The 1906 matchup for the World Championship was a good one. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators hooked up for what became arguably the best series in the short three-year history of the World's Championship Series.
In game one, Pittsburgh traveled to Washington and immediately established their bona fides by jumping off to an immediate lead. The Pirates plated three in the first, one in the second and two more in the third en route to a commanding 8-1 victory. This was all the more impressive in that the Pirates did this against Wes Luttier, Washington's stellar pitcher, who entered the game coming off a season in which he posted a 25-12 record and 1.61 ERA. Pittsburgh's Harry Francis (23-16, 2,34 ERA) allowed 1 run on 5 hits and even drove in a pair of runs with the bat.
In game two, the teams hooked up for an extra-innings nail-biter. Pittsburgh again took an early lead, scoring a run in the top of the second against Washington's Harry Shelley (20-10, 1.76). But Pittsburgh starter Tom Hiatt (19-18, 2.43) could not hold the lead as the home team tied it up with a run of their own in the fourth. After that, things settled into a good ol' fashioned pitcher's duel as neither lineup could push across a run until the 11th inning. Pittsburgh's Cy Kennett's one-out double started a two-run rally with RBI singles by John Albers and Johnny Mack against Shelley. In the home half, Washington pushed across a run of their own, but the game ended when third baseman Bob Mears grounded out to his opposite number to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 win and 2-0 series lead with the series shifting to Pittsburgh.
Game three saw the visiting team win for the third straight time. Washington bounced back and gave themselves new life with a 6-3 victory on Pittsburgh's home field. Pat Krieger (20-18, 2.53) went the distance, allowing 14 hits, but just three runs for the victory while his opposite number Nat Davis also went the distance, allowing six runs (four earned) on 13 hits in a game in which his fielders committed four errors - with three of them by third baseman Dennis Stewart.
Washington sent Harlan Holladay (14-4, 2.00) to the mound for game four and he delivered an outstanding performance, scattering eight hits and allowing two runs in a game which his squad earned a 3-2 victory to knot the series at two games apiece. Pittsburgh's Lewis Volk (20-8, 2.04) took the loss, although he also pitched well. Emory Howard was the hitting hero for Washington, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
The pivotal game five was novel - it was the first time in the series that the home team earned the victory. Pittsburgh's 5-3 win put them one victory away from the World's Championship in a rematch of the game one starting pitchers. Harry Francis improved to 2-0 on the World's Series by allowing three runs on seven hits in a complete game. Wes Luttier was better than he was in his game one loss, allowing just two earned runs on five hits, but four critical errors by his fielders proved costly for Luttier and the Nats.
The series returned to the Nation's capital for game six - a must-win for the defending World's Champions. Facing a win-or-go-home scenario, Washington pulled out a 4-2 victory to tie the series at three wins apiece and set up a game-seven showdown. Harry Shelley, who had taken the game two loss, bounced back with a vengeance allowing just 1 earned run on six hits.
In game seven, the Washington lineup vented its frustration on Pittsburgh's Nat Davis, handing him his second loss of the series in an 8-2 victory behind solid pitching from Pat Krieger, who allowed no earned runs in a game which was a defensive travesty for both teams. Pittsburgh's fielders committed six errors, but Washington's defenders had seven of their own. Of the eight runs plated by Washington, only two were earned.
The victory gave Washington its second straight World's Series victory, validating the American League's claim of equality with the National League. The big question for 1907 will be whether any of the other AL clubs can find a way to stop Washington's dominance of the loop. The team has won four straight pennants and has to be considered the favorites to win a fifth in 1907.
PAT KRIEGER, WASHINGTON