September 11, 1918; Cubs and Red Sox Meet in World Series

September 11, 1918

The 1918 World Series featured the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.  It’s the only time the two teams have met in the playoffs and the underlying events in this series may have changed the course of baseball history.  Players on both sides threatened to strike the World Series unless they were guaranteed $2,500 to the winners and $1,000 each for the losers.  Certainly not a windfall of monetary gain in today’s athletic culture, but we’re guessing this pursuit of bonus money is what caused inevitable World Series droughts for the Red Sox (cured in 2004) and Cubs (cured in, well, nevermind).

Not the Bambino.  Not that stupid goat.  Greed.  Karma is a bitch, sometimes.

Not to mention, this greed spilled over into 1919, where baseball saw the infamous Black Sox Scandal.

Today, funds are pooled together from 60% of the total gate receipts from the first four World Series Games; with the World Series Winning Team getting 36% of the pool and the World Series Loser getting 24% of the pool.  Obviously, the exact number changes annually, but it’s leaps and bounds beyond $2500.

Side Note: this date in history is mentioned on this week’s podcast of The JoeSportsFan Show.  Check it out here.

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