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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM August 6, 1912 ... With Art Griggs at third, one-out and one run needed to tie the score in the 11th inning, and with darkness fast settling over the field, Joe Wood put everything he had on the ball and struck out Ted Easterly. Billy Hunter then came up as a pinch-hitter and Wood had him down for two strikes. Griggs was taking a big lead off third and made a dash for the plate, and Hunter cut loose but sent a file ball into the stands. What may have been a close play at the plate was killed off. Then Joe cut the ball over for the third strike to end the game and one of the most stubbornly fought contests of the season went to the Red Sox by a score of 5 to 4. Joe Wood was hit freely for 12 base hits, but refused to hand out any free passes, while Cleveland pitcher Fred Blanding was hit safely by every member of the team and twice by Steve Yerkes. Furthermore, it was his three passes which developed into runs, that proved to be his undoing. Tris Speaker actually saved the day for Boston in the eighth-inning. Joe Jackson was at second when Griggs sent a sharp ground ball to center that Speaker gathered up on the dead run and threw a strike to the plate, getting Jackson by only inches. Sharp fielding by the Sox saved a heap of trouble in the second inning, when with men at second and third, Larry Gardner played Joe Birmingham's bunt over to Jake Stahl, while holding his man at third. Roger Peckinpaugh then hit one to Stahl who played it to the plate for the second out. Wood took care of the final man with a nice strikeout. The Sox scored first in the fourth inning. The runs were made on two passes, a sacrifice by Jake Stahl and a single by Heinie Wagner. The Red Sox third run was a result of Stahl's single and a sharp double by Hick Cady, in the sixth inning. That gave the Red Sox a 3 to 0 lead. Cleveland, however, got after would by scoring three runs to tie the game. They came on a fumble by Heinie Wagner and singles by Terry Turner, Jackson, Griggs and Birmingham. However the Sox never wavered, but went right after Cleveland, with Speaker saving the game on his great throw in the eighth-inning. In that eighth-inning with Stahl and Wagner on the bases, the Boston bench became so animated that Umpire Sheridan warned them that they would have to leave the dugout if they continued. Olaf Henriksen looked like a sure shot for a sacrifice, but he blew the bunt and when Wood struck out with men at second and third, his teammates looked disgusted while the fans in the stands and the Cleveland players cheered in excitement. Harry Hooper, who has not been hitting much, at one point was passed over to pitch to Steve Yerkes who has been playing very well. The first ball pitched to him was missed, but the next one he hit over second base, it rolling out to center and two Red Sox players crossed the plate in the 11th inning. With a 5 to 3 lead, things look good for the Sox but there was still work to do. In their last at bat, Larry Lajoie cracked one out to center for a base hit and Griggs hit one to left, his fourth hit of the game, and to make matters worse, Duffy Lewis allowed the ball to get by him all the way to the gate. Two ground balls would probably tie the score, but Birmingham sent a long fly out to Harry Hooper, who threw the ball home with little chance of getting Lajoie and allowing Griggs to make third, where he could score on a sacrifice fly or perhaps a ground ball. With the Boston infielders playing close, Wood tightened up and landed the two strikeouts and put the game away for good. |
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