SABR Digital Library: The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston’s Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions
The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston’s Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions
Edited by Bill Nowlin
Associate Editors: Bob Brady, Clem Comly, and Len Levin
Publication Date: February 19, 2014
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-933599-67-0, $39.95
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-933599-68-7, $9.99
8.5″ x 11″, 392 pages
Long before the Red Sox “Impossible Dream” season, Boston’s now nearly forgotten “other” team, the 1914 Boston Braves, performed a baseball “miracle” that resounds to this very day. The “Miracle Braves” were Boston’s first “worst-to-first” winners of the World Series.
Shortly after the turn of the previous century, the once mighty Braves had become a perennial member of the National League’s second division. Preseason pundits didn’t believe the 1914 team posed a meaningful threat to John McGraw’s powerful New York Giants. During the first half of that campaign, Boston lived down to such expectations, taking up residence in the league’s basement.
Refusing to throw in the towel at the midseason mark, their leader, the pugnacious George Stallings, deftly manipulated his daily lineup and pitching staff to engineer a remarkable second-half climb in the standings all the way to first place. The team’s winning momentum carried into the postseason, where the Braves swept Connie Mack’s heralded Athletics and claimed the only World Championship ever won by Boston’s National League entry. And for 100 years, the management, players, and fans of under-performing ball clubs have turned to the Miracle Braves to catch a glimmer of hope that such a midseason turnaround could be repeated.
Through the collaborative efforts of a band of dedicated members of the Society for American Baseball Research, this benchmark accomplishment is richly revealed to the reader in The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston’s Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions. The essence of the “miracle” is captured through a comprehensive compendium of incisive biographies of the players and other figures associated with the team, with additional relevant research pieces on the season. After a journey through the pages of this book, the die-hard baseball fan will better understand why the call to “Wait Until Next Year” should never be voiced prematurely.
SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!
- E-book: Click here to download the e-book version of The Miracle Braves of 1914 for FREE from the SABR Store. Available in PDF, MOBI, and EPUB/Kindle formats.
- Paperback: Get a 50% discount on the paperback edition of The Miracle Braves of 1914 from the SABR Store ($22.95 includes shipping/tax).
Buy the book
- E-book: Click here to purchase the e-book version of The Miracle Braves of 1914 for $9.99 from the SABR Store. Available in PDF, MOBI, and EPUB/Kindle formats.
- Paperback: Get the paperback edition of The Miracle Braves of 1914 from the SABR Store ($44.95 includes shipping/tax).
Below: Find player biographies and memorable game stories from The Miracle Braves of 1914
Biographies
Game Stories
Contributors: Dennis Auger, Thomas Ayers, Peter C. Bjarkman, Maurice Bouchard, Bob Brady, Frank Ceresi, Clem Comly, Rory Costello, Jerrod Cotosman, Peter Cottrell, Jon Dunkle, James Elfers, Greg Erion, Charles F. Faber, Dan Fields, Peter M. Gordon, Chip Greene, Donna L. Halper, Craig Hardee, Gary R. Hess, Joanne Hulbert, Bob Joel, David Jones, Martin Kohout, Len Levin, Dick Leyden, Mike Lynch, Wayne McElreavy, Carol McMains, Jack Morris, Tom Nahigian, Bill Nowlin, Bob Ruzzo, John Shannahan, David Shiner, John A. Simpson, Mark S. Sternman, Frank Vaccaro, Charlie Weatherby.