Over 18,000 witness their Athletics get walloped by the Detroiters

***

Harry Krause and Jimmy Dygert are lammed for 14 runs and 19 hits as Mackmen play worst game of the season

PHILADELPHIA, May 19, 1910 – A huge crowd turned out to witness the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers renew their bitter rivalry this afternoon. What they witnessed was not much in the way of a baseball game. The Athletics resembled a ragtag bunch of bush leaguers as the Tigers thoroughly walloped the home nine by a 14-2 score.

The second largest gathering of the season arrived at the magnificent baseball plant to give the Tigers a proper greeting during their first trip into town this year. The jeering commenced when the Tigers took the field for their round of pregame practice. The large majority of the vitriol was hurled in the direction of the loyalists’ favorite villain – Ty Cobb. The young Georgian is still reviled after spiking Frank Baker at Bennett Park in the heat of last season’s pennant race and for his dramatic, ninth-inning home run at Columbia Park in 1907, which, for all intents and purposes, cost the Elephants the pennant.

Manager Connie Mack was not in attendance yesterday. Mr. Mack has come down with a bad cold and was confined to his house. He did, however, make out the lineup card and handed the reigns over to the capable hands of captain Harry Davis. Mack decided that left-hander Harry Krause should get the ball to lift the lid on the four-game series.

As the contest progressed, it was quite evident to all in attendance that the slender San Franciscan had accumulated quite a layer of rust on his pitching wing. Krause had not pitched in a game since his May 6 duel with the great Walter Johnson – thirteen days ago. For the first few innings, it seemed like a stroke of genius. That is, until the proverbial wheels fell off.

Krause started the top of the first inning in fine fashion. He struck out the pesky Davy Jones leading off the game and ended the 1-2-3 frame by fanning the incomparable Cobb. He followed that up by retiring the side in order the following inning. Meanwhile, the Mackmen scratched across a run in the bottom of the second inning off veteran Detroit starter George Mullin.

Wabash George as the hefty ball tosser is known, has given Mack’s boys fits ever since he first donned the Tigers uniform in 1902. With one down in the second, Davis singled to right. As Mullin delivered a pitch to Danny Murphy, Davis took off on a hit-and-run. Murphy lined the ball down the left field line where Jones neatly cut it off before it could roll all the way to the wall. While Murphy, inexplicably, stopped at first, Davis never broke stride. Amos Strunk was waving him home, challenging Jones’s arm. The throw home was late and Murphy took second. Mullin quickly retired Jack Barry and Ira Thomas to quell the uprising.

Krause could not hold the Tigers down in the third. Veteran first sacker Tom Jones sliced a single to right field to start the inning. Husky backstop Oscar Stanage followed by floating a Texas Leaguer out to the left pasture to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Mullin lined one to left for a safety and Jones raced home with the tying run.

Detroit skipper Hughie Jennings asked Davy Jones to sacrifice and he dropped a beauty of a bunt down the third base line. Third baseman Frank Baker had only one play – and, he had to hurry to even make that play. He fired to first, nabbing Jones by a whisker, moving Stanage and Mullin up a station. Diminutive shortstop Donie Bush brought Stanage home when he smacked a single to left, giving the Tiges a 2-1 lead – a lead they would never relinquish.

With Mullin taking third on Bush’s run-scoring single, Bush advanced to second on left fielder Topsy Hartsel’s foolish heave to the dish. The Detroiters were now set up to inflict major damage – two in scoring position, one down, with Cobb and Sam Crawford waiting in the wings. Davis ordered the infield to play in with Cobb at the dish – a frightening proposition for even the most fearless infielder. Cobb smashed a ground ball at Baker, who held Mullin at third and got his man at first. Wahoo Sam fanned and Krause, for the time being, avoided catastrophe.

Once Mullin retired the Mackmen with nothing across in the bottom of the third, the Tigers put the game on ice in the fourth – pummeling the Macks into submission. The inning commenced innocently enough; Jim Delahanty popped one a mile high behind the dish where Thomas hauled it in for the initial out. George Moriarty, Tom Jones, and Stanage unleashed a fusillade – all singling in succession. Moriarty scored on Stanage’s bingle with Jones heading to third.

Runners were now on the corners and the Athletics gift wrapped Detroit another run. With Mullin now at-bat, Stanage was taking a big lead at first. Krause noticed a chance at a pick off and getting out of the jam with minimum damage. As soon as Krause lifted his right leg, Stanage was off – hauling his ice wagon to second base. Krause threw to Davis at first who in turn fired a perfect strike to Barry covering second.

Barry peeked over to third to see if Tom Jones was heading home – he was not. Stanage slammed on his brakes and tried to get into a rundown. While Barry was chasing the big catcher back toward first, he had one eye on third base. Black Jack fired in Davis’s direction. Jasper, however, would have needed to be at least eight feet tall to haul in Barry’s wild heave. Tom Jones tallied and Stanage waltzed down to second.

Now faced with a 4-1 deficit, Krause struck out Mullin for the second out but ending up handing lead off man Davy Jones a free pass. The Athletics were not finished shooting themselves in the proverbial foot. They should have been in the dugout facing only a 3-1 deficit. Bush popped a high foul behind home plate just like Delahanty did to start the frame. Unlike his first chance, Thomas clanked this one. Instead of making the third out, Bush made the most of his reprieve. He promptly walloped a double to left field, scoring Stanage and ending the day for Krause.

Davis’s decision to lift Krause at this point was a curious one. Cobb was due up next and had not looked comfortable in his previous two at-bats against Hal. Sure, the Tigers hit him freely over 3 2/3 innings. But, many of the hits were not solid and his defense did not help him in crucial situations. Davis summoned spitballer Jimmy Dygert to take over. Cobb immediately ripped a single past a diving Davis, scoring Davy Jones and Bush.

The Georgia Peach wasted no time, stealing second base on the first pitch and coming around to score on Crawford’s single to right. Once again, the Mackmen handed the Tigers an extra base – Murphy made an uncalled for throw home. Cobb tallied easily with his blazing speed and Crawford took second on Danny’s throw. Now up for the second time in the inning, Delahanty ripped a single to left which plated Crawford for the visitors’ seventh run of the frame. Moriarty fouled out to Thomas – mercifully ending the inning for the home nine.

With the combination of their team being down 9-1 after three and a half innings and the late, four o’clock start time, many loyalists headed for the exits and home to a warm, early supper. They assumed this game was a lost cause. They were correct. The Tigers scored one in the fifth, two more in the sixth, one in the seventh, and one final run in the ninth. All of the damage coming off Jimmy Dygert who ended up taking one for the team – allowing eight runs on ten hits during his relief outing.

The Athletics tallied a lonely run in the bottom of the eighth for good measure. Facing relief man Frank Browning, Hartsel walked and raced across the pan on a long triple by Eddie Collins. By then, only a small handful of die hard rooters remained to witness the winning streak come to a halt. This one ended with a loud thud.

Only one word is necessary when describing the hostilities that transpired at the corner of Twenty-First and Lehigh this afternoon – ugly!

The box is as follows:

NOTES:

• Once the game was out of reach, Davis lifted himself at first base in favor of Ben Houser, and replaced Danny Murphy in right with Heinie Heitmuller.
• Detroit manager Hughie Jennings moved Sam Crawford from center to right field and Ty Cobb from right to center field. The move is widely believed to give Crawford’s sore legs less ground to cover.
• Tigers pitcher Wild Bill Donovan was ejected by home plate umpire Jack Sheridan for arguing balls and strikes from the bench during the second inning.
• 10 of 11 Tigers used by Jennings scored at least one run during the ambush. Reliever Frank Browning was the only one that didn’t score; he was asked to sacrifice during his only plate appearance.
• The two teams play the second game of the four-game series this afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4 o’clock.

American League

Yesterday’s scores (May 19, 1910):

• Detroit 14, Philadelphia 2
• Boston 3, Chicago 0
• Washington 5, St. Louis 0
• New York 4, Cleveland 3 (10 innings)

National League

Yesterday’s scores (May 19, 1910):

• St. Louis 9, Philadelphia 1
• Chicago 4, Brooklyn 2
• Cincinnati 8, New York 7
• Boston 6, Pittsburgh 3

Cy Morgan’s pitching and Danny Murphy’s hitting lead the way in a 4-2 victory over the White Sox

PHILADELPHIA, May 18, 1910 – Lucky thirteen! Thanks to the brilliant pitching of Cy Morgan, the Philadelphia Athletics won their thirteenth consecutive game at Shibe Park this afternoon. For the fourth consecutive game, the Chicago White Sox fell victim; this time by a 4-2 score.

Each team played uneven defense during certain parts of the game. Errors directly led to runs for both teams. White Sox starter Ed Walsh, who pitched into the eleventh inning during the first game of this series, pitched well enough to win but was let down by three costly errors – two by his teammates and one of his own doing. Morgan pitched fine ball, walking one and scattering six hits, in leading the Mackmen to victory.

The South Siders opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. Clean up hitter Patsy Dougherty drew a base on balls and raced over to third when Willis Cole lined a clean single to right. Cole took the extra base when right fielder Danny Murphy foolishly tried to throw out the speedy Dougherty heading to third. Bruno Block struck out and Lee Tannehill – playing for an injured Russell Blackburne – grounded out to second baseman Eddie Collins, scoring Dougherty. Charlie Mullen – making his major league debut – grounded to shortstop Jack Barry for the final out.

The Mackmen responded…quickly. Walsh retired Frank Baker and Harry Davis in rapid succession to start the bottom of the second. Murphy then lammed a clean single to left-center field. Barry dribbled a chopper to short and beat shortstop Billy Purtell’s throw, placing runners at first and second.

Jack Lapp also followed with a chopper to short. This time, Purtell unleashed a wild throw, over the head of first baseman Chick Gandil. The rolled for a while in the vast foul territory as right fielder Mullen and Gandil gave chase. By the time Gandil picked up the sphere, Murphy and Barry had scored with Lapp finding safe harbor at second base. Hostilities in this frame ceased when Walsh fanned Morgan for the final out.

The White Sox received a gift in the third. Walsh reached when Barry booted his grounder and moved up to second on a wild pitch with Rollie Zeider at the dish. Zeider grounded back to Morgan who hesitated on where to throw the ball. After his indecision, he finally fired to third to try and nab Walsh. Baker was late with the tag and the Sox had runners at the corners with nobody out.

Another one of Morgan’s spitters eluded Lapp, allowing Walsh to tally and sending Zeider to to second. Cy buckled down and retired Purtell, Gandil, and Dougherty in succession to retire the side. The White Sox, however, were able to tie up the game thanks to the generosity of Morgan and his teammates.

The defensive breakdowns reemerged in the bottom of the fourth inning – leading to the Mackmen taking the lead for good. Walsh walked Baker to lead off the frame. Mack then ordered Davis to sacrifice the big third sacker to second. Davis obliged by bunting one right back to the box. Walsh scooped, turned, and fired to second base. The only problem was that he fired the ball over Tannehill’s head and into center field. Davis and Baker were safe at second and third, respectively.

Murphy promptly whistled a line drive over the second base bag and into the vast center field pasture, scoring both Baker and Davis. The Macks now had a 4-2 lead with prospects for more. Murphy, however, fell asleep at the wheel while at the initial station. Walsh picked him off for the first out of the inning. Barry quickly followed with a single and a steal of second to get himself into scoring position. He remained there as both Lapp and Morgan were whiffed by Big Ed to end the inning.

The game rolled along without any further damage until the top of the ninth inning. Down to their final three outs, Duffy’s charges had one final chance at tying the score. They came within an eyelash. Dougherty fouled out to commence the inning and Cole quickly followed with a single.

Duffy sent Fred Payne up to pinch hit for Block. Payne flied out after a long battle with Morgan. The Athletics were now one out away from a fourteen game unbeaten streak. Tannehill had different plans – he singled to center, putting the tying run on base for Doc White, who was now playing right field in place of Mullen.

The remainder of the nearly 6,000 paying rooters at Shibe Park were now nervous. An extra-base hit and the game would be tied. Morgan was tiring but needed to bear down for the twenty-seventh out. Even though White was a pitcher, he was competent with the lumber. The two battled and Morgan finally laid one in to Doc’s liking.

White swung and sliced a long fly ticketed for the left field corner. The ball kept drifting. Topsy Hartsel wasn’t going to corral it. The remaining fans nervously held their breath as they followed the flight of the little white globule. Home plate umpire Tommy Connolly raced up the third base line to get a better view. The ball finally made landfall. FOUL BALL…by about a foot! That is how close the South Siders came to knotting the contest.

Morgan then unleashed one of his patented spitballs that disintegrated on its way to the pan. White swung and missed as the wet ball found the pocket of Lapp’s mitt. Strike three for a thirteenth consecutive victory.

The box is as follows:

NOTES:

• The Athletics are now 18-4 and enjoy a 3.5 game lead over the New York Yankees.
• The fourteen game unbeaten streak is the longest in franchise history.
• The game dragged on with two spitball pitchers toiling. The first four innings took over an hour to complete. Many of the 6,000 fans didn’t stick around until the end as they wanted to get home before dark.
• With the four-game sweep of the White Sox completed, the Athletics will welcome Hughie Jennings, Ty Cobb, and three-time defending American League champion Detroit Tigers for four games. The series commences at 4 o’clock this afternoon.

American League

Yesterday’s scores (May 18, 1910):

• Philadelphia 4, Chicago 2
• Washington 4, Cleveland 3
• New York 6, St. Louis 3
• Detroit at Boston (rain)

National League

Yesterday’s scores (May 18, 1910):

• St. Louis 5, Philadelphia 2
• Pittsburgh 8, Boston 5
• Chicago 3, Brooklyn 2 (10 innings)
• New York 10, Cincinnati 6

Bender whitewashes the South Siders, 3-0 as streak reaches thirteen games

PHILADELPHIA, May 17, 1910 – Five days after pitching the game of his life, Charley Bender strolled to the dirt circle in the middle of the fastidiously manicured diamond at Shibe Park. In front of a quiet, midweek crowd, the Chief tried to duplicate his no-hit masterpiece.

It was not historic, but Bender’s gem this afternoon was dominant, nonetheless. The White Sox were under his complete control; only two fly balls were hit into the outfield and only one runner got past second base. The Athletics, meanwhile, had an abundance of base runners throughout the game against White Sox starting hurler Jim Scott. Despite the heavy traffic on the pillows, the Mackmen could only manage three runs as Scott buckled down in the pinches.

The South Siders had just one hit to show for their trouble through the first three innings – a lazy single by catcher Bruno Block. The Athletics broke through against Scott in the bottom of the third inning. After retiring Topsy Hartsel to commence the frame, Scott had Rube Oldring buried in the count at one ball and two strikes. Senator Scott then froze Oldring with a fastball over the plate.

Strike three? Not so, accoriding to plate arbiter Bill Dinneen. Oldring worked the count full then slammed the pill to right-center field for two bases. Rube should have only gotten to first on the hit, however, when he saw the lackadaisical effort of right fielder Shano Collins in his pursuit of the ball, he took the extra bag. Eddie Collins followed by hooking one to the same exact spot, for the same exact result. Only his drive, brought in the Rube with the game’s initial run. Frank Baker flied out for out number two.

While toiling against Harry Davis, Scott tried to pick off Eddie straying off the keystone sack. He turned and fired toward a covering Russell Blackburne. In his haste, to return to the bag, Collins’s spikes caught the dirt and bounced up – spiking Blackburne’s kneecap. Manager Hugh Duffy, not wanting to take any chances of an infection, immediately removed Lena and replaced him with Lee Tannehill. Davis then drew a walk and Danny Murphy grounded out to Tannehill for the third out.

The Athletics wasted numerous chances to tack on more tallies as the game progressed. Baker and Davis each singled in the bottom of the sixth. Each was thrown out by Block while trying to steal second base. Three more hits were thrown away in the seventh. With two outs and Jack Barry at second and Ira Thomas at first, Oldring hit a spinning grounder in the direction of third baseman Billy Purtell. Purtell could not corral the ball but deflected toward Tannehill. Barry rounded third and was racing for the plate. Tannehill fired a perfect strike to Block for the final out.

The White Sox only real scoring chance came in the top of the seventh inning. With one out, left fielder Patsy Dougherty singled and stole second. Willis Cole grounded to second, sending Dougherty to third base – the first Sox base runner to reach that station. Block then sliced a wicked grounder that was ticketed for right field. Collins raced to his left, scooped the ball, and made the short throw to Davis to retire the side and preserve Bender’s shutout.

The Macks salted the game away in the bottom of the eighth inning. After retiring Collins, Scott surrendered back-to-back singles to Baker and Davis – Baker chugged all the way to third base on Davis’s soak to right field. Down to their final three outs and the way Bender was pitching, the Sox could not afford to allow another run. Duffy ordered Murphy to be passed intentionally, in hopes of securing an inning-ending double play.

Jack Barry blew up Duffy’s strategy by lining a sharp single to left field – Baker scored and the sacks remained loaded. Ira Thomas lofted a fly ball to center fielder Cole which was deep enough to bring home Davis for the second run of the inning. The battered Scott, who was undoubtedly running on fumes, hit Bender with a pitched ball to reload the bases. The struggling Hartsel then struck out to end the inning and Scott’s day of labor.

The Chief retired the visitors from the Windy City in rapid succession in the top of the ninth inning to secure his sixth victory against zero defeats to start the season. The unbeaten streak has now reached a lucky thirteen.

The box is as follows:

NOTES:

• With a record of 17-4 (one tie), the Athletics are off to their best start in franchise history. The +54 run differential is the best in the majors.
• Through his first six starts this season, Charley “Chief” Bender is the best pitcher in baseball. 6-0, six complete games, 56 innings pitched (32 hits, 7 runs), three shutouts.
• Frank Baker and Jack Barry each finished with three hits apiece.
• How dominant was Bender? The Athletics’ fly chasers only needed to record two putouts – left fielder Topsy Hartsel and right fielder Danny Murphy.
• The four game series concludes this afternoon at 4 o’clock.

American League

Yesterday’s scores (May 17, 1910):

• Philadelphia 3, Chicago 0
• Cleveland 2, Washington 1
• Boston 8, Detroit 6
• New York 8, St. Louis 7 (11 innings)

National League

Yesterday’s scores (May 17, 1910):

• St. Louis 10, Philadelphia 3
• Pittsburgh 3, Boston 0
• Brooklyn at Chicago (rain)
• New York at Cincinnati (rain)

Coombs holds South Siders to two hits, unbeaten streak reaches twelve games after 6-1 triumph

PHILADELPHIA, May 16, 1910 – Connie Mack’s charges are the creme de la creme of the American League these days. The primary reason is the stable of pitchers that Mr. Mack assembled down in Atlanta back in March. The White Sox would not utter a negative word if somebody tells them they would not have to face Jack Coombs the rest of the season.

Colby Jack had thrown three hitless, scoreless innings against the White Sox on Saturday afternoon. A mere two days later, Mack handed him the ball to start today’s game. Jack took it and never looked back. After all of the back-and-forth drama of Saturday’s thriller, this contest was, for all intents and purposes, in the bag after the third leg. The White Sox had little chance, and the big Monday crowd at Shibe Park, knew it.

For Hugh Duffy’s boys to make any hay, they had to take advantage of Jack’s occasional bouts of wildness. They had a chance in the very first inning. Lead off batter Rollie Zeider walked. After Shano Collins struck out, Zeider decided to get himself into scoring position and purloin second base. While Chick Gandil was swinging at air, Zeider decided to take third. Now, with two outs, it was up to veteran Patsy Dougherty to bring him home. The big Irishman worked the count full before a fourth pitch found its way out of the strike zone.

Four batters into the game, and Coombs recorded a pair of punch outs and a pair of free passes. With light-hitting center fielder Willis Cole now at the dish, the White Sox ran themselves into trouble. The fleet-footed Dougherty took off on a steal attempt while Zeider remained anchored at third. Athletics catcher Jack Lapp sprang from his crouch and fired a bullet to Eddie Collins. Dougherty, realizing that he was deader than a duck on the first day of shotgun season, hurriedly dug his spikes into the clay and retreated to safe harbor. As Collins gave chase, Zeider broke for home. Realizing he needed to quickly decide where he needed to go with the ball, Eddie made a perfect throw to first baseman Harry Davis for the third out – just before Zeider could score. Coombs dodged a bullet.

The Athletics reached White Sox starter Frank Smith for a run in their half of the second inning. Piano Mover is coming off a season in which he captured 25 victories to go along with a sparkling 1.80 earned run average. The red hot Elephants made Smith look rather pedestrian. After quickly dispatching Frank Baker and Davis, Smith lost the strike zone and issued back-to-back free passes to Danny Murphy and Jack Barry. With Lapp at the plate, Murphy took off for third. Lapp swung and dribbled a ground ball into right field – Murphy never broke stride and scored easily. Smith retired Coombs for the final out to keep the game deadlocked at one run apiece.

Connie’s lead off man Topsy Hartsel, commenced hostilities in the bottom of the third inning by hitting a soft liner over the second base bag. Sox second sacker Zeider ranged far to his right and speared the ball one-handed on the short hop. He could not gather himself in time to throw out Topsy who was hustling up the line. Appreciating Zeider’s effort, the huge crowd gave him a cordial ovation. Rube Oldring then looped a flare into short left field to put the Mackmen in business.

Connie Mack rarely deviated from his book – his plan of attack. With runners at first and second and his best hitter (Collins) coming to bat, he still called for the sacrifice bunt. Collins failed…miserably. He popped a bunt attempt to Smith, wasting his at-bat. Baker, however, picked his teammate up, promptly lacing a single to center field. Willis Cole charged the ball and attempted to nip Tospy at the dish. The attempt had little chance at success and allowed both Oldring and Baker to move up a base.

As Smith was working through his at-bat against Davis, White Sox backstop Fred Payne must have sensed that Baker was not paying close attention at second base. Payne covertly signaled shortstop Russell Blackburne, and after the next pitch fired a beam toward a covering Blackburne. The throw was pitiful. Lena made a valiant effort to haul it in, but the ball dribbled into short center, allowing Oldring to score from third.

Davis was still at the plate when Baker took off and stole third easily. Smith was on the ropes and Harry could deliver the knockout blow. The chance for more action across the plate did not materialize. Davis popped out to Zeider and Murphy grounded out to first baseman Chick Gandil to end the inning.

The Athletics carried the 3-0 lead into the top of the fifth inning when Barry decided to become charitable. The frame began in bizarre fashion. Cole led off, looking to register the South Siders’ first hit of the day. Coombs unleashed a fastball to Cole – a high, hard one. While bailing out of the way, the ball hit the handle of Cole’s bat and rolled in front of home plate. Lapp rushed out to secure the ball while Cole was still down on the ground. Before Cole had even gathered himself to his feet, Lapp fired to Davis for the putout.

Billy Purtell followed with a high chopper to Barry for what certainly seemed like the second out of the inning. Barry let the ball play him and got caught with an in-between hop. Black Jack booted the ball – allowing Purtell to reach safely. Blackburne tried to bunt for a base hit but was retired on what amounted to a sacrifice – sending Purtell to second. Payne followed with a ringing single to center that allowed Purtell to scamper home with Chicago’s first tally of the contest. Coombs then walked Smith before coaxing Zeider to pop out to Collins for the final out.

The Macks roughed Smith up again in the bottom of the fifth inning. Oldring lined a safety into center field and promptly pilfered the keystone sack. Collins smashed the sphere that second baseman Zeider speared one-handed on the short hop. Eddie was safe at first, but Rube could not advance to third, as he waited to see if the ball would be caught.

Baker rolled one up the first base line to advance both into scoring position. Davis quickly brought both Elephants home by slicing the pill to right field. Shano Collins charged the ball and came up throwing – trying to nab Eddie coming home. With no chance to get the speedy Collins, Payne stepped in front of the plate, intercepted the ball, and fired a shot to Blackburne who in turn tagged Davis as he was trying to get greedy. Now down 5-1, and showing little effectiveness, Smith’s day was finished. He was off to the showers after five innings of play.

Manager Duffy brought in another rookie. This time it was freshman hurler Frank Lange who was about to take his licks. With Lapp retired to lead off the sixth, Coombs legged out a soft roller down the third base line. The Colby Carbine then pulled the element of surprise by stealing second base and going to third on Payne’s errant throw.

Hartsel brought Jack home with a run-scoring single. Topsy then raced around to third base on Oldring’s safe hit. That’s when he got overly greedy. While Eddie Collins was at the pan, Hartsel tried to steal home. He was unsuccessful. Eddie then grounded out to Shano Collins who was now playing first in place of Gandil.

It was now 6-1 after six frames, but the scoring and hitting were done for the day. Coombs kept sailing along and Lange retired the final six batters he faced. The large gathering of rooters was in a festive mood as they headed for the massive exit gates. Sure, they played hooky from work and school on a beautiful spring Monday. But, more importantly, their White Elephants have not lost in twelve consecutive contests.

The box is as follows:

NOTES:

• The Athletics have now run out to a 16-4 start on the season. It is the best start to a campaign in franchise history.
• Athletics catcher Jack Lapp started his first game of the season behind the plate on Monday. According to Mr. Mack, there will be many more.
• Pitcher Jack Coombs’s stolen base in the sixth inning was the eleventh of his career.
• Game three of the four game set will be played at Shibe Park this afternoon. First pitch will be 4 o’clock.

American League

Yesterday’s scores (May 16, 1910):

• Philadelphia 6, Chicago 1
• Washington 3, Cleveland 1
• New York 5, St. Louis 3
• Boston 11, Detroit 4

National League

Yesterday’s scores (May 16, 1910):

• Pittsburgh 7, Philadelphia 4
• Cincinnati 3, Brooklyn 2
• St. Louis 4, New York 2
• Chicago 4, Boston 3

Mackmen tie in the eighth, win in the eleventh – unbeaten streak stands at eleven games

PHILADELPHIA, May 14, 1910 – The Mack Express keeps rolling along. The Athletics were, for the most part, held in check by the wet offerings of White Sox ace Big Ed Walsh this afternoon. The Mackmen finally broke through late in the contest, winning their tenth consecutive decision – this one in breathtaking fashion.

Nearly 20,000 rabid rooters, starved for springlike weather, turned out on a glorious Saturday afternoon to see if their heroes could repel the young invaders from the Windy City. Chicago manager Hugh Duffy, in his first season at the helm of the White Sox, has an extremely young club. Four of the Sox in today’s starting lineup were rookies. None of them had appeared in a major league game before this season – second baseman Rollie Zeider, right fielder Shano Collins, first baseman Chick Gandil, and shortstop Russell Blackburne.

Starting pitcher Ed Walsh was not a rookie and anytime he faced the Athletics, the star spitballer gave them fits. Mr. Mack countered with a grizzled veteran of his own, port-sider Eddie Plank. Gettysburg Eddie was whacked around during his time on the slab, but the South Siders were helpless when Mack called for relief. Both hurlers were let down by their defense, and one was handed a bad break from Mother Nature.

The visitors drew first blood. Walsh led off the top of the third with a hard grounder to third baseman Frank Baker. He booted the ball and Walsh was safe at first. Zeider squared around for a sacrifice, drawing Baker in close. As Plank delivered the pitch, Zeider pulled the bat back and chopped at the ball – lobbing it over Baker’s head where shortstop Jack Barry corralled it. Both runners were safe. Collins, then, did sacrifice and the White Sox had a pair in scoring position with one man down.

Gandil, looking to give the Sox an early lead, swung at Plank’s offering and lifted a mile-high pop up into foul ground beyond third base. Baker drifted to his right and secured the ball for the second out. The ancient Patsy Dougherty took his turn and smashed a grounder that deflected off first baseman Harry Davis for an infield single – easily scoring Walsh. Zeider rounded third and kept chugging for home. Davis recovered and fired a perfect strike to catcher Ira Thomas who dropped the tag on Zeider just as he was about to slide over the pan. The Sox had to settle for the lone run.

The Athletics tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. A run that was gift wrapped by not only the White Sox, but Old Sol himself. Rube Oldring lofted a can of corn to right field leading off the inning. Collins camped under the ball, but lost sight of it in the late afternoon sun. The ball landed but a few feet from where he stood, and Rube, hustling from the box, made it an easy double. Eddie Collins then hit a hundred-hopper to Blackburne for what seemed like a sure out. In his haste to nab Oldring heading for third, he momentarily took his eyes off the ball and the misplay put runners at the corners.

Walsh was now in a pickle. What should have been two outs and the bases empty, suddenly turned into a world of trouble. The veteran hurler, however, was just the man to manage the mess. Baker lined a sharp single to left, scoring Oldring to tie the game. Davis moved both runners along with a well-placed sacrifice bunt. Danny Murphy took his turn with two runners in scoring position. Duffy ordered his infielders to play in. Murphy hit a tapper to third baseman Billy Purtell. Collins, with his blazing speed, was galloping home on contact. Purtell fielded the ball cleanly, straightened up, and fired a beam to catcher Fred Payne who tagged Collins. Barry grounded to Zeider for the final out.

Both teams traded body blows for the next few innings with neither side denting the dish. The South Siders took command with a pair of tallies in the seventh stanza. Blackburne was first man up. Sensing that Baker was playing too far back at third, he dropped a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line for an infield single. The light-hitting Payne then showed sacrifice on Plank’s first offering. It was a decoy. Plank laid the next one over the plate and Payne walloped the pill to left – over Topsy Hartsel’s head and all the way to the scoreboard. Blackburne scored all the way from first as Payne rolled in with a double.

Walsh moved Payne to third with a sacrifice bunt. The White Sox then worked the suicide squeeze to perfection. As Plank went into his motion, Payne broke for the plate. Zeider dropped a perfect bunt toward a charging Davis. With no play at the plate, Davis turned to throw Zeider out at first. The problem, however, was that Collins forgot to cover and Zeider made it safely. Then, the Sox ran themselves out of the inning. Zeider was caught stealing second just before Collins’s infield single. Collins tried to steal second base, as well. He met the same fate – thrown out by Thomas.

The Mackmen fought back in the eighth. Mack sent utility infielder Morrie Rath to pinch hit for Thomas. Rath promptly grounded to third for the first out. Sensing Plank was tiring and looking to generate any kind of offense, Mack sent backup catcher Jack Lapp to pinch hit. Lapp delivered a quality at-bat which resulted in a hard-earned base on balls. Hartsel worked a full count and slammed a one-hopper right back to the box. Walsh knocked the ball down but could not recover in time to record an out. Then came some controversy.

Oldring bunted down the first base line to move both runners into scoring position. Walsh bolted from the mound, picked up the rolling ball, and tagged Oldring as he was racing to first. After tagging Rube, he turned his attention toward third base to check on Lapp. As he spun around, Walsh dropped the ball. First base umpire Tommy Connolly immediately yelled, “Safe!” Walsh argued, but Connolly’s call stood. The bases were now loaded for Eddie Collins with one man down. The large crowd was now in full throat, urging Eddie to cop a hit.

Collins ripped the ball into right field – bringing home Lapp and Hartsel with the tying run. As Shano Collins threw the ball back toward the infield, the sphere escaped from second baseman Zeider and rolled away. Oldring saw an opening and bolted for home. Blackburne retrieved the ball and threw to Payne who was waiting for Rube. Baker struck out and Walsh escaped without further damage.

The White Sox were undoubtedly unhappy to see Plank lifted from the game. Despite scoring only three runs off Eddie’s soft offerings, the Sox hit him freely, soaking twelve safeties in eight innings. Mack summoned Jack Coombs to make his first relief appearance of the young season. Colby Jack did not plan on nibbling around the plate. He came after the White Sox – fastball after fastball. They were utterly stifled. Coombs carved up the lineup with surgical precision – three hitless innings. All the Elephants needed was one solitary run.

After retiring Collins to commence the eleventh frame, Walsh momentarily lost command of the strike zone. The result was an ill-timed free pass to Baker. Davis followed by slicing a vicious liner at Gandil who was holding Baker close at first. It should have been an inning ending double play – catch the ball, step on first. Gandil, however, could not secure the hard hit ball and it rolled toward the coach’s box. He recovered in time to put Davis out at first. But, his failure at securing the smash would soon prove fatal.

Walsh needed to work on the tough Murphy in the fast-fading light. Ever the professional hitter, Murphy worked the at-bat. He finally received a pitch to his liking and stroked a solid liner over the keystone sack an into center field. The crowd erupted! Baker was off at the crack of the lumber – motoring to the pan as fast as his thick legs would allow. Center fielder Willis Cole charged the ball and fired home. Baker slid home easily before the ball ever arrived. Frank was greeted by his jubilant teammates as the unbeaten streak reached eleven games. The final score, 4-3.

The box is as follows:

NOTES:

• A fan in a box seat nearly started a riot when he grabbed a foul ball and refused to surrender it to an usher. Cooler heads prevailed and the ball eventually found its way back onto the field.
• White Sox rookie shortstop Russell “Lena” Blackburne is a native of Palmyra, New Jersey – just across the Delaware River. A delegation from his hometown presented him with a floral horseshoe, a bouquet of flowers, and a watch prior to the game. When he came to the plate for his first at-bat, a trio of Palmyra’s business leaders approached and presented him with another watch.
• Athletics second baseman Eddie Collins was tagged out by White Sox catcher Fred Payne as he attempted a straight steal of home in the sixth inning.
• The crowd of nearly 20,000 was the largest to witness a game at Shibe Park since the home opener.
• After the Sunday off day, the series with the White Sox will resume Monday afternoon at 4 o’clock.

American League

Yesterday’s scores (May 14, 1910):

• Philadelphia 4, Chicago 3 (11 innings)
• Washington 1, Cleveland 0
• New York 14, St. Louis 0
• Detroit 5, Boston 3

National League

Yesterday’s scores (May 14, 1910):

• Philadelphia 6, Pittsburgh 2
• Cincinnati 3, Brooklyn 0
• Boston 4, Chicago 1
• St. Louis 9, New York 3

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

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