Down and out, the Athletics stun the Red Sox in a miracle finish, 7-6
PHILADELPHIA, May 2, 1910 – There was little to cheer for eight innings. Defeat was presaged. The few loyalists who remained for what they suspected would be a bitter end, were be treated to a thrill which has never before been witnessed on these grounds. The test of wills boiled down to a standoff between a baby-faced gunslinger and a cocky, young batsman.
The Athletics entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing the Boston Red Sox, 6-2. They had not safely crossed the pan since the second frame. The small crowd was sitting on their collective hands – quietly waiting for the misery to mercifully come to its conclusion. Boston knuckle baller Eddie Cicotte, though hardly dominant, went back out to finish his game. Connie’s boys had their chances. They peppered Cicotte with eight hits over his eight innings. They were scattered enough that the White Elephants could only muster two runs to this point. The final frame seemed anticlimactic.
***
Harry Davis floated a single to right field to start things off. Danny Murphy smacked a grounder right at shortstop Heinie Wagner who had designs on turning a quick double play. In his haste, Wagner booted the ball – allowing Murphy to reach. Instead of no Elephants on the diamond and two outs, Cicotte now had one foot in a pot of warm water. Jack Barry hit a viscous liner to the left pasture. The ball reached left fielder Duffy Lewis with such speed that Davis had no chance to race home. The sacks were full, not one Athletic had been sent packing, and Cicotte now had both feet in that pot. And, the water was starting to bubble.
The tying run would strut to the plate. However, instead of light-hitting catcher Ira Thomas, who was up next, Mr. Mack pulled the proverbial rabbit out of his derby. Houser…you’re up! Ben Houser, who toiled in relative obscurity for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Eastern League last year, was ordered to pinch hit. Not the typical pinch hitting opportunity. It was his major league debut. Bases loaded, nobody out, and Houser is the potential tying run. No pressure, kid!
Houser whacked a grounder to Wagner. This one was handled cleanly and Wagner shoveled to second baseman Charlie French to force Barry. Davis, however, scored and Houser reached first safely. Mack immediately inserted utility man Morrie Rath to pinch run for Houser. Pitcher Eddie Plank, who battled the Red Sox for nine grueling innings was due next. There was no chance he gets another at-bat. Mack had the luxury of carrying three catchers on his active roster. One of those backstops, Jack Lapp, got the call to grab some lumber.
Jack came through in the clutch – lamming the pill over French’s head for a safety. Murphy raced home and it was now a 6-4 game. The crowd inside the magnificent enclosure grew louder with each batter. Lightning fast outfielder Amos Strunk was called upon to pinch run for Lapp. Mack, sensing an opening, was emptying his bench. Needing two runs to tie, the Athletics had plenty of speed on the base paths.
Grizzled veteran Topsy Hartsel would try to play hero. The diminutive led off hitter, struggling mightily this season, proved no match for Cicotte – uncharacteristically fanning on three pitches. Two were now down. The crowd temporarily grew quiet. Rube Oldring, having already singled and doubled earlier in the game, took his turn. Oldring smashed a liner which nearly obliterated third baseman Harry Lord. Rath scored and only Lewis’s quick retrieval of the ball prevented Strunk from tying the game.
The score now stood at 6-5. The tying and winning runs at third and second, respectively, and Eddie Collins loomed next. Cicotte was being hammered all over the lot and Red Sox skipper Pat Donovan had seen enough. He summoned young flame thrower Joe Wood to secure the twenty-seventh out. Fastball pitcher versus fastball hitter. Power on power. Wood finished his warm up tosses and Collins casually strolled to the pan. The battle now rested on Eddie’s sloped shoulders.
Wood, knowing Collins’s strength, started him off with a curveball right down the middle for strike one – Collins taking all the way. Surely, Wood would now go to his bread and butter. Wrong. He snapped off another bender. This one on the corner. “Strike TWO,” bellowed umpire Jack Egan. A collective groan arose from the remaining customers. Some started for the exits. Two strikes. Two outs. Two on.
Wood took a deep breath. Catcher Bill Carrigan called for the express. Wood kicked and fired a heater – well off the outside corner for ball one. The tension was thick. Collins momentarily stepped out to gather himself – undoubtedly guessing Wood’s next offering. Carrigan decided to go back to the well – the curve for the game-ending strikeout.
The young ball tosser rocked and released what he hoped would be his best curveball yet. It hung and Eddie was waiting for it. He guessed correctly. Collins smashed the ball on a line – bisecting the right side of the infield and rocketing to right field. Strunk and Oldring took off like a pair of spooked rabbits at the crack of the bat. The ball reached right fielder Harry Hooper in a flash. Strunk scored easily. Hooper unleashed a clean throw on a line as Oldring was racing home with the winning run. It was going to be close. Strunk and Frank Baker were motioning for Oldring to slide. Hooper’s throw arrived a split-second late. SAFE!
The Mackmen spilled out of their dugout to celebrate. The few thousand fans that remained were frenzied. A few dozen ran onto the field and tried to carry Eddie off on their shoulders. Collins utilized his speed one final time on this day – racing into the dugout, up the tunnel, and into the safety of the clubhouse. His teammates following closely behind. What a comeback!
***
The Macks opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Hartsel opened with an infield single. He reached second on Oldring’s ground out to first and scored on Collins’s single to right field. Collins was left stranded on second when Cicotte retired Baker and Davis.
The Speed Boys responded with a trio of runs in the top of the second. Hooper beat out an infield single after rolling a grounder to Davis at first. Davis fielded the ball cleanly and fed a covering Plank with an underhand toss. Plank, however, could not locate the sack and Hooper was safe. Jake Stahl sacrificed Hooper to second and Wagner walked. Lewis followed with a long triple over Hartsel’s head. The ball rolled to the left field wall and scored both Hooper and Wagner. Carrigan lofted a sacrifice fly to Hartsel for the third run. Cicotte grounded out to end the inning with the Red Sox up, 3-1.
The Athletics got one back in the bottom half. Murphy led off with an infield single. Cicotte fielded the ball and had a slim chance at nabbing Murphy at first. Cicotte fired a wide throw that Stahl could not corral – allowing Murphy to reach second on the error. Barry followed with a tapper to the box. In their haste to retire Black Jack, Cicotte and Carrigan did not communicate and collided with each other – Carrigan’s spikes clipping Cicotte’s ankle in the process. Cicotte gathered himself and threw to first – making another poor throw. Barry was safe on the pitcher’s second error of the inning. Murphy never broke stride and scored easily. Boston’s lead was now 3-2 after two.
That score would remain over the next five innings. The Hubmen would add another run in the top of the eighth inning as a result of sloppy defense – specifically, errors by Hartsel and Barry. The Sox seemed to put the game away in the ninth inning. Hooper started off with an infield single to short. Stahl grounded out to first and Hooper moved up to the third sack. Not able to afford another run, Mack brought the infield in. Wagner hit a grounder to Collins and Hooper broke on contact. Collins’s throw to Thomas was late as Hooper slide home safely. Lewis grounded out to first – sending Wagner to second.
Carrigan hit a sharp single to left which scored Wagner to give Boston a 6-2 cushion. Cicotte then singled to right – moving Carrigan up a base. Lazy base-running cost Boston at least one more run. French lined one up the middle to score Carrigan for Boston’s seventh tally. Or, so everybody thought. Cicotte was loafing to second and center fieder Oldring saw what was happening. Rube charged the ball and fired a strike to Barry to force Cicotte a moment before Carrigan crossed home plate. Carrigan was denied a run and French was denied a hit.
So, the Red Sox took a seemingly safe four-run lead into the ninth inning. Joe Wood had been warming up on-and-off in the Red Sox bullpen since the sixth inning – backing up a teetering Eddie Cicotte. Donovan decided to stick with his starter to try and secure the final three outs. His decision proved fatal.
The box is as follows:
NOTES:
- The five-run rally was the biggest ninth inning deficit the Athletics have overcome in Shibe Park’s brief history.
- Eddie Plank retired the Red Sox on only THREE pitches in the top of the first inning. Charlie French grounded to third, Harry Lord popped to first, and Tris Speaker grounded to first.
- The two teams will resume hostilities today. Lefty Harry Krause is expected to start for the Athletics.
American League
Yesterday’s scores (May 2, 1910):
- Philadelphia 7, Boston 6
- New York 3, Washington 2
- Cleveland 2, St. Louis 1 (11 innings)
- Detroit at Chicago (rain)
National League
Yesterday’s scores (May 2, 1910):
- Philadelphia 9, Boston 8
- New York 6, Brooklyn 0
- Pittsburgh 5, Chicago 2
- Cincinnati 9, St. Louis 4
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