WORLD CHAMPS AGAIN
 1915 WORLD SERIES, GAME #1
Grover Cleveland Alexander
wins the first one

October 8, 1915 ... The first game in the best four of seven, went to the Philadelphia Phillies behind the pitching of Grover Cleveland Alexander, by a score of 3 to 1.  The Red Sox played a better game, but luck was on the side of the Phillies.  The weather was perfect but the grounds were slow and treacherous after heavy rains, slowing up play around the infield.  The crowd filled the park to overflowing and were very fair, applauding each team for good plays.  Both teams were on the field early and given rounds of applause as they took the field for practice.  The Boston Royal Rooters and their "Tessie" band arrived just before the game started and were cheered by the Philadelphia fans.  The Phillies also had their own band so it was even up on that front.   The streets outside the park were also filled with fans who wanted to hear the cheering and find out who was winning.

Alexander was the one man who Philly fans figured Boston would not be able to hit, but they were disappointed for the Red Sox cracked out eight solid hits in as many innings, whereas the hits made off Boston starter, Ernie Shore, where of the scratch order, four in the infield and one Texas leaguer.  Only two balls were hit hard.  One was a long drive to Duffy Lewis and the other a fast grounder to Jack Barry, who made a phenomenal one-handed back hand grab and had nobody covering second base to take the throw.  Had Everett Scott been in position, there would have not been the two Philly runs in the eighth inning that won the game. With one out Shore had passed Milt Stock to set this up.  Scott had thought the ball had gone through and went to cover third base.  Shore became visibly upset and allowed Dode Paskert, a weak batter, a free base-on-balls to load the bases.  Gavvy Cravath's slow grounder to Scott scored the go-ahead Philly run.  This was the big break that gave it to Philly and came after the Red Sox had tied the score in their half of the eighth inning by scoring a run on a pass to Tris Speaker, a ground out by Hobby, and a single by Lewis.  So after the eight, the home team was winning on two scratch singles.

The first Philly run was scored on a freak hit.  Dave Bancroft was on third base and Possum Whitted hit a slow roller back to Shore and just as he was about to grab the ball, the ball hit a foot print on the muddy pathway and bounced just out of Shore's reach, allowing Bancroft to score.  Alexander pitched his best ball with men on base, working curves and fast balls and that won the game for him.  Both pitchers pitched equally well and each threw 100 pitches in their eight innings of work.  The Red Sox will have another chance to test him out at Braves Field next week.