1925 World Series

As the "Roaring Twenties" reached their midpoint, the Washington Senators returned for their second consecutive Fall Classic against one of the Series' original pioneers, the Pittsburgh Pirates. After defeating the perennial Giants in a seven game thriller the previous year, the Senators showed no signs of slowing down and quickly set the pace by winning Game 1 with little resistance. The next day the Pirates evened the score with a 3-2 victory on the arm of Vic Aldridge (who had gone the distance) and the swing of Kiki Cuyler who knocked a two run homer in the eighth. Both teams continued to trade W's as the Senators netted a 4-3 win thanks to spectacular fielding by Sam Rice and the Pirates' Vic Aldridge returned for a 6-3 triumph over Stan Covelski.

The Pirates maintained their momentum for a crucial 3-2 victory in Game 5 due to the efforts of rookie second baseman Eddie Moore and second year pitcher Ray Kremer. Moore had broken a tie in the eighth with a monster blast and Kremer held the Senators to just six hits. With the Series tied at three games apiece, it would all come down to the final outing at historic Forbes Field. Veteran ace, Walter Johnson (who had won Game 7 the year before) drew the start against the Pirates' Vic Aldridge in what promised to be a fantastic finish. In 1925, The Big Train had reached 20+ wins for the twelfth season and was within four wins of the four-hundred mark (and he had done it entirely in a Washington uniform). Old Reliable was coming off of a 15-7 season with the Pirates and was the only pitcher in Pittsburgh's rotation that was a billed in the New York papers as a "worthy opponent of the mighty Johnson".

The press couldn't have been more wrong about Aldridge as the Senators tagged him for four runs in the first before being pulled and lasting only 1/3 of an inning. Washington maintained control with a 6-3 lead going into the fourth, but Johnson broke down as well on the way to surrendering fifteen hits in eight innings. They managed to hold onto a 6-4 lead thanks to several fielding errors on the Pirates' part but paid back the favor with several follies of their own including the seventh error by Roger Peckinpaugh who was having an awful postseason. Capitalizing on the Senator's backslide, Pie Traynor stepped up and laced a timely game-tying triple (but was tagged out himself as he tried to reach home). Pirates' reliever Ray Kremer took the mound against a desperate Washington team who must have cringed at the site of "Series goat" Peckinpaugh stepping up to the batter's box. The thirty-four year old veteran had experienced every ballplayer's nightmare with one error in Game 1, two in Game 2, one in Game 3, another in Game 5, one in Game 6 and, to this point, one in Game 7. Even worse, he had gone 5-23 at the plate. However, all that was momentarily forgotten as the struggling workhorse launched a rocket into the left-field seats, giving his team the 7-6 lead. Things appeared to be going in the Senator's favor as Johnson sat down the first two Pirates in the bottom of the eighth. Once again, "goat-turned-hero-turned-goat" Peckinpaugh made a poor throw while attempting to record a forceout at second allowing Eddie Moore and Max Carey to reach base. Game 2 hero, Kiki Cuyler, sealed the victory with a two-run ground-rule double (the Pirates eighth base hit of the day). The defending champions had fallen hard to the underdog Pirates whose comeback marked the first time a team had rallied from a 3-1 deficit in games to win a best-of-seven Series.

While Max Carey batted a Series-leading .458 for Pittsburgh and Aldridge and Kremer each won two games, the focus fell mainly on Washington's players. Goose Goslin had hit three Series home runs for the second straight year; Joe Harris hit .440 (with three home runs) and Sam Rice, batted .364 and played exceptional defense. One particular play involving Rice sparked a controversy that would last for over fifty years: In the eighth inning of Game 3 (with the Senators leading by one run), the fielder tumbled into the right-field stands while reaching for a line drive. After several seconds he reemerged holding the ball signaling the out. Understandably, the Pirates contested umpire Cy Rigler stating that a Washington fan may have stuffed the ball into Rice's glove. Questions about that moment followed Rice for the rest of his life resulting in a letter being sent to the Hall of Fame Officials (to be opened after his death in 1974) that stated simply, "At no time did I lose possession of the ball."

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"The umpires couldn't see it (the ball hit by Kiki Cuyler which drove in the tieing runs). It was too dark and foggy. It wasn't fair at all. It was foul by two feet. I know because the ball hit in the mud and stuck there." - Goose Goslin

1925 World Series

1925 World Series Program

1925 World Series Program

Pittsburgh Pirates (4) vs Washington Senators (3)

Game 1 Date / Box Score 10-07-1925
Location Forbes Field
1st Pitch From To
Gifford Pinchot (Governor of PA, 1923-27) Undetermined
Attendance 41,723
Game 2 Date / Box Score 10-08-1925
Location Forbes Field
Attendance 43,364
Game 3 Date / Box Score 10-10-1925
Location Griffith Stadium
1st Pitch From To
Calvin Coolidge (Former U.S. President) Barry McCormick (NL Umpire, 1919-29)
Attendance 36,495
Game 4 Date / Box Score 10-11-1925
Location Griffith Stadium
Attendance 38,701
Game 5 Date / Box Score 10-12-1925
Location Griffith Stadium
Attendance 35,899
Game 6 Date / Box Score 10-13-1925
Location Forbes Field
Attendance 43,810
Game 7 Date / Box Score 10-15-1925
Location Forbes Field
Attendance 42,856
1925 World Series Fast Facts

1925 World Series
Game 1

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Washington 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 4 8 1
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0
Walter Johnson (W) Lee Meadows (L)
Joe Harris (2nd) Pie Traynor (5th)

1925 World Series
Game 2

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Washington 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 2
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 x 3 7 0
Stan Coveleski (L) Vic Aldridge (W)
Joe Judge (2nd)
-
Glenn Wright (4th)
Kiki Cuyler (8th)

1925 World Series
Game 3

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 8 3
Washington 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 x 4 10 1
Ray Kremer (L)
-
Alex Ferguson (W)
Firpo Marberry (8th, S)
None Goose Goslin (6th)

1925 World Series
Game 4

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1
Washington 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 x 4 12 0
Emil Yde (L)
Johnny Morrison (3rd)
Babe Adams (8th)
Walter Johnson (W)
-
-
None
-
Goose Goslin (3rd)
Joe Harris (3rd)

1925 World Series
Game 5

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburgh 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 6 13 0
Washington 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 8 1
Vic Aldridge (W)
-
-
-
Stan Coveleski (L)
Win Ballou (7th)
Tom Zachary (8th)
Firpo Marberry (9th)
None Joe Harris (4th)

1925 World Series
Game 6

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Washington 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 2
Pittsburgh 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 x 3 7 1
Alex Ferguson (L)
Win Ballou (8th)
Ray Kremer (W)
-
Goose Goslin (1st) Eddie Moore (5th)

1925 World Series
Game 7

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Washington 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 7 7 2
Pittsburgh 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 3 x 9 15 2
Walter Johnson (L)
-
-
-
Vic Aldridge
Johnny Morrison (1st)
Ray Kremer (W, 5th)
Red Oldham (S, 9th)
Roger Peckinpaugh (8th) None

1925 World Series

Pittsburgh Pirates

Composite Hitting Statistics

Babe Adams
Vic Aldridge
Clyde Barnhart
Carson Bigbee
Max Carey
Kiki Cuyler
Johnny Gooch
George Grantham
Ray Kremer
Stuffy McInnis
Lee Meadows
Eddie Moore
Johnny Morrison
Red Oldham
Earl Smith
Pie Traynor
Glenn Wright
Emil Yde
p
p
of
of-1
of
of
c
1b-4
p
1b-3
p
2b
p
p
c
3b
ss
p-1
1
3
7
4
7
7
3
5
3
4
1
7
3
1
6
7
7
2
0
7
28
3
24
26
3
15
7
14
1
26
2
0
20
26
27
1
0
0
7
1
11
7
0
2
1
4
0
6
1
0
7
9
5
0
0
0
1
1
4
3
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
6
3
0
0
0
0
0
7
1
0
0
2
3
1
0
0
5
1
2
6
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
0
4
3
0
.000
.000
.250
.333
.458
.269
.000
.133
.143
.286
.000
.231
.500
.000
.350
.346
.185
.000
0
0
3
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
1
5
0
0
1
3
1
0
0
0
5
0
3
4
0
3
5
2
1
2
0
0
2
1
4
0
0
0
1
1
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
Totals 230 61 12 2 4 25 25 .265 17 32 7

1925 World Series

Washington Senators

Composite Hitting Statistics

Spencer Adams
Win Ballou
Ossie Bluege
Stan Coveleski
Alex Ferguson
Goose Goslin
Joe Harris
Bucky Harris
Walter Johnson
Joe Judge
Nemo Leibold
Firpo Marberry
Earl McNeely
Buddy Myer
Roger Peckinpaugh
Sam Rice
Muddy Ruel
Dutch Ruether
Hank Severeid
Bobby Veach
Tom Zachary
2b-1
p
3b
p
p
of
of
2b
p
1b
ph
p
of-2
3b
ss
of
c
ph
c
ph
p
2
2
5
2
2
7
7
7
3
7
3
2
4
3
7
7
7
1
1
2
1
1
0
18
3
4
26
25
23
11
23
2
0
0
8
24
33
19
1
3
1
0
0
0
5
0
0
8
11
2
1
4
1
0
0
2
6
12
6
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
6
5
2
0
2
1
0
2
0
1
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
6
6
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
3
3
1
0
0
1
0
.000
.000
.278
.000
.000
.308
.440
.087
.091
.174
.500
.000
.000
.250
.250
.364
.316
.000
.333
.000
.000
0
0
0
1
0
3
3
1
0
3
1
0
0
1
1
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
2
3
3
4
3
3
2
0
0
0
2
2
1
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Totals 225 59 8 0 8 26 26 .262 17 32 2

1925 World Series

Pittsburgh Pirates

Composite Pitching Statistics

Babe Adams
Vic Aldridge
Ray Kremer
Lee Meadows
Johnny Morrison
Red Oldham
Emil Yde
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
3
3
1
3
1
1
0
3
2
1
0
0
1
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1.0
18.1
21.0
8.0
9.1
1.0
2.1
0.00
4.42
3.00
3.38
2.89
0.00
11.57
2
18
17
6
11
0
5
0
9
9
4
7
2
1
0
9
7
3
3
0
3
0
9
4
0
1
0
3
Totals 4 1 13 7 4 1 0 61.0 3.69 59 32 25 17

1925 World Series

Washington Senators

Composite Pitching Statistics

Win Ballou
Stan Coveleski
Alex Ferguson
Walter Johnson
Firpo Marberry
Tom Zachary
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
2
1
1
0
0
2
2
2
3
2
1
0
2
2
3
0
0
0
1
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1.2
14.1
14.0
26.0
2.1
1.2
0.00
3.77
3.21
2.08
0.00
10.80
0
16
13
26
3
3
1
3
11
15
2
0
0
6
5
6
0
2
1
5
6
4
0
1
Totals 3 4 12 7 4 1 1 60.0 2.85 61 32 19 17
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

During the eighth inning of game three Sam Rice ran after an Earl Smith line drive hit into right center field. Rice made a diving "catch" into the stands, but did not emerge with the ball for approximately fifteen seconds. The Pirates contested the play saying a fan probably stuffed the ball into Rice's glove. The call stood and Rice parried questions about the incident for the rest of his life—never saying if he did or did not really make the catch. The National Baseball Hall of Fame put an end to the suspense by opening a letter after Rice's death which read in full:

"It was a cold and windy day, the right field bleachers were crowded with people in overcoats and wrapped in blankets, the ball was a line drive headed for the bleachers towards right center. I turned slightly to my right and had the ball in view all the way, going at top speed and about 15 feet from bleachers jumped as high as I could and back handed and the ball hit the center of pocket in glove (I had a death grip on it). I hit the ground about five feet from a barrier about four feet high in front of the bleachers with all my brakes on but coundn't stop so I tried to jump it to land in the crowd but my feet hit the barrier about a foot from top and I toppled over on my stomach into first row of bleachers, I hit my Adam's apple on something which sort of knocked me out for a few seconds but McNeely arrived about that time and grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me out, I remember trotting back towards the infield still carrying the ball for about halfway and then tossed it towards the pitcher's mound. (How I have wished many times I had kept it.) At no time did I lose possession of the ball. - Sam Rice, Monday, July 26,1965."

When game seven was complete, American League president Ban Johnson told Senators manager Bucky Harris, "You sacrificed a World's Championship for our league through your display of mawkish sentiment." The statement was made in regard to Harris' decision to allow Walter Johnson to pitch a complete Game 7. Who was correct? Share your thoughts about this managerial decision on our baseball message board.

Did you know that when the Pirates captured this World Championship on October 15, 1925, they became the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit during a Fall Classic?