IN A WORD: THRILLER

RECENTLY, IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cards take third straight at Baker Bowl, going for sweep...Benny bumps into Principal Tuggerheinz at the game with his young girlfriend...Nothing else matters...

June 6, 1924

Like I thought, school was strange today, but for other reasons. Mrs. Crackerbee handed out our history test scores and when I saw my A- I couldn't believe it and neither could she. Neither could Billie Jean Smucker, the brainiest girl in class who moved up here from Kentucky back in the fall. She must have seen me getting some of the answers from Joek Kopf and said something to the teacher because that's what snitches do. If I was a hoodlum I would've said the girl is mine and pushed her around after class but I didn't wanna be starting something. Not today.

Mr. Tuggerheinz was in the lunch room this time, and he looked over at me and smiled twice, which was twice more than he ever had before, and I knew why. When I began to make my way over to my usual escape window he nodded and I felt all guilty so I went over and said I had to leave for a dentist appointment and he just leaned over and said "Beat it...Just beat it." So I used the door instead.

There's no better medicine for feeling scared or nervous or sad than taking in an exciting ball game, and we sure had a thriller today. Sothoron was throwing for St. Louis against Oescheger and the toasty wind was blowing out for the fourth straight day so it was clear anything could happen.

Holke doubled, Cy singled and Wrightstone tripled to get us going with two runs, but then the Cards got a Clemons double, Max Flack walk and 2-run triple by the hot Cooney to tie it up. Taylor Douthit sent a long fly to Mokan with one out and we had a great spot in the bleachers to watch his throw, which was a cannon shot that hit Butch Henline on one bounce and got Cooney out in a big dust cloud.

The play seemed to jazz us again, because we whacked four hits for two runs in the 3rd, then Heinie Sand bonked a 2-run poke off the pole to our left and we were up 6-2! But don't forget what I said about the hot wind and Joe Oescheger. The Cards' 5th inning was like sitting in a wobbly canoe and getting run over by an ocean liner. A walk, single and Hornsby double started things, then Bottomley hit his expected double, then a walk to Clemons sent Oeschie packing and brought in Steineder, a reliever Fletcher is using because Glazner stinks and Couch had to become a starter. Max Flack tripled on the first pitch from him and soon it was 8-6 them.

No big deal, because Sothoron had nothing either. Four singles gave us two runs and a tie game right away. Ray Blades tripled to start the St. Louis 6th, but then the strangest thing happened: Steineder turned into a pitcher. He got Hornsby to ground into a force at home plate, then allowed just three singles and no runs the rest of the game. Wrightstone began our 7th with a vicious line homer to right, and adding to his single, double and triple before he had gone through a cycle of all the possible hits!

So we kept the scary Cards from sweeping us and are 4-4 with them as the super pesky Reds come to town after wiping out the Braves in a whole series for the second time. I feel another bout of eppa rixey coming on. Good night, reader-people!
—Vinny

STL 020 060 000 - 8 13 0
PHL 202 220 11x - 10 13 0

Other National League game today:

CUBS 5-9-0, at GIANTS 4-9-1
Well, the big Giant revival sure didn't last long. McQuillan pitches awful, especially with Hartnett and Hack Miller both out of Cub lineup. George Kelly actually does something, tieing up the game in the 4th with a 2-run homer, but the rest of the lineup turns into the Yankees and can't get another big hit if their lives depend on it.

PIRATES 5-9-1, at BROOKLYN 2-7-2
It's 2-0 Robins behind Burleigh Grimes and Fournier's 15th homer when the 6th inning rolls around and the Bucs get bored. Grimm singles, Moore walks, Cuyler singles, Pie Traynor homers and that's the game. Brooklyn drops under .500 for the first time and something tells me Rachel needs the biggest hug she's ever had about now.

REDS 13-14-1, at BRAVES 1-6-3
I heard there were about 400 fans for yesterday's game at Braves Field. The next one might have twelve. The great Carl Mays actually falls behind 1-0 on a Tierney single in the 2nd, then pitches a 2-single shutout the rest of the way while Cincy scores a dozen runs in the last four innings and stays two games behind Pittsburgh.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Friday, June 6
Pittsburgh Pirates	31	16	.660	—
Cincinnati Reds	31	20	.608	2
New York Giants	28	20	.583	3.5
St. Louis Cardinals	28	24	.538	5.5
Brooklyn Robins	23	24	.489	8
Chicago Cubs	23	27	.460	9.5
Philadelphia Phillies	21	29	.420	11.5
Boston Braves	12	37	.245	20