1915 Presidents Cup Series Preview: Washington Grays

WASHINGTON, DC. September 8, 1915 - This afternoon, the Chicago Whales will begin their first two-game tour of D.C. against the Grays.

The Washington Grays came close to making it here last year, but finished two games back. And now they get to face off against a team that wants revenge after losing in the series last year.

The D.C. based team is owned by E.C. Landgraf. Originally from Richmond, the owner moved his team and himself to the Washington, D.C. area hoping for a better baseball marketplace. The 39-year-old stays fairly quiet, but he loves to win. While other owners are purely about the bottom line, Landgraf proved that he's willing to sacrifice his wealth by having the top payroll in the league. At the same time, his spending has brought top players to the team and in turn, attendance is now second in the league. It will be interesting to see if his team payroll stays at the top when real free agency starts.

The Grays club is managed by Francisco Tracey. Tracey started his UBA career in Cincinnati with the Ruby Legs. After they disbanded, he did not manage in 1913 but did hold a job as a coach for Washington. Last year, he took the open manager position and has been very successful. Here is the lineup that we've seen all year from Washington:

1. SS Byron Ervin (.306, 19 Doubles, 5 Home Runs, 69 RBIs)
2. CF Max Clark (.268, 12 Doubles, 8 Triples, 48 RBIs)
3. RF Ambrose Todd (.243, 17 Doubles, 11 Triples, 48 RBIs)
4. 3B Rip Boyce (.274, 11 Doubles, 62 RBIs)
5. LF Freeman Willis (.299, 23 Doubles, 3 Home Runs, 43 RBIs)
6. 1B Bloop Bryant (.272, 25 Doubles, 5 Home Runs, 51 RBIs in Class A Ball)
7. 2B Ducky Bunn (.275, 5 Doubles, 21 RBIs)
8. C Heinrich Crews (.274, 4 Doubles, 14 RBs in Class A Ball)

Their pitching rotation is as follows:

1. RHP Theo Murrell (20-11, 2.84 ERA, 166 K)
2. RHP Lorenzo Dubois (16-12, 3.30 ERA, 83 K)
3. RHP Emile Gamble (17-12, 2.50 ERA, 139 K)
4. RHP Otto Worley (22-9, 2.58 ERA, 67 K)

Games One, Two, Five, Six, and Nine, will be played at Liberty Park in Washington. The ballpark holds 11,700 spectators and is a good park for right handed hitters and might even be home to a few home runs.

LF: 318'
CF: 426'
RF: 324'

The Grays wear white shirts and white knickers with dark, navy blue stockings. Navy blue pinstripes adorn the entire shirt and knickers. Their caps are navy blue with a white "W" embroidered onto it.