Top 5 Players of the 1905 World Series

Originally published December 2018

By Zane Miller

On Saturday, October 14^th, 1905, the New York (now San Francisco) Giants defeated the Philadelphia (now Oakland) Athletics at Polo Grounds in New York City to clinch the second World Series four games to one. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. Sam Mertes (Giants)- LF

Mertes drove in two RBIs for the Giants throughout the series, going along with three hits, two runs and two walks for a batting average of .176.

4. Chief Bender (Athletics)- P

Bender was the player of the game in game two, the only game of the series that the Athletics won, pitching a complete game shutout with only four hits and three walks allowed. Bender also pitched in game five, allowing two earned runs on five hits and three walks over eight innings.

3. Dan McGann (Giants)- 1B

McGann, the game three player of the game, scored four RBIs along with a run, four hits and two walks, with a .235 batting average.

2. Joe McGinnity (Giants)- P

McGinnity was the game four player of the game, pitching a complete game shutout in a 1-0 victory to take a 3-1 lead in the series, allowing just five hits and three walks along the way. McGinnity also pitched in game two, allowing no earned runs on five hits with no walks in a loss.

1. Christy Mathewson (Giants)- P

Mathewson was player of the game for both games one and five. In game one, Mathewson pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits along with no walks, then pitched yet another complete game shutout in game five with five hits allowed to seal the series victory.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

Link to stats database: https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1905_WS.shtml