SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
Happy Saturday baseball fans! Tonight we have a special feature in our "Baseball's Forgotten Teams" series, as we focus on a team that is among the top 5 in baseball history. In fact, this team may very well be the greatest team in baseball history, when considering winning percentage, the overall strength of the club, and whom they defeated in the World Series, the argument can certainly be made in favor of this bunch. The 1927 "Murderer's Row" New York Yankees, and 1961 "61 for Maris in 61' "New York Yankees clubs tend to get much more publicity - and rightfully so - but tonight's featured team is right there along side those great Yankees' squads. Without further ado, the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Baseball's popularity was soaring as 1910 approached. The decade had been a huge success for the professional leagues, and for the sport as a whole, as kids were playing it in every city, country-side, yard, and anywhere else where a loose version of a "baseball diamond" could be created. The decade had brought two of the greatest players to ever play the game, and with them, a rising popularity. Those two all-time greats just happened to meet in the World Series in 1909, in perhaps one of the most intriguing fall classic match-ups that have ever been played. In fact, the 1909 season very well came down to those two players, rarely had baseball then - and even to this day - witnessed a World Series matchup with the caliber and intrigue from the fans and media than what the Detroit Tigers' Ty Cobb and the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner brought to the stage that year.
Honus Wagner was an aging shortstop heading into the 1909 season, the 35-year old had already put together an incredible career, the one thing that was missing, however, was a World Series Championship. The Series had been established in 1901 and was growing in popularity each year. Wagner was considered by most to be the most popular and well-known player in the National League. He broke through in 1897, and it wasn't long before everyone recognized his hitting, fielding, and base-running abilities.
"The Flying Dutchman" won his 7th NL batting title in 09', hitting .339, and continued to produce at an incredible rate, as he led the league in doubles (39), RBIs (100), on-base % (.420), and slugging % (.489). He was considered the finest fielder in the league (not just at short, but all over the infield and outfield), the best hitter, and the best baserunner. Wagner is considered the finest shortstop to ever play the game, and perhaps greatest infielder of all-time. He finished his career with 8 batting titles, an NL record that has not been passed, only matched, by Tony Gwynn. He finished as a career .328 hitter, with 3,420 hits (at the time, joining only Cap Anson in the 3,000-hit club), led the league in slugging 6 times, RBIs 5 times, and stolen bases 5 times. He played 21 seasons over his illustrious career, and seemed to keep his youthful energy somehow in tact, as he is still the oldest player to ever hit an inside-the-park home run, when he hit one in 1916 at the age of 42. 1909 was one of his finest campaigns, and it led to a legendary showdown with perhaps the greatest player to ever play the game.
Ty Cobb was just 22 when he met the mighty Wagner and his Pirates in the 1909 World Series, and he and his Detroit teammates were still stinging from losing in the Series in both of the previous two campaigns. Cobb won the Triple Crown that year in the American League as he hit .377 with 9 home runs (dead-ball era where players rarely hit double-digit home runs) and 107 RBIs. "The Georgia Peach" also led the AL in runs (116), hits (216), stolen bases (76), on-base % (.431), and slugging (.517). Cobb was intensely competitive, and that is putting it mildly, and he made it his personal mission to dominate the American League. He won 9 consecutive batting titles from 1907-1915, and an incredible 12 (or 11 depending on source) total for his career. The matchup between the two leagues' stars really peaked the fans and media's interest, and the nation was eager to see which one would come out on top.
The Pirates scored the most runs in the league that year and in edition to Wagner, were led by a pair of pitchers and a legendary player-manager. Howie Camnitz (25-6, 1.62 ERA) led the way from the mound, and Vic Willis (22-11, 2.24 ERA) provided a very potent 1-2 punch for the Pirates' pitching. Hall of Fame player-manager Fred Clarke also had major contributions as he hit .287 with 97 runs scored (2nd in NL), led the NL with 80 walks, and finished 4th in on-base % percentage at .384.
Chief Wilson (.272/4HR/59RBIs) and Dots Miller (.279/3HR/87RBI) also made major contributions for the offense. In edition, the pitching staff may have been one the best units to ever do-it, regardless of era, when taking into account Lefty Leifield's 19-8 record and accompanying 2.37 ERA, Nick Maddox going 13-8 with a 2.21 ERA and rookie Babe Adams (12-3, 1.11 ERA over 25 games) dominating opposing batters.
The Tigers went 96-56 and won the AL by 3.5 games over the Philadelphia Athletics, and the Pirates won the NL by 6.5 games over the formidable Chicago Cubs, who went 104-49. Three future Hall of Famers from each side partook in the fall classic (Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Manager Hughie Jennings for the Tigers; Wagner, Willis, and Clarke for the Pirates) in a legendary matchup. The Pirates took advantage of the weak catching of the Tigers throughout the series as they stole a total of 18 bases over the 7 games. It was the first-time that the two leagues' batting champions met in the World Series (a feat that has only occurred three times since). Ty Cobb was uncharacteristically quiet in the series, going just 6 for 26 (.231) with 2 stolen bases and 1 caught stealing. Meanwhile, Wagner hit .333 and lived up to his nick-name as the "Flying" Dutchman, as he flew around the bases and stole a series' record 6 bases. The Pirates took the decisive game 7 from Bennett Park in Detroit by the score of 8-0 to capture their first World Series crown.
1909 proved to be a banner year for the Pirates as they beat out very good, extremely-talented clubs in the Cubs and New York Giants, just to win the NL pennant. Then they dispersed one of the greatest-teams and players in history in the World Series to win it all. Their 110-42 record and subsequent .724 winning % in the regular season is the greatest by any World Series-winning team in history. Legendary Forbes Field (one of baseball's great venues of all-time) opened on June 30th of that season and the Pirates christened the ballpark by brining home their first title and delivering perhaps, the greatest season in baseball history.
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