them thought Clarke was trying to regain the job he'd held from 1900 to 1915. Three veteran players—Max Carey, Carson Bigbee and Babe Adams—demanded Clarke's removal from the bench. McKechnie, who by inclination was a player's manager, initially appeared to support them. However, fearing that he'd be seen as opposing the ownership, he was forced to denounce his own players. Ownership struck fast and hard, releasing Bigbee and Adams and waiving Carey. The dispute cut the legs out from under the Pirates, who fell to third with a 84-69 (with four ties) record. McKechnie was fired after the season. He was replaced by Donie Bush, who had short-term success with the Pirates, including winning the pennant in his first season with the club, although his squabbles with Cuyler lead to a subsequent trade and Bush's resignation two years later. St. Louis Cardinals McKechnie was brought in as a coach for the 1927 season for the St. Louis Cardinals. After the year ended, he replaced player-manager Bob O'Farrell, who was given a $5,000 raise to step down for McKechnie. The Cardinals finished the 1928 season in first place with a record 95 wins and 59 losses. They were swept in the World Series by the New York Yankees. McKechnie left the club after the World Series. Billy Southworth started the 1929 season with 43 wins and 45 losses. Gabby Street managed for a game before McKechnie returned as manager. He finished the 1929 season with a record of 34 wins and 29 losses. Boston Braves McKechnie was hired to manage the Boston Braves in 1930, replacing Emil Fuchs, who had added manager to his title of owner when he had to trade Rogers Hornsby to try and stay solvent. Financial troubles would plague the Braves alongside other teams in the Great Depression era. His first Braves team finished 70-84 for a sixth place finish in the NL, which was actually an improvement from their record of 56–98 the previous year. McKechnie was not nearly as successful in Boston as he was at his other managerial stops, but he managed to finish "fourth or fifth with teams that should have been eighth," according to baseball historian Lee Allen. In eight years, he had a winning record four times while finishing in the first division (top four) twice. In 1933, they finished 83-71 to have their first winning season in twelve years, doing