FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM
The Red Sox fight their way to a 7-4
victory after being down 4-0

August 30, 1912 ... The Red Sox showed their class with an uphill battle against the Philadelphia Athletics, which they won, 7 to 4 and thus, if he still has any hopes of winning the world championship again this year, they are fading for Connie Mack. Facing their lead of four runs, the Red Sox got to Jack Coombs and pulled out four runs of their own in the third and fourth innings to tie the score. Coombs was pulled out and Chief Bender was sent in to save the game, but the Chief was not equal to the task and after two runs had been scored on him, he was also pulled out in favor of Byron Houck, who had another run scored off him.

A marvelous one-handed catch by Larry Gardner with the bases full in the second inning, prevented the Athletics from making an early run away of the game. It was evident from the start that Hugh Bedient, the Red Sox starter was going to have an off day. He didn't have a thing to stop the visitors and besides being ineffective, he was as wild as the wind. Five singles and two triples were hit off him, and he gave up four base on balls along with a wild pitch, in the 2 2/3 innings that he worked.

The Athletics scored four runs and there were two men on base, by virtue of having received free passes in succession, when manager Jake Stahl concluded that Bedient was not going to get any better and decided to bring in Charley Hall to try and save things. Hall came running in from the left-field bullpen where he had been warming up, and in about two minutes he fanned Eddie Murphy for the third out to end the scoring.

While Bedient was having his troubles, the Athletic ballplayers in the dugout began waving gray sweaters at him in an attempt to get on his nerves and make him worse. When Coombs began to emulate Bedient's example by giving the lead back to the Red Sox, the Sox players began waving their redcoats at him. Umpire Connolly quickly told them to stop, but they persisted until he had to go over to the dugout and lay down the law. Hick Cady stood up and began to argue with him and was immediately sent to the showers after which, the diversions ended.

Hall pitched well and the champions never were able to score again. Duffy Lewis stalled off a rally when he took a long chance by running in and grabbing Jack Barry's low line drive off his shoe tops and doubled up Walsh in the seventh inning. It was one of the finest plays seen at the ballpark this year. Tris Speaker also turned in two great catches in the fourth inning.

The way the Boston team faced a four-run deficit, wiped it out, and then took over the game was exhilarating. It resulted in one of the finest comebacks played in some time. Likewise, it satisfied those who saw it, that the Red Sox should be able to maintain their present lead all the way to the finish, barring some unforeseen calamity.

Speaker, Lewis and Jake Stahl did some great hitting and Chief Bender passed Larry Gardner purposely in the seventh to fill the bases, believing that he could force Stahl to hit into a doubleplay. But Jake surprised him and lobbed the ball over the infield to bring in two runs and put the Red Sox in the lead.

It was a cold breezy day and the northwest wind made it feel uncomfortable for the spectators and for the fielders on balls hit in the air. Nevertheless there was some great plays in the field.

It looked as if the Athletics would have a walk over in the first inning when Murphy and Amos Strunk both got base hits off Bedient. They each moved along on a passed ball, and Murphy scored on Eddie Collins' sacrifice fly to right, followed by Strunk coming home on Frank Baker's out at first.

Then in the second inning after Barry was thrown out at first, Bedient passed Jack Lapp and Coombs singled to center. Murphy bunted and beat Gardner's throw to first and Strunk undertook to pull off a squeeze play, but Bedient nipped Lapp at the plate. The bases were still full when Collins came up and he worked Bedient to limit with a three ball and two strike count. When Bedient began to wind up, all the baserunners started, as Collins hit a line shot in the direction of Larry Gardner. It looked as if it would go about six feet over his head, but Larry sprung up and with his gloved hand extended, pulled the ball down and saved more trouble.

In the third inning the Athletics got busy on Bedient one more time. Stuffy McInnis hit one to left-field, but was out trying to stretch it to a double, on a fine throw by Duffy Lewis into Heinie Wagner. Jimmy Walsh came up with a triple between center and right and scored on Barry's triple to the same spot. A wild pitch was issued that scored Barry on a good bluff by Barry to steal home that shook up Bedient. He pitched it too wide on the pitch out and it got away from Carrigan altogether, allowing the base runners to jog home.

The way things were going and the Athletics now leading 4-0, the runs looked pretty big, especially with Jack Coombs pitching well. But Bill Carrigan came up in the third inning and worked Coombs for a walk. After Hall struck out, Harry Hooper also waiting him out and got a base on balls. Yerkes struck out also and Speaker came to bat and proved, as he has done so many times before, that he is the man of the moment, by poking out a line single to right-field on which Carrigan scored. Lewis followed with another single and Hooper came jogging over the plate. Gardner laced one out to right in a bid for a base hit also, but Murphy made a fine catch of his liner, running toward the fence.

Now down only 4 to 2, the Speed Boys erased the lead entirely in the fourth inning. Jake Stahl got a single and Heinie Wagner was hit by a pitch ball. Carrigan attempted to sacrifice and persisted until he was successful in bunting on the third strike. With the runners moved up to second and third, Hall singled on a hard shot to Barry that he booted. A hot shot scored Stahl and Hooper brought Wagner home with a sacrifice fly to center, to tie up the game. Coombs clearly was rattled and Connie Mack decided to go with Bender. Speaker, the first man up to face the Chief, doubled to right and went to third on Lewis' fly ball to center. Bender got Gardner on strikes and with Stahl at the plate, Speaker made a dash for home, but was called out.

The Red Sox clinched the game in the seventh inning. After Yerkes had flied out to Barry, Collins fumbled Speaker's ground ball. Lewis singled and Speaker went to third, with Duffy making his way to second on the attempted throw to try and get Speaker. Gardner then cracked one into the pavilion in right-field, only a few feet foul and it was thought then to pass him intentionally and take a chance on Stahl hitting into a doubleplay. But Jake popped one over second base to short center and Speaker and Lewis both scored. Jake was thrown out trying for second however, as Bender intercepted the throw to the plate and caught him in between bases. On the play Gardner worked his way back to second and finally made a dash for third, drawing the throw and allowing Stahl to get back to his base. But Larry was out on the throw by McInnis over to Baker.

The two additional runs were all that the Red Sox needed, but they got another in the eighth-inning when Barry fumbled Carrigan's grounder who came around on Hall's sacrifice and a double by Yerkes to finally make the score 7 to 4.

The final appearance of the Athletics for the season will be tomorrow afternoon. Last year they won the championship with a record of 101 wins and 50 losses. The Red Sox only have to win 15 more games, or about half of the games remaining on their schedule, to equal the Athletics' mark of last season.