There was no World Series in 1904 because John T. Brush, president of the National League champion New York Giants, refused to allow his team to compete against Boston, the representative of the “inferior” American League.

At least, that’s the official reason.

However, the fact that the teams did not meet probably had to do more with Giants manager John McGraw’s personal hatred for American League president Ban Johnson than any National League sense of superiority. In the winter, however, Brush proposed the idea for an annual matchup between the league champions.

His about-face spawned the “Brush Rules,” a set of guidelines relating to the on-field play and off-field finances of the World Series which exists to this day.

This article was originally published on TSN