The World Series comes to Ebbets Field

When the modern World Series began in 1903 (or arguably 1905), a discerning Brooklyn fan could legitimately think that his or her beloved Dodgers (or Superbas) had missed the trolley car.  A World Series was only possible if there was a second major league to compete with the National League and the American League's success in doing so was at least partially because of its raids on National League rosters especially Brooklyn's. The City of Church's pennant winning teams of 1899 and 1900 had been decimated by the war between the two leagues and the Dodgers' remaining talent was so limited, an appearance in the new fall classic was a distant dream.  It's unlikely however, that fans at the time had any idea how distant those dreams would prove to be.  Peace with the American League was accompanied by a new order in the senior circuit where only three teams; the Pirates, Giants and Cubs would win the pennant for more than a decade.  The other five clubs including Brooklyn had little more to compete for than fourth place and avoiding a second division finish.

The Brooklyn club ready to defend it's home turf - The Evening World - October 10, 1916

Fortunately few things lasts forever and when the change came, it did so with very little warning in the middle of the 1914 season.  On July 4th, the Giants seemed well on the way to their fourth straight National League flag with the hapless Braves stuck once again in last place.  In one of baseball's most dramatic, not to mention improbable, turnarounds, Boston went 68-19 over the course the season to easily win the pennant and proved it was no fluke by sweeping Connie Mack's heavily favored A's in the World Series.  The door was now open for new pretenders to the league throne and while it took some time, Brooklyn's turn came in 1916 when the club held off three challengers to win its first National League pennant since 1900 and earn its first appearance in the modern World Series.  Fittingly, Brooklyn also had a new ball park, Ebbets Field that would be an appropriate home for the series with the defending champion and heavily favored, Boston Red Sox.  Unfortunately, loyal Dodger fans had to wait a little bit longer for their first World Series game since Brooklyn's late clinching of the National League pennant made it impossible to prepare the ball park in time for the first two games both of which were played in Boston.

Boston's fabled royal rooters arrive at Ebbets Field - Brooklyn Daily Eagle - October 11, 1916

Equally unfortunately, Brooklyn lost both contests in heart breaking style, first when a last ditch ninth inning rally fell one run short in game one and then a 2-1, 14 inning loss to Babe Ruth in the second contest.  The Dodgers had, however, proven to be a resilient bunch all season so Brooklyn fans still had plenty of reason to come out and cheer their heroes.  As loyal as the fans may have been to their team, however, there was also some real dissatisfaction directed toward club president Charles Ebbets for pricing reserved seats in the front rows of both decks at Ebbets Field at an unimaginable $5 up from $3 a year earlier.  The result was a below capacity crowd of about 21,000 with "yawning gaps" in the aforementioned sections demonstrating how strongly the fans felt on the subject.  Attendance also wasn't helped by temperatures below 50 degrees and strong winds from the northwest, conditions which according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle made Ebbets Field "as cold as the inside of a refrigerator."  Still when the Dodgers took the field,  they were greeted by a loud cheer from their fans.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle - October 11, 1916

On the mound for Brooklyn was Jack Coombs who had been acquired by the Dodgers a few years earlier in what Tom Rice of the Eagle described as a baseball "speculation."  Not only was Coombs at the end of his career, he had also suffered through an illness that threatened not just his career but also put his very life in danger.  The veteran pitcher had however more than justified Ebbets' "speculation" by winning 25 games over two years including a crucial shutout win over the Giants in the last week of the 1916 pennant race.  Coombs was also not likely to be bothered by the big stage as he had a 4-0 life time record in the fall classic.  Coombs retired the first two Boston batters, but then allowed two singles before being bailed out by his right fielder, one Charles "Casey" Stengel who threw out a Boston runner at third.  The Dodgers then brought the home crowd to its feet by loading the bases against Boston starter Carl Mays with only one out only to see the Red Sox escape without giving up a run.  The Boston pitcher wasn't so fortunate after that, however, as Brooklyn scored single runs in the second and third and seemed to put the game out of reach in the fifth, when Ivy Olson tripled to give Brooklyn a 4-0 lead.

Casey Stengel

The Red Sox, however, had no intention of going quietly, scoring twice in the sixth before Coombs got out of the inning.  Brooklyn wasted a golden opportunity to get back a run when Jake Daubert hit one to the left field corner which Harry Hooper played poorly.  Daubert should have had an inside the park home run, but was out at the plate due to a poor slide.  Coombs managed to get the first Boston batter in the seventh, but Larry Gardner homered over the right field fence on to "Bedford Street" (sic) to cut the Brooklyn lead to one.  After already suffered two heart breaking losses, many Brooklyn fans had to feel that they were in for another disappointing finish this time right before their very eyes. However, Coombs wisely knew he was done, signaled for a relief pitcher and manager Wilbert Robinson brought in 25 game winner Jeff Pfeffer.  No manager ever made a better choice since not only did the big right hander get out of the inning, he retired all 8 batters he faced without allowing a single base runner.  When Stengel caught the last out in right field it set off a football like celebration as the crowd poured onto the field.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle - October 11, 1916

As they left the park, Dodger fans could have been forgiven for hoping their heroes would tie up the series on the morrow as could Charles Ebbets for thinking that the victory and better weather would produce a larger crowd.  All such hopes proved to be in vain, however, since even through the weather was perfect, the crowd was no larger than the day before.  And while Brooklyn got off to a  quick 2-0 lead, another Gardner home run helped Boston take charge for a 6-2 win and a stranglehold on the series which they clinched the next day in Boston.  All the same the 21,000 in attendance at the third game could claim that not only had they seen a World Series game in person, a rarity at the time, they had seen their local club prevail.  Ironically the Dodgers would play their last World Series game at Ebbets Field 40 years later to the very day, this time losing the seventh game of the 1956 classic to the Yankees and, perhaps even more ironically, their manager Casey Stengel.  All told Brooklyn would play 28 World Series games at Ebbets Field including both great (Lavagetto's 1947 hit) and horrible (Mickey Owen's 1941 dropped third strike) moments in club history.  But there could be only one first game and those in attendance got their money's worth even if they forked out $5 for the supposedly over priced grandstand seats.