Barney Dreyfuss initiated what came to be called the World Series when he challenged the American League champion Boston Pilgrims to a post-season series of games against his National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Only a few months before, the two leagues had been at war, a battle fought with money over the rights to players like Boston's Cy Young, Chick Stahl and Jimmy Collins. All of them, stars in the National League, had jumped for better pay.
Collins turned double duty as player-manager, but his wisest move usually involved entrusting the ball to Young, who won 28 of 37 decisions and pitched seven shutouts. Pittsburgh entered the Series handicapped by a late-season injury that hampered 25-game winner Sam Leever, and an incapacitating illness to 16-game winner Ed Doheny. That left most of the Pirate pitching burden to 24-game winner Deacon Phillippe who did all he could do to fill the gap. Phillippe won the first game of the best-of-nine format 7-3 on Oct. 1, won the third 4-2 two days later, and won the fourth game 5-4 Oct. 6. Even so, the Series was tied at 3 games each when Phillippe started his fourth game Oct. 10 in Pittsburgh. This time Young bested him 7-3. Rain created a two-day lull in the Series, giving Phillippe a chance to prepare for his fifth Series start in Game 8 Oct. 13. He pitched well, but Boston's Bill Dinneen shut out the Pirates on 4 hits in a 3-0 victory that clinched the championship for the insurgent American Leaguers.
ELSEWHERE IN BASEBALL
Big Ed Delahanty, slugging outfielder, plunges to his death from a railroad bridge over Niagara Falls July 2.
The American League moves its Baltimore club to New York, the last franchise relocation for a half century.
Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first successful heavier-than-air flight at Kitty Hawk Dec. 17.