Boston Red Sox - The Turn of the Century (1901-1909)

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1900

Decade

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105

Titles:

Top Red Sox Players of the first decade of the Century

1903 (Beat Pittsburgh)

1904 (No World Series Played)

Pitchers:

Cy Young (66.22) - 138

BallPark:

Bill Dineen (20.28) - 51

Huntington Avenue Grounds

George Winter (11.65) - 43

Jesse Tannehill (12.76) - 35

Team Name:

Ed Cicotte (4.15) - 18

Americans (1901 - 1906)

Norwood Gibson (0.04) - 15

Red Sox (1907-1909)

Frank Arellanes (4.15) - 14

Tom Hughes (3.43) - 11

Owner:

Cy Morgan (5.86) - 11

Charles W Somers (1901-1902)

Ted Lewis (3.13) - 11

Henry J Killilea (1903-1904)

Smoky Joe Wood (2.72) - 10

John I Taylor (1904-1909)

Catchers:

General Managers:

Lou Criger (5.81) - 29

None

First Basemen:

Managers:

Jake Stahl (4.99) - 12

Jimmy Collins (1901-1906)

Candy LaChance (0.72) - 10

Chick Stahl (1906)

Cy Young (1907)

Second Basemen:

George Huff (1907)

Hobe Ferris (12.59) - 39

Bob Unglaub (1907)

Amby McConnell (4.69) - 17

Deacon McGuire (1907-1908)

Fred Lake (1908-1909)

ShortStop:

Freddy Parent (27.54) - 65

No Hitters:

Heinie Wagner (8.95) - 23

Cy Young (1904 - Perfect Game)

Jesse Tannehill (1904)

Third Base:

Bill Dinneen (1905)

Jimmy Collins (28.05) - 50

Cy Young (1908)

Harry Lord (5.3) - 15

Hall of Famers:

Outfield:

Cy Young

Buck Freeman (18.27) - 54

Jack Chesbro

Chick Stahl (18.03) - 54

Jimmy Collins

Patsy Dougherty (6.87) - 23

Harry Hooper

Doc Gessler (6.26) - 20

Tris Speaker

Tris Speaker (6.26) - 19

Jesse Burkett

Kip Selbach (4.98) - 16

Denny Sullivan (2.72) - 15

Notable Events:

1901 - The Boston American League franchise is born. President

Ban Johnson, who had been President of the Western League,

1906 -Twenty two year old catcher Bill Carrigan signs with the

wanted a Boston franchise, although there was no Boston based

Americans and comes up to the big leagues.

owner. Cleveland based Charles Somers, who also owned the

Cleveland franchise, took on the responsibility of owning

1907 - The nickname morphs to Red Stockings and then Red Sox

Boston initially.

Owner Taylor wanted the name since he bought the club but

couldn't use it until the cross town Beaneaters removed all of the

1901 - The team's name is the Americans based on the league name.

red from their uniforms, which they finally did in '07.

1901 - The Americans, with AL Commissioner Ban Johnson

1907 - Thirty Seven year old star third baseman Jimmy Collins is

leading the way behind the scenes, raid the National League

dealt to the A's. No surprise here as he had worn out his welcome.

big time. They grab crosstown Beaneaters' top four players:

fan favorite third baseman Jimmy Collins; first baseman

1907 - Star Shortstop Freddy Parent is dealt to Chicago. Taylor

Buck Freeman, outfielder Chick Stahl and ace pitcher

is cleaning house and Parent was one of Collins's boys.

Bill Dinneen. The Americans are now toast of the town.

1907 - The turmoil in Boston continues. New player manager

1901 - Collins, the fan's favorite in Boston, is enticed not only with

Chick Stahl commits suicide.

money but with the opportunity to build and run the team and he

"jumps" at the chance. He is appointed manager and stays at the

1907 - Nineteen year old outfielder Tris Speaker is purchased

helm into the 1906 season.

from Houston. He goes on to be one of the greatest center

fielders the game has ever seen.

1901 - The Americans also sign a bunch of excellent youngsters:

shortstop Freddy Parent; second baseman Hobe Ferris;

1908 - The Sox purchase twenty four year old future Hall of Fame

outfielder Patsy Dougherty and pitcher George Winter.

callibre pitcher Eddie Cicotte from the Tigers. The Tigers pitching

staff was loaded and there was no room for him.

1901 - One of the two huge acquisitions in Boston's first year is

(the other being Collins) the pilfering of pitcher Cy Young from the

1908 - Eighteen year old Smokey Joe Wood comes up to the Sox.

Cardinals. Young wins a remarkable 119 games in the first four

He was purchased from Kansas City. Wood is an exceptional

years of the decade - that's thirty a year folks!

talent but injuries foil a potential Hall of Fame career.

1903 - Somers sells the team to Henry J Killilea. Nice buy by Henry

1908 - Twenty two year old third baseman Larry Gardner signs

as Boston wins the World Series, beating the Pirates.

with the Sox and comes up to play in the majors.

1904 - New owner again. John I Taylor. He inherits a pennant

1908 - Twenty year old outfielder Harry Hooper signs with the Sox

winner. The World Series, however, is cancelled. There was a

He comes up to the big club the next year.

lot of bad blood between the leagues and it's actually surprising

that only one World Classic was cancelled in those days.

1908 - tt's Cy Young's last year with the club. He's thirty eight years

old, still effective, and one of the last remnants of the old regime

1904 - Owner Taylor is only twenty Nine years old . At first,

he goes with the flow, but then he starts taking control of the

1909 - Outfielder Duffy Lewis is purchased from Oakland of the

club and makes a hobby of scouting and signing young talent, a

PCL. Along with Hooper and Speaker, who were signed in the

lot of it, exceptional. The Americans don't do much during most of his

previous couple of seasons, owner John Taylor has just

tenure, but he ends up building the foundation for a potential

assembled one of the great outfields of all time. In 1909,

dynasty in the Teens. Unfortunately, Taylor's increased involvement

all three outfielders are only twenty one years old.

in the operation of the team causes friction between him and

manager Collins.

1909 - Boston gains thirteen games in the standings to an 88-63

mark.Taylor's manueverings are beginning to pay off.

1906 - Jimmy Collins makes a move to buy the club from Taylor.

Taylor turns Collins down and a power struggle ensues. Collins

is fired as manager midway thru the season. The team has now

transitioned from the grizzled veteran Collins's to the neophyte

Taylor's. Taylor embarks on putting his stamp on the club.