New York Giants - The War Years (WW I) (1910-1919)

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1910

101

Decade

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Titles:

Top Giants Players of the Teens

NL Champs 1911, 1912, 1913, 1917

Lost World Series to: A's-1911, Red Sox-1912, A's-1913, White Sox-1917

Pitchers:

Christy Mathewson (29.46) - 79

BallPark:

Jeff Tesreau (21.66) - 70

Polo Grounds III (1910-1911)

Rube Marquard (17.13) - 52

Hilltop Park (1911)

Pol Perritt (6.47) - 46

Polo Grounds IV (1911-1919)

Rube Benton (4.56) - 30

Doc Crandall (6.58) - 23

Team Name:

Slim Sallee (5.25) - 21

Giants

Jesse Barnes (4.01) - 20

Ferdie Schupp (4.94) - 18

Owner:

Al Demaree (5.02) - 17

John T Brush (1910-1912)

Red Ames (8.87) - 15

Harry N Hempstead (1912-1919)

Hooks Wiltse (6,59) - 14

Charles A Stoneham (1919)

Fred Toney (5.94) - 12

Louis Drucke (4.36) - 5

General Manager:

None

Catchers:

Chief Meyers (19.39) - 49

Managers:

Bill Rariden (4.52) - 10

John McGraw (1910-1919)

Lew McCarty (5.02) - 6

No Hitters:

First Basemen:

Jeff Tesreau (1912)

Fred Merkle (15.32) - 61

Rube Marquard (1915)

Second Basemen:

Hall of Famers:

Larry Doyle (33.77) - 59

John McGraw

Frankie Frisch

ShortStop:

Rube Marquard

Artie Fletcher (41.84) - 106

Christy Mathewson

Al Bridwell (5.11) - 13

George Kelly

Edd Roush

Third Base:

Ross Youngs

Heinie Zimmerman (9.58) - 24

Buck Herzog (9.49) - 18

MVP

Tillie Shafer (4.02) - 12

Larry Doyle (1912)

Art Devlin (4.14) - 9

Notable Events:

Outfield:

George Burns (28.79) - 91

1910 - New York embarks on one of the most successful decades of

Fred Snodgrass (12.99) - 58

any team in history. Four firsts, four seconds with two hundred win

Benny Kauff (13.46) - 41

seasons and three ninety win seasons.

Red Murray (6.83) - 32

The only downer was that the Giants lost all four world series that

Ross Youngs (7.35) - 25

they were in in the decade.

Dave Robertson (8.34) - 24

The 1910 team had nine players on its roster that would be

Josh Devore (3.98) - 23

major contributors to the Giants success during the decade:

□ Righthander Christy Mathewson, 29 - Hall of Famer

Notable Events:

□ Lefthander Rube Marquard, 23 - Hall of Famer

□ Righthander Doc Crandall, 22

1916 - Benny Kauff, 26, is picked up after the Federal League disbands.

□ Catcher Chief Meyers, 29 - one of the top backstops of the decade

Kauff was a big time star in the FL and didn't quite live up to the hype

□ First Baseman Fred Merkle, 21

with the Giants, but he was a good ballplayer in New York. He cost $35K,

□ Second Baseman Larry Doyle, 23

a princely amount, as the price from the Brooklyn Tip Tops.

□ Shortstop Artie Fletcher, 25

□ Outfielder Fred Snodgrass, 22

1916 - The Giants go on winning streaks of 17 and 26 games (a record)

□ Outfielder Red Murray, 26

and still only finish in fourth place.

1911 - Outfielder George Burns, 21, is purchased from Utica

1917 - Outfielder Ross Youngs, 20, is purchased from Sherman

1911 - Polo Grounds III burns down in April. The Giants share Hilltop

1917 - In sort of a one-off season over the second half of the decade,

Park with the Highlanders (Yankees) until a replacement park,

the Giants win the pennant. They were merely good in the surrounding

Polo Grounds IV, is built. It opens in June.

seasons. It's sensational pitching that does it for them as Schupp,

They got things done fast - and good - in those days.

Sallee, Benton and Perritt combine for a 71-30 2.13 mark.

1911 - The Giants set a league record with 347 stolen bases.

1917 - The Giants lose their fourth World Series of the decade.

Five players out of their eight starters steal between 38 and 61 bases:

Again, it was a faux pas that did them in. This time catcher

Merkle, Gilbert, Murray, Devore and Snodgrass

Bill Rariden missed a tag on White Sox Eddie Collins in a rundown

and then brain cramped to allow White Sox runners on first and

1912 - Righthander Jeff Tesreau, 24, is a rookie.

second to move into scoring position - and eventually score they did.

He had been purchased from Shreveport two years earlier.

1918 - Jesse Barnes, twenty five year old righthander, is obtained from

1912 - Rube Marquard wins 19 games in a row.

the Braves in return for Buck Herzog. A nice deal for the Giants

1912 - Fred Snodgrass costs the Giants the Series by dropping a

1918 - Righthander Fred Toney, 29, is purchased from the Reds

routine fly ball against the Red Sox

1919 - Lefthander Artie Nehf, 26, is puchased from the Braves -

1913 - Christy Mathewson sets a record pitching 68 consecutive

the Giants throw in four bodies in addition to the $55K

innings without issuing a walk

1919 - Jesse Barnes's little brother, righthander Virgil, 23, is a rookie

1914 - After three straight pennants, New York nosedives 18 games

in the standings to a distant second place. By their runs totals,

1919 - Catcher Frank Snyder, 25, is picked up in a deal with the Cards

the Giants should have only dropped seven games in the standings

for pitcher Ferdie Schupp

as they over achieved a bit in '13 and under achieved a bit in '14.

Nonetheless, it was the pitching that sabotaged the New Yorkers.

1919 - Twenty one year old, future Hall of Fame second baseman,

Rube Marquard and Al Demaree fell from a combined 36-14 to a

Frankie Frisch, the Fordham Flash, is signed

combined 22-39 as their ERA's moved up over 3 (very bad in those

days). It would all collapse in 1915 as Mathewson gets old.

1919 - Charles Stoneham wins the club in a poker game with owner

Harry Hempstead. Giants management has always been on the

1915 - Pol Perrit, twenty three year old righthander, is obtained

combatative / thug side of the tracks since the turn of the century.

from the Cards for Bob Bescher and cash

Manager John McGraw's pugnacious manner fit in perfectly with

Giants ownership throughout. Under Stoneham, the Giants franchise

1915 - Righthander Rube Benton, 25, is purchased from the Reds for

would still be from the wrong side of the tracks, but in a different way.

$3000. Not much even in those days

The new owner was a big time gambler and had ties, ironically, with

Arnold Rothstein who was behind the Black Sox scandal.

1915 - George Highpockets Kelly, 19, is signed from Victoria.

In a baseball sense, however, Stoneham proved to be a good owner.

The first baseman is a future Hall of Famer

There's nothing to make you think that he mixed his gambling interests

with his baseball interests, at all. And, he provided McGraw with all the

1916 - Lefthander Slim Sallee, 31, is purchased from the Cards for

resources that John needed to win. Also, McGraw was a straight shooter

$10K. He was one of the better pitchers in the league while in St. Louis

and would not have tolerated any shenanigans from Stoneham had

and continued his success in New York

they been broached.