World Series: Scherzer vs. Cole and the best matchups ever
By Bill Felber
Grover Cleveland Alexander vs. Ernie Shore, Game 1, 1915, 395 ERA+
The 1915 season was Hall of Famer Alexander’s heyday, running up statistics that seem implausible today. In 49 appearances – 42 of them starts – he compiled a 31-10 record and stunning 1.22 ERA. Alexander pitched 36 complete games, 12 of them shutouts, delivering 376 innings of workload.
In delivering the Philadelphia Phillies their first pennant in franchise history, he struck out 241 batters, all of that adding up to a 241 ERA+.
The American League champion Boston Red Sox didn’t have an Alexander, but they had plenty of pitching quality, led by Shore. His 19-8 regular season was built on a 1.64 ERA in 32 starts, 17 of them complete games. It added up to a 170 ERA+.
Shore and Alexander faced each other only once in that fall’s five-game World Series, but it was a classic. With Alexander scattering seven singles, the Phillies led 1-0 until Boston finally drew even on Duffy Lewis’s base hit following a walk to Tris Speaker in the top of the eighth.
To that point, Shore had in some ways been even better, holding the Phillies to just three singles. The Phils put two of those hits together to score their only run in the fourth. Then in the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies tapped Shore for the two decisive runs on a couple of walks plus two base hits.
Alexander thwarted Boston in the ninth to wrap up what would prove to be the Phillies; only win of that Series. Boston swept through the next four games, all by margins of one run. Alexander lost the third game 2-1 despite pitching a complete-game six-hitter, and Shore won Game 4 by an identical score.