The 1886 World Series was won by the St. Louis Browns (later the Cardinals) of the American Association over the Chicago White Stockings (later the Cubs) of the National League, four games to two. The series was played on six consecutive days running from October 18 to October 23 in Chicago and St. Louis.
The teams were judged to be approximately equal going into the series, with gamblers betting on the teams at even odds. However, Chicago pitcher Jim McCormick was sidelined by a chronic foot ailment after game 2, and third Chicago pitcher Jocko Flynn had already been lost for the season due to an arm ailment. An effort to use a substitute pitcher was protested by St. Louis, with the board of umpires flipping a coin to decide the matter in favor of the Browns. With his team unable to field a competent second starter, Chicagos ace John Clarkson proved unable to carry the full pitching load, tipping the series to St. Louis.
The series was decided in extra innings of game 6 by Curt Welch's so-called "$15,000 slide" following a passed ball. The decisive run scored by Welch became one of the most famous plays in the history of baseball in that era.
Background
In 1886, the St. Louis Browns won the American Association championship for the second consecutive season with a record of 93–46, while the Chicago White StockingsDespite the seeming similarity of names the Chicago White Stockings were actually the precursor of the Chicago Cubs, not the Chicago White Sox. won the National League championship with a record of 90–34."The Pennant Won: Chicago Takes Off the Honors of the National League," Greensboro North State, Oct. 14, 1886, pg. 5. The victory for the White Stockings, who featured the slugger Cap Anson, marked the 6th time in 11 years that the team had garnered the National League pennant.
The two teams agreed to meet each other in a best-of-seven pre-modern-era World Series, with the winner taking all the prize money."The Chronology – 1886" . baseballlibrary.com. Retrieved February 3, 2014."1886 World Series". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2014. It was the second straight year that the Browns and White Stockings met in the World Series.John Snyder, Cardinals Journal. Clerisy Press, 2013; pp. 34–35. The six games of the series were played on six consecutive days.David Nemec, The Beer and Whisky League. Globe Pequot, 2004; pp. 6, 118–120. The first three games were scheduled for Chicago, with the next three games to be held in St. Louis. A decisive seventh game, if necessary, was to be held in a neutral site. The location of the rubber game in the match was to be determined by coin toss, with each franchise owner selecting a city for the game."Anson's Pets Down Our Browns in Series," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, vol. 37, no. 92 (Oct. 18, 1886), pg. 1.
Going into the series, gamblers are said to have assessed the teams as approximately equal, with bets on the series outcome commonly taking place at even money."Even Money: All the Chicagoans Will Bet on Their Pets Today," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, vol. 37, no. 92 (Oct. 18, 1886), pg. 7. More than $50,000 was said to have been wagered on the series in St. Louis alone."Off for Chicago," The Tennessean [Nashville], Oct. 18, 1886, pg. 8. The Browns are said to have traveled together on a special rail car to Chicago on the day before the scheduled October 18 start of the series.
Game summaries
Game 1 Monday, October 18, 1886, at West Side Park in Chicago, Illinois
The Browns arrived in Chicago on the morning of game day, October 18, and were immediately incensed at an article appearing in the morning Chicago Tribune calling Browns' star third baseman Arlie Latham a "monkey" and advising that White Stockings outfielder King Kelly should create a collision with him on the base. The series started in cold, windy conditionsAlbert John Bushong, "'Doc's' Dictim: Bushong Explains Yesterday's Defeat in Chicago," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, vol. 37, no. 93 (Oct. 19, 1886), pg. 7. at 3:00 pm, with the grandstands filled with a crowd estimated variously between 3,000 and 5,000"The Browns Massacred: Anson's Men Wipe Up the Earth with the Pets," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 19, 1886, pg. 2.—somewhat fewer than anticipated.
The game began with a coin toss to determine which side would bat first, with Anson and Chicago winning the call and sending the Browns to the plate to open.
After retiring the side in order in the top of the first, Chicago quickly jumped out to a two-run lead powered by a Cap Anson RBI triple to the right-center gap. Clean-up hitter Fred Pfeffer drove Anson home with a single, and the blue-uniformed home team took a lead, 2–0. This would prove to be all the scoring that the White Stockings needed for the win as Chicago's ace pitcher John Clarkson (a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame) struck out ten"Home Again: The Browns Arrive from the City by the Lake This Morning," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oct. 21, 1886, pg. 8. in throwing a five-hit shutout as "Anson's Pets" beat Dave Foutz and the Browns, 6–0.
Game 2 Tuesday, October 19, 1886, at West Side Park in Chicago, Illinois
Scottish-born right-hander Jim McCormick got the start and took the loss for Chicago, giving up two home runs to St. Louis outfielder Tip O'Neill. St. Louis curveball specialist Bob Caruthers made short work of the home team, allowing just two hits and cruising to a 12–0 victory in a game mercifully shortened to 8 innings by darkness."What Can the Matter Be? The 'World Beaters' Maul the 'Champs' to the Tune of 12 to 0," Detroit Free Press, Oct. 20, 1886, pg. 8.
The game was reckoned by one sportswriter to be "one of the worst games...ever played" by the Chicagos, who not only failed to hit Caruthers but who also "fielded like a parcel of schoolboys out on a lark and missed nearly every opportunity given them to do effective work." Chicago committed an astounding 12 errors and made 2 wild pitches in the defeat, with third baseman Tom Burns single-handedly adding 4 errors to the team total.
Game 3
Wednesday, October 20, 1886, at West Side Park in Chicago, Illinois
Heavy morning rain in Chicago followed by extensive drizzle threatened the third game of the 1886 World Series on October 20."Under Clear Skies: The Browns Meet the Chicago 'Fat Boy' Nine Again," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, vol. 37, no. 94 (Oct. 20, 1886), pg. 1. However, around 2:00 pm the skies cleared up and the ground was fit to play when the teams took the field for warmups shortly before 3:00 pm. Attendance was weak, doubtlessly owing to the bad weather. Coming off his complete game 1-hitter the previous day, Bob Caruthers again took the ball for the Browns, while John Clarkson made his second series start for the White Stockings. A coin toss determined the first team to bat, with St. Louis winning the flip and sending Chicago up to the plate first.
With his effectiveness hindered by the necessity of pitching two days in a row, the Browns found themselves on their heels quickly when ace Bob Caruthers walked four of the first five batters, surrendering a second run on a base hit given up to third baseman Tom Burns of the Chicagos. The game was called after completion of eight innings due to darkness. John Clarkson was again on top of his game as the right hander struck out 8 Browns in earning his second win of the series. Caruthers took the loss for the Browns, giving Chicago a lead of two games to one in the series.
The Browns and their supporters were despondent over the loss and returned from Chicago to a station devoid of welcoming fans. Browns players were critical of player-manager Charlie Comiskey's decision to start Caruthers in back-to-back games, noting that Nat Hudson had been ready to start for the visitors until the last-minute decision was made to bring back the team's ace on zero rest. Star outfielder Tip O'Neill expressed the view that the pitching situation had been miserably managed and that the entire team had been put off by the decision not to rest Caruthers.
Gambling odds to win the series moved to 5:4 in favor of Chicago following the Browns' game 3 loss, 11–4.
Game 4
Thursday, October 21, 1886, at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri
The series moved to St. Louis on October 21, with Chicago ace John Clarkson pitching for the third time in four days.Bill James, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010; pg. 47. Clarkson was nothing if not durable, having won 53 games in 1885 to lead the National League—the second greatest number of wins by an individual pitcher in baseball history."Single Season Leaders and Records for Wins," Baseball-Reference.com, www.baseball-reference.com/ It was necessity rather than design that forced Clarkson into back-to-back action during the World Series, however. Chicago's second pitcher, Jim McCormick, failed to make the trip due to a recurrence of "rheumatism" in his feet, an ailment which hampered his mobility and made participation impossible. Moreover, third Chicago pitcher Jocko Flynn, a 23-game winner, was already lost to the team for the year (and for his career) with arm trouble."A Big Stake: What the Chicago and St. Louis Clubs Are Playing For," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oct. 23, 1886, pg. 8. In an effort to overcome the pitching deficit the team hurriedly signed a youthful 39-game winner from a minor league club in Duluth, Ward Baldwin, but the new addition to the team did not see action in the series.
It was not for the lack of trying that Baldwin was unavailable to fill the void left by McCormick's injury. Chicago manager Cap Anson intended to start the newcomer in game 4, but objection was made by Browns owner Chris von der Ahe, who declared there was an understanding that the World Series was a competition between the two teams which had won the championships of their respective leagues and that no additional players were to be used by either side. Chicago owner Albert Spalding remonstrated on behalf of the new addition to his stable and the two owners stormed off for speedy decision of the dispute by the board of umpires appointed for the series, a process specified by an earlier agreement between the teams. Three of the four umpires (two from each league) were located and it was determined that the matter should be left to the toss of a coin. The National League lost the flip and Baldwin was barred from the series.
After the starting bell rang at 3:15 pm, the Chicagos managed to rack up a 3–0 lead in the top of the first inning with one hit, two walks, two errors, and a sacrifice fly."'That's the Way!' Capt. Anson's Babies Have Nothing to Say About Their Defeat," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oct. 22, 1886, pg. 5. The Browns narrowed the margin with a run in the second inning on some astute base running by Bill Gleason, with another run notched in the third inning when Tip O'Neill tripled home a runner. The tide turned decisively in the fifth inning when starting pitcher John Clarkson, pitching a second consecutive game, began to run out of gas, giving up a two-run single to center by Gleason, followed by an RBI single by Browns first baseman Charlie Comiskey.
The White Stockings managed to get two runs back in the top in the sixth, powered by Abner Dalrymple's RBI triple to right field, followed by a base hit by Clarkson. The Browns put the game away for good with three more runs in the bottom half of the frame, however, with three walks, two singles, and a muffed fly ball doing the damage. The game was called after seven innings due to darkness, the series knotted at two games each. Chicago manager Cap Anson was angered by the decision to call the game after 7 innings, claiming that sufficient light remained to see the ball when the game was ended, but his plea went unheeded as the crowd of about 8,000 scurried for the exits.