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 1900s
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The turn of the century was marked by the Dodgers' second consecutive pennant-winning team (82 wins) under Manager Ned Hanlon. In 1900, the league was pared from 12 teams to eight, with Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville and Washington dropping out. Baltimore transplant McGinnity, nicknamed "Iron Man" because of his ability to pitch both ends of a doubleheader, was 29-9 for the ballclub and once won five games in six days.
Beginning in 1901, the newly-formed American League began taking shape, luring top-notch talent from the National League. With a "raided" roster, Hanlon watched the Brooklyn foundation crack. Stars like McGinnity departed, as did Keeler, Jones, Kelley, Tom Daly and "Wild" Bill Donovan. It would not be until 1916 that the Dodgers would again be perched above their National League competition.
In 1901, Brooklyn slipped to third place and managed a second-place finish in 1902. In Hanlon's final season in 1905, they hit rock bottom with an eighth-place finish, 56 1/2 games behind New York. In 1903, Jimmy Sheckard became Brooklyn's first home run champion, as he led the league with nine home runs and stole 67 bases to tie for the league lead.
One of the most exciting stars of the period was pitcher "Nap" Rucker, dubbed "Napoleon" by Grantland Rice. He played on the same South Atlantic League (Class C) team as Ty Cobb, which was considered the best club ever assembled at that level. The left-hander won 15, 17 and 13 games in his first three seasons with the Dodgers and wound up pitching in the 1916 World Series during his final season.
Zack Wheat was another Dodger great to emerge in the last year of the decade and would eventually play in more games (2,322) than any other Dodger.
The ownership of the ballclub was in a state of flux, as Charles Ebbets had become a 24-year employee of the original triumvirate of owners -- Charles Byrne, Joseph Doyle and Ferdinand Abell. Ebbets, who toiled at almost every aspect of baseball management -- from selling peanuts, scorecards and tickets to working as Byrne's assistant in the front office, used every opportunity to purchase even a small amount of stock in the team. He eventually held nearly 10 percent of the stock and after Byrne died in 1897, Ebbets managed to get elected as club president.
Then in a wild plan, Ebbets and Baltimore owner Harry Von der Horst became partners and while Von der Horst held 30 percent ownership of the Dodgers, Ebbets in exchange received Manager Ned Hanlon and several of Baltimore's top stars, including Keeler, Jennings, McGinnity, Kelley, Jones, Dahlen and Donovan.
When things turned for the worse in early 1900, Von der Horst wanted to sell his stock and Ebbets purchased it to become owner of the club. Immediately, he dreamed of expanding to a larger facility than Washington Park to accommodate the large crowds that were attending Dodger games against the rivals from New York, but would have to wait until the next decade for funding of the project.
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| 1900 |
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April 19, 1900: The Superbas kick off the 20th Century with a 3-2 win over the Giants at the Polo Grounds.
April 28: 1900: Fielder Jones belts the first grand slam in the modern history of the franchise in a 10-1 win over Boston at Washington Park.
July 21, 1900: Deacon McGuire sticks his bat out to avoid being intentionally walked, and connects to allow the winning run to cross the plate.
Aug. 30, 1900: Bill Dahlen sets a club record with two triples in the eighth inning of a 14-3 win over the Phillies.
Sept. 12, 1900: "Iron Man" Joe McGinnity, who has appeared in every game of the week, closes out both ends of a twin bill on a good day for the Superbas and not so good day for the Reds, who commit a record 17 errors in the doubleheader.
October 15, 1900: The Superbas win Game 1 of the exhibition World Series, 5-2, behind the strong pitching of "Iron Man" McGinnity, who survives a collision that knocked him out completely in the eighth inning. Brooklyn would go on to win the Series from Pittsburgh, 3-1. |
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| 1901 |
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April 18, 1901: Opening Day in Brooklyn is a good one for Jimmy Sheckard, whose three triples set a franchise record and help the Superbas to a 12-7 win over Philadelphia.
June 24, 1901: Catcher Deacon McGuire nails five would-be basestealers in a 2-1 win over Chicago.
June 26, 1901: Tommy Daly leads the Superbas past the Pirates, 16-3, smacking three doubles, a triple and a single in his first of two five-hit games of the season.
July 25, 1901: Frank Kitson tosses a one-hitter to beat the Giants, 5-0, in a rare Brooklyn win against Christy Mathewson.
Sept. 23, 1901: The Superbas tie a franchise record for runs by beating the Reds, 25-6. Brooklyn's two grand slams is also a club record.
Sept. 24, 1901: A day after hitting one of the Superbas' two grand slams in the record-tying pasting of the Reds, Jimmy Sheckard hits another to become the first player of the new century to accomplish the feat. Brooklyn outscores the Reds, 41-8, over the two games, setting a club record for runs in two days. |
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| 1902 |
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Aug. 23, 1902: The Superbas hit four triples in the third inning of a 9-8 win at Pittsburgh, which is tied for the Major League record. |
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| 1903 |
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Aug. 27, 1903: The Superbas are issued a record 17 walks by Philadelphia pitchers. |
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| 1904 |
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April 17, 1904: Blue Laws prevent charging for ballgames on Sundays, but Charles Ebbets holds a game anyway, selling scorecards to all fans instead of tickets. |
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| 1905 |
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Oct. 3, 1905: Doc Scanlan pitches all 18 innings of a doubleheader, beating St. Louis, 4-0 and 3-2. |
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| 1906 |
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June 14, 1906: Brooklyn establishes a record in a 6-1 victory over Pittsburgh by recording 27 assists and 27 putouts.
June 17, 1906: Charles Ebbets and manager Ned Hanlon are arrested after a scheme to charge fans after a Sunday game to avoid the Blue Laws doesn't pass muster with the local authorities. The case would be dismissed.
July 20, 1906: Malcolm Eason tosses a no-hitter at St. Louis to win, 2-0, and gets revenge on the Cardinals, who beat Eason with John Lush's no-no on May 1.
Aug. 1, 1906: Harry McIntire loses a no-hitter to Pittsburgh in the 10th inning and the game, 1-0, in the 13th.
Sept. 3, 1906: Brooklyn enjoys a lopsided, 18-0 victory over Philadelphia. |
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| 1907 |
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Nov. 7, 1907: Charles Ebbets and Henry Medicus buy out Ferdinand Abell and Ned Hanlon. |
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| 1908 |
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July 22, 1908: Tim Jordan slugs a ball over the fence at Exposition Park, the first such homer of the 20th Century, on his way to his total of 12 round-trippers. It is the second time Jordan ended the season leading the Majors in home runs, and the last time a Dodger would do so for 96 years (Adrian Beltre with 48 in 2004).
Sept. 5, 1908: Nap Rucker tosses a no-hitter at Boston, fanning 14 without a walk for a 6-0 win in the second game of a doubleheader. Three errors prevented Rucker from getting a perfecto. |
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| 1909 |
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Jan. 10, 1909: Harry Lumley is named manager.
July 22, 1909: Nap Rucker fans 16 Cardinals en route to a 1-0 win.
July 28, 1909: Jim Pastorius is just two outs away from a no-hitter in Philadelphia, but has to settle for a one-hitter and a 4-0 win as Marty Martel comes up with a pinch-hit triple.
Aug. 23, 1909: Bill Bergen nails six of eight would-be basestealers, but the Cards win anyway, 9-1.
Sept. 11, 1909: Zack Wheat makes his Major League debut in a tough 4-0 loss to Christy Mathewson and the Giants. But in the second game of the doubleheader, Wheat gets his first two hits in a 10-1 rout of New York. |
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History
