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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM May 29, 1912 ... The Red Sox won a doubleheader from the Washington Nationals, helping Boston to climb nearer to the Chicago White Sox, who sit atop the American League. The first game went to the Red Sox by a score of 21 to 8, and the second game also went the Sox way by a score of 12 to 11. Joe Wood was the only pitcher to go through the whole game, and even he was hit rather easily. In the first game for Washington, Dixie Walker lasted only until the third inning, and then the ex-college student, Steve White was good for two thirds of an inning. Carl Cashion faced the muscle of the Red Sox for the next five innings, only to see them score 15 large runs while he worked. Heinie Wagner was the headliner in the first game, clearing the bases with a home run to centerfield as well as putting up a great defensive game at shortstop. Eddie Ainsmith, with four hits in his many times at bat, was the leader at the plate for Washington, while Steve Yerkes, Duffy Lewis, Larry Gardner, Hugh Bradley and Joe Wood also did a fine job on offense. The Nationals scored their first run in the third inning, but the Red Sox countered with six in their half. Joe Wood walked and went to third on Harry Hooper's single, with Harry moving over to second on the throw. Ainsmith threw wild trying to get Hooper napping at second, allowing Wood to score the first run. Speaker was passed intentionally, and then Duffy Lewis singled to score Hooper, with Speaker moving over to third. Steve White then came in to take Walker's place and Gardner greeted him with a single that scored Speaker and sent Lewis to third. White unleashed a wild pitch that moved Gardner over to second, before he struck out Hugh Bradley. Heinie Wagner came up and smashed one to deep center that rolled all the way to the flagpole allowing him to clear the bases with a home run and giving the Red Sox a 6 to 1 lead. Washington got three runs on their half of the fourth but the Red Sox came back for more in the bottom of the inning. Cashion took up the pitching duties and after he got Wood to fly out and struck out Hooper, Yerkes walked and went to second on a wild pitch, scoring on Speaker's single. Speaker stole second just before Duffy Lewis walked, and Larry Gardner doubled Speaker home. Hugh Bradley sent out a fly ball to Germany Schaefer who muffed it, allowing two more runs to score. Wagner struck out to end the inning but the score was 10 to 4. In the fifth inning the Red Sox added yet three more runs. Les Nunamaker opened it up with a single and went to third on Wood's base hit. Wood scampered over to second on the throw to third, just before Hooper was walked to load the bases. Yerkes hit a grounder down to George McBride who got Nunamaker at home for the force out. Cashion walked in a run when he issued a pass to Speaker. Speaker went to second on a ground ball out and Kid Foster fumbled Bradley's grounder to allow Tris to score. That made the score 13 to 4. Washington came back with two runs in the sixth and the Red Sox countered with one in the bottom half of the inning. They added three more in the seventh, with Duffy Lewis leading off with a scratch single, Gardner driving one to the outfield, Bradley doubling to the left-field bank, and Wagner lining out a single. Nunamaker came up and lifted a foul fly that was taking close to the grandstand and then was shot across to second to double up Wagner, who had taken a lead off the bag. Joe Wood ended the inning by knocking out a fine double but was thrown out trying for third. After seven innings the score was 15 to 6. In the eighth-inning, Wood let two more runs in, but the Sox countered with four of their own on a walk by Hooper, a single by Yerkes, and a walk issued to pinch-hitter Olaf Henriksen to fill the bases. Lewis doubled in two runs and Gardner was thrown out at first to score Henriksen. Bradley followed with a double that scored Lewis with run number 21. In the ninth-inning the visitors went out in order to make the final score 21-8. The second game was a cleverly won uphill battle for the Red Sox. The Nats scored six runs in the first inning off Eddie Cicotte and Larry Pape, who handed out four passes. Cicotte retired with nobody out and Pape pulled himself together after Washington earned two more runs in the second inning. Then the Red Sox went right after Washington, scoring three runs in the first on a pass to Hooper, singles by Yerkes and Speaker, followed by Lewis knocking out a double. The Speed Boys got two more runs in the third on Gardner's single, Bradley's double and another single by Wagner, cutting the margin to 8 to 5. Bob Groom was pitching for Washington and the Red Sox never let up on him. In the fourth inning they nosed ahead by making six runs. Most of these were scored on Pape's double, a missed third strike, Yerkes' single, and a muffed fly in right by Tilly Walker, followed by a single off the bat of Larry Gardner. Then Washington brought in Tom Hughes, who was met by Bradley with a triple to the bank, later scoring on Wagner's out at first. This put the Sox into the lead, 11 to 8. Both teams scored in the seventh inning and Boston was still three to the good. Then came a sensational finish. In the eighth inning Pape walked the first man up Chick Gandil. Then followed two sharp singles by Tillie Walker and George McBride, adding another run. Hugh Bedient took up the pitching chores and shut things down. He struck out John Henry, but following a double steal, the Nats were in position to tie the score with a hit. Bedient got Rip Williams to fly out to Speaker, and with a man on third, he struck out Howie Shanks to end the inning with Boston in the lead 12-11. Then, in the bottom of the eighth-inning, with Speaker at the plate, the umpire called the game on account of darkness. It was one of those days where the batters had no respect for the reputation of the pitchers, and after 52 runs had been scored, 33 by the Red Sox, the home team was willing to call off the hostilities. Manager Clarke Griffith was on the coaching lines for Washington, yelling at the Boston pitchers in clear violation of the rules, but there was no objection because the home team felt confident they could score more runs. |
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