For a time, they were known as the Robins in honor of manager Wilbert Robinson. The Dodgers, of course, made Brooklyn their home before relocating to Los Angeles in 1958. They did all that in part because a 21-year-old left-hander by the name of Babe Ruth enjoyed a breakout campaign on the mound: A majors-leading 1.75 ERA in 323 2/3 innings with 23 complete games and nine shutouts.Īcross the way were the Brooklyn Robins. Still, the Sox won 91 games in 1916 and fended off the White Sox and Tigers thanks to a 19-9 mark in September. As well, Smoky Joe Wood's arm finally failed him after the 1915 season, which marked the end of his Boston tenure and in essence the end of his career. However, coming into the 1916 season they weren't regarded as favorites on account of trading away their star center fielder Tris Speaker to the Indians over a salary dispute. The prior year they won 101 games during the regular season and took the World Series in five games over the Phillies.

Not surprisingly, a look back at that clash also provides an object lesson in how much the game has changed in the intervening 102 years.īack in 1916, the Red Sox barged to the pennant in surprise fashion. Even so, the 2018 World Series marks the first time these two have been the last two squadrons standing since way back yonder in 1916. The Dodgers date back to the 19th century, and the Red Sox trace their modern origins back to 1901. It's an odd thing, that two franchises so storied and with so many overlapping glory years wouldn't have rushed headlong into each other in more than a century.

Babe ruth with parasol