LOOKING BACK AT THE 1914 "MIRACLE" BOSTON BRAVES ...
THE GREATEST COMEBACK IN MLB HISTORY ... 110 YEARS AGO
Infielder Oscar Dugey signed his contract with the Braves. In 1913,
Dugey’s stunning season at Waco of the Texas League paved the way
for his rise to the majors. He hit a personal best .279 (11th in the
league), scored 85 runs (second), and stole a league-record 71
bases. The Waco team sold him to the Boston Braves for $2,000 at the
end of the Texas League season.
In 1913 pitcher Jack Quinn won 19 games for Rochester and was
acquired by the Boston Braves near the end of August. This year, he
became the subject of a court battle after he signed his Braves
contract at the end of January and then accepted $3500 to pitch for
the Baltimore Terrapins of the upstart Federal League in February.
A suit was brought in the United States District Court in Baltimore
by James E. Gaffney, president of the Braves, asking for $25,000 in
damages for the loss of his services. Claiming that he had already
agreed to pitch for the Braves in 1914, the Braves unsuccessfully
sued Quinn, Terrapin officials, the Federal League, and its
president for conspiracy. Jack Quinn pitched for the Terrapins, not
the Braves.