McCaffrey: Taunted and haunted: 100 years later, Red Sox’ 1918 championship still a series for the ages
From Jen McCaffrey at The Athletic on September 10, 2018:
For almost a century, the year 1918 held a haunting presence in the New England psyche.
One year, chanted tauntingly as those two bewitched numbers, nine-teen, eight-teen.
The year 1918 was, of course, the last time the Red Sox had won the World Series until the famed 2004 team broke the so-called curse, and Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of that championship.
But the 1918 World Series was more than just a taunt, more than just a roadblock to be overcome. That World Series was itself a momentous, rollicking, multifaceted affair that in so many ways represented its time — one where baseball was emerging as the nation’s true pastime yet remained uncertain of its place in a world torn asunder by war and illness.
The off-field strife — ranging from an in-series players strike, to a mysterious train-trip injury to star Babe Ruth, to an in-dugout fight between opposing coaches — provided plenty of intrigue to occupy the relatively small number of fans who were paying attention as the final battles of World War I played out in Europe.
Read the full article here: https://theathletic.com/513969/2018/09/10/100-years-later-red-sox-victory-in-wartime-world-series-of-1918-still-stands-out/
- Related link: Read stories from SABR’s When Boston Still Had The Babe: The 1918 Boston Red Sox at the SABR BioProject
Originally published: September 10, 2018. Last Updated: September 10, 2018.