On July 17, 1902, the Baltimore Orioles lost six of their best players in a single day. It wasn't a fire sale. It wasn't a trade deadline dump. It was a coordinated act of franchise sabotage, engineered by National League owners Andrew Freedman and John T. Brush, executed through the complicity of former manager John McGraw, and designed to cripple the American League's Baltimore franchise beyond repair. Joe McGinnity, Roger Bresnahan, Jack Cronin, Dan McGann, Joe Kelley, and Cy Seymour -- the core of the Orioles' roster -- were released from their contracts and immediately signed with NL clubs. The team that walked onto the field on July 18 bore almost no resemblance to the one that had played the day before.
The Conspirators
The scheme originated with Andrew Freedman, the principal owner of the New York Giants, and John T. Brush, who owned the Cincinnati Reds. Both men viewed the American League as an existential threat to their business. Ban Johnson's league had spent two seasons raiding NL rosters, poaching star players with higher salaries, and placing franchises in NL cities. Freedman and Brush decided to fight back -- not on the field, but in the contract offices.
McGraw was their instrument. He'd already defected to the Giants on July 8, selling his ownership stake in Baltimore and signing on as Freedman's player-manager. McGraw knew which Orioles players were worth taking and which contracts could be broken. His insider knowledge transformed a simple talent grab into a surgical strike on the franchise's viability.
The Players Lost
The damage was total. Each player taken represented a different dimension of the team's competitiveness:
Joe McGinnity was the ace -- 13 wins and a 3.44 ERA at the time of his release. The Iron Man had thrown 382 innings the previous season and was Baltimore's only reliable starting pitcher. He signed with the Giants, where he'd win 31 games in 1903 and 35 in 1904.
Roger Bresnahan was 22 years old and already showing the talent that would earn him a Hall of Fame plaque. He went to the Giants and became one of baseball's greatest catchers, pioneering the use of shin guards and contributing to three pennants.
Joe Kelley, another future Hall of Famer, had been signed from Brooklyn during the offseason specifically to strengthen Baltimore's lineup. He went to Cincinnati, where Brush's Reds were waiting with a contract.
Dan McGann was the team's first baseman and a productive run producer. He followed McGinnity and Bresnahan to the Giants.
Cy Seymour joined Kelley in Cincinnati. He'd later lead the NL in batting average, hits, and RBI in 1905.
Jack Cronin was the sixth player released, rounding out the group that went to the Giants.
Ban Johnson's Response
Johnson had known McGraw was a problem. He hadn't anticipated the scale of the July 17 raid. When the releases came through, Johnson recognized that the Orioles couldn't survive the loss of six starters without immediate intervention. Letting the franchise fold mid-season would've validated every National League claim that the American League was a minor-league operation playing dress-up.
Johnson seized control of the Baltimore franchise. Then he called in favors from every AL owner who owed him one -- which was all of them. Detroit loaned Sport McAllister (three games) and Pop Dillon (two games). Philadelphia sent Snake Wiltse on July 19. Washington loaned Lew Drill. Cleveland sold Jack Thoney. Charlie Shields was moved to the St. Louis Browns.
It was emergency medicine, not team-building. The loaned players weren't stars. They were bodies -- warm enough to take the field, capable enough to finish games, and available because their own teams didn't need them. Wilbert Robinson managed this rotating cast of strangers through the rest of the 1902 season, holding the operation together through professionalism and stubbornness.
The Aftermath on the Field
The numbers tell the story. The Orioles finished 50-88, dead last in the American League. They allowed 848 runs -- the worst mark in the circuit. The pre-raid team had been competitive, if inconsistent, hovering around .400 winning percentage with enough talent to dream on. The post-raid team was a collection of spare parts.
The contrast between the two halves of the season was stark enough to make the aggregate statistics misleading. The 50-88 record doesn't capture a team that was decent in May and disastrous in August. It doesn't show the sudden disappearance of an ace pitcher mid-start, or a catcher who'd been calling games one day and playing for the Giants the next.
| Date of Raid | July 17, 1902 |
| Players Lost | McGinnity, Bresnahan, Kelley, McGann, Seymour, Cronin |
| McGinnity's Stats at Departure | 13 W, 3.44 ERA |
| Future Hall of Famers Lost | 3 (McGinnity, Bresnahan, Kelley) |
| To Giants | McGinnity, Bresnahan, Cronin, McGann |
| To Reds | Kelley, Seymour |
| Orioles Final Record | 50-88, 8th place |
| Runs Allowed | 848 (worst in AL) |
The Longer Consequences
The Great Raid didn't just destroy the 1902 Orioles. It destroyed the franchise's viability in Baltimore. With the roster gutted and the ownership structure compromised, there was no path back to competitiveness. Johnson, who'd seized the franchise to save it, now held a team nobody wanted to buy and nobody in Baltimore wanted to watch.
The solution was relocation. On January 9, 1903, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise for $18,000 and moved it to New York. Only about five players from the 1902 roster made the trip. The Highlanders -- later the Yankees -- were born from the wreckage that Freedman, Brush, and McGraw had created.
The raid also accelerated the peace process between the two leagues. The NL's aggression had backfired: rather than killing the AL, the raid had embarrassed the National League and demonstrated the need for a formal agreement governing player contracts. The 1903 National Agreement established the rules that would prevent future raids and led directly to the creation of the modern World Series.
McGraw Meets Freedman
McGraw secretly meets with Giants owner Andrew Freedman to plan the scheme that will strip Baltimore's roster.
McGraw Leaves Baltimore
McGraw is released, sells his ownership stake, and joins the Giants -- clearing the way for the player raid.
The Great Raid
Six starters are released from their Baltimore contracts and immediately sign with NL clubs.
Johnson Begins Emergency Restocking
Ban Johnson seizes the franchise and starts loaning players from other AL teams to keep Baltimore on the field.
Final Game in Baltimore
Boston defeats the Orioles in the last game the franchise will play in Baltimore.
Franchise Sold and Relocated
Farrell and Devery buy the franchise for $18,000 and move it to New York.
National Agreement Negotiations Begin
The two leagues begin formal peace talks, partly motivated by the chaos the raid created.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Great Raid of July 17, 1902?
The Great Raid was a coordinated scheme by Giants owner Andrew Freedman and Reds owner John T. Brush to strip the Baltimore Orioles of their best players. Six starters -- Joe McGinnity, Roger Bresnahan, Joe Kelley, Dan McGann, Cy Seymour, and Jack Cronin -- were released from their contracts and immediately signed with the Giants and Reds. The raid was facilitated by former Orioles manager John McGraw, who'd defected to the Giants nine days earlier.
How did Ban Johnson respond to the Great Raid?
Johnson seized control of the Baltimore franchise and orchestrated emergency player loans from other American League teams. Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, and Cleveland all contributed players to keep the Orioles on the field for the remainder of the season. Johnson's intervention prevented a mid-season franchise collapse that would've damaged the AL's credibility.
How many Hall of Famers did the Orioles lose in the Great Raid?
Three future Hall of Famers left Baltimore on July 17: Joe McGinnity (inducted 1946), Roger Bresnahan (inducted 1945), and Joe Kelley (inducted 1971). McGinnity went to the Giants, where he won 31 games in 1903 and 35 in 1904. Bresnahan also joined the Giants and became one of baseball's greatest catchers. Kelley signed with the Cincinnati Reds.
Did the Great Raid lead to the creation of the Yankees?
Indirectly, yes. The raid destroyed the Orioles' competitiveness and viability in Baltimore, forcing Ban Johnson to eventually relocate the franchise. On January 9, 1903, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the team for $18,000 and moved it to New York, where it became the Highlanders and eventually the Yankees.