PTWSW #2: The 1905 New York Giants

Manager: John McGraw
Record: 105-48
Ballpark: Polo Grounds
Owner: John T. Brush

Future Hall of Famers: Roger Bresnahan, Christy Mathewson, Joe McGinnity, John McGraw

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Mike Donlin, .356
OBP: Mike Donlin, .413
SLG: Mike Donlin, .495
OPS: Mike Donlin, .908
2B: Mike Donlin, 31
3B: Sam Mertes, 17
HR: Bill Dahlen, Mike Donlin, 7
RBI: Sam Mertes, 108
BB: Art Devlin, 66
SB: Art Devlin, 59

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Christy Mathewson, 31 (NL leader)
SO: Christy Mathewson, 206 (NL leader)
ERA: Christy Mathewson, 1.28 (NL leader)
IP: Christy Mathewson, 338.2
CG: Christy Mathewson, 32
SHO: Christy Mathewson, 8 (NL leader)
K/BB: Christy Mathewson, 3.22 (NL leader)
SV: Claude Elliott, 6 (NL leader)

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Boileryard Clarke (b. October 18, 1868)

Youngest Player: Red Ames (b. August 2, 1882)

First to Leave Us: Dan McGann (d. December 13, 1910). McGann, with a family history of suicide, shot himself during the offseason of a declining career.

Last Survivor: Moonlight Graham (d. August 25, 1965). Not only was his one-game cup of coffee immortalized by W.P. Kinsella, he was the last living member of a World Series champion. Truly this man holds a unique place in baseball history.

First in Majors: Bill Dahlen (debut April 22, 1891)

Last in Majors: Red Ames (final game September 25, 1919)

First to Play For the Franchise: Frank Bowerman (May 1900)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Christy Mathewson (July 4, 1916)

Pre-union Team: The 1902 Baltimore Orioles (Roger Bresnahan, Billy Gilbert, Dan McGann, Joe McGinnity, John McGraw). When McGraw jumped back to the National League in July 1902 he brought several players with him.

Reunion Team: The 1908 Boston Doves (Frank Bowerman, George Browne, Bill Dahlen, Dan McGann). These four didn't end up together by coincidence; they were all part of a blockbuster trade the previous offseason.

Accomplishments

Christy Mathewson, Pitching Triple Crown
Christy Mathewson, no-hitter on June 13

Season Summary

They'd won the pennant the year before with a 106-47 record, but McGraw refused to let the Giants participate in the World Series. The fans were unhappy with the decision, and the men running the Giants knew they'd alienate their supporters if they passed on the World Series again.

In 1905 they were almost as dominant as they were the previous year, holding sole possession of first place from the sixth game of the season until the end and finishing with a 105-48 record. As you might expect with a fiery fellow like McGraw at the helm, the season wasn't without incident. McGraw was fined $150 and suspended 15 games in May for using offensive language toward Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss. The penalty was later overturned when McGraw and owner Brush argued that McGraw's side of the story hadn't been heard. The Giants made their share of enemies on the way to the National League championship, as arguments with umpires, fans and opposing players were frequent.

The Giants agreed to play in the World Series this time, but only after owner Brush's conditions (mainly changing the series from best-of-nine to best-of-seven and setting rules for how money would be split) were met. The series with the Philadelphia Athletics went five games, each one a shutout. If there'd been a World Series MVP at the time, Christy Mathewson surely would've won it, as three of the four Giant shutouts were pitched by him.

McGraw didn't let his rivals forget who the top dogs were next season, as the Giants' 1906 uniforms read "World's Champions."

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives
Retrosheet