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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM June 24, 1912 ... The Boston speed merchants picked up the trail of Clarke Griffith and his Washington Nationals this afternoon, and after a lively to our skirmish, before a crowd of over 11,000 mildly insane fans, the Red Sox passed under the wire an easy winner by a score of 3 to 1. Griffith sent Barney Pelty to stop the onward rush of the Red Sox. Pelty as for years proven to be a jinx for Boston, and for five innings today, he looked like the same old troublemaker. But in the sixth inning, the Sox opened up on him for four singles and a triple that were good for two runs, taking the lead and never giving it back. Hugh Bedient proved a perfect selection for Boston, as he pitched a masterful game from start to finish, holding Washington to four scattered singles, giving no passes and having them at his mercy. Their only run of the game was a pure gift, and was made in the fourth inning. Clyde Milan singled, went to third when Bill Carrigan threw it into center after he stole second, and then with two outs, scored when Jake Stahl muffed a line drive. This one run gave the Nationals the lead and the crowd went crazy. When the Red Sox opened fire on Pelty in the sixth, a hand of Boston rooters seated behind the Boston dugout, loaded with police rattles, cowbells and other instruments of torture, turned loose on the home crowd to the astonishment of the Washington fans. It was a delegation of greater Boston Democrats, who had journeyed from Baltimore for the day, headed by Mayor John F Fitzgerald, Senator Jim Timilty, and Eddie Moore. As the Red Sox scored over the course of the game, these men from Boston had the time of their lives. After the game, the Red Sox fans jumped onto the field, each man carrying a little national flag, surrounded the Boston players and gave them a round of cheers. It was really a Boston day at the Washington ballpark. Before the game, the Washington players gave a lively exhibition of yelling like a bunch of the Indians to the delight of the crowd, but they had a tough proposition to handle later, and the ballpark was very depressed, as it was only to plain that in the Boston crew, the Washington fans saw the real contenders for the pennant this year. The feature of the home team's playing was the work of Eddie Ainsmith, who caught and threw in a grand style, along with the remarkable fielding at short of George McBride. Larry Gardner and Heinie Wagner each played a great game for the Red Sox, while Harry Hooper made a sensational catch off the fence. The Senators reach first four times, third twice, and scored just once, while the Red Sox reach first twelve times, second eight times, third four times and scored three times. Bedient was thrown out at the plate, trying to score on a long single to center by Milan and Carrigan was caught napping at second during the sixth inning, during the Boston rally. The best hit of the day was made by Harry Hooper in the sixth, when he tripled to score Bedient and scored himself on a timely drive by Steve Yerkes. As in most of the games one on this trip, extra-base hits by the Red Sox told the story. By winning today, Boston has even up the series with six victories for each club. In eight of the nine innings today, Washington went out in order. Tris Speaker's sharp throw on the overthrow by Carrigan, got one of the men at third. Washington jumped out to a 1 to 0 lead in the fourth inning but in the sixth inning, Carrigan opened up with a base hit and then Bedient walked. Eddie Ainsmith then picked Carrigan off at second base and Hooper next hit one to right-center for a triple, scoring Bedient. Yerkes then singled to score Hooper and Speaker followed with another single. Howie Shanks made a fine running catch off a line drive by Duffy Lewis and Larry Gardner followed with a single to fill the bases. Stahl forced Gardner at second base for the third out, but the Red Sox jumped in front 2 to 1. The Red Sox scored an insurance run in the seventh inning when Heinie Wagner walked and scored on Carrigan's double to left-center. In the ninth-inning, needing two runs to tie and three to win, and the crowd yelling like mad, Danny Moeller started off by flying out to Tris Speaker. Kid Foster then struck out and then Milan drove a liner right at Wagner, who caught it for the final out to send up a mighty shout from the little band of Red Sox rooters. The Red Sox have now won 14 of the last 15 games they have played, the best record they have ever made on the road. No matter what happens, when the Red Sox return home, they will have a good lead in the American League race. |
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