|
“DIARY OF A WINNER”
|
FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM May 25, 1912 ... The Athletics lowered the Red Sox colors today, 8-2 principally because the Red Sox could not hit Jack Coombs. The farmer from Maine was matched up with Joe Wood, the Kansas Cyclone and 15,000 fans sat back in their seats hoping to see a classic battle at Fenway Park. What they did see was Coombs keep the Speed Boys to just three hits and two runs. The tallies came on passes and one hit, while Wood was unsteady, passing three men and hitting another, all of whom scored with a little help on a wild throw from Heinie Wagner and some timely hitting in the ninth-inning. There were two remarkable catches in the game, one by Duffy Lewis in left field, taking the ball with one hand as it was passing over his head, close to the bank with his back turned toward the infield. Eddie Murphy also saved the Athletics a lot of trouble in the fifth inning when, with two men on base, he speared Steve Yerkes' drive which was marked for a home run. Murphy also had his back turned to the infield when he made the catch which was well timed and executed perfectly. Jack Coombs was steady when it mattered and pitched with good judgment, mixing up his curves and fastballs, working the corners of the plate to perfection. The Athletics scored their first two runs in the second inning on two passes and a nice double by Jack Lapp. Another pair of runs were sent over in the fourth on a pass, Wagner's wild throw to first and Lapp's base hit. The Red Sox scored their only run in the fourth on two passes and Larry Gardner's double. Then for the next four innings, Wood held the Athletics to just one hit, while the team lost several fine chances to catch up with Philly. Wagner opened the fifth with a double and Nunamaker sacrificed him to second. Wood hit one down to Frank Baker and Wagner was thrown out at the plate. Hooper followed with a pass and it was then that Murphy saved the day with his great catch. Duffy Lewis was at third and Larry Gardner at first, with one down in the sixth, when Hugh Bradley hit a fast grounder that Frank Baker who worked it into a great double play over to Eddie Collins and finally over to Stuffy McInnis. Steve Yerkes reached base on a pass and was the only Boston man to reach first after that, while the visitors scored four runs in the ninth, the first three men up reaching first, as Jack Barry was hit by a pitch, Lapp beat out a slow grounder close to the left-field line that they let roll, Coombs reaching first on a bunt to then fill the bases. Amos Strunk smashed one by Larry Gardner at third, to score two runs. Then the Boston infield closed in looking for the double-play. Rube Oldring struck out and Collins was thrown out by Wagner. Baker singled to score two more runs and Speaker ended the rally by taking in Murphy's long fly ball. In the bottom of the ninth the Red Sox went out in order as Gardner popped out to Collins, Bradley flied out to Oldring and Wagner was thrown out. It was really an off day for the Red Sox, who went through the first five days of the week in a most brilliant manner, only to miscue on the six-day. It was one of those games to soon be forgotten. The breaks were all with the visitors, although there fast playing entitled them to the full credit of the victory. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
 |
 |
