Down to their final strike, Naps draw even with the Athletics in a heavyweight bout
PHILADELPHIA, May 10, 1910 – The Athletics finally entertained a western club at their home playground. The Cleveland Naps, who are hot on the heels of the Mackmen, rolled into town this afternoon. What transpired was a battle between two heavyweight teams and a pair star hurlers.
Cleveland’s ace pitcher Addie Joss was coming off four consecutive starts of giving up one or no runs. Included in that stretch was his second career no-hitter on April 20. Cleveland manager Deacon McGuire tabbed the lanky ball tosser to open the series in hopes of tying the Athletics in the standings. Mack countered with spitball artist Cy Morgan. In Morgan’s two previous starts this season, he had allowed a mere two runs in eighteen innings.
The two twirlers went toe-to-toe for twelve rounds. Morgan was, quite simply, dominant. Cy entered the ninth inning working on a one-hit shutout. Cleveland first baseman George Stovall came to bat with one down in the top of the second inning. Stovall tapped a weak roller down the third base line – a swinging bunt, if you will. Morgan and third baseman Frank Baker converged on the ball as it rolled and rolled, slowly along the foul line. They decided to let the sphere go in hopes that it would cross the chalk line and roll into foul ground. The ball never made the left turn and Stovall was safe at first. The hit would be the Naps’ last until the ninth inning.
As Morgan posted scoreless inning after scoreless inning, Joss matched him zero for zero. The Athletics had their chances, but when push came to shove, Joss buckled down and relied on his steady defense. Included were double plays the Naps turned in the fourth and eleventh innings which helped keep the Elephants off the board.
Rube Oldring led off the bottom of the fourth by lining a single to the middle pasture. Eddie Collins sacrificed him to second, but when Joss picked up the ball, he tried to nab Oldring going to second. He made a low throw to shortstop Terry Turner who could not hold the ball. Rube had already beaten the throw. Two on with nobody out. With Baker at the dish, Oldring tried to pilfer third base. Somebody missed a sign. Baker swung at the offering and lofted a fly to center fielder Jack Graney. Topsy Hartsel, coaching at third, implored Oldring to retreat. He did, but it was too late. Graney fired the ball to second baseman Nap Lajoie to complete the double play. Collins immediately tried to steal second, but was thrown out by Naps catcher Jay Clarke. Opportunity wasted.
The game zipped along with nary a scoring chance until the Athletics had another in the bottom of the seventh. With two men down, Harry Davis tripled over Graney’s head to deep left-center field. Danny Murphy who had some solid at-bats against Joss on this day, was given a free pass in order to face the struggling Jack Barry. Joss promptly struck him out on three consecutive fastballs – all three strikes of the swinging variety.
The breakthrough finally came in the eighth frame. Catcher Paddy Livingston opened the stanza with a wallop to left field for a bingle. The light-hitting Morgan was easy prey for The Human Hairpin – striking out on three pitches. Amos Strunk followed with a one-hopper to Joss who quickly turned and fired to second. In his haste to potentially turn two, Joss, once again, made a poor throw to Turner. This one for an error. With Strunk’s speed, the chances of turning two were extremely slim. Oldring popped out to Turner for the second out. Collins then ripped a shot over Lajoie’s head and into right-center field. Paddy chugged home with the first tally of the game. The struggling Baker flied out to center for the third out.
Morgan needed just three more outs to complete the one-hit masterpiece. The inning was an eventful one! Graney opened by drawing a base on balls. Art Kruger followed by dropping a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt down the third base line. Baker charged, scooped, and fired a strike to Davis. Meanwhile, Baker’s momentum carried him toward home plate, leaving third base unoccupied. Graney saw an opening and raced for the bag; but, so did Barry.
A foot race ensued. It was neck-and-neck between the two speedsters before Barry nosed ahead. Davis unleashed a throw to the third base sack. Barry arrived and turned around, just as the ball arrived. He caught the ball and tagged a sliding Graney in one fluid motion. Two men down without a Nap on the sacks. Morgan needed one more for the whitewash. Cotton Top Turner chopped a slow roller to Baker, who once again had to charge the ball. This time, the runner beat the throw to first.
Morgan was in deep trouble. Star second sacker Nap Lajoie, batting well over .430 on the young season, was coming to bat. In trying to pitch around the burly Frenchman, one of Morgan’s spitters slipped out of his hand and hit the screen on the fly. Livingston discarded his mask and commenced pursuit of the errant ball. Turner had rounded second and was halfway to third as Paddy retrieved the ball. Livingston turned and unleashed a throw on a line to Baker. Turner dove headfirst into the bag – arriving just a whisker ahead of Baker’s tag.
A mound meeting ensued between the battery and the entire infield. With a runner at third and two down: What to do with Lajoie? Captain Davis, on behalf of Mr. Mack, ordered Morgan to pass Lajoie intentionally to bring up Stovall. Statistically, it was the correct move. But, strategy is to be executed on the diamond. Morgan got in on Stovall’s hands with a two-strike fastball. Stovall fought the pitch off and floated a Texas Leaguer into shallow left field. The hustling Turner dented the pan before the ball had even landed. The crowd groaned, the Naps bench erupted, the game had been tied. Cleveland had visions of taking the lead, but Morgan coaxed Clarke into grounding out – sending us into extra innings.
There were a few scoring chances in extra innings. The Athletics had an opportunity in the bottom of the eleventh when Baker opened the frame with a single. Instead of sticking with his usual strategy in this situation (a sacrifice bunt), Mack decided to let Davis swing away. Davis grounded into a crushing double play. Crushing because Murphy promptly followed with a single to right that would have scored Baker. Barry ended the inning by lofting a fly ball to right fielder Bris Lord.
Two Naps reached base with two outs in the twelfth inning via a hit and a walk. Nothing doing. Now approaching six o’clock, the overcast sky was growing darker by the minute. After Joss retired the Athletics in the bottom of the twelfth inning, home plate umpire Tommy Connolly called the contest on account of darkness and ordered both clubs into their respective clubhouses. The game officially ending in a 1-1 tie.
One strike. One strike away! Oh, so close.
The box is as follows:
NOTES:
- Cy Morgan has now made three starts this year. He has allowed a grand total of three runs on 13 hits, in 30 innings pitched. Surprisingly, he only has one win to show for his work.
- Former Athletics second baseman Nap Lajoie is batting .437 for the season. He is vying to lead the American League in hitting for the first time since 1904.
- The Athletics lead the American League with 31 runs scored over the past seven days.
- Frank Baker’s season-long power surge continues. Through 17 games, he is batting .217 with only four-extra base hits – all doubles.
- If Mother Nature cooperates, the second game of the series is scheduled to be called at 3:30 this afternoon. The weatherman predicts a round of rain.
American League
Yesterday’s scores (May 10, 1910):
- Philadelphia 1, Cleveland 1 (12 innings)
- Boston 4, St. Louis 3
- Detroit 5, New York 3 (10 innings)
- Chicago 10, Washington 3
National League
Yesterday’s scores (May 10, 1910):
- Cincinnati 8, Philadelphia 6
- Brooklyn 1, Pittsburgh 0
- Chicago 9, New York 5
- Boston 5, St. Louis 3
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