CARL MAYS

THE LAST ONE FOR 86 YEARS
The Red Sox batter Bagby and Groom

May 20, 1918 ... Placing hits all over the field, the Red Sox marched onward winning their first engagement of the season from the Indians, by a score of 11 to 1 at Fenway Park. The win was their sixth consecutive triumph. Every Sox player, except Wally Schang, got a safe shot and Schang really deserved one, except for a fine stop by Bill Wambsganss in the fifth inning, robbing him of a hit.

Fadeaway Jim Bagby got his name on the casualty list in the fifth inning when the Red Sox shelled him terrifically.  After that frame, Rip Williams was also withdrawn from the frontline. It appears as if something in the sun made him sick. From the replacement squad manager Lee Fohl summoned the veteran Bob Groom to pitch and Eddie Miller to play first.  Groom was decorated with a whole lot of base hits in the seventh and eighth innings. The Red Sox battered his offerings very rudely, absolutely disregarding his advanced years.

Carl Mays was the Red Sox pitcher and the best that the Indians could gather off him was five hits. They would never have scored except for a while pitch that Mays contributed himself.  Nobody got on for Cleveland until there were two outs in the fourth when Tris Speaker dropped a double just inside the foul line in left field. Mays twice administered a pop up to Joe Wood, who was subbing for Jack Grainy.

In the eighth inning, one of Carl's pitches caromed off side of Speaker's head and landed in the grandstand. All this did was hurt Speaker's feelings and he stayed on his feet after the crack.  The boys gathering around him and Mays came in and offered an apology, declaring that it was unintentional.  The apology injured the Texan more than the crack on the head. He  very emphatically asserted that he believed Mays beaned him on purpose. Mays repeated that he was sorry and he also regretted that Speaker felt disposed to doubt him.  The ball that hit Speaker was a curve which broke in.  Mays would have no motive for beaning any batter with his team leading 9 to1.

Young Fred Thomas delivered three fine hits and played a slashing game at third base. Mays also kicked in three great hits with his triple starting the run on Bagby.  Everett Scott, George Whiteman, and Stuffy McInnis also got good base hits.

Bagby was in a lot of trouble in the early innings, but the fifth inning finished him.  With one out, Mays laced a triple to left and scored when Harry Hooper took second as Dave Sheen was being thrown out.  After Otis Strunk was passed, Whiteman got a double on a ball that was lost in the sun in right field, allowing Harry Hooper to score. Stuffy McInnis' single scored Otis Strunk and then Whiteman and Stuffy pulled a double steal with Whiteman scoring.  McInnis and Fred Thomas scored after Scott tripled, with Scott scoring on Speaker's high throw, to make it a 7-0 game.

Ray Chapman doubled in the sixth.  Speaker lifted a blooper and Chapman scored on a wild pitch. The Sox scored two more in the seventh and eighth inning, making the final score 11 to 1.