The 1916 season was a memorable one for the Brooklyn Robins — later changed to the Dodgers — as it marked the first time the organization advanced to the World Series before losing to Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox in five games.
The Robins began playing in Brooklyn in 1883 and opened up Ebbets Field in 1913, so by 1916 they were already an established organization. They didn’t change their name to the Dodgers until the 1930s.
In their history, the Robins won two National League pennants, with one coming in 1916 and the other in 1920.
Going into that 1916 season, they made a pair of acquisitions in purchasing outfielder Jim Hickman from the Baltimore Terrapins and third baseman Mike Mowrey from the Pittsburgh Rebels.
Regular season
The 1916 season did not get off to the best start as the Robins lost three of their first four games, all to the Boston Braves. They eventually found their form though and from April 21 through May 10, they won 10 of 11 games.
Brooklyn finished with the best home record in the league at 50-27, and their 94-60 overall record was good enough to secure the NL pennant under manager Wilbert Robinson. The Philadelphia Phillies finished in second place at 91-62.
First baseman Jake Daubert was one of their best offensive players, hitting .316/.371/.397 with three home runs, 75 runs scored, 33 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 127 games. He ranked second in the league in batting average and fourth in on-base percentage.
Outfielder Zach Wheat also had a strong year, slashing .312/.366/.461 with nine home runs, 76 runs scored, 73 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 149 games. He led the league in slugging percentage and was second in doubles with 32.
On the mound, Jeff Pfeffer, Larry Cheney and Rube Marquard led the way for the Robins. Pfeffer went 25-11 with a 1.92 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 41 games (26 starts). He was second in the league in both wins and complete games (30).
Cheney was second in the NL with 166 strikeouts, going 18-12 with a 1.92 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 41 games (32 starts). Marquard was second in the league with a 1.58 ERA, going 13-6 in 21 games (11 starts).
Postseason
The Red Sox finished the 1916 season with a 91-63 record, good for first in the American League, setting up a World Series matchup with the Robins.
In Game 1, the Robins entered the ninth inning trailing 6-1. They put together a rally and scored four runs, but fell just short and dropped the game by a score of 6-5.
Ruth got the start for the Red Sox in Game 2 and allowed an inside-the-park home run to Hy Myers in the first inning. He tossed 13 shutout innings after that though and the Red Sox came away with a 2-1 win in 14 innings on a walk-off pinch-hit single by Del Gainer.
Brooklyn finally got in the win column in Game 3 back at Ebbets Field when Pfeffer pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn a save and a 4-3 victory.
That was the only win of the series for the Robins, however, as they were outscored 6-2 and 4-1 in Games 4 and 5, respectively.
The 1916 World Series marked the only time the Dodgers (Robins) and Red Sox met in the Fall Classic until 2018, when Boston once again won in five games.
