By Calvin J. Butterworth
Detroit Free-Enterprise
June 5, 1924
Like a happy hummingbird visiting flowers on the edge of a volcano, one never knows when the earth will swallow you up. Such was the case at Navin Field today after the Tigers took a seemingly safe 6-2 lead on the first-place Senators into the 8th inning.
Mogridge and Holloway were the opening slabmen, and for a time it appeared that the two quick runs Washington plated off the bat might be enough. Singles by Lance Richbourg, Prothro and Goslin preceded a mighty Sam Rice double that scored one but saw Goslin nailed by a Cobb throw in an attempt at 3-0. Mogridge threw adequately for four innings, then gave it up quick in the 5th on a lead triple by Pratt, unforgivable two-out walk to Holloway, a triple by Rigney and single from Cobb. In the 7th, Mogridge was even worse. With two outs and no Tiger aboard, he muffed a grounder from Rigney, gave Cobb another single before Fred Haney tripled into the Navin nether-regions to make it 5-2. With the home crowd in a frenzy, Russell relieved and Woodal greeted him with a one-sack blow and the lead was four runs!
Then came the tragic 8th. Rice and Tate touched Holloway for singles, tiring him and bringing on Herm Pillette. Now Herm is seldom-used but tends to do well with the starboarders, and the Nats have a southpaw-murdering lineup. True to form, Pillette retired Peckinpaugh and Mule Shirley on weak flies, and then pitcher Russell batted. He dribbled one out in Frank O'Rourke's direction, just to the right of the second base bag, but Frank's feet knotted up beneath him, his mouth turned dry and his glove turned to iron and the ball fled his lunging grasp to load the bases.
One does not need to be a Holmes or Watson to deduce what occurred next. Richbourg instantly singled, as did Harris to make it 6-5. With Goslin looming on deck, Herm merely had to retire the righty Prothro to retain the lead but O'Rourke's fielding folly had evidently distracted him to the edge of his own scaffold, and Prothro rifled the first pitch between Cobb and Fatty Fothergill, rolled the ball to the fence and scored the two runs that put Washington in front for the duration. Bert Cole finally took the hill to put away Goslin, but the butchered bodies were already lying in the meadow.
How does one recover from such a defeat? Well, in base ball there is always another day—and players are not really hummingbirds. Though I would suspect Mr. O'Rourke will spend tomorrow afternoon scrubbing locker room toilets for his manager.
WAS 200 000 050 - 7 15 2
DET 000 030 300 - 6 12 1
Other American League games today:
at WHITE SOX 4-11-1, YANKEES 3-12-1
For the New Yorkers, though, tomorrow always brings a fresh disaster. They lose by the same nip-and-tuck score as yesterday, but in an even more preposterous fashion. Sarge Connally inexplicably outpitches Waite Hoyt, Chicago gets a huge two-out hit every time they need one, while the Lost Yankee Orphans leaves 16 runners on base. That is not an easy thing to do. Ruth's single helps them take a 1-0 lead in the 1st, but in the 4th with two outs and two aboard he grounds into a force play. In the 7th with two outs and a man aboard he flies out. And in the 8th, trailing by 4-2 with two outs and a man aboard...he whiffs. To complete the torture, the Yanks load the bases with two outs in the 9th, only to have Whitey Witt dribble to the pitcher. It is the seventh straight loss for the Gothams, as they have not won since Joe Bush mowed down the Tigers over a week ago, and I truly pity the fans and scribes who follow this depressing unit. For what it is worth, Ruth has not been the only powerless culprit. "Slugger" Meusel has gone 11-for-55 in their last 13 games with just four runs knocked in.
at BROWNS 7-11-0, RED SOX 5-14-0
Ken Williams bombs a homer for Dixie Davis and the Browns storm back after Boston takes a 5-1 lead for Ferguson in the 5th on a deafening Bobby Veach homer. The lucky Red Sox next travel to Comiskey Park.
at INDIANS 2-8-1, ATHLETICS 1-9-0
As shocking as Chicago's performance is this supreme pitcher's battle at League Park, a place where 30 hits per game is standard practice. Gray and Uhle duel off until the last of the 9th, when Frank Brower sends one over the wall for only the Tribe's second one-run victory in 17 attempts.
| AMERICAN LEAGUE through Thursday, June 5 | ||||
| Washington Senators | 35 | 17 | .673 | — |
| Chicago White Sox | 33 | 16 | .673 | 0.5 |
| New York Yankees | 24 | 25 | .490 | 9.5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 24 | 26 | .480 | 10 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 24 | 27 | .471 | 10.5 |
| St. Louis Browns | 22 | 27 | .449 | 11.5 |
| Boston Red Sox | 19 | 29 | .396 | 14 |
| Cleveland Indians | 18 | 32 | .360 | 16 |
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