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THE SOX CAN'T STAY
HEALTHY NOR HAPPY ...
Walter Johnson pitches a masterpiece only to lose it
in an 11th inning walk-off by Bill Carrigan
August 28, 1913 ... In a game at Fenway Park, one filled with gut wrenching tension as each inning went by, the Red Sox survived against
Walter Johnson by a score of 1 to 0 in 11 innings. The great Walter never gave a better exhibition of pitching. Only one safe hit was made by the Red Sox in 10 innings. He passed only one batter and defensively Washington was airtight. The crowd continually cheered the immortal pitcher, as inning after inning, he retired the
Speed Boys in order and sent them back to the bench.
His speed and control were remarkable, and he mixed in enough slow ones to keep the players guessing. It was one of the finest games ever pitched in Boston and it seemed to be only a matter of time before the Nats would score the winning run. But the Red Sox battled all the way for what they
were worth, and the marvelous pitching of Ray Collins, backed up by an infield who gobbled up everything hit two of them, also held the Griffith boys in check. Washington only got three men as far as third-base.
The game went back and forth with batters coming up to the plate and going back empty-handed. With one down in the last of the 11th inning, Steve Yerkes, who had made Boston's only hit back in the second inning, cracked a sharp singled to center field. Clyde Milan got in front of a ball as
it went skipping and shot through his legs. Danny Moeller, who was backing him up, dove for the ball and missed it, only to see it roll nearly to the centerfield fence. Quickly Moeller retrieved the ball in time to hold Yerkes up at third base.
The crowd, cut loose and was going crazy, seeing the chance for the Red Sox. Heinie Wagner hit a fast grounder that shortstop, George McBride, gathered up on the run and rifled to the plate. Yerkes, realizing he had no chance, stopped and ran back toward third where he was tagged out,
allowing Wagner to get over to second base. Now it was up to Bill Carrigan. At first it looked like Walter was going to pass the Red Sox manager and load the bases, to take a chance on pitching to Ray Collins. Carrigan was sharp and took a short swing and met the ball perfectly to see it go
over the infield out toward left centerfield, hitting the ground just in front of Milan and Howie Shanks, the left fielder. Wagner, who was on the run with a hit because there were two outs, made home easily with the winning run.
The crowd cheered like mad, for it was great baseball by their home team, who put up, by all odds, the greatest gain they've played this season. While the fans felt bad to see Johnson lose after pitching so sensationally, they were forced to admire the work of Mr. Ray Collins, who
exemplified the great displayed by his teammates in this game. |
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