The Pilgrims of the American League

By David Marasco

As one of the original American League franchises the Red Sox have a long history. Some of it is good, some of it is heartbreaking. But it all starts in 1901. In that year a team known as the Pilgrims took the field at the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds. While they would fade towards the end of the season to finish 4 games out, they did manage to bring in just under 290,000 fans in a park that seated 9,000. The cross-town Braves would see a mere 146,500 fans, outdrawn by nearly 2 to 1.

Who were these men who stole the heart of Boston? Some were long-time Braves, others relative new-comers, and there was a batch of oldsters in their last days. Position-by-position, here are your Boston Pilgrims.

1B - When he was 19 Buck Freeman came up as a pitcher with the American Association's Washington franchise. He would go 3-2, and then disappear from major league rosters until 1898. He resurfaced as an outfielder for Washington (now a member of the National League). The following year he would clout 25 home runs, to lead the league. The second best player hit a mere 12!. After the league dissolved Washington, Freeman found himself on the Braves roster in 1900. In 1901 he would be in the same city, but a different league. He was also at a new position. Freeman would play 1st. Here he would have the best year of his career, batting .339, slugging .520 and hustling an even .400 on base average (league numbers for these results were .277/.371/.333). His 12 home runs would be second to Nap Lajoie's 14. Home runs were his trick, he would finish 2nd in the league in 1901, 1902 and 1904, while claiming the crown in 1903. Buck would play with Boston until 1907, and would finish with 82 home runs -- leaving him just outside of the top 15 for 1893-1919.

2B - His parents named him Albert Sayles Ferris, but to the baseball world he was Hobe Ferris. His first exposure to the bigs was with the Pilgrims. He was never much with the bat, notching a .250/.350/.290 1901, but he did have a decent glove. He would hold down second for Boston until 1908, when he moved over to St. Louis. With the Browns he moved to third and enjoyed a career year in 1908. He would slump badly in 1909 and that would be his last year in baseball.

SS - Freddy Parent had exactly 2 games in the majors before he joined the Pilgrims, he had played briefly for St. Louis in 1899. Like his double-play partner, the 25-year-old would play every game in the 1901 season. He would swing an excellent bat for an middle infielder, .306/.408/.367. Like Ferris he would be purged after the 1907 season, going to the White Sox. After nearly 1000 games for Boston he would play another 350 for Chicago before retiring in 1911.

3B - Jimmy Collins wore two hats for the Pilgrims, he was both their third baseman and their manager. In 1895 Collins broke in the the Braves, but quickly moved over to Louisville. The next year he was back with the Braves and for the next five years he was a star at his position. He lead the league in homers in 1898 and he hit for a high average, peaking at .346 in 1897. When Boston was granted an AL team in 1901 Collins jumped at the chance to manage. 1901 was a banner year, Collins hitting .332/.495/.375 and leading his team to a second-place finish. He would continue his great play at third for Boston until moved over to the A's in 1907. After a year and a half in Philadelphia he retired. He made the Hall of Fame in 1945.

LF - Buttermilk Tommy Dowd was 32 when the season started, but it would be his last season. Dowd broke into the bigs with Boston of the American Association in 1891, but after 4 games moved over to the Washington team. 1892 found Dowd still in DC, but the franchise had been shifted to the National League. He spent 5 years in St. Louis before stops in Philadelphia, St. Louis and Cleveland. He was not in the majors in 1900, resurfaced with the Pilgrims for their first year, and then dropped out of baseball again.

CF - Chick Stahl came with Jimmy Collins and Buck Freeman from the Braves. He was 24 when he made the step up in 1897. He had an excellent year, and by the time 1901 rolled around he was one of the most popular players in Boston. In 1901 he hit .303/.439/.377 while playing a decent ceterfield. He would have a good career with Boston, retiring after 1906. Here the story takes a tragic turn. After 1907 manager Jimmy Collins was to be replaced by Stahl. However, in spring training Stahl took his own life by drinking acid. He left a note claiming that he couldn't take the pressure. This may have been related to his enormous popularity, it is rumored that his involvement with several woman had reached a crisis point at the time of his suicide.

RF - Eagle Eye Hemphill spent only one year in Boston. It was his second in the bigs. He split 66 games between St. Louis and Cleveland in 1899. After a year off he played a poor rightfield for the Pilgrims, batting a mere .261/.332/.312. The next year would find him in Cleveland, and then St. Louis. Hemphill managed to get 11 years in the majors playing with St. Louis and New York, although he could never be considered a good player.

P - The star of the rotation was Cy Young. What more can be written about one of the most famous players of all time? He came over from St. Louis and in his first year lead the league in wins (33), shutouts (5), strikeouts (158) and ERA (1.62). 1901 would also see Cy pass the 300-win mark. Cy would end his career with 511 wins and 316 losses, both records. He made the Hall of Fame in 1937.

P - Ted Lewis played his entire career in Boston, but his year with the Pilgrims would be his last. He broke in with the Braves in 1896 with a 1-4 record. The next three years were great for Lewis, he posted records of 21-12, 26-8 and 17-11. Lewis would drop to 13-12 in 1900. His first and last year in the AL would see a 16-17 finish, but he would soak up over 300 innings while notching a 3.53 ERA.

P - George Winter was a young lad of 23 when he stepped on the mound in June of 1901. He was making his first major league start. He would have one of his best years, finishing 16-12 with a 2.80 ERA. Winter would follow this up with a 11-9 1902, where he had an ERA of 2.99. However, his 8 year career would see him finish at 83-102.

P - Also a rookie pitcher for the Pilgrims was Fred Mitchell. He was a poor pitcher and bounced around both leagues over the next five years. While he managed a 6-6 season in 1901, when he retired he would stand at 31-49.

P- In contrast to the two youngsters in the rotation, Nig Cuppy was finishing up his stay in baseball. From 1892 through 1898 he played with the imfamous Cleveland Spiders (overlapping with Cy Young). He moved over to St. Louis in 1899 when the owner of the two teams transferred his best players to the Cardinals. In 1900 Cuppy spent time with the Braves. He would see only 13 games with the Pilgrims, going 4-6 with a 4.15 ERA. He would not return for more.