1924 World Series

In the 1924 World Series, the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants in seven games. The Giants became the first team to play in four consecutive World Series, winning in 1921–1922 and losing in 1923–1924. Their long-time manager, John McGraw, made his ninth and final World Series appearance in 1924. This was the second extra-inning World Series-deciding game (1912) and the last until 1991. The winning team of the 1991 World Series was the very same franchise, now known as the Minnesota Twins.

Walter Johnson, after pitching his first 20-victory season (23) since 1919, was making his first World Series appearance, at the age of 36, while nearing the end of his career with the Senators. He lost his two starts, but the Senators battled back to force a Game 7, giving Johnson a chance to redeem himself when he came on in relief in that game. Johnson held on to get the win and give Washington its first and only championship. The seventh game is widely considered to be one of the most dramatic games in Series history.

Johnson struck out twelve Giants batters in Game 1 in a losing cause. Although that total matched Ed Walsh's number in the 1906 World Series, it came in twelve innings. Johnson only struck out nine in the first nine innings.

In Game 7, with the Senators behind 3–1 in the eighth, Bucky Harris hit a routine ground ball to third which hit a pebble and took a bad hop over Giants third baseman Freddie Lindstrom. Two runners scored on the play, tying the score at three. Walter Johnson then came in to pitch the ninth, and held the Giants scoreless into extra innings. With the score still 3–3, Washington came up in the twelfth. With one out, and runners on first and second, Earl McNeely hit another grounder at Lindstrom, and again the ball took a bad hop, scoring Muddy Ruel with the Series-winning run.

This was the only World Series championship victory during the franchise's time in Washington. As the Minnesota Twins, the team won the World Series in 1987 and 1991.

Summary

Unidentified Giants player sliding in safely at home during a game of the 1924 World Series.

AL Washington Senators (4) vs. NL New York Giants (3)

Matchups

Game 1

The Senators tied it at 2–2 with a run in the bottom of the ninth. The Giants scored two in the top of the 12th off the Big Train; Washington fought back for a run in the bottom of the inning, but left the tying run on third.

Game 2

Washington fought back early in the game, scoring 3 runs in 5 innings. But the Giants would quickly fight back in the final three frames to tie the game as it went to the bottom of the ninth. With Joe Judge representing the potential winning run and 1 out, Roger Peckinpaugh hit a double to win the game and tie the series.

Game 3

Washington threatened in the ninth. Ossie Bluege, the only man reliever Claude Jonnard faced, drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-4. Mule Watson then came in to nail down the last two outs.

Game 4

Goose Goslin had a big game for the Senators, with three singles and a home run to go 4-for-4 and drive in four runs.

Game 5

Game 6

Both Washington runs scored on a clutch two-run single in the fifth inning by manager Bucky Harris.

Game 7

The unheralded Curly Ogden was given the Game 7 start for Washington – it was his first and only World Series appearance. He gave up a hit and a walk, and then was pulled for George Mogridge. It was later revealed that manager Bucky Harris started righthander Ogden so that the Giants would be locked into their "righthanded" lineup, before he switched to the lefthander Mogridge.

With the Senators trailing 3–1 in the eighth inning with bases loaded and two outs, Bucky Harris hit a "bad hop" ground ball to third which Fred Lindstrom failed to catch (no error was charged). As a result, two runs scored for a 3–3 tie. In the ninth inning, Walter Johnson would step up as pitcher and pitch four scoreless innings.

In the bottom of the 12th inning, Giants catcher Hank Gowdy stepped on his own discarded mask while trying to catch a Muddy Ruel foul pop-up, and dropped the ball for an error. Given a second chance in the at-bat, Ruel doubled. Johnson reached first on another error, and with Ruel on second and Johnson on first, Earl McNeely hit a "bad hop" ground ball to Lindstrom that was almost identical to Harris' eighth inning hit. Lindstrom again failed to catch the ball as it bounced over him into left field, and Ruel scored the series-winning run.

The game holds the record as the longest Game 7 (by innings) in World Series history, and is tied with the 2014 American League Wild Card Game as the longest "winner-take-all" game in postseason history.^[8]

In 2014, the Library of Congress acquired a newsreel of highlight footage from Game 7, including McNeely's Series-winning base hit.^[9] CNN subsequently released this footage on its website.^[10]

Composite line score

1924 World Series (4–3): Washington Senators (A.L.) over New York Giants (N.L.)

Notes

References

• Cohen, Richard M.; Neft, David S. (1990). The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903–1989. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 102–107. ISBN 0-312-03960-3. 
• Reichler, Joseph (1982). The Baseball Encyclopedia (5th ed.). Macmillan Publishing. p. 2132. ISBN 0-02-579010-2. 

External links

• 1924 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
• 1924 World Series at Baseball Almanac
• 1924 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• The 1924 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1924 at The SportingNews. Archived from the original on 2008.