1906 World Series

The1906World Serieswas the championship series inMajor League Baseballfor the1906 season.The third edition of theWorld Series,it featured a crosstown matchup between theAmerican LeaguechampionChicago White Soxand theNational LeaguechampionChicago Cubs.The Cubs had posted the highest regular-season win total (116) andwinning percentage(.763) in the major leagues since the advent of the 154-game season. The White Sox, known as the "Hitless Wonders" after finishing with the worst teambatting average(.230) in theAmerican League,beat the Cubs in six games for one of the greatest upsets in Series history as the Sox out-pitched the Cubs in their first two wins and out-hit them in their last two. The home teams alternated, starting with theNational LeagueCubs being home in Game 1.

1906 World Series
A program featuring league presidentsBan JohnsonandHarry Pulliam,andNational Baseball CommissionPresidentAugust Herrmann
Team (Wins) Manager(s) Season Chicago White Sox(4) Fielder Jones(player/manager) 93–58,.616, GA: 3 Chicago Cubs(2) Frank Chance(player/manager) 116–36,.763, GA: 20
Dates	October 9–14
Venue(s)	West Side Grounds(Chicago Cubs) South Side Park(Chicago White Sox)
Umpires	Jim Johnstone(NL) Silk O'Loughlin(AL)
Hall of Famers	White Sox: George Davis Ed Walsh Cubs: Mordecai Brown Frank Chance Johnny Evers Joe Tinker
Streaming
World Series

Pickoff attempt during one of the games.Frank Chanceslides in safely past the tag ofJiggs Donahue.

The teams split the first four games; then the Hitless Wonders (a name coined by sportswriterCharles Dryden) exploded for 26 hits in the last two games. True to their nickname, the White Sox hit only.198 as a team in winning the series, but it beat the.196 average produced by the Cubs. In Game 3, White Sox pitcherEd Walshstruck out 12 Cubs, breaking the previous record of 11 set byBill Dinneenin1903.

The 1906 World Series was the first to be played between two teams from the same city or state. This series and the1944edition, contested between theSt. Louis CardinalsandSt. Louis Browns,are the only such instances outside ofNew York Citywhere two teams from the same city played in the World Series. This is also the most recent World Series where both teams were making their first appearance in the Fall Classic.

Summary

ALChicago White Sox(4) vs. NLChicago Cubs(2)

Game	Date	Score	Location	Time	Attendance
1	October 9	Chicago White Sox– 2, Chicago Cubs – 1	West Side Grounds	1:45	12,693
2	October 10	Chicago Cubs– 7, Chicago White Sox – 1	South Side Park (III)	1:58	12,595
3	October 11	Chicago White Sox– 3, Chicago Cubs – 0	West Side Grounds	2:10	13,667
4	October 12	Chicago Cubs– 1, Chicago White Sox – 0	South Side Park (III)	1:36	18,385
5	October 13	Chicago White Sox– 8, Chicago Cubs – 6	West Side Grounds	2:40	23,257
6	October 14	Chicago Cubs – 3,Chicago White Sox– 8	South Side Park (III)	1:55	19,249

Matchups

Game 1

After game 1, Fans rush the field and police protectNick Altrock

Tuesday, October 9, 1906 atWest Side GroundsinChicago,Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (AL)	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	4	1
Chicago (NL)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	4	2
WP:Nick Altrock(1–0)LP:Mordecai Brown(0–1) Boxscore

White Sox starterNick Altrockfaced Cub starterMordecai "Three-Fingered" Brownin game 1. Both were perfect through three innings. The Cubs put a runner on second in the bottom of the fourth inning, but couldn't score. In the top of the fifth,George Rohetripled to lead off, then scored on an error at home whenPatsy Doughertyreached on a fielder's choice. The Sox scored a second run in the top of the sixth. Altrock walked, and was sacrificed to second base byEd Hahn.Fielder Jonesthen singled to center but Altrock was thrown out at the plate, Jones taking second on the throw home. He took third on Cub catcherJohnny Kling's passed ball, andFrank Isbelldrove him home with a single. The Cubs struck back in their half of the sixth. Kling walked and Brown singled with nobody out. AfterSolly Hofmansacrificed the runners to second and third, Altrock's wild pitch scored Kling and sent Brown to third, giving him little margin for error with only one out, but he gotJimmy Sheckardto pop out andFrank Schulteto ground out to end the threat. He pitched beautifully for the rest of the game, allowing only one more Cub to reach second, retaining the 2–1 lead for a Game 1 Sox win.

Game 2

Ed Reulbach,winning pitcher of Game 2

Wednesday, October 10, 1906 atSouth Side Park (III)inChicago,Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (NL)	0	3	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	7	10	2
Chicago (AL)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	3
WP:Ed Reulbach(1–0)LP:Doc White(0–1) Boxscore

Ed Reulbachwas called on for the Cubs to face White Sox hurlerDoc White.After matching 1–2–3 first innings, things started to fall apart for White. After cleanup-hitting first basemanFrank Chanceled off the top of the second with a strikeout, third basemanHarry Steinfeldtsingled to left field and shortstop Joe Tinker beat out a bunt. Cubs second basemanJohnny Eversthen reached on a two-base error by White Sox second baseman Frank Isbell, scoring Steinfeldt for an unearned run and moving Tinker and Evers to second and third. Catcher Johnny Kling was then intentionally walked to load the bases and bring up the pitcher, still with only one out. Reulbach squeeze-bunted Tinker home for a second unearned run, moving Evers to third and Kling to second with two out.Solly Hofmanfollowed with an infield single to shortstopLee Tannehill,scoring Evers for a third unearned run, but when Kling tried to score from second, he was thrown out at home plate, ending the rally. The Cubs added a fourth unearned run in the third, ending Doc White's day on the mound. The Sox scored in the bottom of the fifth inning with an unearned run, thanks to a wild pitch and an error. The Cubs scored three more runs, all earned, in the sixth and eighth to win Game 2 7–1 and tie the Series at one game apiece. Reulbach pitched the first one-hitter in World Series history.

Game 3

Jack Pfiesterpitching in Game 3

Thursday, October 11, 1906 atWest Side Grounds in Chicago, Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (AL)	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	4	1
Chicago (NL)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
WP:Ed Walsh(1–0)LP:Jack Pfiester(0–1) Boxscore

After allowing two first-inning hits, Sox starter"Big Ed" Walshdidn't give up another and struck out 12, giving the Sox a 2–1 edge in the series. AfterFred Schulte's first inning two-out double, Walsh retired the next 25 of 27 Cub batters to face him. Third baseman George Rohe cracked a two-out, bases-loaded triple to left in the top of the sixth offJack Pfiesterfor the only runs of the game.

Game 4

Game 4 winning pitcherMordecai Brown

Friday, October 12, 1906 atSouth Side Park (III) in Chicago, Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (NL)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	7	1
Chicago (AL)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1
WP:Mordecai Brown(1–1)LP:Nick Altrock(1–1) Boxscore

Looking to even the Series, the Cubs started Mordecai Brown on one day's rest who pitched5+2⁄3innings of no-hit ball for the Cubs before settling for a two-hitter. Nick Altrock, who faced and defeated Brown in game 1, was the hard-luck loser, with the only run of the game coming onJohnny Evers' two-out single in the top of the seventh scoringFrank Chance.The Sox put the tying run on second base in the top of the ninth thanks to a two-out walk and a passed ball, butFrank Isbellgrounded out to end the threat. The game took just 96 minutes and evened the Series at two games apiece.

Game 5

Game 5 at West Side Grounds

Saturday, October 13, 1906 atWest Side Grounds in Chicago, Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (AL)	1	0	2	4	0	1	0	0	0	8	12	6
Chicago (NL)	3	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	6	6	0
WP:Ed Walsh(2–0)LP:Jack Pfiester(0–2)Sv:Doc White(1) Boxscore

Game 5 was a wild affair with a total of 18 hits, ten walks, six errors, two hit batsmen, three wild pitches and a steal of home. The Cubs allowed a first inning run to the Sox, then scored three unearned runs on two Sox errors to take an early lead. The Sox tied the game in the third onGeorge Davis' theft of home on the front end of a double steal and then took the lead for good with a four-run rally in the fourth and held on for the victory to take a 3–2 lead in the series. A 12-hit attack led byFrank Isbell's four doubles were enough to overcome seven unearned runs by the Cubs caused by six errors committed by the normally solid Sox defense. "Big"Ed Walshearned his second win of the series, although he needed three innings of relief help fromDoc White.

Game 6

South Side Park during Game 6

Sunday, October 14, 1906 atSouth Side Park (III) in Chicago, Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (NL)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	3	7	0
Chicago (AL)	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	X	8	14	3
WP:Doc White(1–1)LP:Mordecai Brown(1–2) Boxscore

Mordecai Brown, again pitching on only one day of rest, didn't make it out of the second inning as the Hitless Wonders White Sox stunned the 116–36 Cubs in the Series finale. The Sox battered Brown for seven runs on eight hits while getting a solid pitching performance fromDoc White.Although the Cubs scored a run and loaded the bases in the ninth, White gotFrank Schulteto ground out for the final out of the series and the White Sox won the World Series.

The powerful Cubs went on to win the next two World Series from theDetroit Tigers,despite falling far short of 116 wins in either season, for the last Cubs win in a World Series for over a hundred years.

This game remains the only time the Chicago White Sox have clinched a postseason series in their home ballpark. It was the only time a Chicago-based team had ever clinched a series at home until the Cubs won the2015 National League Division Serieson their home field.

Composite line score

1906 World Series(4–2):Chicago White Sox(A.L.)overChicago Cubs(N.L.)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox	4	4	2	4	2	5	0	1	0	22	37	15
Chicago Cubs	4	3	1	1	1	4	1	2	1	18	36	7
Total attendance:99,846Average attendance:16,641 Winning player's share:$1,875Losing player's share:$440

Firsts and lasts

A ball from the series on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ball was used in Game Six, the final game, of the world series

• The 1906 World Series was the first appearance in the World Series for both teams, and the first of three in a row for the Cubs. The White Sox next appeared in the World Series in1917.The next season that both Chicago teams qualified for the postseason was2008.
• This remains the most recent World Series to feature two franchises that had never before appeared in a World Series. The feat currently cannot be duplicated, barring further MLB expansion, as when theWashington Nationalsreached the2019 World Series,it left only one MLB team (theSeattle Mariners) that has never been to the Fall Classic.
• This was the first modern World Series contested between two teams based in the same city. Between 1921 and 1956, 13 World Series were held that had both teams based inNew York City,which came to be calledSubway Series.
• The 1906 World Series was the first World Series appearance for the Cubs' infield trio ofJoe Tinker(shortstop),Johnny Evers(second base), andFrank Chance(first base), later the subjects of "Baseball's Sad Lexicon"(" Tinker to Evers to Chance "). The trio hit a combined 9-for-59 (.153) in the series.
• Two futureHall of Famepitchers appeared:Ed Walshfor the White Sox andMordecai Brownfor the Cubs. However, this pair did not pitch against each other in any game of the Series. Ed Walsh pitched the most dominant game of the Series in Game 3 based on agame scoreof 94, striking out 12 and allowing no runs on 2 hits in a complete game performance.
• In striking out 12 batters in Game 3, Walsh struck out at least one batter in all nine innings, the first pitcher to do so in a World Series game.Bob Gibsonin the1968 World Seriesopener was the next pitcher to accomplish this feat.
• The first five games of the Series were won by the road team. This unusual occurrence was duplicated exactly 90 years later in the1996 World Series.The feat was duplicated again in the2019 World Series.
• Doc Whiterecorded the first ever World Seriessavein Game 5. Saves were not officially recognized as a statistic until 1969, but the stat has been retrofitted by historians.
• Games 1 and 2 were played amid snow flurries in Chicago. This next happened in a World Series in1997.
• Bill O'Neillof the White Sox became the firstpinch runnerin series history during the sixth inning of Game 3 when he came in to run for Eddie Hahn.
• White Sox outfielderPatsy Doughertybecame the first player both to play in and to win two World Series. He had previously played for theBoston Americansin the1903 World Series.
• Both White Sox catcherBilly Sullivanand Cubs outfielderJimmy Sheckardwent 0-21 in the series, establishing a World Series record for most at-bats in a series without recording a hit that wouldn't be broken until1968;Sullivan's 22 plate appearances without reaching base remains a World Series record.

References

• Cohen, Richard M.; Neft, David S. (1990).The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903–1989.New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 13–17.ISBN0-312-03960-3.
• Reichler, Joseph (1982).The Baseball Encyclopedia(5th ed.). Macmillan Publishing. p. 2114.ISBN0-02-579010-2.

External links

• 1906 World SeriesatWorldSeriesviaMLB
• 1906 World SeriesatBaseball Almanac
• 1906 World SeriesatBaseball-Reference
• The 1906 Post-Season Games(box scores and play-by-play) atRetrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1906atThe Sporting News.Archived fromthe originalin May 2006.