page_title: 1912 World Series
section_title: Game 7
hierarchical_section_title: 1912 World Series / Matchups / Game 7
caption_attribution_description: "Smokey" Joe Wood, Boston AL (baseball)
context_page_description: In the 1912 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Giants four games to three.
  This series, featuring close games and controversial decisions, was regarded as one of the most exciting World Series of its era. Nearly all of the games were close. Four games in this Series were decided by one run. A fifth ended in a tie. A sixth was decided by two runs. Game 7 was the only one with a margin greater than three runs. Two games, including the decisive Game 8, went to extra innings. In Games 1 and 3, the losing team had the tying and winning runs on base when the game ended.
  The series showcased star pitching from Giant Christy Mathewson and Red Sox fireballer Smoky Joe Wood. Wood won two of his three starts and pitched in relief in the final game. In the deciding game, Boston rallied for two runs in the tenth inning thanks to two costly Giants fielding misplays.
  This was one of only four World Series to go to eight games, and the only best-of-seven Series to do so. While the 1912 Series was extended to eight games due to a tie game being called on account of darkness, the 1903, 1919, and 1921 World Series were all best-of-nine affairs that happened to run eight games.
context_section_description: Wood, who had pitched and won Games 1 and 4 for the Red Sox, started Game 7 with a chance to win Boston's second championship. But in a replay of Game 6, the Giants blew the game open in the first inning.  Seven of the first nine Giants batters reached base, and six of them scored.  Wood faced ten batters, threw them only 13 pitches and retired only one of them, with the first out coming on a sacrifice and the third when Giant starter Tesreau was caught stealing second. New York cruised from there, winning the only truly lopsided game of the series 11–4. This game featured two "bounce" home runs, one from Gardner of the Red Sox and another from Doyle of the Giants. This type of play, where a ball lands in fair territory and goes over the wall on a bounce, was changed by rule to a ground rule double in 1931. Game 7 also featured an extremely rare unassisted double play by an outfielder.  Tris Speaker, who was known for playing very shallow in center field, caught a liner by Fletcher with one out in the top of the ninth inning and ran in, stepping on second to double off Wilson.
  The game was delayed because of a demonstration by the Royal Rooters, the primary Red Sox fan organization of the day, because their normal seats on Duffy's Cliff had been double-sold to other fans.  The Royal Rooters were lined up along the left field foul line since they had indeed paid their way in.  They were not satisfied, however. Their leader, Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy, led a further demonstration after the game in front of the Red Sox offices and called for a boycott of Game 8.
  Wood's awful start, the fact that he'd continued to pitch with a full windup instead of going into the stretch position with Giants on base, and the sloppy play of the Red Sox led to ugly rumors. Boston fans and respected sportswriter Tim Murnane each believed that the Boston players, angry that they didn't get a cut from the gate receipts for Game 2 and further alienated by O'Brien's Game 6 start, bet on the Giants to make their losses good.  Whatever went down, the Series was tied at 3, setting up a decisive Game 8 for the championship.
caption: Smoky Joe Wood in 1915
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