1904 World Series

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No World Series Played

No World Series was played in 1904 because the National League¸champions, the New York Giants, refused to play the American League pennant winners, the Boston Americans. The Giants' decision was motivated by the fact that their rivals in New York City, the New York Highlanders, were leading the AL until the last days of the season, and the Giants' brass, led by owner John Brush and manager John McGraw were livid at the idea of giving them a national stage on which to prove their value. When Boston finally won the title, the Giants' position had already been locked tight, and they could not change tacks. The fans, who had made such a great success of the 1903 World Series, were outraged at the Giants' decision, as were the players who were deprived of a likely large bonus; as a result, that winter, an agreement was negotiated between the two leagues for the annual staging of the series, defining issues such as scheduling, how to split revenues, etc. It would be 90 years before the next break in postseason play, when the 1994 strike forced the cancellation of the entire postseason.