The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-10-03
Long Before American League
Was Organized BIG Classic
Was a Part Of BasebaIl'S
Program.

Post season play between pennant
winners for the worlds baseball charm
pionship dates back far beyond the in
eeeption OF the american league, though
the annual tall classic now means to
t the average fan the clash of the Ma
lohaI ana American league champions.
The first baseball ferries of this kind
was played back in 1914 when the
american association had clubs IN both
tlAst ana West, as the American league
mas now, The association did not fare
very well as worlds series contender,
however, winning only one of seven
Series played with the National league
ors even
A. New York team competed in the
Iirst interleague series, the Nets OF that
Guy cropping three straight games to
champions OF 1874,
a year later the Chicago Nationals
ana the st. Louis team OF the American
association played seven games, each
winning three with one tie. Interest had
not reached the stage where a decision
champions, st. Louis, won four Of the
six games played with the Chicago Ma
tionals In 1885. The longest series on
record was played in 1887, the Detroit
Nationals taking 10 games of the Is
played with St Louis In this series
cities but in New York, Brooklyn, Pitts
lburgh, Baltimore, and Chicago. The to-
to 100000,
Jim Mutrie's champion Giants Of 1883
won six Of the 10 games played with
the st, Louis club of the American as
| ISOLATION A year later the Giants re-
peated in the National league and won
| six or eight games played with Brook
Ign, then In the association. In 1890
Brooklyn won the National league PEN
nant and broke even with Louisville,
| the association champions in seven
| games, one ending in a tie. This was
| the last interleague series up to the
| time the National American series was
started In 1903
National in Two Parts.
In 1892 the National league season
was divided in two parts, with the win
Of the campaign. Boston and Cleve-
land were the winners, and the Hub
team won five games, one ending in
| tie.
There was no post season series of
any kind in 1893, but in 1894 the Tenn
pie cup series was the big event at the
close of the regular baseball season.
This cup was presented by W. c. Tenn
Pile, a prominent sportsman of Pitts
bureh, to be played for annually by the
teams finishing first and second in the
National league, at that time alone in
the major league field. 1t proved bad
series for the pennant winners in three
| of, the four seasons in which these
games were played.
/ From 1898 to 1902 inclusive the base
ball seasons ended with the finish OF
the regular schedule, but the American
league, formed in 1900 and expended
into a circuit covering East and West
year later was clamoring for recog-
milton as a major organization. This
\ the National league declined to admit
In 1903 the Boston Americans, led by
Jimmy Collins, won the pennant in the
Johnson circuit, and Pittsburgh won in
1.-the National league. A challenge was
IhutIed from, Boston to Pittsburgh and
accepted Nine games were agreed up
on, the series to end when one team
won five games The Pirates won thret
of the first four and seemed to be sure
winners, but Boston came back Will
four straight and won the honors. Thi;
was the first worlds series between thu
pennafit winners Of the National ana
American leagues.
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