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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM July 6, 1912 ... Another large crowd gathered at Shibe Park this afternoon and witnessed the champion Philadelphia Athletics go down before a severe onslaught inflicted on them by the Boston Red Sox, 11 to 5. The win made it four out of the series of six games played here in Philly, while the whole baseball world was eagerly waiting the result, which the majority of the fans had predicted to be a setback for the league-leading Red Sox. It looked like a sure win for the Athletics when it was announced that Chief Bender would be pitching against Eddie Cicotte. Cicotte tripped over a ground ball, hit a man in the back at second, and floundered with the ball for four innings, while five large Philadelphia runs were put on the scoreboard. Boston had gathered in just two runs in the first two innings off the Chief on six hits. Things were looking bright indeed for the A's, up 5 to 2 when Olaf Henriksen came in to bat for Cicotte in the fifth inning, with one out, and he banged the ball against the left-field fence for three bases. Harry Hooper then singled and Speaker drew a pass. Lewis, up next, also singled and Harry Lord dropped Larry Gardner's fly ball close to the fence, and thus four runs came over the plate to give the Red Sox a 6 to 5 lead. The Sox immediately got busier when Charley Hall came into pitch for Boston. He got out of a small hole after Wagner had started the inning with a wild throw past Jake Stahl at first. The third man was nipped at the plate on a bluff throw to second by Carrigan, who sent the ball back to the pitcher and Eddie Collins was an easy out when Hall return the ball. The Red Sox scored another run in the sixth on Carrigan's double and Hall's single. With one down in the bottom of the inning Hall pulled a muscle in his side on a play to get the ball after passing Jack Lapp. He was forced to retire from the game in favor of Hugh Bedient. Only two men saw first base after Hugh got in the game and he struck out the side in the seventh inning. Jack Coombs relieved Bender in the seventh and passed three men in succession without getting one strike. Duffy Lewis had Coombs in for two balls with the bases full. He had pitched 15 balls for one strike and not a Boston man that the batter off the shoulder. In came Herb Pennock to pitch and he immediately passed Lewis, forcing Hooper over the plate. Gardner then worked him for another pass and a second run was forced over the plate. A pair strikeouts to Stahl and Wagner were put up on the board before Carrigan was safe on a hit that brought the third run over. Doubles by Tris Speaker and Duffy Lewis were good for one run in the eighth and after that the Red Sox went down in order, having scored 11 runs in total. The Athletics were not playing like champions in the series and it appears they have lost their aggressiveness, while the Red Sox players, having noted this, seemed to be playing even harder. The day was extremely warm and the players were indeed glad when Stahl took the final grounder from Eddie Collins for the last out. The team left for Boston on the 9 o'clock train, and while tired, are a very happy lot of ballplayers. |
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