Baseball game summaries from the New York Times, 1920
YANKEES ARE AGAIN BEATEN BY BROWNS
Bayne, a Young Left-Hander,
Puzzles Hugmen and St.
Louis Wins, 5 to 2.
FINE CATCH BY JACOBSON.
Ping Bodle Victim of One-Hand
Grab-Sisler Gets a Home Run
and Two Singles.
The St. Louis Browns, without a word
of warning, sprung a little sawed-off
left-handed pitcher named Bill Bayne
of Tulsa, Okla., on the Yanks at the
Polo Grounds yesterday, and Huggins'
lads went through the whole afternoon
without smashing any kind of record.
St. Louis won the game, 5 to 2, which
gave them three games out of five for
the series.
The Yanks didn't get a hit off Bayne
until the seventh inning, when Pratt
started a rally which brought New York
two runs. But after that Bayne refused
to be separated from another run.
A large number of expectant fans, about
16,000 of them, gathered to see whether
Babe Ruth would make a new home run
record by pounding out his thirtieth
home run. The crowd was out of luck,
because Babe's most dangerous jab yesterday
was a single.
In the first inning Bayne fanned Ruth.
Bayne just touched Babe's sleeve with
the ball in the fourth, and Babe got
free passage. Ruth walked in the sixth,
and when he came to bat in the eighth
for the last time, the populace decided
that the time had arrived for the greatest
home run of all. It was about 5:09
by the clock when Ruth took his last
swing and punched a long single to
right field. Babe, up to yesterday, had
never heard of Bill Bayne, but Bill had
heard of Ruth, and he wasn't a bit
scared of the slugger.
Mogridge wasn't especially effective
for the Yanks, and his support was of
about the same calibre as his pitching.
Ruth made an error in the first inning,
letting Sisler's single trickle through his
feet, and two runs resulted.
Sisler Has Big Day.
Sisler was prolific with his bat and
made a home run, two singles and got a
pass in five trips to the plate. And as
for fielding, well, they don't produce
first basemen any better than the
Brownie wizard.
The fielding of Baby Doll Jacobson in
centre field was sensationally notorious.
He made a catch of Ping Bodie's
screamer between right and centre in the
fourth inning which recalled to Ping's
mind the old melodrama, "The Great
Diamond Robbery." Jake traveled far
into right field in the general direction
of the fence for Ping's bang and just
nipped it with one hand.
Babe Ruth was on first when Ping
hit the ball, and as it looked like a certain
three-bagger, or maybe a home run,
Ruth set out at top speed. When he
had almost reached third base he
learned that Baby Doll was going to
perpetrate a crime against Bodie, so he
started back. Babe had to go back
faster than he had been going forward.
He touched second on the return trip
and then had to slide into first base. By
the greatest bit of pluck he got back
safely. Many a time Babe has traveled
fast from first to third, but this is the
first time in his baserunning career that
he ever had to go at top speed from
third to first.
Bluejackets from the battleship Tennessee
and from the Portuguese cruiser
San Gabriel were banked back of third
base. Each had a brass band, but it
was hard to distinguish which band was
which. At one time there was no question
that both bands were playing
Portuguese music and going strong.
Portuguese music sounds very much like
American jazz, only worse. A bass
drum solo when Bob Meusel came in as
a pinch hitter and drove in two runs
was the high point of the musical program.
Browns Score in First.
The Browns got to Mogridge early.
After Tobin skied to Pratt in the first
inning Gedeon singled to left. Sisler singled
to right and the ball went through
Ruth's feet and to the fence, Gedeon
and Sisler scoring. Peck tossed out Jacobson
and Williams walked. Smith
fanned and ended the inning.
The Yanks surmised that Bayne would
be easy. He gave Peck a base on balls
for a starter and the Yanks were positive
then that Bayne would be a cinch.
The Oklahoma southpaw fooled them,
for after he fanned Ward, Pipp hoisted
to Gedeon and the mighty Ruth struck
out. After that Bayne commanded
much respect from the Yanks. One of
the Yanks managed to get on in each
of the first five innings, but Bayne
tightened up and turned them back.
With one out in the second Bodie got to
second on Smith's wild throw to first,
but Pratt and Ruel both popped out.
There were two down in the third when
Ward was safe on Gerber's error, but
Pipp dispelled all hope by striking out.
Ruth got to first in the fourth when a
curve just grazed his sleeve. If it hit
him it was one of those harmless affairs.
After Lewis flied to Jacobson, Bodie
crashed a long drive to right centre.
Ruth started to hotfoot it for home, but
he was suddenly called back after
Jacobson made his wonderful catch.
Sisler was the first of the Browns up
in the fifth and he drove the ball into
the lower tier of the right field stand
for a home run. They kept right after
Mogridge in the sixth. With one out,
Severeid singled and Bayne struck out.
Tobin singled to right and Severeid
reached third. Tobin went to second on
his play to third. Joe Gedeon was right
on the job at this point and smacked a
single to left, which sent Severeid and
Tobin home.
Disappoints Camera Men.
There were two out in the sixth when
Ruth came to bat. The camera men
were all set to catch the Blunderbus
red-handed in the act of banging out his
record-smashing home run. He fooled
them, or rather Billy Bayne fooled them,
for Babe walked. No one wants to look
at a picture of Babe walking. Lewis
walked, and it was up to Bodie. After
Ping had uncorked a dangerous foul he
was called out on strikes and appeared
to be greatly shocked at Umpire Hildebrand's
decision.
The Yankee rally in the seventh was
good while it lasted, but it didn't last
long enough. Pratt opened the promising
occasion with a single to left, the
first hit off Bayne. Ruel doubled to
left and sent Pratt to third. Meusel
batted in place of Mogridge and
whacked a double to left which sent
Pratt and Ruel home.
Peck didn't continue the good work
but popped to Sisler. Smith threw out
Ward and then Pipp poled a drive over
Bayne's head which looked good. Gerber
rushed over and got the ball and
threw Pipp out at first.
Ruth singled in the eighth and the
fans still had hope. Lewis hit into
a double play which was most distressing
for Bodie crashed a double to
left. Jacobson ran back toward the
fence and made an easy catch of
Pratt's long drive. Jake has done some
high class fielding during this last visit.
The score:
[[STATS]]
BISONS WIN ANOTHER.
Skeeters Outbat Wiltse's Team, but
Are Defeated, 4 to 1.
Special to the New York Times.
BUFFALO. N. Y., July 16.--Buffalo
took Jersey City into camp again today,
the score being 4 to 1. The Skeeters
once more registered more hits than
the Bisons, making four of the five twobaggers,
but they were unable to follow
up their advantage, Kid Thomas being
at his best after being found for one of
the long drives.
Biemiller pitched a good game for the
Jerseymen, but his support did not equal
that accorded the Buffalo heaver.
Errors, a passed ball, a wild pitch and
a hit batsman aided the Bisons to collect
their tallies, one at a time.
Thomas was hit on his pitching hand
in the ninth, after which he was a bit
wild, giving passes to two batters, his
only offense in nine frames, but a fast
double play by the infield nipped the
Skeeters' rally.
McCann, Mooers and Zitman led the
invaders in hits, the former having two
doubles. Pitcher Thomas surprised the
natives with a triple in the third, which
would have been good for a homer with
a faster man. The teams will play a
double-header tomorrow.
The score:
[[STATS]]
ST. LOUIS FIRST A. L. TEAM TO
WIN SERIES AT POLO GROUNDS
When the St. Louis Browns defeated
the Yankees at the Polo
Grounds yesterday in the odd game
of their five-game series that team
did something which no other club
has been able to accomplish at the
Polo Grounds this season--win a
series from the Hugmen. Washington
and Cleveland have been able to
hold the Yankees even at the Polo
Grounds this season, but all other
teams visiting the home of the Hugmen
had to take the short end, even
Washington being a victim on its
second visit after tieing the first.
The Mackmen, Red Sox and Tigers
failed twice, the White Sox lost the
only series played by Chicago here
to date, and the Browns lost on their
first visit. Incidentally, the series
which ended yesterday was the third
lost by the Yankees since early in
May. They lost at Cleveland on the
Western trip and at Washington ten
days ago.
ATHLETICS BEAT INDIANS.
Single with Bases Filled Gives Them
5-to-4 Victory.
PHILADELPHIA, July 16.--Dugan's
single with the bases filled in the
eighth, gave Philadelphia the final
game of the Cleveland series today, 5
to 4. The Athletics, previous to the
seventh inning, had a 3 to 1 lead when
Naylor with a wild pitch gave Cleveland
two runs. It was the first victory
of the series for the locals.
The score:
[[STATS]]
BRAVES WIN LONG BATTLE.
Hits by Mann and Eayrs in Eleventh
Defeat Chicago by 3 to 2.
CHICAGO, July 16.--Mann's triple and
Eayrs's single in the eleventh inning today
gave Boston a 3 to 2 victory over
Chicago. Scott pitched a good game for
the visitors, holding the locals to seven
hits. Cruise hurt his ankle sliding into
the plate.
The score:
[[STATS]]
GIANTS HAVE TO GO LONG TRIP TO WIN
Play Sixteen Scoreless Innings
and Then Thrash Pirates in
Seventeenth, 7 to 0.
BENTON STEADY AS A WALL
Rube Never Lets Up on Opponents,
but When Hamilton Gives Way
He Caves in Thoroughly.
PITTSBURGH, July 16.--The Giants
can be pushed just so far--perhaps a
trifle further than Cousin Egbert--but
beyond that certain point something is
going to drop. What dropped today was
nothing but an avalanche, and what it
fell on was nothing but the puffing Pirates.
The breaking point was the seventeenth
inning, at the outset of which
the score was no runs whatever for the
New Yorkers and the same inconsiderable
amount for the local gladiators.
When the wreckage was cleared away
some minutes later the tally proved to
be: Giants, 7; Pirates still 0.
Sixteen runless innings provide plenty
of glory and plenty of disgrace. To
carry your opponent that far without
letting him break through is a considerable
defensive achievement. On the
other hand, to pound away that long
without making a dent in the opposition
does not entitle one to laurel wreaths.
The answer to both propositions today
lies in the strong arm work of two
twirlers, Benton and Hamilton. In sixteen
innings Rube permitter (sic) seven safe
drives which entitles him to rank as the
Gaspard, the miser, of baseball. His opponent
was equally niggardly--for sixteen
innings. Then he say (sic) the error of his
ways. A blush that audibly sizzled
overspread his countenance from ear to
ear, and it took a good sized blush to
do it. He was plainly thinking to himself:
"Shame on me for being so mean
with these fellows. They're a pretty
good bunch of guys. Here's where I
loosen up."
He did. He loosened up for fair.
When he got tired of loosening the
Giants jolted him some more and kept
him very loose. They whanged him
for seven assorted hits and six runs
with only one man out. Thereupon
he retreated before the onslaught and
his successor, Cooper, allowed one more
hit, a roaring triple and one more run.
Pirates Make Futile Effort.
The Pirates tried hard in their half of
that turbulent inning to put at least one
marker on the score board. With one
gone they got together a double and a
triple. However, Rube Benton wouldn't
have it. He had watched with ghoulish
glee the effect of his rival's generosity
and was willing to let it run for
Sweeney. So he tightened up and the
next man thrashed blindly into a double
play which ended the festivities.
The battle, unlike some pitching duels,
held the attention of the large crowd
throughout. There were several occasions
upon which danger threatened
for one nine or the other and these
served as plums to make the cake more
tasty. As the normal duration of a
game was reached and passed without
any sign of a break on the part of
either of the war horses pawing on the
pitching mounds, the interest of the
fans became breathless in its intensity.
When in the eleventh inning the Giants
compiled a double and a brace of singles
and yet were thwarted by the steadiness
of Hamilton and his mates, there was
a gust of relieved sighs which was
hardly drowned even in the roar of
applause. Again in the fourteenth a
similar crisis was successfully met by
the Pirates and the local fans thereupon
definitely renounced all intention of getting
any dinner until the affair was
terminated. Later on most of them were
sorry they had let the soup grow cold
at home.
Batting Exceedingly Scanty.
In the opening inning Bancroft got a
single, in the sixth Burns slashed out
a double and in the seventh Snyder beat
out an infield poke. That was all the
batting chalked up for McGraw's men
for ten full innings. It can be seen
without a telescope that Hamilton was
going along like Man O' War. If anybody
then had prophesied a cataclysm
for him later on that prophet would
have been entirely without honor.
Rube Benton was right there with the
Pittsburgh artist, however, the third,
eigth and ninth sessions resulted in one
Pirate single each. That is generally
considered holding them down. In the
fifteenth and sixteenth, too, the local
array got men on the bags, but without
avail.
The explosion in the seventeenth went
like this: Doyle beat out a hit to Grimm
to begin things. Snyder singled to second
on a hit-and-run play, putting
Doyle on third. Lefevre ran for Snyder.
Benton singled to centre, scoring Doyle
for the first run of the game, Lefevre
stopping at second. Burns hit to left,
scoring Lefevre, Benton stopping at second.
Bancroft singled to left and the
bases were filled. Spencer forced Benton
at the plate, Hamilton to the catcher,
Schmidt. Frisch tripled to right field,
scoring Burns, Bancroft and Spencer.
Kelly tripled to right centre, scoring
Frisch. Hamilton retired in favor of
Cooper. King tripled to right, scoring
Kelly. Doyle popped to Whitted. Lefevre
struck out and the landslide came
to a halt.
The score:
[[STATS]]
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