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1910-1913 New York Giants Photo Gallery
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Back Into The Dead Ball Era:
The Great 1912 New York Giants
“In playing or managing, the game of ball is only fun for me when I’m out in front and winning. I don’t give a [hill of beans] for the rest of the game.” -John McGraw
As some of you may be aware, I’m a big fan of the Dead Ball Era, my favorite period in baseball. Recently I was reading some articles on the Giants’ legendary manager, John McGraw, and they got me thinking about the great Giant teams of
the early 1910s. These powerful teams won consecutive National League pennants in 1911, ‘12, and ‘13. A few years later, they won another in 1917. McGraw might have had these three pennants in mind when he made this comment:
“No club that wins a pennant once is an outstanding club. One which bunches two pennants is a good club. But a team which can win three in a row really achieves greatness.”
Unfortunately for the Giants, all four of these teams lost in the subsequent World Series. The 1911 and ‘13 teams lost to Connie Mack’s Athletics, the 1912 team lost to the Red Sox, and the 1917 team lost to the White Sox. McGraw’s fortunes soon turned around, though, as his Giants later won four consecutive pennants (1921, 1922, 1923, and 1924), with World Series victories in ’21 and ’22 against their crosstown rivals, the Yankees.
1912: The Best of the Three
The 1912 team might be the best Giant team of the era. In the beautiful featured photo above, we see the 1912 National League pennant winners. (I did the player identifications for this one. See how many names you can pick out before looking at the complete identifications below). Together with the 1911 and 1913 teams, the Giants of this era made up one of the game’s earliest dynasties, going 303-153 (.664) from 1911-’13.
The Giants dominated the National League in 1912, the franchise’s thirtieth season. They opened the season at 54-11 and built a 16 1/2 game lead by July 3. They finished 103-48 (.682), 10 games ahead of the Pirates. Offensively, they were a powerhouse. Although their team .286 batting average was only fourth best, they lead the league in runs, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, OBP and OPS.
“Laughing Larry” Doyle was the National League MVP, and Chief Meyers had one of the
greatest offensive seasons ever for a catcher, finishing second in batting average (.358), first in on-base percentage (.441), and fourth in slugging (.477).
The Giants’ Great Pitching Staff
And what a pitching staff, easily the best in the league, with four great starters: Jeff Tesreau (17-7, 1.96), Christy Mathewson (23-12, 2.12) Rube Marquard (26-11, 2.57), and Red Ames (11-5, 2.46). Tesreau’s 1.96 ERA led the league, while Mathewson’s 2.12 was second. Mathewson was also second in complete games (27), and fourth in wins (23).
Rube Marquard‘s 18-game winning streak was the top story in baseball that year. His 26 wins led the league, and he finished third in strikeouts (175). Red Ames’ 2.46 ERA was fifth in the league. Reliever Doc Crandall also had a fine season, going 13-7 with a 3.61 ERA.
The Giants lost the 1912 World Series in heartbreaking fashion, with Fred
Snodgrass taking most of the blame with his infamous “$30,000 Muff,” although there was plenty of blame to go around. The series featured classic pitching matchups between Mathewson and the Red Sox’ Smoky Joe Wood. Interviews with Marquard, Meyers, and Snodgrass made up a good portion of the classic baseball book by Lawrence Ritter, “The Glory of Their Times.”
1912 New York Giants Player Identifications
Top Row, L-R: Lore Bader, Heine Groh, Dave Robertson, Ted Goulait, George Burns, Fred Merkle, Grover Hartley, Doc Crandall, Hooks Wiltse, Al Demaree, Wilbert Robinson, Art Wilson, Red Ames, Moose McCormack, Larue Kirby, Tillie Shafer. Front Row, L-R: Art Fletcher, “Laughing Larry” Doyle, Chief Meyers, Fred Snodgrass, Buck Herzog, Red Murray, Mascot Hennessey, John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, Rube Marquard, Jeff Tesreau, Josh Devore, Beals Becker.
So let’s take a moment to remember one of the great items from the Dead Ball Era, the 1912 New York Giants.
Gary Livacari
Information: Stats from Baseball Reference. com
