Game Three 1915 World Series

Since the Tampa Bay Rays are in their first World Series, Rattler Radio is taking a look back at the first time the Philadelphia Phillies made the Fall Classic.

After splitting the first two games of the 1915 World Series at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, the Phillies and the Boston Red Sox traveled to Boston. But, none of the games would be played at Fenway Park. The Red Sox had worked out a deal to play their World Series home games at Braves Field, the home of the National League's Boston Braves. Why? Take it away Wikipedia:

Fenway Park had been open for four seasons and was fully functional in 1915, but the Red Sox "home" games were played at the brand-new Braves Field, to take advantage of its larger seating capacity.

It seems only fair. In 1914, the Braves had used Fenway Park during their run to a championship. Back to the Wiki:

They had abandoned their 43-year-old home field South End Grounds, in late summer, choosing to rent from the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park while awaiting construction of Braves Field. Thus their home games in this Series were also at Fenway.

To Game Three of the 1915 Series!

This game was played on October 11, 1915 and the Phillies came back with their starting pitcher from Game One, Grover Alexander. The future Hall of Famer won 31 games in the regular season and had won Game One in Philadelphia on October 8. The Red Sox did not respond with their Game One starting pitcher. They stayed on rotation and went to Dutch Leonard. The decision worked early for the Phils.

Leonard surrendered a run in the top of the third inning. Dave Bancroft -- who died in Superior, Wisconsin in 1972 and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery there -- drove in the run for the Phillies with a two-out single. Then, a play happened in Braves Field that may not have happened at Fenway Park.

In the third inning of Game 3 at Boston, with two out, one run in, and two runners in scoring position, Gavvy Cravath drove a pitch deep to left field, which was caught for a harmless inning-ending out in the spacious Braves Field outfield. If the game had occurred in Fenway, or in Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, it might have been a home run or an extra-base hit, and might have turned the Series around.

Still, Alexander pitched a scoreless bottom of the third. But, he couldn't keep the Red Sox from tying things up in the fourth.

Tris Speaker tripled with one out. Dick Hoblitzell followed with a sacrifice fly and Speaker scored. The score remained tied until the ninth inning.

Leonard shutdown the Phillies after the single by Bancroft. Not only was it was the third and final hit for Philadelphia in the game, Bancroft was the last baserunner for the Phillies in the game. Leonard retired the final 19 Phillies he faced.

Speaker got on with a lead-off single in the bottom of the seventh, but he was erased on a double play. That was the one of two hits that Alexander gave up between the Speaker triple in the fourth and the bottom of the ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Harry Hooper singled to start the frame. A sacrifice bunt moved Hooper to second and brought Speaker to the plate again. Alexander elected to walk Speaker intentionally. Hoblitzell grounded out to second and both runners moved up a base.

Alexander needed one more out to get out of the inning and send the game to extra innings. In his way was Duffy Lewis. Lewis had success against Alexander early in the game. He had singled in the second and again in the seventh -- after the double play.

Duffy singled in the ninth to drive in Hooper with the winning run to give the Red Sox a 2-1 victory in Game Three and a 2-1 lead in the 1915 World Series.

Box score and play-by-play

Game Four Pitching matchup:
PHI: George Chalmers (8-9, 2.48)
BOS: Ernie Shore (19-8, 1.64)