1919 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1919 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The Reds won the National League pennant, then went on to win the 1919 World Series. The team's accomplishments were overshadowed by the subsequent Black Sox Scandal, when it was discovered that their American League opponents, the Chicago White Sox had conspired to throw the series.
1919 Cincinnati Reds
Off-season[edit]
Reds manager Christy Mathewson, who left the club late in the 1918 season to enlist in the United States Army for World War I, was accidentally gassed during a chemical training exercise and subsequently developed tuberculosis. Mathewson served with the American Expeditionary Force until February 1919 and was discharged later that month, however, it became apparent that he was too sick to manage the Reds. Cincinnati replaced Mathewson with Pat Moran. Moran had previously managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 1915 until 1918, leading the team to a 323–257 record, and won the National League pennant in 1915. In the 1915 World Series, the Phillies lost to the Boston Red Sox.
On February 1, the Reds traded away outfielder Tommy Griffith to the Brooklyn Robins in exchange for first baseman Jake Daubert. Daubert, who had spent his entire nine-year career with Brooklyn, hit .308 with two home runs, 47 RBI and a league high 15 triples in 108 games during the 1918 season. Daubert was named the National League Most Valuable Player during the 1913 season, when he led the league with a .350 batting average, two home runs, 52 RBI in 139 games.
With Daubert now playing first base, the Reds traded away first baseman Hal Chase to the New York Giants for first baseman Walter Holke and catcher Bill Rariden. Holke was then shipped to the Boston Braves for infielder/outfielder Jimmy Smith. Rariden batted .224 with 17 RBI in 69 games with the Giants during the 1918 season, while Smith hit .225 with a home run and 14 RBI in 34 games with the Braves.
In March, the Reds selected pitchers Ray Fisher from the New York Yankees and Slim Sallee from the New York Giants on waivers. Fisher, who spent the 1918 enlisted in the United States Army, had pitched with New York from 1910 to 1917, earning a 76–78 record with a 2.91 ERA in 219 games pitched. His best season was in 1915, as Fisher had a record of 18–11 with a 2.11 ERA in 30 games. Sallee, who broke into the league with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1908, had an 8–8 record and a 2.25 ERA in 18 games with the Giants in 1918.