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GROVER CLEVELAND
ALEXANDER |
THE 1914 "MIRACLE" BRAVES
The Braves play badly and
lose two to Philly
July 1, 1914 ... Sitting
through a doubleheader in cold weather is no fun. But doing it and at
the same time seeing the home team beaten to a pulp in both games, is
a definite hardship, as nearly the 3000 fans who turned out to see
the Braves and Phillies perform will attest. Low-temperatures were
accentuated by an east wind, which blew at half a gale, and there was
nothing in the work of the Braves to distract the fans from the fact
that it was a very cold day. The Braves
were beaten in the first game by a score of 7 to 2 and in the second game by a
score of 5 to 0. There play was the poorest they have shown since they returned
from the trip on the road. It was one of those days when everything goes wrong,
which baseball teams experience now and then.
George Davis, the old Williams College pitcher, who
started the first game and had a couple of bad innings, one of them in the first
when the visitors got four of their 10 hits. Throw in a base on balls and some
wild throws, and the team from Philly would put four runs on the board. Manager
Stallings let the youngster pitch threw it and his showing, all things
considered, was not so very bad for his first start.
Dick Rudolph pitched the second game and he too was
given ragged support. Leslie Mann had an off day in the field, muffing three fly
balls during two games, and making one wild throw. He is ordinarily a sure
gloved outfielder and did not miss many during the entire season last year.
While the Braves were pulling costly stunts in the field, Erskine Mayer and
Grover Cleveland Alexander, the Phillies pitchers, were pitching quite
effectively.
In the first game, the Phillies led off with a
single by Bobby Byrne which bounded over Charlie Deal's head. He went to second
on Beals Becker's out that was a hot liner that Johnny Evers beat down and made
the throw to get him at first. Hans Lobert reached first and Sherry Magee then
doubled to left to score Byrne and put Lobert on third. Butch Schmidt knocked
down a hot ball by Luderus behind first base, but Davis was slow to cover the
bag in time to take the throw. Lobert scored on the play. Dode Paskert then
singled to center to score Magee and Mann threw the ball over Deal's head in an
attempt to get Luderus at third, letting him score also. In the end the Phillies
scored four runs which would be enough to eventually win the game.
In Boston's half Larry Gilbert drew a pass and
Evers hit one back to the pitcher who tried to force Gilbert second, but Burns
juggled the ball long enough to allow him to reach safely. Each runners advanced
on Connolly's out at first. Maranville then grounded Lobert and Gilbert was run
down between the bases. Butch Schmidt flied out to Byrne to end the inning
The Braves were retired as fast as they came up to
bat until the sixth inning, when with one out Gilbert and Evers singled. Joe
Connolly flied to short right and Gilbert was held at third. Maranville ended
the inning by forcing Evers out at second for the third out. The Braves scored
their first run the seventh inning on an error by Magee and a triple by Hank
Gowdy. Gilbert scored for the Braves in the eighth on an error by Luderus and
singles by Evers and Schmidt. The final score was 7 to 2 with the Braves on the
losing end.
In the second game Philly scored in the first
inning on a base on balls to Byrne by Dick Rudolph, a sacrifice and a single by
Lobert to right. They clinched the game in the fifth inning when they put over
four runs. After Luderus flied out to Gilbert, Mann dropped an easy fly to
center from Dode Paskert. Gilbert then bounded one over Deal's head and Joe
Connolly had an easy chance to retire Paskert at third, but threw to the wrong
side of the bag. Alexander singled to right to score Paskert and a single by
Byrne, a double by Becker, and he poor throw to the plate by Connolly led to
another three runs. That made the score 5 to 0 and the Braves could do nothing
at all against Alexander. |
