Cy Morgan comes close to matching Bender, holds Naps hitless through seven as Elephants sweep
PHILADELPHIA, May 13, 1910 – A day after Chief Bender no-hit the Cleveland Naps, spitballer Cy Morgan nearly duplicated the feat. A mere three days after pitching a four-hit, twelve inning marathon against these same Naps, Mack sent the hot hand right back to the slab to close out the series. Morgan rewarded his manager with a masterful performance.
Morgan showed no ill-effects of having toiled for twelve innings during the first game of the series. He mowed down the Naps lineup with surgical precision – allowing just one base runner through the first seven innings. Cleveland third baseman Bill Bradley walked with one out in the top of the third inning. He was sacrificed to second by pitcher Heinie Berger. Morgan ended the minor flare up by retiring Jack Graney for the final out of the inning.
Meanwhile, the Mackmen unleashed an offensive fusillade against Berger and relief hurler Willie Mitchell. The contest was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning. From that point, the Athletics scored seven runs over the final four frames. The offense was paced by Frank Baker who recorded three hits in five times at-bat. Baker, Morgan, and Paddy Livingston each drove in two runs apiece. Rube Oldring, Eddie Collins, and Jack Barry, joined Baker in tallying multiple-hit games.
As the eighth inning rolled around, Athletic rooters began to realize that they might witness history on back-to-back days. Cy retired George Stovall and Harry Bemis in rapid succession for the first two outs of the inning. Four outs to go! Former Athletic Bris Lord was coming to bat. Morgan grooved one and Lord walloped the sphere into dead-center field. Center fielder Oldring made a futile attempt to chase the ball down.
The ball sailed over Oldring’s head and rolled towards the flagpole in deep center field. Rube retrieved the ball as Lord was approaching the third base bag. Collins went out to short center as the cut-off man. Down 6-0, with two down in the eighth, Lord wasn’t satisfied with a mere triple, he kept chugging around third. Collins received Oldring’s heave from from the pasture, turned and fired a strike to catcher Jack Lapp. Lord was out in a close play at the plate.
With the no-hit chance washed away, Morgan seemed to ease back in the final frame. Bradley reached on an error by shortstop Jack Barry. Pinch hitter George Perring singled to left – moving Bradley up one base. Graney and Art Kruger followed with back-to-back run-scoring singles and the Naps had their first runs since the ninth inning on Tuesday. After Terry Turner struck out, Nap Lajoie came to bat with a chance to make things uneasy for the home nine. Lajoie smoked one of Morgan’s spitters up the middle where Barry speared the ball and scooped to Collins, who in turn fired a strike to Harry Davis to cease hostilities for the day.
Morgan was today’s conquering hero – sending Cleveland off on their merry way to Washington.
The box is as follows:
NOTES:
- The Athletics (14-4) remain in first place in the American League. Detroit, however, leapfrogged Cleveland into second place.
- Mr. Mack has a plethora of hot hands in the pitcher’s box these days. Bender, Morgan, Coombs, Plank, and Krause are all pitching like world beaters.
- Third baseman Frank Baker is starting to heat up. He was batting .174 with just two extra-base hits through May 2. Since then, Baker is hitting .375 in 8 games.
- Through 19 games, the Athletics lead the American League in fewest runs allowed (42) and run differential (+45).
- For the first time this season, the Mackmen welcome the Chicago White Sox to town. The four-game set will commence this afternoon at 3 o’clock.
American League
Yesterday’s scores (May 13, 1910):
- Philadelphia 7, Cleveland 2
- Washington 5, Chicago 1
- Detroit 5, New York 3
- Boston 8, St. Louis 1
National League
Yesterday’s scores (May 13, 1910):
- Philadelphia 4, Pittsburgh 0
- Brooklyn 8, Cincinnati 2
- St. Louis 13, New York 4
- Boston 3, Chicago 0
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