Presidents and Baseball: Woodrow Wilson and the 1915 World Series
Tonight the 2019 World Series begins, with the Houston Astros hosting the Washington Nationals, the team from the nation's capitol. It is highly unlikely that President Donald Trump will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at any of the games, as he has not done so in his Presidency thus far. Six Presidents have thrown out the ceremonial first pitch at a World Series game. The first time this happened was on October 9, 1915 when President Woodrow Wilson became the first President both to attend a World Series game and to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in a World Series game.
It was game two in the series, played between the Philadelphia Phillies, representing the National League, and the Boston Red Sox, representing the American League. The first two games of the series were played at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. The park's square shape earned it the nickname "The Cigar Box". Boston had the better record at 101 wins and 50 losses, compared to the Phillies' record of 90 and 62. But in those days, home field advantage was decided by a coin toss. At a meeting of the team owners held on October 2, 1915 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York City, Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin lost the coin toss for home field advantage, and Phillies owner William F. Baker chose to have the first two games of the Series in Philadelphia. The Baker Bowl sat only 20,000, and their owner, William Baker, refused to allocate additional tickets for visiting fans. National Commission chairman Garry Herrmann gave the Red Sox tickets from the Commission's own Series allocation.
The Phillies won Game 1 by a score of 3–1, despite the fact that their staring pitcher was the future Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. New York Times reporter Hugh Fullerton wrote that "Alexander pitched a bad game of ball. He had little or nothing." But that was as good as things would get for the Phillies, who would not win another postseason game until 1977, nor another World Series game until 1980. The Red Sox won the next four games, all by one run, and by identical scores of 2–1 in their first three wins. The clinched the series with a 5-4 win on October 13th, back at the Baker Bowl.
It is likely that Wilson was cheering for the Phillies, since they played just 45 miles away from his old Alma Mater of Princeton University. At game two Woodrow Wilson became the first U.S. President to attend a World Series game as well as the first to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The event was noteworthy for another reason. It was the first time that the recently widowed Wilson appeared in public with his fiance, Edith Bolling Galt.
The Red Sox would win the series twice more that decade, in 1916 and 1918. They would not win again for another 86 years until 2004.
It was game two in the series, played between the Philadelphia Phillies, representing the National League, and the Boston Red Sox, representing the American League. The first two games of the series were played at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. The park's square shape earned it the nickname "The Cigar Box". Boston had the better record at 101 wins and 50 losses, compared to the Phillies' record of 90 and 62. But in those days, home field advantage was decided by a coin toss. At a meeting of the team owners held on October 2, 1915 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York City, Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin lost the coin toss for home field advantage, and Phillies owner William F. Baker chose to have the first two games of the Series in Philadelphia. The Baker Bowl sat only 20,000, and their owner, William Baker, refused to allocate additional tickets for visiting fans. National Commission chairman Garry Herrmann gave the Red Sox tickets from the Commission's own Series allocation.
The Phillies won Game 1 by a score of 3–1, despite the fact that their staring pitcher was the future Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. New York Times reporter Hugh Fullerton wrote that "Alexander pitched a bad game of ball. He had little or nothing." But that was as good as things would get for the Phillies, who would not win another postseason game until 1977, nor another World Series game until 1980. The Red Sox won the next four games, all by one run, and by identical scores of 2–1 in their first three wins. The clinched the series with a 5-4 win on October 13th, back at the Baker Bowl.
It is likely that Wilson was cheering for the Phillies, since they played just 45 miles away from his old Alma Mater of Princeton University. At game two Woodrow Wilson became the first U.S. President to attend a World Series game as well as the first to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The event was noteworthy for another reason. It was the first time that the recently widowed Wilson appeared in public with his fiance, Edith Bolling Galt.
The Red Sox would win the series twice more that decade, in 1916 and 1918. They would not win again for another 86 years until 2004.