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LOOKING BACK AT THE 1914 "MIRACLE" BOSTON BRAVES ...
THE GREATEST COMEBACK IN MLB HISTORY ... 110 YEARS AGO
Braves left fielder, Joe Connolly reported that x-rays of his left leg, broken last September when he overslid a base in St. Louis, have come back negative and that he has been given a clean bill of health to report to spring training.
Joe Connolly was a prominent member of the 1914 Boston Braves World Champions. He was an excellent defender in left field and the Boston Sunday Post wrote, "he is fairly fast, the possessor of a strong wing (arm) and he covers a good extent of territory."
Connolly made his professional debut as a pitcher in 1906 with the Putnam, Connecticut team of the New England League. From 1908 to 1912, he divided his playing time with Class-A Little Rock and Class-B Zanesville teams, playing some outfield when he was not pitching. In 1911 he led the league hitters with a .355 batting average,.
Joe was sold to the Boston Braves in 1913 and became the team's regular left fielder. The sportswriters often referred to him as the Braves' “slugger” or “star.” His rookie season ended prematurely when he broke his ankle, but he led the team with a .281 BA, 57 RBIs, and a .410 slugging percentage.
In 1914, Connolly was the offensive star of the Braves and usually hit third in the batting order. He led the team with a .306 BA and finished second in the NL batting race to Brooklyn's Jake Daubert. He also led the team with nine home runs and 28 doubles.
Joe, however, went just 1-for-9 with one RBI, during the World Series. Nevertheless, the respect for him was further highlighted by a comment made during the World Series by his manager George Stallings. "Connolly showed a remarkable instance of pure grit when he went head-first into the left-field bleachers in a fruitless attempt to snag a line drive that went for a double."