1920 (After the Black Sox)

The 1920 Major League Baseball season was the final season before the breakup of the American League and the National League. In the wake of the Black Sox scandal, the credibility of baseball had been tarnished with the public and fans and the owners of the teams clamored for credibility to be restored. A three-person National Commission ran the major and minor leagues – composed of the American League President, National League President, and one team owner – but 11 if 16 team owners felt that creating one position with near-unlimited authority was the answer. Five teams in the American League disagreed, and in the fallout, the two leagues broke up. After the 1920 season, the National League fell under the control of autocratic Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis while the American League would partner with the minor leagues to create a seven-person commission, the Board of Professional Baseball, with American League President Ban Johnson heading the commission. In the World Series, which would be final World Series under the AL/NL format, the Cleveland Indians triumphed over the Brooklyn Robins, 5–2.

The breakup of the American and National Leagues
Persisting rumors of the Chicago White Sox throwing the previous year's World Series to the Cincinnati Reds and another game during the 1920 season led to the game's brass looking for ways of dealing with the problems of gambling within the sport. At the time, MLB was governed by a three-man National Commission composed of American League President Ban Johnson, National League President John Heydler and Cincinnati Reds owner Garry Herrmann. At the request of the other owners, Herrmann left the office reducing the Commission to be deadlocked by two. With the owners disliking one or both presidents, calls began for stronger leadership, although they opined they could support the continuation of the leagues' presidencies with a well-qualified Commissioner.

A plan that began to circulate and gain support was dubbed the "Lasker Plan," after Albert Lasker, a shareholder of the Chicago Cubs, called for a three-man commission with no financial interest in baseball. With the Black Sox scandal exposed on September 30, 1920, Heydler began calling for the Lasker Plan. All eight NL teams supported the plan, along with three AL teams. The three AL teams were the White Sox, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The teams in support of the Lasker Plan wanted federal judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis to chair a three-person Board of Control for professional baseball.

Johnson, who opposed the plan and thus, the appointment of Landis, had as allies the other five AL clubs. He proposed a nine-person commission to direct Major League Baseball, but the eight National League teams and the three former American League teams did not agree.

On November 8, 1920, National League clubs along with the three "insurrectos" of the American League met in Chicago. The 11 clubs unanimously selected Judge Landis as Chairman for the proposed three-member Board of Control of professional baseball. In doing so, it also announced that it would create a 12-club league under Landis' chairmanship, consisting of the 11 clubs and the first American League team to defect and join the National League under the governance of the proposed Board of Control. In the event that a team did not defect, as was the case, an expansion team would be placed in Detroit.

On November 9, a day after the "New National League" was announced, Johnson addressed the minor leagues convention in Kansas City. Johnson gave an impassioned speech to minor league owners, describing the unwillingness of the National League to give a voice to the minor leagues. Johnson's comments stoked NAPBL leadership, which was still upset in light of the dissolution of the National Agreement between the major and minor leagues in 1919. The National Agreement allowed such things as the ability for teams to draft from minor league squads and forbade major league teams from "farming" players into the minor leagues.

Following the meeting, Johnson reportedly had a conversation with Michael Sexton, president of the NAPBL. Sexton indicated that, without a National Agreement in force, that the NAPBL would be open to negotiations with the new American League for an exclusive agreement.

The discussion, in essence, provided the American League the foundation it needed in the upcoming war against the National League.

On January 4, 1921, the NAPBL agreed to an exclusive five-year agreement with the American League, allowing the American League exclusive rights to purchase NAPBL players, to extend the reserve clause to minor league ballclubs, and allow farming agreements with American League clubs. The American Agreement essentially barred National League clubs from growing its roster through minor league ballplayers, and the first shot was fired in the Great Baseball War.

The 1920 World Series
In the 1920 World Series, the Cleveland Indians beat the Brooklyn Robins, in seven games, five games to two. This series was a best-of-nine series, like the first World Series in 1903 and the World Series of from 1919 to 1921. The only World Series triple play, the first World Series grand slam and the first World Series home run by a pitcher all occurred in Game 5 of this Series. The Indians won the series in memory of their former shortstop Ray Chapman, who had been killed earlier in the season when struck in the head by a pitched ball.

The triple play was unassisted and turned by Cleveland's Bill Wambsganss in Game 5. Wambsganss, playing second base, caught a line drive off the bat of Clarence Mitchell, stepped on second base to put out Pete Kilduff, and tagged Otto Miller coming from first base. It was the second of fifteen (as of 2016) unassisted triple plays in major-league baseball history, and it remains the only one in postseason play. Mitchell made history again in the eighth inning by hitting into a double play, accounting for five outs in two straight at-bats.

The fifth game also saw the first grand slam in World Series history (hit by Cleveland's Elmer Smith) and the first Series home run by a pitcher (Cleveland's Jim Bagby, Sr.). And in that same game, Brooklyn outhit Cleveland but lost 8–1.

Cleveland had won the American League pennant in a close race with the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees. The Sox's participation in the Black Sox Scandal the previous year had caught up to them late in the season, and their star players were suspended with three games left in the season, when they were in a virtual tie with the Indians. The Yankees, with their recently acquired star Babe Ruth, were almost ready to start their eventual World Series dynasty.

It is notable that all seven games of the 1920 World Series were won by the team who scored first. In fact, Game 4 was the only game in which the losing team scored a run before the winning team had scored all of its runs. The lead never changed hands in any game.

This would be the last World Series under the American League vs. National League structure until the re-organization of professional baseball in 1947.

Summary
AL Cleveland Indians (5) vs. NL Brooklyn Robins (2)

Game 1
Game 1 at Ebbets Field Game 1 took a mere 1 hour, 41 minutes. Steve O'Neill supplied RBI doubles in the second and fourth innings in support of Stan Coveleski, who won it for the visiting Indians with a five-hitter.

Game 2
A first-inning run on a Jimmy Johnston single and Zack Wheat double would be all Dodger pitcher Burleigh Grimes would require in a complete-game shutout.

Game 3
Brooklyn scored twice in the first on hits by Zack Wheat and Hi Myers that chased Cleveland starter Ray Caldwell from the game. The only run winning pitcher Sherry Smith gave up in a three-hitter came when Tris Speaker came all the way around on a double that was misplayed in left field.

Game 4
Brooklyn starter Leon Cadore didn't make it past the first inning. His relievers didn't fare much better, Al Mamaux being removed in the third and Rube Marquard greeted by a George Burns two-run double. Stan Coveleski cruised with a five-hitter for his second win of the Series.

Game 5
The Cleveland Times ran the following article on Monday, October 11, 1920, recounting Game 5 and Wambsganss' triple play:

Bill Wambsganss (upper left) completing his unassisted triple play in Game 5, about to tag a stunned Otto Miller after touching second to double up Pete Kilduff (right foreground, touching third).

Wamby Makes Unassisted Triple Play
 * CLEVELAND, Sunday Oct 10, 1920 – Bill Wambsganss' unassisted triple play highlighted the most unusual game in World Series history today and helped the Cleveland Indians to a wild 8–1 victory over the Brooklyn Robins. Elmer Smith hit a grand slam and Jim Bagby also homered as the Indians took the lead in games three to two. The triple play and grand slam had never happened before in World Series history and Bagby became the first pitcher to homer in a World Series. "I've been in baseball 40 years", Robins manager Wilbert Robinson said, "and I never saw one like this." The first Indian to face Burleigh Grimes was Charlie Johnson[citation needed], who singled. He stopped at second on Wambsganss' single. Then Grimes fell fielding Tris Speaker's bunt, loading the bases. Then Smith hit a 1–2 pitch over the right field screen for a 4–0 lead. In the home fourth, Doc Johnston singled to center and moved up on a passed ball. After Grimes put Steve O'Neill on, Bagby homered into the center field stands. Pete Kilduff began the top of the fifth with a single to left center. When Otto Miller singled to center, Speaker's quick throw to third drove Kilduff back to second. That brought up reliever Clarence Mitchell, who went six for sixteen as a pinch-hitter this season and sometimes fills in at first base and in the outfield. A left-handed hitter, he drove the ball toward right center. Second baseman Wambsganss moved slightly to his right, tipped onto his toes, sprung a little bit and grabbed the ball with his gloved hand. Never hesitating, he continued to second base, easily doubling Kilduff. Then when Wamby turned to throw to first base he saw Miller frozen directly in front of him. Reaching out, Wamby tagged Miller easily. The crowd was silent momentarily, then, realizing what had happened, broke into thunderous applause. In the Brooklyn eighth, Ernie Krueger singled to center. But Mitchell grounded to first baseman Johnson[citation needed], who started a double play. Thus, Mitchell accounted for five outs in two at-bats.

Game 6
Even faster than Game 1, this one was done in just 94 minutes. Duster Mails twirled a three-hit shutout, and the lone run came in the sixth on a Tris Speaker two-out single, followed by a George Burns double.

Game 7
The Dodgers didn't score in the last two games. Their pitcher, Burleigh Grimes, committed an error on a Cleveland double steal that resulted in the game's first run. Stan Coveleski needed no more, but got one in the fifth from a Tris Speaker run-scoring triple and another in the seventh on Charlie Jamieson's RBI double. Spitball pitcher Coveleski won for the third time and the Indians celebrated before their home fans.