Old Time Family Baseball

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Presidential Pitches, Part III: World Series

Over the last two weeks we’ve taken a look at presidential first pitches during the regular season. First from Taft to JFK and then LBJ to Obama, what we learned was that the home teams did well when POTUS threw out that first pitch. Is it a coincidence? Of course. Does that matter? Not at all.

But as we know, regular season performance is fine but postseason performance is what matters. So let’s see how the leaders of the free world did when it was all on the line.

Note: The POTUS will receive credit for a win or loss by the home team.

Woodrow Wilson
1915 World Series, Game 2
Boston Red Sox 2, Philadelphia Phillies 1

The Phillies lose the game and lose the Series 4-1 to the Sox. The Phils won’t appear in the Series again for 35 years and won’t win one for 65 years.

Calvin Coolidge
1924 World Series, Game 1
NY Giants 4, Washington Senators 3

Senators’ ace and eventual 400-game winner Walter Johnson loses to Art Nehf. Nehf and Johnson pitch dual 12-inning complete games. The Senators would win the Series, though, for the only time in Washington, D.C. history. The above photo shows Coolidge greeting Senators’ manager, Bucky Harris, who has the seventh most managerial wins of all-time.

1925 World Series, Game 3
Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Washington Senators 4

Coolidge becomes the first president to throw out the first pitch at two World Series games.

Herbert Hoover
1929 World Series, Game 5
Chicago Cubs 2, Philadelphia A’s 3