Thanks to sixth inning barrage, Athletics coast to their seventh straight victory, 10-2
PHILADELPHIA, May 9, 1910 – Forgive Senators manager Jimmy McAleer if he never wants to return to Shibe Park. The Lehigh Avenue baseball plant was a house of horrors for the Washington skipper this weekend. The Mackmen lammed his ball tossers all over the lot and his team in the field was more sieve than brick wall.
The affair was a toss up this afternoon until Mack’s boys broke things open with a six-run fusillade in their half of the sixth stanza. Washington starter Dolly Gray hurt his own cause when he temporarily lost command of the strike zone. Gray was also a victim of shoddy defense as his mates committed a season-high six errors. Throughout the four-game series, the Athletics took full advantage when opportunity presented itself.
Connie’s starter Eddie Plank was solid, if unspectacular, throughout the contest. Gettysburg Eddie allowed five, well-scattered hits, but he too, became unfamiliar with Bill Dinneen’s strike zone – walking six batsmen. Washington tallied both of their runs on one wild pitch.
The White Elephants would have scored in the first inning had it not been for a mental lapse from one of their youngsters. Speedster Amos Strunk seems to have a proclivity for dozing off on the base paths. In the first, Strunk was safe on an error by shortstop Kid Elberfeld. Rube Oldring moved him over to second with a sacrifice bunt. Strunk, however, suffered a mental lapse and was picked off by Gray during his moment of inattention. Eddie Collins followed by blistering a ball to center field that would have scored the fleet-footed Strunk. Frank Baker reached on an error and Harry Davis drew a walk. Danny Murphy grounded to first base and the Athletics were turned away.
The Senators took full advantage in the top of the second inning. With one down, Plank walked Tom Crooke. On the next pitch, Red Killefer blooped one into short left field. Shortstop Jack Barry immediately took off for the ball. Black Jack, while on the dead run, reached up to corral the sphere. The ball hit off the heel of his glove and rolled away a few feet; this allowed Crooke, who stayed close to his station, to move up to second.
McAleer put on the hit-and-run with Gabby Street at-bat. Street went the other way and chopped the ball to a charging Collins. With both runners in motion, Eddie had no chance to turn two. He flipped the ball to Davis – taking the sure out. All that stood in the way for Plank was Gray. The light-hitting pitcher batted a paltry .146 during his rookie campaign last season. Plank promptly uncorked a wild pitch. Catcher Ira Thomas, discarded his birdcage and turned in hot pursuit. The copious amounts of foul territory are not a catcher’s best friend. By the time Thomas picked up the ball, the trail runner, Killefer, was more than two-thirds of the way home. Thomas fired late to a covering Plank. Two runs on one wild pitch.
Like they have all season, the Macks answered quickly. Barry reached on a one-out error by Elberfeld and went to third when Thomas shot a single to right on the hit-and-run. Then, mayhem ensued. Right fielder Doc Gessler tried to get Barry going to third which was a failed proposition. Realizing he had no chance to tag Barry, third baseman Wid Conroy stepped in front of the bag to receive the throw. Conroy saw Thomas pulling his ice wagon towards second and fired a seed to Killefer who waited for Ira with the ball.
As the action unfolded at the keystone sack, the daring Barry took off for the pan. Once Killefer completed the tag play at second, he stood up and fired to Street who was blocking the plate. Barry’s goose was cooked, and he knew it. He slammed on his brakes and commenced a full retreat. Street, however, didn’t pursue Barry and force him into a rundown. Instead, he lobbed a grenade well over Conroy’s head and down the left field line – Barry scored easily. Gray struck out Plank to cease the madness.
Plank and Gray both settled in nicely. Gettysburg Eddie kept the Senators off the scoreboard the rest of the afternoon. Gray followed up the disastrous second frame with a scoreless third, fourth, and fifth. The Mackmen entered the bottom of the sixth trailing, 2-1. It was time to go to work. And, go to work they did!
Collins slapped a single to left leading off the frame. He immediately stole second and third in rapid succession. Baker strolled and Davis followed with a long double – scoring Collins and sending Baker over to third. Murphy fouled out and with Barry coming to bat, McAleer called for the intentional pass to load the bases. The hope, obviously, was to get the plodding Thomas to ground into an inning-ending twin-killing. Thomas hit the ball alright! He walloped the pill to straightaway center field. The ball shot through the air like Halley’s Comet and over center fielder Clyde Milan’s head. The globule rolled until the bases had been cleared and the burly backstop was anchored on third base.
Four across the pan and the Elephants suddenly had a three-run cushion and threatening for more. Gray, then walked Plank, and Strunk followed with a run-scoring single for yet another run. Plank scored on Oldring’s chopper to Gray, who couldn’t handle the ball (Gray was charged with an error.) Six runs across and that quickly, the Athletics go from a 2-1 deficit, to a 7-2 lead, and Dolly Gray is off to the showers.
Relief pitcher Frank Oberlin offered little. Baker reached second on Oberlin’s two-base throwing error. Davis walked and Murphy was retired. Barry then took Thomas’s cue and shot a long triple to deep center field, scoring both Baker and Davis. Thomas came to bat and executed a suicide squeeze to perfection – scoring Black Jack for the tenth, and final, Athletic run of the skirmish.
The box is as follows:
NOTES:
- The Athletics, now 12-4 after the four-game sweep of Washington, sit alone atop the American League – holding a one-game lead over Cleveland.
- With Monday’s 3-5 performance, 21-year old Amos Strunk is now batting .643 (9-14) on the young season.
- Once the game seemed out of reach, Mack pulled Eddie Collins, Harry Davis, and Jack Barry to give some of his Yanigans some much needed playing time.
- The Senators made an astonishing 13 errors during the four-game sweep. That will not sit well with manager Jimmy McAleer.
- Monday’s start was the first time that Eddie Plank has walked six batters in a game.
- After seeing only Washington, New York, and Boston through the season’s first 16 games, the Athletics will welcome the western clubs starting with Cleveland this afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 PM.
American League
Yesterday’s scores (May 9, 1910):
- Philadelphia 10, Washington 2
- Boston 10, New York 0
National League
Yesterday’s scores (May 9, 1910):
- Philadelphia 6, Cincinnati 4
- Chicago 2, New York 0
- Pittsburgh 7, Brooklyn 6
- St. Louis 2, Boston 1
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