July 1: Casey Goes to The Big Apple

The Main Event

• July 1, 1921 – Traded Casey Stengel, Johnny Rawlings and Red Causey to the New York Giants for Goldie Rapp, Lee King and Lance Richbourg.

On July 1, 1921, the Philadelphia Phillies made one of the more historically significant trades in franchise history, even if it didn’t look that way at the time. The Phillies sent outfielder Casey Stengel, second baseman Johnny Rawlings, and pitcher Red Causey to the New York Giants in exchange for third baseman Goldie Rapp and outfielders Lee King and Lance Richbourg. On paper, it was a modest six-player swap between a last-place club and a pennant contender. In hindsight, it became one of the most lopsided deals of the era, helping fuel a Giants dynasty while doing little for a Phillies team that had grown accustomed to losing.

The Phillies were mired in last place in the National League in the summer of 1921, a familiar position for a franchise that had struggled for competitive relevance since its 1915 pennant. The Giants, by contrast, sat in second place under legendary manager John McGraw and were pushing for the pennant. McGraw was constantly retooling his roster in search of players who fit his aggressive, fundamentals-first style of baseball, and he saw value in Rawlings as a steady defensive second baseman and in Stengel as an experienced, if oft-injured, outfield bat who could contribute off the bench. For the Phillies, the deal was less about winning now and more about clearing out older, banged-up talent for younger players who might develop into everyday contributors. It was a classic contender/rebuilder trade, and the results would bear that dynamic out.

How Stengel ended up with the Phillies in the first place

Given how associated Casey Stengel became with the New York Yankees and Mets as a manager decades later, it’s easy to forget he spent parts of three seasons in a Phillies uniform. Stengel broke into the majors as a 21-year-old with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1912 and developed both a reputation as a productive outfielder and a well-earned reputation as a clubhouse clown. After repeated salary disputes with Brooklyn owner Charlie Ebbets, Stengel was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in January 1918 in a deal that also involved infielder George Cutshaw going to Pittsburgh in exchange for Chuck Ward, Burleigh Grimes, and Al Mamaux. Stengel spent most of 1918 and 1919 on the Pirates’ bench, and it was during this stretch that he pulled one of his most famous stunts, releasing a live bird from beneath his cap after tipping his hat to a hostile Brooklyn crowd. That kind of behavior, combined with ongoing friction with management, led Pittsburgh to trade him to the Phillies in August 1919 in exchange for outfielder Possum Whitted.

Stengel’s arrival in Philadelphia wasn’t smooth. He refused to report to the Phillies right away, holding out for a raise and returning to his native Kansas City to organize a barnstorming team instead. He eventually came to terms with Phillies owner William Baker over the offseason, and the patience paid off: in 1920, Stengel delivered the best season of his playing career, batting .292 with nine home runs and 50 RBI over 129 games. Injuries and advancing age caught up with him in 1921, though, and he appeared in limited action before the Phillies moved him that July.

The roles Rawlings and Causey played before the trade

Johnny Rawlings had established himself as a reliable, sure-handed second baseman for the Phillies, the kind of steady defensive presence that made him attractive to a club like the Giants looking to shore up its infield for a pennant chase. Red Causey, meanwhile, served as a depth arm in the Phillies’ pitching rotation. Neither player was a marquee name, but both were useful role players on a team that had little else working in its favor during a last-place season.

How the trade played out for the Giants

For New York, the deal was an unqualified success. Rawlings became a fixture in McGraw’s infield as the Giants won the National League pennant in 1921 and went on to defeat the Yankees in the World Series. Stengel, limited to just 18 games as a pinch hitter and part-time outfielder in 1921, was on the postseason roster but did not appear in the World Series. He made up for it soon after. Injuries elsewhere in the Giants’ outfield opened the door for Stengel to become a regular contributor in 1922, and he responded by hitting .368, good for fifth in the National League, while helping the Giants repeat as NL champions and again beat the Yankees in the World Series. Stengel remained with New York through 1923, capping his run with a memorable, pennant-clinching World Series performance against the Yankees that included a dramatic home run. All told, the Giants won three consecutive pennants and two World Series titles during Stengel’s tenure, a run that began the same day this trade was made.

How the trade played out for the Phillies

The return the Phillies received never came close to matching what they gave up. Goldie Rapp played parts of three unremarkable seasons at third base in Philadelphia before exiting the majors after 1923. Lee King never developed into more than a fringe outfielder. Lance Richbourg, ironically, turned out to have real talent, but the Phillies didn’t stick around long enough to see it. After appearing in just 10 games for Philadelphia in 1921, Richbourg was dealt to the minor leagues the following year. He didn’t resurface as a productive big leaguer until 1927, when he became a well above-average hitter for the Boston Braves, batting over .300 in four straight seasons. By then, he was someone else’s success story.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for July 1

• July 1, 1887 – It was not a good day to be a pitcher, as the Phillies lost to the Detroit Wolverines 17-13. The two teams combined to score in 15 of the game’s 17 innings — a National League record.
• July 1, 1909 – The National League postpones all scheduled games in honor of the funeral for late Phillies president Israel Durham.
• July 1, 1918 – Traded Erskine Mayer to Pittsburgh for Elmer Jacobs. Mayer had played six-plus seasons with the Phillies and went 76-61 with a 2.81 ERA. Jacobs had pitched in 14 games with the 1914 Phillies.
• July 1, 1924 – Claimed Joe Oeschger on waivers from the New York Giants. In two separate stints in Philadelphia, Oeschger went 29-48 with a 3.32 ERA.
• July 1, 1931 – Chuck Klein hits for the cycle in an 11-6 win over Chicago at Baker Bowl. The game also saw the Phillies turn a triple play — it is the only game in major league history to see both rare feats.
• July 1, 1938 – The Phillies reach an agreement with Connie Mack to share Shibe Park, abandoning the 51-year-old Baker Bowl. Read more about: Baker Bowl | Shibe Park
• July 1, 1951 – Russ Meyer and Jim Konstanty combined to hold the Dodgers to one hit. The hit was a 2-out, 2-run triple by Peewee Reese that scored two runners who both reached on walks, sending the Phils to a 2-0 loss.
• July 1, 1965 – Johnny Callison appears on the cover of Sport magazine.
• July 1, 1967 – Dick Allen shares the cover of Sport Magazine with runner Jim Ryun.
• July 1, 1975 – Signed free agent Tim McCarver, who would go on to become Steve Carlton‘s personal catcher and later a broadcaster both with the Phillies and nationally.
• July 1, 2012 – Traded Chad Qualls to the Yankees for cash. Qualls had made 35 relief appearances with a 4.60 ERA after signing as a free agent with the Phillies.
• July 1, 2018 – The Phillies used eight relievers in a 13 inning, 4-3 win over Washington. None of the eight allowed a run — a team first.

ICYMI

• Philly Baseball News – Sam Fuld and His Third Career Path
• Philly Baseball News – Lou Trivino to Replace Chase Shugart in Phillies Bullpen

Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for July 1

• Roger Connor (born 1857) – A Hall of Fame first and third baseman who played for the Phillies in 1892. Played 18 major league seasons with a slash line of .316/.397/.486/.883.
• Brett Oberholtzer (born 1989) – Acquired from Houston in the December 2015 trade that sent Ken Giles to the Astros.

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