|
FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM
1912
WORLD SERIES, GAME #3
Josh Devore's great catch in the 9th
stops the Red Sox rally
October 10, 1912
...
The finish of Game #3 was even more sensational than the first game. For four seconds yesterday everyone in the ballpark was holding their breath. With two down and men on second and third, Hick Cady, big and strong, came to the
plate. The crowd was roaring. The Rooters were screaming “Oh you Tessie”. It was enough to rattle the coolest of the cool. But Giants’ pitcher, Rube Marquard had pitched a great game and stood tall, measuring the man, and cut loose. Cady sent a shot out toward right center, between Fred
Snodgrass and Josh Devore. Devore had a full head of steam heading straight out. He leaped in the air as high as he could, his back toward the infield, only ten feet from the fence. Over his shoulder sailed the ball into the glove of his extended hand. Game over with the score 2-1.
For eight innings Marquard was invincible. No game in his string of victories this season was pitched any better. Buck O’Brien
had matched him pitch for pitch.
The Giants scored in the second inning. Red Murray smashed a
double to the center field stands. McGraw then ordered Fred
Merkle to bunt, and Murray raced to third. Buck Herzog brought
him in with a long fly ball to Hooper for the first run.
Again, in the fifth, Herzog started by smashing a double off the left
field wall. Chief Meyers grounded back to O’Brien and Herzog moved to
third. Art Fletcher made partial amends for his errors, by knocking
in Herzog with New York’s second run. After a pair of walks, and the
bases full, the New York bench was roaring, and McGraw breathing fire
from the coach’s box. Fred Snodgrass swung fiercely at an
O’Brien serving and popped it up to Duffy Lewis in left to end the
threat with only one run.
In the bottom of the fifth, now down 2-0, Jake Stahl opened with a single to right. Giants’ catcher, Chief Meyers let one of Rube’s pitches get away from him but pranced on the loose ball and threw a bullet
down to second to nip Stahl. Heinie Wagner followed by smashing a long fly to left. Red Murray came in on the ball instead of going out, realized his mistake, and running back at full speed, pulled the ball out of the air, tumbling end over end after the catch to end the threat.
In the ninth, with Bedient
now on the mound, Buck Herzog took a pitch off his arm to get to
first base. A moment later Hick Cady threw him out trying to steal
second. Chief Meyers got an overdue hit and Art Fletcher
followed with a screamer over Speaker’s head. Speaker who had
been limping when from a twisted ankle as a result of yesterday’s
triple, shot himself toward the fence, leaped in the air, caught the
ball, and threw to Stahl doubling up the surprised Meyers.
Speaker limped in to the dugout to a thunderous applause.
Speaker continued to the
plate but only managed a fly ball. Duffy Lewis beat an infield
hit, and Larry Gardner clubbed one off the right field bleacher wall,
with the ball bouncing away from Josh Devore. Lewis rounded third,
when to the horror of the crowd Captain Wagner, who was coaching
third, stopped him making Gardner stop at second. Speaker saw
Devore chasing the ball and urged Lewis to run home. Stahl
dribbled one back to the pitcher and Wagner grounded out to
Herzog, holding the runners, thus setting the stage for Devore’s game
ending stab.
The day started off rainy but by eleven o’clock it stopped and the skies started to clear. At 1PM spectators started their flow into the
ballpark, and for the next hour the crowd continued to swell. The Royal Rooters and their band could be heard playing “The Ragtime Soldier Man”, well scrambled with the popular “Everybody’s Doin’ It”. Just before the game started, Tris Speaker was given a bright and shiny new automobile,
as a reward for his season, the counterpart of the one Larry Doyle had received at the Polo Grounds. After the ceremony, Speaker grabbed Doyle and the two circled Fenway Park, to a mighty cheer from the crowd. |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
