It was the late afternoon of September 8, 1906. The Philadelphia Brewers lost the eighth game of the Legacy Cup to the Twin City Empire, who finally won it all in their fifth attempt within six years.
Although the game was long over and the stands were empty, some players sat down near the first base. Then, Frank Stilgoe stepped on the field with a crate of beer. He handed the players beers and sat down next to Arthur Haddow. Haddow got his second postseason loss in his third postseason game. The 24-year-old was devastated. McKenzie and Stapleton joined in and comforted the young pitcher.
The group of players wasn’t alone, though. Back in the lower deck stands behind home plate sat a smaller group of men. Karl and Walter Boeselager are co-owners of the Philadelphia Brewers and owners of the Boeselager Brewery. Their general manager, Martin Pitsch, manager Troy Bujak, and the other coaches sat in the dark-blue painted wooden seats. The staff also had beers with them and witnessed the team-building efforts on the field.
Karl Boeselager knew what went on in the players’ heads. A long time ago, he also played baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics. An injury cut his career short, and the brewery business needed attention anyways. But he still remembers the smell of defeat, the emptiness in the eyes of some players who gave it all for months just to be robbed of their well-deserved victory. They proved their critics better when everyone expected the Rifles to win the division after it became clear that Leo McKenzie would miss the remainder of the season. McKenzie is the star and best player on the team. An extraordinary individual but also a great team player. Indeed, they would name an award after him once he retires. In 1906, the rest of the team had to work even harder to compensate him. Sometimes it didn’t work out. Too often, just one or two runs were missing. Overall, the offense was less potent than in 1905. The whole league produced fewer hits, and the teams began to focus more on pitching and defense.
Suddenly, Karl heard footsteps on the stairs that led from the ground level to the stands. He didn’t have to look behind to find out who it was when he heard the voice.
“Gentlemen, it’s a shame we can’t open these bottles of champagne.” Sir Patrick Downing sat at the far end next to the Boeselager brothers. Walter looked at Martin, and they recognized each other’s annoyed facial expressions. Sir Patrick William Downing, a 32-year-old British nobleman, owner of the Philadelphia Brewers for ten years, could have been a more pleasant partner. But the Englishman was barely present, gave conflicting orders, and the Boeselager brothers waited for an opportunity to purchase the 85% of the club he owned.
“I’m glad you made it,” Sir Downing and Martin had an outfall before the 1904 season when Downing demanded the release of Alfred Gilling. “You knew we wouldn’t win the series tonight. So why bring the champagne?”
Sir Downing grinned. “I just wanted to surprise my favorite Germans with real German champagne. It’s from the Loire region.”
“That would be the Lorraine region.” Pitsch let out a long sigh. “And it’s about as German as your interest in the club.”
“This is not the time,” Karl interrupted before the conversation could become more hostile. “Martin, why won’t you explain why this was a season against all odds while I get us more beer. Also, Sir Downing, dump the juice. Only beer allowed in this stadium.”
“Well, Sir Downing, we planned on defending the title…”
Preparations and Transactions
The Philadelphia Brewers won the Legacy Cup in 1904 and 1905, so the club wasn’t desperate for upgrades. As a result, the only free agent who joined the major league roster was outfielder Ray Faulkner. Largely unnoticed, the 28-year-old signed for $12,500 and became the primary choice in left field.
The only trades happened with the Cleveland Athletics and the Brooklyn Whales. Pitching prospect Alton Kirkup went to Ohio in exchange for second-baseman Hollis Considine. Veteran centerfielder Junius Bembridge left Philadelphia for a second-round draft pick.
The Regular Season
In the season’s second game, the Brewers had to substitute Leo McKenzie due to an injury. Most people expected a twisted ankle, but after the game, the doctors announced that their key player had suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. Pessimists labeled the season as over, but it turned out that the Brewers are more than just one player.
Lionel Lyon, the unwanted stepchild of the Philadelphia clubhouse, filled in the gap.
A Lyon to the rescue
Despite his character flaws, 36-year-old Lionel Lyon played his most important season. For years, the club never tolerated his unmotivated attitude but knew about his qualities and refused unworthy trades. The shoes Lyon had to fill were enormous, but they fit him.
In April, Lyon proved that the Brewers did not have to worry. 23-for-73, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 15 BB. Being one of the slower batters, he batted fifth most of the time and drove in 65 runs in 118 games.
While the offense of Lyon and McKenzie shouldn’t be compared, the defensive output was an unnoticed game-changer. In 1905, McKenzie’s second entire season as a first baseman, he played 754.1 innings on first base and caused 26 errors. A year later, Lyon nearly had 300 more innings on first base but only allowed nine errors.
Pitching Veterans
For a brief period, Troy Bujak worked with a three-man rotation. Lambert Holmes, Stephen Millington, and Bradley Miller gained the trust, while Danny Edgerton and Leonard Kindall began in the bullpen. David Moore voiced concerns about the length of the season, which meant 40 games for each starter. Bujak then ordered a fourth pitcher to the rotation, which naturally meant Danny Edgerton. Instead of promoting the seasoned reliever Seamus Maynard to the bullpen, Arthur Haddow got the call to act as the team’s closer.
The new rotation has an average age of roughly 35 years. Raw experience led to the league’s best starters’ ERA (2.00) and the best overall ERA (1.96). Surprisingly, the combined 80-year-old half of the rotation (Miller, Edgerton) had the better ERA (1.95) and was 30-21, while the younger half (Millington, Holmes) fielded a 2.02 ERA with a 39-18 record.
A sloppy offense
As good as the pitching was, the offense appeared weak in crucial moments. Too often, Philadelphia had zero runs on the scoreboard. Ten games, including three postseason losses, were batting failures.
Still, the Brewers led the league in runs scored, extra-base hits, and home runs. The .241 batting average ranked fourth in the EL but was also .030 less than in 1905.
Moriarty Stapleton, George Singleton, and Rusty Hall severely underperformed at the plate. Hall’s worst pre-1906 batting average was .277 in 1904. In 1906, Pitsch demoted him to the Langhorn Goats for hitting .186. Singleton, celebrated in 1905 for being a crucial hitter with a .313 BA, dropped to .218. And Stapleton set a new career-low average. In 1905, Stapleton only hit .251, but a year later, this dropped to .235.
Magnificient May
After winning 13 of the first 23 games, the Brewers exploded in May and won 18 out of the 27. Every series was a victory, but the two victorious series against Richmond and one sweep of Brooklyn were the sweetest. One of the four won games against Richmond was a 20-inning thriller that saw Stephen Millington and Matthew Holliday as the starters. Millington’s one-run performance over 15 innings laid the foundation for the 2-1 win that was brought home by Arthur Haddow.
By the end of the month, the Rifles were six games behind the Brewers.
Struggling August
Traditionally, the Brewers have one part of the season where they find themselves in a slump. 1906 was no different, but to make it worse, it was right before the postseason began. On August 5, despite a brutal 2-11 loss to Brooklyn, Philadelphia clinched the division. In the next 13 games, Bujak’s men lost seven more games. While the Brewers had a 6-8 record from August 5 to the end of the regular season, their League Cup opponents had an 11-3 record.
The Postseason
The League Cup matchup was set very early. Still, the possible outcome was heavily favoring the Brooklyn Whales even though Philadelphia won eleven out of their 17 regular season encounters.
League Cup
Before 1906, the Whales and the Brewers had an even postseason record. A close five-game series slightly shifted the record towards Philadelphia. Brooklyn fielded a two-man rotation with Fain and Wollett. At the same time, Philadelphia returned to the three-man rotation they started with in the regular season. When the Brewers lost, it was primarily because of the poor offense. The Brewers didn’t score any runs in any of the losses. In the end, there was only one run difference. Holmes lost both his starts, while Miller and Millington won theirs.
Legacy Cup
Just as the League Cup was a repeat of the previous two years, the Western League representative was from Minnesota again. Twin City had the worst record of the playoff teams (65-55) and battled through a five-game series against the Cleveland Athletics, who had the LBL’s best season record.
If McKenzie’s injury wasn’t enough already, Alfred Gilling only made three appearances in the League Cup before his back caused trouble. The staff waited until the last minute to decide whether to replace him or not. Still, a mob attacked the courier for the Legacy Cup roster card drop-off, and Gilling remained on the roster.
Lambert Holmes got his first win thanks to a 6-2 win. But three one-run losses turned the tide. It was Holmes again who figured out the Twin City offense in a 9-1 win. The Empire roughed up Miller badly in game six, and after 2.1 innings, Arthur Haddow jumped in. Impressed by Haddow’s performance (one hit in 5.2 innings of relief), Bujak decided to give Haddow the start in game eight, should the series get that far. To make this happen, Bujak threw in Holmes again. His third start in the Legacy Cup was another win. A rocky 8-5 win with 28 hits allowed the experiment with Haddow. Unfortunately, the Brewers’ offense seemed exhausted, and Gordon Maddock picked a perfect day to pitch. Haddow allowed two runs, out of which one was unearned. The Twin City Empire finally won the championship.
The Langhorn Goats
In the inaugural reserve league season, the Brewers affiliate finished before the Rifles reserve. Unfortunately, not at the top of the division but ranked third.
While the Brewers lead the league in team age, the Langhorn Goats field the sixth-youngest team. Seamus Maynard and Alfonso Thompson were the only players over 30 who spent the entire season in Langhorn. However, none were regular starters, and the Brewers clarified that the Goats would primarily develop prospects.
Outlook to 1907
Philadelphia’s season goals remain unchanged: win the division and see how long the journey will last. Chances are good that McKenzie brings back the much-needed firepower.
More importantly, the long-term mission is slowly replacing aging star players. Moriarty Stapleton, 38, might be the first victim, as Paul Butler is almost ready for the major league. Unless trades force a departure of Miller and Edgerton (41 and 40 by opening day), it will be the 1907 offseason when the funds become the big spenders and sign starters. This is mainly because George Singleton will be in his last $16,000 year and most likely final season with the Brewers.
The biggest trump the Brewers have on their hand is Lionel Lyon. 1906 was an excellent opportunity to put him in a showcase. Trading him for high-profile prospects or even as part of a deal that could bring in a star player would be ideal. But even if that won’t work out, Lyon will remain the perfect backup for McKenzie. Until Basil Brown or Milan Featherstone are ready for the call-up.