The Downfall of the First Boston Red Sox Dynasty, Part One

By Daniel R. Epstein

Boston Red Sox owned the decade of the 1910s, winning the World Series in 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918. Then from 1919-1933, they finished under .500 every year, never climbing higher than fifth place in the standings.

The sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees is perhaps the most famous transaction in baseball history and a major catalyst for Boston’s downfall, but their teardown was larger than one player. The club made a series of regrettable moves in a short time period—only some of which were connected to owner Harry Frazee’s declining finances.

• April 9, 1916: Tris Speaker traded by the Boston Red Sox to Cleveland for Sad Sam Jones, Fred Thomas and $55,000.

The Red Sox won two more championships after this trade, but the club felt Speaker’s absence well into the 1920s. He may have been overshadowed by Ty Cobb in his own time, but his 135.0 WAR is sixth-most in MLB history by a position player. He holds the all-time records for career doubles (792) and outfield assists (449).

Despite his on-field greatness, his personality became too much to handle, as he clashed with teammates over religious differences and was allegedly a member of the Ku Klux Klan. This led to him being dealt in his prime, and he led the league with a .386 batting average in his first year in Cleveland. He slashed .349/.437/.512 from 1916 through the end of his career in 1928.

Jones hardly pitched in his first two years in Boston, then was intermittently successful until they dealt him to the Yankees after the 1921 season. Thomas played only 44 games for the Red Sox.

• January 10, 1918: Forrest Cady, Larry Gardner, and a player to be named later (Tilly Walker) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Philadelphia Athletics for Stuffy McInnis.

Gardner was the preeminent third baseman in MLB in the 1910s, accumulating 30.3 WAR and a 115 OPS+ from 1910-1917. He would enjoy four more similar seasons in Philadelphia and Cleveland before his career declined. Walker—the center fielder who replaced Speaker—promptly tied for the AL lead in home runs with 11 after being traded, reaching double-digits every year from 1918-1922, finishing no lower than fourth in the AL each season. Cady wasn’t a superstar, but he was a useful backup catcher.

McInnis’ was only 27 at the time of the trade, but his best days were behind him. He compiled an 89 OPS+ in four seasons with the Red Sox.

• December 18, 1918: Dutch Leonard, Duffy Lewis, and Ernie Shore traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for Ray Caldwell, Frank Gilhooley, Slim Love, Roxy Walters and $15,000.

Hubert "Dutch" Leonard, left-handed pitcher with the Boston Red Sox prior to a game, circa 1914–1915.Photo byLibrary of Congress

Leonard was Boston’s ace during their dynasty, featuring a 2.13 ERA from 1913-1918 including an 0.96 mark over 25 starts in 1914. The Yankeees flipped him to the Tigers before he ever threw a pitch for them, and he enjoyed three more solid campaigns in Detroit. Lewis was Boston’s starting left fielder from 1910-1917, hitting .289 over that span before he was drafted by the Navy. Shore posted a 2.12 ERA over 839 innings from 1915-1917, but he was also scooped up by the war efforts and missed the 1918 season.

Caldwell and Gilhooley each only played half of a season for the Red Sox, and Love never played for them at all. Walters had the highest impact out of anyone in the return package, but it wasn’t necessarily positive. The catcher slashed .204/.272/.240 over five seasons in Boston, posting negative WAR each year.

• July 30, 1919: Carl Mays traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for Bob McGraw, Allen Russell and $40,000.

The decimation of Boston’s pitching staff continued with the Mays trade. He threw 1,105 innings for the Red Sox from 1915 until he was dealt to New York. His 1.65 ERA over 13 games for the Yankees after trade helped them ascend to third place with an 80-59 record. It was their best finish in nine years, signaling the team was on the upswing before they even acquired Ruth. Mays would win 26 games in 1920 and 27 in 1921.

On the other side of the deal, McGraw gave up 23 runs in 26 ⅔ innings for Boston, then was waived after the season—and claimed by the Yankees. Russell pitched reasonably well in three-and-a-half seasons with the Red Sox, but never matched the success of Mays either before or after the trade.

Daniel R. Epstein serves as a co-director of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His work can be found at Baseball Prospectus and Forbes SportsMoney.