page_title: History of the Boston Red Sox
section_title: 1900–1909
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Boston Red Sox / Early years / 1900–1909
caption_attribution_description: Accession No.: 06_06_000167 Title: Boston Americans season pass, 1906 Creator: unidentified Date: 1906 Format: ephemera Description: Season pass number 147 to the Huntington Avenue Grounds, home field of the Boston Americans. Leather booklet with all the coupons removed. Printed text: All Detached Coupons Are Void. No. 147 Compliments...Boston American League Base Ball Club. For The Season Of 1906 Admitting (Signed M.F. McGreevy) Good only after Agreement on Back Cover is Signed. Printed signature of John I. Taylor, President. Back inside cover: This book is Not Transferable. It will be Forfeited and taken up by the gate-keeper if presented by any other than: BPL Collection: McGreevey Collection BPL Department: Print Relation: open Subject: Baseball--History Boston Red Sox (Baseball team)
context_page_description: The history of the Boston Red Sox begins in 1901, as one of the original franchises of the American League.
context_section_description: In 1900, Ban Johnson's minor Western League, based in the Midwest, declared its equality with the National League, then the only major league in baseball. Johnson changed the name of his league to the American League. Competing in the streets, the upstart placed franchises in two of the largest and most important NL cities, Philadelphia and Boston. Despite the National League club having been previously well established in the city, beginning play in 1871, the new American League club managed to immediately surpass their in-city rivals in popularity. Factors contributing to this include the signing away of many of the star players from the "Nationals" to the "Americans" to more lucrative contracts, a more accessible location of their home park, animosity between Boston baseball fans and "Nationals" owner Arthur Soden, and more efforts made by the "Americans" to attract the growing Irish-American population to their games, as opposed to the "Nationals" preferring to market themselves more to Anglo-Saxons. Playing their home games at Huntington Avenue Grounds, the Boston franchise (often called the Americans during this time) finished second and third place in their first two seasons before capturing their first pennant in 1903 and repeating the feat in 1904. The team was purchased in 1903 by Milwaukee publisher, George Brumder, but Brumder sold the team in 1904.  These early Boston teams were led by manager and star third baseman Jimmy Collins and by pitcher Cy Young, both signings away from the NL club, whose 1901 to 1904 seasons both rank among the best four-year runs ever. In addition, the Americans received significant contributions from outfielders Chick Stahl, Buck Freeman and Patsy Dougherty. In 1903, the Americans participated in the first modern World Series, beating the favored Pittsburgh Pirates and winning the best-of-nine series five games to three. The Americans were aided both by chants of "Tessie" from their Royal Rooters fan club and by their stronger pitching staff.
  The 1904 club was almost as good as the previous year's team, but due to the emergence of the New York Highlanders as a strong contender, the Americans found themselves in a tight pennant race through the last games of the season. Foreshadowing what would eventually become a storied rivalry, the 1904 race featured such controversial moves as the trade of Patsy Dougherty to the Highlanders for Bob Unglaub.
  However, the arguable climax of the season occurred during the season's final doubleheader at the Highlanders' home stadium, Hilltop Park. In order to win the pennant, New York needed to take both games from Boston. With Jack Chesbro, the Highlanders' 41-game winner, on the mound, New York seemed to have a good chance of winning the first game. However, in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied 2–2 with a man on third in the top of the ninth, a spitball got away from Chesbro allowing Boston's Lou Criger to score the go-ahead run on one of the most famous wild pitches in history. Unfortunately the NL champion New York Giants had previously declined to play any postseason series, fearing it would give their New York rivals credibility (they had expected the Highlanders to win), but a sharp public reaction led to the two leagues immediately turning the World Series into a permanent championship, starting in 1905.
  These successful times quickly ended, as the Americans would go on to lose 100 games in the 1906 season. But several new star players would soon help the newly renamed Red Sox reverse their fortunes once again.
caption: Inside view of the season pass.
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