Bill Coughlin's Disappearing Act
A ball nobody could find, a president in the stands, a photograph bigger than the game, and two juggernauts tripping on the first step.
Ed. 10.09.26
Bill Coughlin's Disappearing Act (1907)
The Cubs came into the 1907 World Series still smarting from a stunning loss the October before. In Game 2, Detroit third baseman Bill Coughlin kept the ball out of sight until Jimmy Slagle strayed off the bag, then tagged him out. It is still the only hidden ball trick in World Series history, according to the master list kept by researcher Bill Deane. The Cubs shook it off, won 3-1, and finished the Series without losing a game.
The First Fan in the Box Seats (1915)
On this day at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, Woodrow Wilson became the first president to attend a World Series game. He threw out the first pitch with his future wife, Edith Galt, alongside him. Then Red Sox right-hander George "Rube" Foster stole the show, allowing three hits and singling home the go-ahead run in the ninth of a 2-1 win. Not a bad first date with the Fall Classic.
Larry Doby and the Picture (1948)
In Game 4, Larry Doby sent a Johnny Sain pitch deep to right-center for the first home run by a Black player in World Series history. It was the difference in Cleveland's 2-1 win. Afterward, Doby and winning pitcher Steve Gromek were photographed embracing cheek to cheek in the clubhouse. Gromek took heat for it from some folks back home. Doby, the American League's first Black player, said that picture meant more to him than the home run.
Same Date, Same Stumble (1906, 2001)
The 1906 Cubs won 116 games, and the "Hitless Wonder" White Sox were supposed to be a speed bump. Instead, snow flurries fell on the World Series opener and Nick Altrock beat Three Finger Brown, 2-1. Ninety-five years later to the day, the Mariners, fresh off matching that 116-win mark, opened the playoffs by getting shut out 5-0 by Bartolo Colón and Cleveland. Through 2026, no team has won more. Neither one won the World Series.
