The 1910 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1910 season. The seventh edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Philadelphia Athletics against the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs. The series was played from October 17 to 23, with the Athletics winning the series 4games to 1, clinching the team's first World Series. Jack Coombs of Philadelphia won three games and Eddie Collins supplied timely hitting. Background Philadelphia Athletics The Athletics were making their second appearance in the World Series. They had lost the 1905 edition four games to one against the New York Giants. They had dominated the American League, leading it since early May, and eventually winning it by games. Their pitcher Jack Coombs led the American League in wins with a 31–9 record, and the Athletics had the lowest ERA in the league by some margin. Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs were a dominant team in the first decade of the 1900s. They had already won two World Series, and been runners-up in another; this was their fourth appearance. The National League was initially closer than the American League, with the Cubs wrestling control of the division from the Pittsburgh Pirates in late May after a long winning streak. They never looked back, only increasing their lead over the course of the season. The Cubs' slugger Fred Schulte led the National League in home runs with 10, while pitcher King Cole had the lowest ERA in the league, 1.80. The Chicago Cubs won the division by 13 games. Series preview Before the series, pundits were split over who the favorites were. The pitching of the Athletics was generally held to be superior to that of the Cubs, as the Cubs pitchers were thought to be merely decent. The Cubs, however, were felt to have a stronger catcher in Johnny Kling, and slightly stronger batters as well. Altogether, Philadelphia had a younger team, while Chicago had an older but experienced group of players. Former coach Ned Hanlon picked the Athletics, as did former pitcher Jack Dunn. However, John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants, held that the Cubs would win the series. Before the series, the Athletics played the All-Stars, featuring Ty Cobb; they played poorly on the Friday before the Series, which lowered confidence in the ability of the Philadelphia team.