TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

September 17, 1906 19 year old Eddie Collins will make his debut for the Philadelphia Athletics going 1-4 with a steal.

A member of four World Championship teams, Eddie Collins was a winner with a confident and aggressive style of play. He played 25 years in the major leagues and was considered the finest second baseman of his time. He led his league in fielding nine times, and he accepted more chances, had more assists, and made more putouts than any other pivot man in history. He was one of the best performers in World Series play, hitting .328 with 42 hits and 14 stolen bases in 34 games.

World Series Hero

Eddie Collins was an unlikely superstar. He was just 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, a collegiate player who often was razzed by opposing players. The insults often concerned his college background, small stature, and big ears. But where Collins was big-eared, he was also hard-nosed. By 1909 he was one of the best second baseman in baseball, challenging Nap Lajoie for laurels. He batted .347 in 1909, the first of eight straight seasons he topped .300 as a regular. In the 1920s he reached .300 nine more times.

The Philadelphia A’s of that time were stocked with great players. Chief Bender, Eddie Plank, and Jack Coombs led the mound corps. Frank "Home Run" Baker, Harry Davis, Jack Barry, Stuffy McInnis, and Wally Schang were offensive and defensive standouts. The team was led by Connie Mack, who not only managed the team, but owned it as well. Mack would be at the Athletics helm for 50 years. In 1910, 1911, 1913, and 1914 the A’s won the AL pennant, never by less than 6 ½ games. They were a dynasty. Collins was an integral part of that team, leading them in the regular season, but also in the World Series – where he flourished.

In the 1910 World Series the A’s met the Cubs, a team strong in pitching. Collins ignored that fact and batted .429 (9-for 21), leading all hitters. He set a Series record with four doubles and four steals. He also drove in three runs and scored five times. The A’s won in five games. During that Series Collins toyed with Cubs catcher Johnny Kling. On one occasion he stayed put at first base while Kling called for three straight pitchouts. On the fourth pitch – a strike – Collins swiped second easily.

The next fall, Collins collected six hits (.286) in a six-game World Series win over the New York Giants. The speedy infielder stoled two bases as well. In 1913 he had perhaps his finest Series, batting .421 (8-for-19) with five runs scored and three RBI. In Game Three his three hits led the A’s to an 8-2 victory. He also scored three more bases, and two of his eight safeties were triples. The Athletics were World Champs again – their third title in four seasons.

In 1914 Philadelphia entered the Fall Classic as huge favorites against the Boston Braves – who had won the NL pennant with a dramatic second-half run. But two no-name Boston hurlers (Dick Rudolph and Bill James) handcuffed the A’s, winning two games each. In the shocking four-game loss, Collins batted just .214 (3-for-14) and stoled one base. His ten career World Series steals to that point, were a record.

In 1914, Collins won the Chalmers Award – given to the Most Valuable Player in the American League. He hit .344 and led the league in runs and on-base percentage. But after the season, Mack was forced to sell off most of his stars, due to financial hardship. "The $100,000 Infield" was broken up and Collins was shipped to the White Sox. Chicago acquired Joe Jackson during the 1915 season, and teamed him with Collins for a feared offensive tandem.

By 1917 the Sox were the best team in the AL, winning 100 games in a war-shortened season. In the World Series, Collins was right at home, facing John McGraw and the Giants, who the A’s had defeated twice during his years there. In the 1917 Series Collins tormented his old nemesis, batting .409 (9-for-22) with four runs scored and three swipes. In Game Six at the Polo Grounds, with Chicago leading three games to two and needing just one more victory, Collins was part of one of the strangest plays in World Series history. After three innings, Red Faber and Rube Benton were knotted in a scoreless duel. Collins reached second on an error by third baseman Heinie Zimmerman. Joe Jackson lofted a flyball to right field that Dave Robertson muffed, allowing Collins to move to third. Happy Felsch followed with a slow roller to Benton on the mound and Collins was off for the plate. Benton fielded the ball and fired to Zimmerman, who chased Collins toward catcher Bill Rariden. But rather than throw to Rariden for the easy putout, Zimmerman tried to make the play himself, and Collins sped past the shocked catcher to score. Before the inning was over Chicago had scored three times and was on the way to their first World Series title. It was the fourth for Collins.

The 1919 World Series has been well documented both in print and film, due to the infamous Black Sox scandal in which eight players for the White Sox (including Joe Jackson) played dishonestly. Collins and the other honest Sox could only watch in disbelief as teammates lobbed pitches, muffed balls, and struck out mysteriously. Collins, playing in his sixth and final Fall Classic, went 7-for-31 (.226) with a double, RBI, and one stolen base. His stolen base gave him a total of 14, a World Series record that Lou Brock later matched.

Eddie Collins was one of the first World Series heroes of baseball. He played a vital role on four World Series winners, beating the Giants three times and the Cubs once. Both of his World Series losses were huge upsets – one due to a fix and the other a shocking sweep at the hands of the "Miracle Braves." In 34 World Series games, Collins batted .328 (42-for-128), with 20 runs scored and 11 RBI. He had seven doubles and two triples to go along with his 14 steals. His 20 runs scored in World Series play are the most for any player who didn’t wear a Yankee uniform. His 53 total bases are the second highest for a player who never hit a World Series home run (Frankie Frisch had 74 total bases). Eddie Collins was a winner.

Eddie Collins is interviewed before the first Hall of Fame Game.

Collins also gave an interview about the 1919 White Sox here

Todays Podcast

September 17, 1912 – Casey Stengel of the Dodgers makes an impressive major league debut against the Pirates. The likable Brooklyn outfielder from Kansas City collects four hits, drives in two runs and swipes a pair of stolen bases in the 7 – 3 win.

September 17, 1968 Detroit clinches the American League pennant with a 2 – 1 win over the Yankees. Detroit is ahead 1 – 0 when Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey phones Tiger general manager Jim Campbell with the news that the Sox have beaten the Orioles, clinching the pennant for the Tigers. Campbell keeps the score off the radio and the scoreboard, fearing the news will send fans rampaging onto the field.

Don Wert singles home the winner in the 9th and the fans tear down the left field screen as Campbell suspected.

September 17, 1979 – The Royals’ George Brett collects his 20th triple of the season in a 16 – 4 romp over the Angels. Brett becomes the 6th player ever and the first since Willie Mays in 1927, to collect 20 doubles, 20 triples and 20 home runs in the same season. He will finish with totals of 42, 20 and 23.

September 17, 1985 Dwight Gooden strikes out 16 batters for the second straight start to tie the major-league record of 32 strikeouts in consecutive games, but balks home the winning run in the 8th inning of a 2 – 1 loss to the Phillies. It is Gooden’s 5th straight outing with 10 or more strikeouts.

September 17, 1986 – The Mets clinch the National League East title with a 4 – 2 win over the Cubs at Shea Stadium as Dwight Gooden tosses a 6-hitter. The Mets will win 108 games this season, most in the National League since the 1975 Reds.

 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA ANSWER: EDDIE MURRAY

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