Looking back

Congrats to the Sox on their second World Series victory in 89 years. A tremendous amount has been written about the new Sox dynasty so I wanted to look back at the 1918 Sox.

While looking at the championship Sox team I stumbled onto a pretty interesting story.

Boston started the season with a 7-1 victory over Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's at Shibe Field. 23 year old ace left-hander Babe Ruth pitched a four hitter. Shortly after manager Ed Barrow started Ruth's conversion to slugger - he lead the team batting .325 in 1917 - by working him into seventy-two games as an outfielder-first baseman. Ruth would end up starting 19 games for the BoSox that season, while spending 47 games in left field, 13 at first base and even 12 in center -- this was in his more svelte/fit days.

As the cloud of World War I hung over the nation, baseball provided a valuable escape. Sunday baseball was officially legalized in Washington, D.C. on May 14th after district commissioners finally rescinded the ban in response to the large increase in the city's wartime population and the need for more recreational activities.

But not an escape from duty for the players. Secretary of War Newton D. Baker ruled that baseball was not considered an essential occupation and that all players of draft age were subject to the "work-in-essential-industries-or-fight" rule. Several players were shipped overseas. On October 5th, National League infielder Eddie Grant became the first Major League player killed in wartime action while leading a mission in the Argonne Forest offensive to rescue the "Lost Battalion" who was trapped behind German lines.

The World Series featured the Boston Red Sox versus the Chicago Cubs - who ran away with the National League totaling a baseball best 84-45 record.

During the 7th-inning stretch in Game 1 of the World Series, a military band played "The Star Spangled Banner" as a tribute to all servicemen on leave and in attendance. From then on, the song was played at every World Series outing and every season opener (though it was not yet adopted as the national anthem).

The World Series took a down turn when players threatened to strike prior to Game 5.

Chicago would take Game 5 - on the strength of a shut out from Cubs ace Hippo Vaughn - after players relented.

Boston would finish off the Cubbies in Game 6, 2-1. The Sox scored both runs in the third inning when left fielder George Whiteman - a spare backup who got the start over Ruth in left and hitting fourth - knocked a liner into right. Ruth did see action late in the game but Whiteman came up big as two runners scored. However Whiteman did not receive any RBI's for his work because the ball was hit right at Cubs right fielder Max Flack. The 5'7'' Flack had the ball tip off his glove for the game, and series, costing error.

Ed Barrow's move to bench Ruth payed off but there is no doubt that the Sox would have just been an ordinary club if not for the Babe. Despite hitting in just half of the team's games Ruth was at or near the top in virtually every offensive stat including home runs where he tied Philly slugger Tilly Walker with 11.

The only problem is that Ruth actually hit 12.

Prior to 1920 games were considered over immediately after the last out or winning run scored. On July 8th, 1918 the Red Sox went into a double header against rival Cleveland with only a half game edge in the pennant race. Boston sent 16 game winner Sam Jones to the hill against future Hall of Famer Stan Coleveski.

Coleveski (or Coleveske) was born Stanislaus Kowalewski in rural coal-mining Pennsylvania. Covey, as he was affectionately known, began working the coal mines at age 12 and after work would set up tin cans on a fence post and knock them off by pitching rocks. As he recalled some eighty years later, "The plate's a lot bigger than a tin can to throw at. When it come to throwing a baseball, why, it was easy to pitch."

The semi-pro ballclub in Shamokin heard about the aim he had developed and, short a pitcher one day, invited him to pitch for them. He only hurled in five outings for the semi-pro club but off the strength of his performance he signed a deal with the Lancaster Red Roses in 1909 at age 19. He made it to the bigs in 1922 for Connie Mack's A's but stayed there only briefly despite throwing a three hit shutout in his debut. The A's were in the midst of building a dynasty and Mack - known for his temper - had no room for a young rube. Coleveski was sent to the minors and it was there, in 1915 that he career changed.

Covey was introduced to the spitball in the Pacific Coast League he mastered it shortly thereafter and was back up in the show by 1916 with Cleveland.

On July 8th, 1918 Cleveland and Boston squared off for AL supremacy. In the important game, neither pitcher gave an inch and the score remained tied at 0 thru 9 innings. This was back in the days when men were men and pitchers regularly threw as long as their arms were still attached to their bodies. In fact the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves went head-to-head on August 1st for a Major League record of twenty scoreless innings. Marathon man Art Nehf went the distance for Boston, but was eventually beaten 2-0 in the twenty-first inning.

Each manager left in his starter in the game and Sam Jones set Cleveland down for a tenth straight inning - an impressive feat considering that the Indians lead the league in scoring and their lineup contained Hall of Famers "Smokey" Joe Wood and Tris Speaker.

Covey however had to face Babe Ruth with a runner on in the bottom of the 10th. The Great Bambino knocked a Coveleski offering over the right field fence in Fenway Park for a walk off home run.

But thanks to the official scoring rules at the time, Babe only got one of his 11 triples on the season and not one of his "11" home runs.