Dick Rudolph, a 27-game winner for the Braves, was chosen to start Game 1 against Chief Bender, whose .850 winning percentage(l7 victories in 20 decisions) led the majors in 1914. Rudolph spun a five-hitter and batterymate Hank Gowdy singled, doubled and tripled. Boston won, 7-1.
The next day, Stallings called on his other ace, Bill James, who had won 26 games. Connie Mack countered with 39-year-old Eddie Plank. After eight innings, the Braves had no runs and five hits and the Athletics no runs and two hits.
In the top of the ninth, Boston’s Charlie Deal hit a one-out double, stole third base and scored on a two-out single by Les Mann. In the last half of the inning, James walked two batters but got out of the jam by inducing Eddie Murphy to hit into a game-ending double play. James’ two-hit, 1-0 victory gave Boston a Series lead of two games to none, and the scene shifted to the Braves’ home city — not their home ballpark. The National Leaguers’ home field was the South End Grounds, but the Braves opted to play their Series home games at the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park, deemed a more attractive facility.
Game 3 was a wild one with the A’s and Braves tied, 2-2, through nine innings before Baker apparently settled matters with a two-run single in the 10th off Braves starter Lefty Tyler. But the Braves, still not out of miracles, struck for two runs in the bottom of the 10th when Gowdy led off with a home run and Joe Connolly produced a run-scoring fly ball later in the inning.
James then took over for Tyler, who had retired for a pinch hitter, and shut out Philadelphia in the next two innings. In the last of the 12th, Gowdy lashed a double off Bullet Joe Bush (who pitched all the way for the A’s) and gave way to a pinch-runner, Mann. After an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Larry Gilbert, Herbie Moran followed with a bunt. Bush grabbed the ball and threw to third baseman Baker in an attempt to force Mann, but Bush’s throw sailed past Baker. Mann darted home with the winning run. Braves 5, A’s 4. Three victories for the Braves, none for the A’s.
Having failed to win with Bender, Plank and Bush, Mack turned to second-year major leaguer Bob Shawkey in an effort to get his team back into the Series — or at least avoid a sweep. Shawkey held Boston scoreless for three innings, then permitted a fourth-inning run. The 23-year-old righthander helped his own cause with a game-tying double in the top of the fifth, only to surrender a two-run single to Johnny Evers in the bottom of the inning. Rudolph, who had pitched masterfully in Game 1, made the runs stand up and the Braves were 3-1 winners — and World Series champions.
Miracle Braves, indeed.
Gowdy, a .243 hitter during the regular season, performed miraculously in the Series. He slugged three doubles, a triple and a home run against the A’s and batted .545. Evers hit .438. Rudolph and James, after accounting for 53 of the Braves’ 94 regular-season victories, registered all four of Boston’s Series triumphs.
No A’s regular batted above .250 in the Series, and Philadelphia posted a .172 team mark. No wonder Philadelphia had become the first team in Series history to be eliminated in four games (the 1907 Tigers also went winless, but Detroit managed to play a tie game against the Chicago Cubs, extending play to five games).
Stunned by his team’s poor showing, Mack began dismantling the Athletics. Collins was traded over the winter, Baker sat out the 1915 season in a dispute with Mack before being sold to the New York Yankees and Plank and Bender went off to the Federal League (to whom they had pledged allegiance at the time of the ’14 Series). And by the middle of 1915, Barry, Murphy and Shawkey had been traded or sold.
This article was originally published on TSN
Game Recaps from Retrosheet
1914 World Series Stories
The 1914 Post-Season Games
World Series: Boston Braves (4) defeated Philadelphia Athletics (0)
World Series Game 1 Played on Friday, October 9, 1914 (D) at Shibe Park
BOS N 0 2 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 - 7 11 2 PHI A 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 0
BOX+PBP WP: Rudolph (1-0) LP: Bender (0-1)
World Series Game 2 Played on Saturday, October 10, 1914 (D) at Shibe Park
BOS N 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 7 1 PHI A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 1
BOX+PBP WP: James (1-0) LP: Plank (0-1)
World Series Game 3 Played on Monday, October 12, 1914 (D) at Fenway Park
PHI A 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 4 8 2 BOS N 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 - 5 9 1
BOX+PBP WP: James (2-0) LP: Bush (0-1) HR: Gowdy (1)
World Series Game 4 Played on Tuesday, October 13, 1914 (D) at Fenway Park
PHI A 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 7 0 BOS N 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 x - 3 6 0
BOX+PBP WP: Rudolph (2-0) LP: Shawkey (0-1)
