Warren/Bristol Little World Series
One of the premier athletic events of the first half of the twentieth century was the baseball Little World Series between teams from Warren and Bristol, a competition that started in 1895 and ended in 1949. Periodically major and high minor league players were hired to play, but usually the teams consisted of the best players from the two towns.
Among the major leaguers who played in the Series were:
George “Tioga” Burns, who pulled off an unassisted triple play (while with the Red Sox) in 1923 and was voted the American League’s Most Valuable Player of 1926;
Harry Davis, who still holds the record for most consecutive games with a triple (5 in 1897);
Howard Ehmke, who was prevented only by a questionable scorer’s decision from being the first pitcher to throw two consecutive no-hit games. Ehmke, who controversially pitched for both Warren and Bristol in the same season of 1923, recorded a then-record thirteen strikeouts for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1929 World Series;
Goose Goslin, who was voted one of the top one hundred players in the twentieth century. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, he led the American League in batting average (.379 in 1928) and runs batted in (129 in 1924);
Gabby Harnett, who was named the 1935 National League Most Valuable Player. Voted one of the top one hundred players in the twentieth century, Gabby recorded one of the highest slugging percentages (.630 in 1930) ever achieved by a catcher. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, he was behind the plate during Babe Ruth’s infamous “called shot” against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the 1932 World Series;
Olaf Henriksen was a member of three Boston Red Sox World Series championship teams. He lashed a key pinch-hit double that tied the score in the final game of the 1912 Series;
Rabbit Maranville, who was a member of the Miracle Boston Braves of 1914 and was later named to the Baseball Hall of Fame;
Rube Marquard, who still holds the record for consecutive pitching victories (19 in 1912) and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame;
Pie Traynor, who was considered the best National League third baseman in the first half of the twentieth century. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, he was also voted one of the top one hundred players of the century. He struck out only 278 times in his eighteen-year career.
Many times the Series was aborted (or never started) due to arguments, bad weather, unavailability of playing fields, or insufficient gate receipts. However, Warren won more often than not. Of the thirty-seven Series played, Warren won twenty-two, Bristol won twelve, and three were tied. As a result, it was only appropriate that the Warrenites won the first Series of 1895; captured eight of the nine Series played between 1915 and 1926; and won three of the four Series (including the last one in 1949) that were played following World War Two.
Pictures of Goslin, Harnett, Maranville, Marquard, Traynor are compliments of Baseball Hall of Fame Yearbook.
Pictures of Davis, Henriksen and Ehmke compliments of BaseballLibrary.com website.
Picture of Burns compliments of SportsEncyclopedia website.
All Time Statistical leaders from the Little World Series (press buttons below to view)