R6=0|R7=0|R8=1|R9=3|RR=15|RH=33|RE=6
|Home='''[[Philadelphia Athletics]]'''
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=1|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=2|H9=0|HR=3|HH=24|HE=7
|TotalAttendance=91,723 |AveAttendance=18,345
|WinPlayerShare=$1,142 |LosePlayerShare=$832<ref name="wsshares">{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wsshares.shtml|title=World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares|access-date=June 14, 2009|work=Baseball Almanac}}</ref>
}}

== Firsts and records ==
* This was the first best-of-seven World Series, as opposed to the best-of-nine [[1903 World Series]].
* The [[Philadelphia Athletics]] became the first team to lose a World Series game 1–0 on an unearned run.
* It was the only World Series consisting entirely of complete-game shutouts.<ref name="Burke">{{cite book|last1=Burke|first1=Larry|title=The Baseball Chronicles - A Decade-by-Decade History of the All-American Pastime|date=1995|publisher=Smithmark Publishing|location=New York, NY|isbn=0831706805|pages=18}}</ref> Only one reliever was used in the entire Series, [[Red Ames]] for [[Joe McGinnity]] in the ninth inning of Game 2.
* The [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] did not yield a single [[earned run]] in this Series, thereby setting a postseason record for lowest team ERA of 0.00 that was not matched until the [[2020 Atlanta Braves season|Atlanta Braves]] had a team ERA of 0.00 during the [[2020 National League Wild Card Series]] against the Cincinnati Reds.
* The first steal of home during the World Series occurred during the fifth inning of Game 3, by New York's [[Bill Dahlen]] on the front end of a double steal.
* Both managers and four of the five starting pitchers are now in the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]]. The exception is [[Andy Coakley]], who started Game 3 for Philadelphia.

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
{{WSRefs|year=1905|cohenpp=9–12|reichlerp=2113}}

== External links ==
{{WSExtLinks|year=1905}}

<!-- {{WorldSeries}} Use {{WorldSeriesRt}} instead -->
{{WorldSeries}}
{{San Francisco Giants}}
{{1905 New York Giants}}
{{Oakland Athletics}}
{{1905 MLB season by team}}

[[Category:New York Giants (baseball) postseason]]
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