Game Five 1915 World Series

Since the Tampa Bay Rays are making their first trip to the World Series, Rattler Radio is looking back at the first time the Philadelphia Phillies made the Fall Classic.

The 1915 World Series returned to the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia on October 13 with the Phillies trailing the Boston Red Sox 3-1. They would be facing Rube Foster while sending Erskine Mayer to the mound.

The Phils jumped on Foster early, but it could have been more. They loaded the bases with no outs. But, Gavvy Cravath grounded into a 1-2-3 double play. Fred Luderus picked up his teammate with a double that drove in a pair of runs for the lead.

But, Mayer allowed the Sox to tie the game with single runs in the second and third. The tying run in the third inning was a bounce home run by Harry Hooper. One out later, Tris Speaker singles and that was the end of the line for Mayer. Eppa Rixey relieved and got out of the inning.

Philadelphia got the lead back in the bottom of the fourth. Luderus smacked a solo homer for a 3-2 advantage. An error by Hooper on a single allowed another run to score and the Phillies were up by a pair of runs.

Rixey held onto the lead until the eighth. Pinch-hitter Del Gainer singled to start the inning. Then, Duffy Lewis homered. Game tied.

Philadelphia got a pair of runners on against Foster with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. But, could not score.

Foster struck out to start the top of the ninth. Then, Hooper hit his second bounce home run of the game and the Red Sox were up 5-4.

Foster worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth and the Red Sox captured their third World Series title.

Box score and play-by-play

The Phillies would not go back to the World Series until 1950. The Red Sox would beat the Dodgers in 1916 to win back-to-back titles.