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Philadelphia Phillies, A’s: 1914-19, 1929, 1941, 2020

ByTal Venada|
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 24: A Philadelphia Phillies baseball hat sits in the dugout during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 24, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 24: A Philadelphia Phillies baseball hat sits in the dugout during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 24, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
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Shibe Park in 1910 when it was a new stadium. Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images.

WWI:             

For the Phillies, 1914 was their 27th year and it was the A’s 14th summer. But World War I also began that July in Europe. Eventually, America entered the conflict in 1917 with players drafted after season’s end. Hello, basement!

In 1913, the Federal League (FL) had become the third major league through 1915, and they declared war in 1914 on the National and American Leagues. They lured players away and even one star in mid-season. Additionally, they had filed an antitrust lawsuit in 1915 against organized baseball, but it ended in a settlement.

The Phils had lost key players to the FL and the draft, but fearing Pete Alexander –Grover Cleveland Alexander– wouldn’t be the same after returning from the war and needing money they dealt him to the Chicago Cubs after the 1917 campaign. From 1915-17, he won 30 games each summer with four one-hitters in 1915.

Even though a bomb had triggered epilepsy and affected Alexander’s hearing, he was still a dominant hurler. But he had only recorded his sub-2.00 ERAs for 1915-17 and 1919-20 after all sub-3.00 ERAs in his first four seasons: The Fightins had seven of his best nine campaigns from 1911 through 1926.

Phillies Standings:

  • 1914, 6th Place: 74-80, .481 and 20.5 Games Behind.
  • 1915, 1st Place: 90-62 and .592.
  • 1916, 2nd Place: 91-62, .595 and 2.5 GB.
  • 1917, 2nd Place: 87-65, .572 and 10 GB.
  • 1918, 6th Place: 55-68, .447 and 26 GB without Alexander.
  • 1919, 8th Place: 47-90, .343 and 47.5 GB.

Before Beantown’s years without winning the Fall Classic, the Boston Braves had triumphed over the A’s in 1914. and the Boston Red Sox defeated the red pinstripes in 1915. Overlapping also, the Athletics had lost Chief Bender to the FL in 1915, but he joined the Phils for his last two summers in 1916-17.

A’s Standings:

  • 1914, 1st Place: 99-53 and .651.
  • 1915, 8th Place: 43-109, .283 and 58.5 Games Behind.
  • 1916, 8th Place: 36-117, .235 and 54.5 GB.
  • 1917, 8th Place: 55-98, .359 and 44.5 GB.
  • 1918, 8th Place: 52-76, .406 and 24 GB.
  • 1919, 8th Place: 36-104, .257 and 52 GB.

Since the A’s had expensive stars, the possibility of World War I and the FL with their eyes on Mack’s roster, he decided to sell off big names to solve his financial problems. And his Athletics fell from the “penthouse” to the cellar.

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