New York Giants - Turn of the Century (1900-1909)

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1900

Decade

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Titles:

Top Giants Players of the First Decade

NL Champs 1904

World Champs 1905 (Beat the A's)

Pitchers:

Christy Mathewson (68.55) - 160

BallPark:

Joe McGinnity (33.48) - 87

Polo Grounds III

Dummy Taylor (15.95) - 60

Hooks Wiltse (20.67) - 49

Team Name:

Red Ames (8.94) - 32

Giants

Catchers:

Owner:

Roger Bresnahan (27.14) - 74

Andrew Freedman (1900-1902)

Frank Bowerman (5.31) - 21

John T Brush (1902-1912)

First Basemen:

General Manager:

Dan McGann (17.25) - 37

None

Fred Tenney (4.41) - 15

Managers:

Second Basemen:

Buck Ewing (1900)

Sammy Strang (11.31) - 33

George Davis (1900-1901)

Billy Gilbert (6.93) - 26

Horace Fogle (1902)

Larry Doyle (5.73) - 18

Heinie Smith (1902)

John McGraw (1902-1909)

ShortStop:

Bill Dahlen (14.8) - 39

No Hitters:

Al Bridwell (10.06) - 25

Christy Mathewson (1901)

George Davis (8.84) - 19

Christy Mathewson (1905)

Hooks Wiltse (1908)

Third Base:

Art Devlin (30.14) - 63

Hall of Famers:

John McGraw

Outfield:

Rube Marquard

Sam Mertes (12.1) - 40

Christy Mathewson

Cy Seymour (10.23) - 37

Joe McGinnity

George Browne (6.74) - 34

Roger Bresnahan

Mike Donlin (13.74) - 31

George Davis

George Van Haltren (7.26) - 26

Dan Brouthers

Kip Selbach (6.51) - 16

Notable Events:

1900 - The New York Giants enter the new century as a perennial

1904 - New York gains another 22 games in the standings and wins the

also-ran in the National League. This trend will continue the

pennant, However, the Giants refuse to play in the World Series. The official

first three years of the Twentieth Century as the Giants finish last

reason is that the American League was inferior (it wasn't), The real

twice and next to last once. The team's owner was Andrew Freedman,

reason was that the fiesty McGraw and owner Brush were feuding with

an abrasive impossible to get along with kind of guy,

American League President Ban Johnson - a blood feud really

1900 - Nineteen year old righthander Christy Mathewson is signed by

1905 - New York agrees to play in the World Series and beats the A's in

the Giants. Christy would become one of the greatest pitchers of all

five games. Christy Mathewson wins three games by shutout, allowing

time and is the ace of the Giants staff for fifteen years.

only 14 hits total.

1900 - Twenty five year old righthander Dummy Taylor, who is deaf,

1906 - New York slips 8.5 games in the standings to second place. They will not

is signed. He doesn't blossom into an asset until McGraw takes

win another pennant in the decade. The Giants pitching held up with their

over the club.

starting five continuing to be strong throughout the decade, altho' McGinnity

and Taylor would be replaced in 1909 by two other solid starters.

1902 - In a complicated set of circumstances, John T Brush, a man who

However, the offense took a nosedive as their smitten star outfielder Mike Donlin

lived by the feud and revelled in the rivalry with the American League,

left baseball at the age of 27 to star on broadway with his wife, an actress, in a

buys the Giants from Andrew Freedman. As part of Brush's attempt

Broadway play. Unfortunately for the Giants, the play had a three year run.

to sabotage the American League, Brush then funds Freedman's

Also, the rest of the New York lineup was starting to age as six starters were.

purchase of the American League Baltimore Orioles.

over the age of thirty.

Freedman's first act as owner of the Orioles was to release all of

the club's best players to the National League including John McGraw,

1907 - Fred Merkle, eighteen year old first baseman is purchased from

Iron Man Joe McGinnitiy, Roger Bresnahan, Dan McGann and Jack

Tecumsah. Despite having a successful sixteen year career, he will be known

Cronin to the Giants. The infusion of talent breathes life into the

for eternity for one blunder when he was only nineteen years old.

moribund Giants franchise.

1907 - Twenty year old second baseman Larry Doyle is signed from Springfield

1902 - Iron Man Joe McGinnity, thirty one year old righthander,

who was "released" by Baltimore and picked up by the Giants had

1908 - Lefthander Rube Marquard, 21, is a rookie purchased from Indianapolis.

plenty left in the tank as he wins 132 for the Giants from 1903-1907 -

that's an average of twenty six wins per season.

1908 - Righthander Doc Crandall, 20 is a rookie selected in the Rule 5 draft

1902 - Future Hall of Fame catcher Roger Bresnahan, 23,

1908 - Fred Snodgrass, twenty year old outfielder is signed from Loyola

another of those Baltimore players "released" to the Giants, becomes

Marymount. He had played a couple of years previously with Los Angeles

a mainstay with the club.

of the Pacific Coast League as a teenager. Snodgrass suffered a similar fate

to Merkle with an error costing the Giants the 1912 World Series

1902 - John McGraw develops "signs". He does it inadvertently, but

sometimes good things happen to those with good intentions.

1908 -The Giants lost the pennant due to Fred Merkle's Boner.

John had his whole team learn sign language in order to be able to

In a late September game against the Cubs, Al Bridwell hit a game

communicate with pitcher Dummy Taylor. The next thing you know,

winning single for the Giants. Merkle was on first base, but instead of

they were using it to signal amongst each other, as well

running to second, he ran into the dugout as fans streamed onto the field.

The Cubs retrieved the ball and stepped on second and the game winning

1903 - Third baseman, Art Devlin, twenty three, is signed from Newark.

hit was nullified. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, the Giants and Cubs finished

He is a big part of the Giants lineup thru the end of the decade.

the season with identical 98-55-1 records and the Cubs won the makeup

game played at the end of the season.

1903 - John McGraw turns the team around after three horrendous

seasons to open up the twentieth century in 1903. The Giants gain

1909 - Catcher Chief Meyers is a twenty nine year old rookie signed from

34.5 games in the standings with many of the same players.

St. Paul. He would have a brief, but productive, big league career playing unitl

McGraw, who became the Giants' third manager of the young century

he was thirty six years old - old for a catcher. Meyers got a late start because

when he came from Baltimore in 1902, raids the American League for

he attended Dartmouth college and then knocked around independent leagues

George Browne and Billy Gilbert and purchases Sam Mertes.

a bit. Things weren't easy for American Indians then (things haven't changed

These were McGraw's kind of guys - aggressive with a winning attitude.

much in the past century) and everything took longer to happen for them.

McGraw's impact on the Giants franchise cannot be underestimated.

He willed the Giants to be the top franchise in baseball for thirty years.

1909 - Outfielder Red Murray, 25, is obtained from the Cards along with

Bugs Raymond and Admiral Schlei for catcher Roger Bresnahan.

1904 - Twenty Four year old lefthander, Hooks Wiltse, is signed from

Bresnahan became expendable with the arrival of Chief Meyers

Troy. Wiltse will be a mainstay in the Giants rotation for the rest

of the decade.

1909 - Artie Fletcher, twenty four year old shortstop is obtained from Dallas