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THE 1914 "MIRACLE" BRAVES
Joe Connolly triples home the winning runs
September 21, 1914
... Defeating the Pirates by a 6 to 5 score at
Fenway Park, while the Giants were being beaten by the Chicago Cubs 6
to 0, the Braves increased their lead in the National League to four
full games. It is a comfortable margin at this stage of the race,
although it is not decisive by any means. The Braves still have 19
games to play and the Giants have 18. Five of these games are between
the two teams, so it's up to Stallings' men to keep their feet on the
throttle and make no mistakes until it is decided.
Dick Rudolph was on the hill for the Boston, and while he was in a pretty bad
hole at one stage, Stallings would not take them out of the game however, and he
pulled through just as his manager thought he would. Bob Harmon was opposing him
and he got into a hole that he never got out of. Joe Connolly came through with
a mighty bases-loaded triple in the fourth inning. The four runs in this inning
made the score 6 to 2 in favor of the Braves and the game looked to be as good
as won. Manager Fred Clarke then changed pitchers, bringing in Herb Kelly, and
the Braves scored no more.
Max Carey of the Pirates was the hitting star of
the game. Outside of Connolly's bases clearing triple, the Pirates leftfielder
had a perfect batting day. He knocked out a triple, a double and two singles in
his four chances at bat. He also made a great throw to the plate, nipping Red
Smith, who tried to score from third after he had caught Bert Whaling's deep fly
ball in left field.
In the first inning both teams scored a run. Carey
led off with a triple to right and scored on Collins out at first for
Pittsburgh. Then for the Braves, after Herbie Moran flied out, Johnny Evers and
Connolly were walked. Butch Schmidt brought Evers home with a single to right to
tie up the game at 1 to 1.
In the Braves second inning Rabbit Maranville
singled to right and went to second on Whaling's sacrifice bunt. He stole third
and then came home on Rudolph's sacrifice fly to give the Braves a 2 to 1 lead.
The Pirates tied the score in the fourth as Collins
singled to left and went to second when Moran slightly juggled the ball. Kelly
lined a sharp single to right and Collins was held at third. Then Jim Viox was
passed by Rudolph to fill the bases. The Braves infield played deep and Ed
Konetchy hit a sharp ground ball at Maranville, who started a fast doubleplay,
on which Collins scored.
But in the Braves fourth, they took the lead for
good. Smith singled and went to second on the Rabbit's sacrifice. He then went
to third on Whaling's ground out and scored on Rudolph's single to left. Moran
drew a base on balls and Evers singled on a ball that was hit off the chest of
the pitcher Harmon. Smith was held at third and the bases were now full.
Connolly came up and slammed the ball to right-center midway between Kelly and
Collins all the way to the bleacher fence. By the time it got back to the
infield, he was on third and the bases were cleared. At that point Harmon was
taken out of the game in favor of Kelly and that was the end of the Braves'
scoring.
The visitors got some breaks on scratch hits and
worked over two runs in the sixth inning and one in the seventh. The tying run
was on third and the winning run was on second, with only one out in the
seventh, as a result of four base hits, one of which was a double. Rudolph
looked like he was in trouble. But that point he appeared to be the coolest man
on the field. He pulled his belt tight and got Collins to pop out to Smith and
Kelly to fly out to Whitted, so that the winning and tying runs stayed right
where they were. It was a close call and a situation that required plenty of
nerve to be able to pull himself out of it. Rudolph proved he had the nerve and
so did his manager by leaving him in.
The Pirates were retired in order over the next two
innings by Rudolph, and the final score of the game was 6 to 5, on as fine a
pitching performance as he has made all year.
A howl of delight went up when the scoreboard
showed that the Cubs were beating the Giants. Hippo Vaughn, who is been
effective against the Giants all season, pitched his usual strong game and
limited New York to seven scattered hits. Rube Marquard started the game for the
Giants and suffered his 11th straight defeat. |
