By Bob Warrington

A Summary of Evers’ Career

The name Johnny Evers should be instantly recognizable to any true baseball fan. He had an 18-year career and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF). Evers’ HOF plaque notes that he was “one of the game’s smartest and scrappiest players.”

Evers’ everlasting fame wasn’t guaranteed when he was inducted into the HOF, however. There are a number of barely remembered ballplayers enshrined at Cooperstown. Evers achieved immortality when New York sportswriter Franklin Pierce Adams put pen to paper in 1910 and wrote a single, rueful stanza titled, “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon.” The poem is better known as “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” It appeared in Adams’ column, “Always in Good Humor” and was published in the “Evening Star” on July 10, 1910. Adams composed the piece on his way to the Polo Grounds to see a Cubs-Giants game. The poem was an instant hit and remains almost 100 years later as one of baseball’s most famous refrains.

 

Some have speculated that Adams’ work, which pays tribute to the talents of shortstop Joe Tinker, second baseman Johnny Evers and first baseman Frank Chance in turning double plays, is the reason all three men were inducted into the HOF the same year (1946). Tinker, Evers and Chance were part of Chicago’s regular infield from 1903-10. (Harry Steinfeldt was the third baseman from 1906-10.) They were key contributors to the Cubs’ World Series victories in 1907-08, as well as the National League pennant-winning Cubs’ teams of 1906 and 1910 (more on the 1910 contest later).

 

1910 was the last year the three wizards of the double play did their magic. Injuries to Evers and Chance and Chance’s elevation to team manager kept both men out of the Cubs’ lineup for most of the 1911 season and the Cubs’ dynasty faded. Chance left the Cubs after playing briefly for the team in 1912 and finished his career as a player with the New York Yankees in 1914. Joe Tinker jumped from the National League to the Federal League after the 1913 season and finished his career by playing in a few games for the Cubs in 1916.

 

Johnny Evers was named player-manager of the Cubs for the 1913 season, but the best the team could do under his leadership was third place, a full 13 ½ games behind the pennant-winning New York Giants. Evers—and many other established stars in the American and National Leagues—were courted to play for the Federal League in 1914. Evers used this leverage to seek a new contract with higher salary from the Cubs. Instead, the Cubs traded Evers to the Boston Braves on February 11, 1914 for Bill Sweeney.

 

Recognizing the strong bargaining position he was in, Evers said he would sign a contract to play for the Braves only if he received a substantial signing bonus for doing so. Anxious to prevent Evers from defecting to the Federal League, the Braves gave him a reported $20,000 signing bonus (actually paid by the National League) and a four year contract with a salary of $10,000 per year. The bonus and the amount and length of the contract were extraordinary for a ballplayer of that era. Evers would remain with the Braves until July 1917.

 

A Familiar Face in Philadelphia

 

As a ballplayer, Johnny Evers was well-known in Philadelphia. He regularly came to town when the Cubs and Braves visited to play the Phillies. As a member of the Cubs in 1910, he and his teammates tangled with the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series. The A’s soundly defeated the Cubs in five games, bringing the City of Brotherly Love its first World Series championship. Evers did not play in the Series, however; a broken ankle late in the season prevented him from participating.

 

While with the Boston in 1914, Evers returned to Philadelphia for post-season play. That team is referred to in history as the “Miracle” Braves. The club started the season going 4-18 and as of mid-July was in last place in the National League. But then, a miraculous thing happened. The Braves went on a tear, winning 60 of their last 73 games and capturing the pennant. Evers was a key player in the Braves’ comeback, being named the National League’s MVP.

Evers and his Braves faced the Athletics in the World Series, but this time the outcome was entirely different from 1910. Boston stunned the baseball world by sweeping the vaunted A’s in four straight games. Evers did his part, hitting .438.

 

The 1914 Braves were a “Miracle,” but they also were a one-year wonder. In 1915, the team fell to second place behind the pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies. The next year, the Braves dropped another notch, slipping to third place.

 

Evers Becomes a Phillie

As the 1917 season unfolded, it became clear that the Braves were going to have a mediocre season. By mid-July, the team was mired in seventh place, which is where the Braves would wind up at season’s end.

 

Braves’ management did then what is still done now in major league baseball. When a team in going nowhere during a season, front office management tries to dump salary, especially the money being paid to older, high-priced players who are on the downside of their careers and are not considered part of the team’s longer-term future.

Evers fit exactly into that category. He was a highly-paid player who turned 36 in 1917—the last year of his contract with Boston. Evers’ playing time had diminished significantly since 1914 when he was in the line-up for the “Miracle” Braves almost every game. In 1915, he played in only 83 games, and the number dropped to 71 games the next year. Evers’ productivity also diminished. He hit .279 for the Braves in 1914 but could only manage a .216 average for the club in 1916.

 

By mid-July 1917, Evers had appeared in only 24 games with the Braves and was hitting a paltry .193. Clearly, the Braves had every incentive to move Evers and look for younger players to build a future contender. But, would any team take him?

 

Unlike the Braves, the Phillies were in a pennant race in 1917. In mid-July, they held second place, trailing the league-leading New York Giants by six games. The Phillies felt they needed something extra, especially in the infield, if they were going to challenge the Giants. Evers, they sensed, might just have the talent, experience, and leadership abilities to provide it. Certainly, the Phillies would have to elevate their level of play if they were going to close the gap in the standings.

 

In this regard, the “Philadelphia Inquirer” said of the Phillies’ decision to add Evers to the roster:

 

“Evers’ acquisition should bolster up the Phils’ inner defense for the final drive of the season. It is thought that the “pep” that is wrapped up in the slender frame of the fighting Trojan, together with his valuable coaching and continual talking in the infield, will bring the Phils’ team that which they have shown to have lacked in recent games and will add considerable efficiency of Shortstop Bancroft and Fred Luderus (first baseman).”

 

The Braves gave the Phillies permission to negotiate with Evers prior to putting him on waivers about the conditions under which the second baseman would be transferred to Philadelphia. According to a newspaper account of the transaction, Evers agreed to play the rest of the 1917 season for the Phillies and would continue to play for them the next year if an agreement acceptable to both parties regarding salary could be worked out. If it could not, then the Phillies would make him a free agent by giving him his unconditional release. Evers could then shop his services to the highest bidder for the 1918 season.

 

The deal to transfer Evers from the Braves to the Phillies hung fire for several days as details were worked out. On July 12, 1917, Evers arrived in Philadelphia to meet personally with manager Pat Moran and business manager William Shettsline. After a short conversation, a deal was struck. The Phillies would assume paying Evers’ $10,000 salary for the balance of the season. Moran publicly announced the acquisition and added that Evers would start playing for the Phillies immediately.

 

What did the Braves receive from the Phillies for Evers? Nothing. No money. No players. The Phillies merely assumed paying Evers’ the salary called for in his Boston contract for the balance of the season.

 

The Phillies were not the only club interested in Evers. The Cubs indicated they would welcome the second baseman back into the fold. But, like the Braves and unlike the Phillies, the Cubs were out of contention by mid-July and clearly were not going to be a factor in the pennant race. The possibility that the Phillies might catch the Giants and get into the World Series influenced Evers in deciding to go with Moran’s crew. As one newspaper account noted,

“Evers said that he felt the Phils had a fine chance to beat out the Giants for the pennant, and he would just about as soon share in another world’s series split as anything he could think of just at present.”

 

Phillies’ manager Pat Moran was delighted that Evers would be joining the roster. He was quoted in the press as saying,

“Evers will help me a lot. He is not through yet by a long shot. Johnny tells me that his arm is as good as it ever was; he is fast, and the best thing about Johnny is that he is at his best in a fighting finish, and that’s the kind of ball players we need. I am tickled to death to get him.”

 

The photograph that accompanies this story shows (left to right) Evers sitting with Moran in the dugout at National League Park (Baker Bowl). A caption on the back states that Evers has just become a member of the Phillies. Evers holds the tool of his trade in his right hand—a baseball. Moran holds a ball bag—a simple and ubiquitous piece of equipment used to this day in major league baseball.

 

How much of a difference did Evers make in the Phillies’ race for the pennant in 1917? Not much. When he joined the team on July 12th, the Phillies were in second place, six games behind the Giants. At the end of the season, they still were in second place but had slipped to 10 games behind.

 

The Phillies had a highly respectable season, finishing with an 87-65 record. The club contended early in the season and was in first place some of the time. But, the Giants claimed the top spot on June 27th and never looked back. Neither the Phillies— nor any other National League team—seriously challenged the Giants after June. The Giants, by the way, lost the 1917 World Series to the Chicago White Sox four games to two.

 

Despite all the optimistic talk about Evers joining the Phillies, he was used strictly in a reserve role by the team. The Phillies had 84 games remaining on their schedule when Evers joined, and he appeared in only 56 of them, hitting just .224 in 183 plate appearances. Despite manager Moran’s optimistic talk about Evers not being through by a long shot, he was. Time had eroded his skills by 1917.

 

Although Evers didn’t do much to improve the Phillies’ fortunes, he also was not primarily responsible for the team’s failure to catch the Giants in the pennant race. Poor pitching was the main culprit. Grover Alexander had a typically masterful year, going 30-13. Regrettably, it would be his last with the Phillies. He was traded during the off-season in one of the worst deals ever made by the club. Eppa Rixey had an off year at 16-21, and the rest of the Phillies’ pitching staff didn’t contribute enough to make a run at the Giants.

 

The Phillies gave Evers his unconditional release following the season and his career as a player was effectively over. Although he would play in one game for the Chicago White Sox in 1922 and in one game for the Boston Braves in 1929, Evers’ short stint with the Phillies in 1917 marked the end of his playing days.

 

A Final Thought

 

Johnny Evers is a player who earned his Hall of Fame credentials with other clubs and then caught on with the Phillies at the tail end of his career. He is not alone. Jimmie Foxx, Hack Wilson, Lloyd Waner, Kid Nichols and other players latched on with the Phillies for short periods of time after their greatest days were behind them and retirement loomed directly ahead.

 

The Phillies, like other teams, have brought veterans on-board at different times in hope that their abilities, experience and leadership would aid still-developing players, add steadiness to the defense, pitching prowess on the mound, or some offensive punch to the lineup. Another reason to add veterans is the expectation that their marquee names will sell more tickets at the ballpark. Jimmie Foxx, for example, was signed by the Phillies in 1945 with the thought that fans would come to games to see a player whose greatness had shined so brightly in Philadelphia earlier in his career.

 

Johnny Evers is remembered as a Hall of Famer who spent his best years with the Cubs and who attained everlasting fame in a poem written while he played for that team. It should not be overlooked, however, that Evers also was a Philadelphia Phillie. It may have been only for part of one season, and he may not have mattered much for the Phillies in the outcome of that season, but he was with the club. For that, we salute Evers for being—ever so briefly—one of Philly’s own.