Jackson: You should know Oyster Joe
From SABR member Frank Jackson at The Hardball Times on September 9, 2019:
The 1924 World Series offers any number of talking points for baseball historians. It matched the mighty New York Giants–winners of nine pennants since 1901 and four in a row from 1921-1924–against the lowly Washington Senators, making their first World Series appearance. The 1924 Giants had led the NL in hitting (.300), homers (95) and, most importantly, runs (857). Thanks to spacious Griffith Stadium, the Senators led the league in triples (88)…and that was about it. That same spaciousness kept their home run count to a mere 22. Pitching was the team’s strong point, the team ERA of 3.34 leading the league, with defense getting an honorable mention (only the Yankees committed fewer errors). So the Senators may have lacked the firepower and glamour of the Giants, but they were hardly pushovers.
The 1924 Fall Classic featured a host of players who would later be inducted into the Hall of Fame: Walter Johnson, Goose Goslin, Sam Rice, and player/manager Bucky Harris for the Senators; Frankie Frisch, Travis Jackson, High Pockets Kelly, Freddie Lindstrom, Ross Youngs, Hack Wilson, Billy Southworth, Bill Terry, and manager John McGraw for the Giants. The aging Johnson finally getting a shot at World Series glory made for a great sidebar. As it turned out, Johnson lost the two games he started but won Game Seven in relief – thanks to two bad-hop ground balls over third baseman Freddie Lindstrom’s head.
With all that drama and star power, it’s easy to see how some worthwhile stories could get lost in the meta-narrative. Such was the case of Oyster Joe Martina. You’ve probably never heard of him, which is a shame. In its own way, his career was as remarkable as those of the future Hall enshrinees he played with and against.
Read the full article here: https://tht.fangraphs.com/you-should-know-oyster-joe/
Originally published: September 11, 2019. Last Updated: September 11, 2019.