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1920 Dodgers Week 22: A crowd-pleasing winning streak

7 wins in a row made the Dodgers the hottest ticket in Brooklyn.

By Eric Stephen
Crowd in Stadium

The 1920 Brooklyn Dodgers had one of their best weeks of the season, and after winning eight of 10 games (yes, 10 games in seven days) created some distance between themselves and the competition atop the National League.

In the first of their three doubleheaders last week, Brooklyn lost a pair of one-run games to the Phillies on Monday at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. That dropped the Dodgers to 1½ games back in the standings.

But the Dodgers rebounded, sweeping another doubleheader on Tuesday in Philadelphia and won their final seven games of the week.

That included a four-game sweep of the Cardinals at Ebbets Field. Saturday’s doubleheader featured a game that was a makeup from the week before in St. Louis, only this was approved as an added home game for the Dodgers, since there is only two weeks remaining in the season and the Dodgers don’t have any more trips outside of New York.

Playing at home has given a chance for Brooklynites to support a team that is looking for its second pennant in five years.

Attendance reached 28,000 for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals, matching their largest crowds of the season to date at Ebbets Field. The demand was so high in Brooklyn that a sidebar in the Brooklyn Times-Union entitled “Can’t Hold Down Young Robin Stalwarts” said this:

Hundreds of juvenile fans threatened trouble outside Ebbets Field yesterday by throwing stones and attempting to force their way in without paying. Several windows were smashed and it was not until several policemen dispersed the youngsters that the throwing ceased. A gate was said to have been smashed by the young stalwarts who were bent on seeing the Robins win.

Brooklyn’s offense averaged nearly six runs per game last week. Zack Wheat led the way, hitting .425/.452/.600 (17-for-40) with two home runs. Shortstop Ivy Olson was 12-for-34 (.353), third baseman Jimmy Johnston was 13-for-39 (.333) with nine runs scored, and catcher Otto Miller was 8-for-24 (.333) with three walks.

On the pitching side, Sherry Smith continued to thrive in his dual role. The left-hander appeared in three games in relief last week, then one day after pitching two scoreless innings pitched a shutout on Saturday in the second game of the doubleheader against St. Louis. Smith allowed just one run in 16⅔ innings for the week, and in his shutout also doubled twice and scored one of the two runs in the game.

Week 22 summary

8-2 record
59 runs scored (5.90 per game)
33 runs allowed (3.30 per game)
.743 pythagorean record

Year to date

80-57 record
596 runs scored (4.32 per game)
469 runs allowed (3.40 per game)
.608 pythagorean record (83-54)

NL standing: 1st place, 3 games up on Cincinnati and 3½ up on New York

Game results

Up next

The Dodgers run the Clarence Currie gauntlet, continuing their homestand with five games against the Cubs and three against the Reds.

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