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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM July 19, 1912 ... The Red Sox hustled to hold their own, and matched the double win of the Washington Nationals over St. Louis, by taking two hard games from James Callahan and his Chicago White Sox. The first game was a runaway with an 8 to 0 score, but the second game went 12 innings before Harry Hooper pounded out a triple with Hugh Bedient on first base, and two men out, to take the nightcap 2 to 1. Ray Collins pitched a splendid game in the opener, allowing the White Sox only six scattered hits through nine innings. That served as an appetizer for the 16,000 fans who awaited the coming battle between Eddie Cicotte and Hugh Bedient. Jimmy Callahan promised Cicotte another chance after he got bombed yesterday. The "Knuckleball King" was on his game at the crack of the gun and pitched just as masterful game as young Mister Bedient. The finish of the second game will be one that the fans won't forget for quite a while. The battle was one that had much pressure, not only for the players but for the fans. Each team constantly threatened to do something that would end it all, but the pitchers held tight and inning after inning passed without a winning run registered. It was a real pitchers battle and Cicotte made amends for the thrashing he took the day before. He never pitched better game for Boston then he did today for Chicago. The Red Sox hitting safely only once in the first five innings and never bunched even singles until they won the game in the 12th. Six errors were made behind Cicotte and a Red Sox player reached first on every single one of them. But Eddie continued to hold his ground, fielding a brilliant game with nine assists, and tying the game in the fifth with his own baserunning. The Red Sox scored in the second inning and the White Sox got a run in the fifth. The Red Sox run came over on a fumble by Buck Weaver, with two outs, on a ground ball by Duffy Lewis. Duffy moved along while Rath was throwing out Gardner at first. Jake Stahl waited for a pass and then Heinie Wagner grounded a scratch hit to Weaver that put a man on every base. Carrigan hit a slow ground ball to short and Weaver, who was playing to deep to turn a doubleplay, got Carrigan at first while Lewis scored the first run of the game. The White Sox run was made easily because of errors by Heinie Wagner and Bedient, as well as the Red Sox poor attempt to head off a double steal of second and home. From the sixth inning through the eleventh inning, each team strained every nerve but there was nothing doing. After the score was tied, Bedient tightened up wonderfully. Chicago got only four scattered singles in the last seven innings and did not see second base until the last one, when Eddie Collins' singled and went to second on a sacrifice by Rollie Zeider. Eight hits were made off Bedient, the same number the Red Sox made off Cicotte. Then in the 12th, Bill Carrigan drove out a fly to centerfield and Bedient blooped in a little Texas Leaguer into right center between Matty McIntyre and Wally Mattick. Harry Hooper was up next, and after he had two strikes, he drove the ball on a line between the right and center fielders, sending it rattling up against the centerfield bleacher fence. Bedient tour around the bases and scored the winning run for a glorious finish and a double win for the Red Sox. The first game was Boston's all the way through, with Ray Collins winning his sixth consecutive victory. Collins was very focused and worked straight away, being always on the mark and sending only one White Sox player to first on a pass. The White Sox got two singles off him in the first inning but the other four hits were scattered. One runner reached third base in that first inning, but after that of the five of the batters to reach first, four only made it to second. Joe Benz was the pitcher for the White Sox in the first game against Collins, and while he was hit safely only eight times, and none harder than a single, the team behind him made seven errors. In the first inning Morrie Rath opened the game with a base hit to center, then Jimmy Callahan grounded out a long fly ball to Tris Speaker. Harry Lord singled to right and Rath beat Hooper's throw to Gardner at third, but when the White Sox tried to work a double steal, Steve Yerkes intercepted Carrigan's throw and Rath made no break for the plate. Boston proceeded to break into the game with a run in the second as Larry Gardner began the festivities with a drive to Weaver's right. Jake Stahl's ground ball down the baseline was fumbled by Harry Lord, who then handled Heinie Wagner's bunt while the Red Sox runners moved up. Carrigan laced the ball down to Lord, but he slipped on his throw to the plate for an easy out, and so Larry Gardner scored the first run of the game. The third inning was uneventful for the White Sox but the Red Sox kept on going and put two more runs across. Speaker, after Weaver had dropped a foul pop up, drew a base on balls. Lewis' bounder was too deep for Weaver, who threw off-balance and the ball bounded in front of Jack Fournier and shot to the bleacher fence. Speaker came all the way home on the throw and Lewis scampered down to second. Gardner was tossed out by Rath, but then Stahl produced a clean hit to center on which Lewis scored the third Boston run. The Red Sox resumed business in the fifth inning and advanced by two more runs, both of which were gifts. Steve Yerkes went out when Harry Lord made a pretty catch of his foul pop up almost over by the White Sox bench, but Benz passed Speaker, who stole second, and then he issued another walk to Lewis. Gardner came up and singled to left field to score Speaker and the corners were filled. The bases were loaded up when Lord lost Jake Stahl's grounder in his haste to turn a doubleplay at third. Wagner grounded out to Rath for an out but Lewis scored and then Carrigan was passed to load the bases again. Carrigan was forced by Collins to end the inning, but the score was 5 to 0. The Red Sox scored two more in the seventh on a wide throw to first after clean stop of a grounder by Lewis, Gardner's single out to Bodie, who threw the ball to third, letting him get the second, and Stahl's line drive over Collins head. In the eighth the Red Sox added their last run on Hooper's hit to right, a pass to Speaker and a wild throw by Kuhn who tried to nip Tris stealing for the third time in the game. Lewis' long fly sent Hooper across with the eighth run. In the ninth Chicago went out in order, with Ray Collins trying hard to strike out Bodie for the fourth time, but finally tossed him out at first when the game. |
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