93. 1921 AL Champion New York Yankees v. 100. 1922 World Champion New York Giants
Okay - so, in both 1921-22 the Giants beat the Yankees to win the World Series (Yankees beat them in '23) We just saw the 1921 Giants lose to the A's - now the sequel is here and they're playing the '21 Yankees. So - this is as close to a matchup that we had IRL in the entire tournament (and that might remain true for the rest of the tournament) the '21 Yankees did play the '21 Giants -- and the '22 Giants did play the '22 Yankees. And the Giants won both of those matchups. In this matchup - it's the Yankees who will have home field advantage..
...however...in 1921, the Yankees played their games at the Polo Grounds.
That means - every game of this series - like every game of the World Series in those years - will be played at the Giants home park, even though it's the Yankees who have the home field advantage technically.
Yankees 98-55 Mgr. Miller Huggins
Won AL Pennant
lost to Giants in WS
d. #36 2018 Astros (MVP-Babe Ruth)
Hall of Famers: Home Run Baker, Waite Hoyt, Babe Ruth, Miller Huggins
Giants 93-61 Mgr. John McGraw
Won NL Pennant
d. Yankees in WS
d. #29 1954 Indians (MVP-Earl Smith)
Hall of Famers: Dave Bancroft, Frankie Frisch, Travis Jackson, High Pockets Kelly, Casey Stengel, Ross Youngs, John McGraw
Giants
SS Bancroft (31) 109 6.6
CF Stengel (31) 154 2.6
RF Youngs (25) 120 3.4
C Smith (25) 118 1.3
2B Frisch (24) 110 4.4
LF Meusel (29) 122 2.6
1B Kelly (26) 118 3.8
3B Groh (32) 80 1.9
P Douglas (32) 153 2.6
Bench:
C Snyder (28) 122
2B Rawlings (29) 86
OF Cunningham (27) 100
OF Shinners (26) 59
SP2 Nehf (25) (LH) 122 3
SP3 Barnes (29) 115 1.5
Giants have a catching platoon, but the Yankees have all RH starters so most likely (as happened in round one) Smith catches every game. Giants will start with Groh at third, but if he doesn't hit, Rawlings moves into the lineup and Frisch shifts to third. Here's an additon - I'm including in the bench all the position players on the active roster; so there's no chance outside of injury that either Cunningham or Shinners starts, but they are on the bench and you might see them pinch hit. I don't have access to the bullpens; that's entirely the province of the simulation, so while I know who was on the roster all season for each team; other than the starting rotations (from which I choose the starters) I don't know what pitchers are sitting in the bullpen.
Yankees
C Schang (31) 123 3.5
LF Ruth (26) 239 11.8
RF Meusel (24) 128 4.1
3B Baker (35) 99 2
1B Pipp (28) 95 2
CF Miller (30) 103 .7
2B Ward (24) 98 3.1
SS Peckinpaugh (30) 97 3.3
P Mays (29) 138 6.7
Bench:
OF Bodie (31) 23
OF Fewster (25) 95
OF Hawks (25) 104
OF Roth (28) 97
C Hoffman (27) 33
3B McNally (27) 56
SP2 Hoyt (21) 136 4.9
SP3 Shawkey (30) 103 2.8
Yes, Yankee RF Bob and Giants LF Irish are brothers. Brother v. Brother in this round. Also, Stengel is the Giants CF and he will go on to his greatest notoriety as Yankee manager. Absent injury, the Yankees will send the same 8 out in each game.
WAR Advantage
C-Yankees
1B-Giants
2B-Giants
SS-Giants
3B-Push
LF-Yankees
CF-Giants
RF-Yankees
SP1-Yankees
SP2-Yankees
SP3-Yankees
Bullpen-Giants
WAR Score: Yankees 6 Giants 5, so, Yanks have the seed advantage, the WAR advantage, and by far the best player on the field (Ruth) - it's Giants bats vs Yankees starting pitchers - even though the Giants beat them two straight years in the World Series we have to say the Yankees are favored here.
GAME ONE
1st: 29 year old RH Carl Mays gets the call from Miller Huggins in game one. 27-9, 3.05; Mays broke in with the Red Sox in '15, led the AL in saves that year; three years later, he'd lead the AL in shutouts. The Sox sell him to the Yankees during the '19 season, in 1920 he kills Ray Chapman with a pitch to the head and this year he led the league in wins. After the '23 season, the Yanks sell Mays to the Reds, he winds up finishing his career with the Giants in '29. Mays pitched against these Giants both in '21 and '22 in the World Series, in the '21 series he threw 3 complete games with a 1.73 ERA (still only went 1-2) and in '22 he threw once, went 8 innings, gave up 4 earned and lost. With one out, Casey Stengel singles, Ross Youngs reaches via error, Earl Smith singles home a run and an Irish Meusel sac fly plates a second. Giants 2 Yankees 0
1st: 32 year old RH Phil Douglas was 11-4 with a 2.63 ERA, he was with last year's Giants but did not pitch in their loss to the '09 A's in the tournament. Douglas was 22 when he broke in with the White Sox in '12, the Giants got him for Dave Robertson during the '19 season from the Cubs. This is his last year in the big leagues and he led the league in ERA (that's probably a very small club). In the '21 World Series he started 3 times against the Yankees, 26 innings, a 2.08 ERA and he went 2-1. Wally Schang reaches via error and then Babe Ruth doubles, a second error scores a run and a Home Run Baker sac fly ties the score. Giants 2 Yankees 2
2nd: 1-2-3
2nd: 1-2-3
3rd: Stengel singles with one out, he's got two hits already. Stengel's 31, broke in with the Dodgers in '12, led the league in OBP in '14, he came to the Giants last year in a deal we've already discussed, along with Johnny Rawlings. He led the league this year in getting hit by pitches (and since Mays is throwing for the Yankees, that's something to keep an eye on) He and Bancroft get shipped to the Braves after the '23 season and his last year as a player is '25. He went 2-5 in the '22 World Series. Aftet the second out, Earl Smith singles home a run and the Giants are back on top. Giants 3 Yankees 2
3rd: After an out - Babe Ruth follows that double by hitting a mammoth home run to dead center field that ties the score. The Babe was 19 when he came up with the Red Sox in '14, he led the league in ERA in '16 and in complete games in '17-- in '18 and '19 ('19 is his bat breakout season, he's the best hitter on the Red Sox in '18 but in '19 he's the best hitter baseball's ever seen) he led the league in homers and then was sold to the Yankees. He leads the league in everything in '20 and this year he hit 59 homers. This is maybe the best year of Ruth's career. Ruth leads the league in OPS+ every year from '19-24, winning the MVP in '23. He then leads the league in OPS+ again from '26-31, finishing 5th in the MVP in '31 and 6th in '32. 8 times in his career Ruth led in runs scored, 12 times in homers, 5 times in RBI, once in batting average, 10 times in OBP, 13 times in slugging. He holds the career best OPS+.He's with the Yankees through '34 and spends the last year of his career with the Braves. In the '21 World Series he was 5-16 with 5 walks and a homer. In the '22 World Series he was just 2-17 with 2 walks. That's all. Giants 3 Yankees 3
4th: Back and forth they go - High Pockets Kelly singles with one out, steals second, scores on a Heinie Groh single. We just saw Kelly, he was the first baseman for last year's team. In the '21 World Series he went 7-30, 3 walks and struck out 10 times. In the '22 World Series he was 5-18. After the second out Bancroft walks, Stengel then singles to right -- but the Giants don't plate another. Giants 4 Yankees 3
4th: 1-2-3
5th: Irish Meusel singles with two outs, we discussed him as the left fielder on last year's team, coming over from the Phillies at midseason. He had a big World Series in '21, 10-29, homer and a triple - 17 total bases. He was 5-20 in '22. Frankie Frisch then walks - but Mays escapes.
5th: 1-2-3, 8 straight for Douglas since the homer.
6th: Dave Bancroft reaches on a two out error; Bancroft was the shortstop on last year's team, Bancroft really struggled in both World Series - in '21 he was 5-33, in '22 he was 4-19. Stengel then walks but the Giants don't capitalize.
6th: Babe Ruth is 2-2, double/homer --- and he hits the first pitch into the right field seats to tie the score. The Babe has hit 2 homers today, much as he was during the season he sets the tone for this Yankee club. Giants 4 Yankees 4
7th: Frankie Frisch singles with 2 out, Frisch was the Giants third baseman a year ago and is their second baseman now; he was 9-30 with 4 walks in the '21 World Series; and then 8-17 in '22. He steals second and then scores the go ahead run on another Kelly base hit. That's it for Mays, 27 year old RH Tom Sheehan is the new Yankee pitcher, he gives up a single to Groh, McGraw calls on Bill Cunningham to hit for Douglas -- and he doubles home Kelly and now it's 6-4 and then Bancroft singles -- that plates two men and the Giants may have put this one out of reach. Back to the pen for 37 year old Jack Quinn - Stengel reaches on an error (this is all happening with 2 out) Youngs singles -- and then an Earl Smith triple clears the bases and this ballgame is over. 24 year old RH Alex Ferguson now enters - and after 11 men have gone to the plate the inning ends. Giants 11 Yankees 4
7th: 26 year old RH Carmen Hill gets the call from McGraw - 1-2-3, the Yankees only have 3 hits today, all from the Babe.
8th: Frankie Frisch triples and then Kelly walks. Heinie Groh doubles both men home and the Giants are now pouring it on these Yankees. Groh broke in with the Giants back in '12, but they sent him to the Reds two years later - he was in Cincinnati last year, but following the season, they aquired him again for George Burns. Groh went 9-19 with a triple in the '22 Series, he'll finish his career in Pittsburgh in '27. 26 year old lefty Harry Harper is the next Yankees pitcher, he gets an out and then gives up the 14th run of the day on a Bancroft single. Stengel singles. Young singles and it scores another run. The Yankees finally get the second out of the inning on a Smith groundout that scores another run. And then Harper hits Irish Meusel. So - that's interesting, this is clearly intentional - the Giants are just pouring it on the Yankees and this is what happens in this era of baseball for sure. The interesting part is Irish Meusel's brother is a Yankee. We'll see how this develops. Giants 16 Yankees 4
8th: 30 year old RH Jack Scott is the new Giants pitcher; Chick Fewster pinch hitting for the Yanks and he singles. Schang walks, Scott gets a double play from Ruth. Bob Meusel singles and scores a run. 25 year old RH Virgil Barnes comes on and ends the inning. Giants 16 Yankees 5
9th: 25 year old RH Bill Piercy is the new pitcher; 1-2-3
9th: 1-2-3
Giants 16
Yankees 5
WP Douglas
LP Mays
16 runs, 19 hits, the Giants unleash on the Yankees in game 1.
Bancroft reached twice, 3 RBI
Stengel reached 5x
Youngs reached twice
Smith reached 3x, triple 6 RBI
Meusel reached twice
Frisch reached 3x, triple
Kelly reached 3x
Groh reached 3x with 3 RBI
For the Yanks..
Ruth reached 3x w/2 homers
Game 2...still in the Polo Grounds. Do the Yanks have an answer?
Giants
SS Bancroft (31) 109 6.6
CF Stengel (31) 154 2.6
RF Youngs (25) 120 3.4
C Smith (25) 118 1.3
2B Frisch (24) 110 4.4
LF Meusel (29) 122 2.6
1B Kelly (26) 118 3.8
3B Groh (32) 80 1.9
SP2 Nehf (25) (LH) 122 3
Yankees
RF Meusel (24) 128 4.1
LF Ruth (26) 239 11.8
C Schang (31) 123 3.5
CF Miller (30) 103 .7
2B Ward (24) 98 3.1
SS Peckinpaugh (30) 97 3.3
3B Baker (35) 99 2
1B Pipp (28) 95 2
SP2 Hoyt (21) 136 4.9
GAME TWO
1st: The Giants just punished the Yankees in game 1 - Huggins looks to counter McGraw's bats with 21 year old RH Waite Hoyt, 19-13, 3.09. Hoyt broke in with these Giants back in '18, went to Boston and this is his first year as a Yankee (he and Schang came together in a 7 player deal). He started 3 games in the '21 World Series, completed them all and didn't give up an earned run (still just went 2-1). In '22 he threw 11 innings and gave up just one earned run (still went 0-1). He'll be a Yankee until '30, wind up back with the Giants in '32, and finish his career in Brooklyn in '38. He walks Ross Youngs with two out and that's all.
1st: Art Nehf is a 29 year old lefty, we saw him with last year's Giants, this year he's 19-13, 3.29, like Hoyt, Nehf was strong in both the World Series matchups between these squads - in '21 he threw 3 complete games, went 1-2, had an ERA of 1.38 and in '22 he got two starts, went 1-0, 16 innings, an ERA of 2.25. He gives up a two out single to Wally Schang, that's all.
2nd: Frankie Frisch walks with one out, that's it.
2nd: 1-2-3
3rd: Casey Stengel singles with 2 out, that's all.
3rd: Bob Meusel doubles with 2 outs - Bob's 5 years younger than his brother on the other side, he broke in last year - he will lead the league in homers in '25, he'll stay in New York until they sell him to the Reds in '30, where he spends one year and stops. Meusel went 6-30 in the '21 Series and 6-20 in '22. McGraw orders that Ruth's intentionally walked and it works.
4th: Earl Smith walks - nothing results.
4th: 1-2-3, Hoyt and Nehf strong early here in Game 2.
5th: Kelly singles - that's all.
5th: 1-2-3, 7 straight for Nehf
6th: 1-2-3, Hoyt's allowed 2 Giants hits a game after they had 19.
6th: After two out, Schang reaches via error and Elmer Miller singles. Miller came up in '12 with the Cards, the Yanks bought him in '15, he's really a part timer his entire Yankee career and this year ends that career - during the next season he's sent to the Red Sox with Joe Dugan, among others, coming back. Miller was 5-31 in the '21 Series. Aaron Ward then singles home the game's first run - followed by Roger Peckinpaugh singling home the game's second - followed by Home Run Baker singling home the third - the Yanks have taken the lead. Giants 0 Yankees 3
7th: 1-2-3, 8 straight for Hoyt.
7th: Hoyt helps himself with a single, 2 outs later Wally Schang walks and another Miller single scores a run - it sure looks like the Yankees are about to even this series. Giants 0 Yankees 4
8th: 1-2-3, 11 straight for Hoyt, he's throwing a 2 hitter and the Yanks are in control of game 2.
8th: Rosy Ryan is a 24 year old RH on now for the Giants, he gives up a one out Home Run Baker doubl and then a Wally Pipp walk, but that's all.
9th: Casey Stengel ends the shutout with a first pitch homer.
And that's all.
Giants 1
Yankees 4
WP Hoyt
LP Nehf
Complete game 3 hitter for Hoyt evens the series at 1.
For the Yanks...Ruth has reached 4x w/2 homers
Schang reached twice in game 2
Miller reached twice in game 2
Baker reached twice in game 2
For the Giants..
Bancroft reached twice, 3 RBI
Stengel reached 7x w/homer
Youngs reached 3x
Smith reached 4x, triple 6 RBI
Meusel reached twice
Frisch reached 4x, triple
Kelly reached 4x
Groh reached 3x with 3 RBI
We head...well, stay at the Polo Grounds but now the Giants are the home team in their home park for the next two.
C Schang (31) 123 3.5
LF Ruth (26) 239 11.8
RF Meusel (24) 128 4.1
3B Baker (35) 99 2
1B Pipp (28) 95 2
CF Miller (30) 103 .7
2B Ward (24) 98 3.1
SS Peckinpaugh (30) 97 3.3
SP3 Shawkey (30) 103 2.8
SS Bancroft (31) 109 6.6
CF Stengel (31) 154 2.6
RF Youngs (25) 120 3.4
C Smith (25) 118 1.3
2B Frisch (24) 110 4.4
LF Meusel (29) 122 2.6
1B Kelly (26) 118 3.8
3B Groh (32) 80 1.9
SP3 Barnes (29) 115 1.5
1st: We saw Jesse Barnes with last year's Giants team - this year he's 29, 13-8, 3.51, after this year he only has 4 more starts left for the Giants. He pitched 16 innings in the '21 Series, went 2-0 with an ERA of 1.65. In '22 he threw 10 innings, 1.80 ERA. He gives up a 2 out double to Meusel, that's all.
1st: The Yankees counter with 30 year old RH Bob Shawkey, 18-12, 4.08. Broke in in '13 with the A's, came to New York two years later and spent the rest of his career as a Yankee. Led the league in saves in both '16 and '19, in ERA in '20 - his last season is '27. Rough '21 Series against the Giants, 9 innings, 7 earned runs. '22 was better, 10 innings, gave up 3. Bancroft opens with a single - steals second - scores on a Stengel base hit. After an out, an Earl Smith single scores Stengel. It ends here - Yankees 0 Giants 2
2nd: 1-2-3
2nd: Barnes singles with one out and here's Bancroft again - doubling him over to third. After the second out Shawkey walks Youngs and the bases are loaded. And then they're not - Earl Smith crushes a grand slam to right - the Giants go up 6-0 in this pivotal game 3. 24 year old RH Alex Ferguson now enters for the Yankees to end it. Yankees 0 Giants 6
3rd: 1-2-3, Barnes has a 6 run lead and has retired 7 straight.
3rd: Meusel singles and Kelly doubles him home - this game resembling that game one beatdown the Giants put on the Yanks. Two outs later Bancroft walks and Stengel singles to load them up. That ends it for Ferguson -- despite having thrown a complete game 3 hitter in game two, the Yankees go back now to Waite Hoyt - we'll see how much he has left in the right arm. He gets out of it. Yankees 0 Giants 7
4th: Meusel hits a one out double, and then Pipp drives him home. Yankees 1 Giants 7
4th: 1-2-3
5th: Peckinpaugh and Hoyt single with one out, that's all.
5th: 1-2-3, Hoyt comes on and gets 7 straight Giants.
6th: Baker walks with one out and then Wally Pipp hits a 2 run homer. Pipp's 28, came up with the Tigers in '13, much like Shawkey, they bought him in '15, led the league in homers in '16 and '17, next year he finishes 8th in the AL MVP race, he leads the league in triples in '24, and is sold to the Reds in '26 where he finishes out his career in '28. He had a bad '21 Series, 4-26, better in '22, 6-21, Yankees 3 Giants 7
6th: Bancroft walks - he's on board 4 times today - then scores on a Stengel triple; Stengel then scores on a groundout and the Giants get those 2 runs back. Smith singles/Frisch walks, it ends here. Yankees 3 Giants 9
7th: Roger Peckinpaugh singles. He was 19 when he broke in with Cleveland back in '10, the Yankees got him in '13 and he'll be their shortstop for 9 years - this is the last one, he's sent in a big 7 player deal to the Red Sox, Jack Quinn goes with him, Bullet Joe Bush, Sad Sam Jones, Everett Scott come back. He'll win the AL MVP in '25 for the Senators and retire with the White Sox after the '27 season. He had a rough '21 Series, 5-28. Chick Fewster comes on to hit and singles - after a double play, Ruth singles home a run, and then Schang triples home Ruth and the Yankees have two more. Rosy Ryan enters and ends it. Yankees 5 Giants 9
7th: 27 year old RH Tom Sheehan is the new Yankee pitcher; He walks Heinie Groh and then an out later he gives up a Bancroft single - Bancroft does not stop - but it ends there, the Yankees still in this one.
8th: After an out, Miller singles and Ward walks - Ryan gets the second but then walks the pinch hitter, Chicken Hawks and now the bases are loaded - the tying run coming to the plate. But the Yankees don't score.
8th: Jack Quinn is the next Yankee pitcher- he's a 37 year old RH, he gets two, gives up a Meusel single and that's it.
9th: Ruth triples to open the 9th - Ryan gets one - and then he gets the second, Ruth scoring on a Baker groundout.
Two outs - Pipp keeps the Yankees alive with a base hit - but Miller grounds to short and that's that.
Yankees 6
Giants 9
WP Barnes
LP Shawkey
Giants bats win game 3 to take the 2-1 series lead.
For the Giants..
Bancroft has reached 7x,
Stengel has reached 10x w/homer/triple
Youngs reached 4x
Smith reached 7x, triple/grand slam 11 RBI
Meusel has reached five x
Frisch has reached 5x, triple
Kelly has reached 5x
Groh has reached 4x with 3 RBI
For the Yanks...Ruth has reached 6x w/2 homers/triple
Schang reached twice in game 2
Meusel reached 3x in game 3
Miller reached 3x in game 2-3
Baker reached 3x in game 2-3
Pipp reached 3x in game 3 w/homer 3 rbi
Peckinpaugh reached 2x in game 3
So- game 4. Can the Yankees force a game 5?
Yankees
C Schang (31) 123 3.5
LF Ruth (26) 239 11.8
RF Meusel (24) 128 4.1
3B Baker (35) 99 2
1B Pipp (28) 95 2
CF Miller (30) 103 .7
2B Ward (24) 98 3.1
SS Peckinpaugh (30) 97 3.3
P Mays (29) 138 6.7
Giants
SS Bancroft (31) 109 6.6
CF Stengel (31) 154 2.6
RF Youngs (25) 120 3.4
C Smith (25) 118 1.3
2B Frisch (24) 110 4.4
LF Meusel (29) 122 2.6
1B Kelly (26) 118 3.8
3B Groh (32) 80 1.9
P Douglas (32) 153 2.6
GAME FOUR
1st: Phil Douglas was the winning pitcher back in game one and he returns in game 4 looking to close this out. He walks Wally Schang to open the game. Schang was top 10 AL MVP his first two seasons, '13 and '14, both with the A's. He comes to the Yankees from the Red Sox before this season in the Waite Hoyt deal. He's in New York five seasons then is dealt to the Browns. Schang plays until he's 41, retiring with the Tigers in '31. 1921 was his 4th career World Series appearance with 3 different clubs, he went 6-21 and in '22 he was 3-16. That's all the Yankees get.
1st: Carl Mays was the game one loser and he returns; 1-2-3
2nd: Pipp walks, that's all.
2nd: Earl Smith singles - Smith was the MVP in round one and is just bruising with the bat in this series; Frisch then singles and the Giants have them on the corners with nobody out, the Giants do not score.
3rd: Schang walks with one out, Douglas walking a Yankee every inning, but also he has yet to allow a hit.
3rd: Bancroft reached 5 times in game 3 and singles with 2 out, Casey Stengel has been on base 10 times in this series and here's number 11 - he triples to score the game's first run. Yankees 0 Giants 1
4th: With one out, Pipp reached by error and then Miller singles him to third, the first Yankee hit. Pipp scores the tying run on a Ward groundout. Peckinpaugh walks - it ends here. Yankees 1 Giants 1
4th: Meusel walks with 2 out and then High Pockets Kelly hits a 2 run homer - and now this Polo Grounds crowd, basically evenly divided between Yankees and Giants partisans starts to rumble. The Giants have a 2 run lead in a game that can send them to the next round. Groh singles, that's all. Yankees 1 Giants 3
5th: Schang doubles, moves to second on an out, scores on a Meusel groundout. Yankees 2 Giants 3
5th: 1-2-3
6th: McGraw goes to the pen - he'll look to squeeze four more innings. Rosy Ryan is first, he walks Miller with 1 out, that's all.
6th: 1-2-3, 7 straight for Mays. Tight one here in game 4.
7th: 1-2-3
7th: Groh hits a one out double, after the second out he comes around to score on a Bancroft base hit -- and the Giants now have a 2 run lead with 2 innings to go. Stengel singles, Ross Youngs doubles both men home -- that could do it - that could do it - it's 6-2. Tom Sheehan enters and the inning ends. Yankees 2 Giants 6
8th: 24 year old Claude Jonnard RH makes his first appearance in the series - he gives up a one out double to Baker, but that's all - the Giants are 3 outs away.
8th: Frisch walks - thats all.
9th: Aaron Ward singles to open the 9th. Yankees need 4 runs.
Peckinpaugh then singles. 2 on. Nobody out.
And Chick Fewster draws the pinch walk.
Well - loaded. Nobody out. Tying run comes to the plate -- Babe Ruth does not have a hit today and he is on deck.
Wally Schang singles - scores a run and it's 6-3 and here comes the Babe.
25 year old RH Virgil Barnes comes on for the Giants. Babe Ruth. Bases loaded.
Ruth flies to right. One away.
Meusel strikes out. Two away.
Baker flies to right. It's over.
Yankees 3
Giants 6
WP Douglas
LP Mays
The Yankees had a chance - but they go home and we will basically get a rematch in the next round - the 1909 A's beat the 1921 Giants -- and next round they will face the 1922 Giants.
For the Giants..
Bancroft reached 9x,
Stengel reached 12x w/homer/2triples
Youngs reached 7x
Smith reached 8x, triple/grand slam 11 RBI
Frisch reached 7x, triple
Kelly has reached 6x with a homer
Let's say it's Stengel/Smith, co-MVPs
