8.14.2009

UNDESERVED KUDOS


SIX RUNS IN 1ST NEARLY NOT ENOUGH IN RAZOR-THIN TIGER WIN

By Calvin J. Butterworth
Detroit Free-Enterprise

June 25, 1924

ST. LOUIS—It is safe to say that Tiger fans should never arrive after the first inning, because they may miss all of their club's good fortune. For the second time in three days here, a huge opening lead was eviscerated by shoddy pitching and an inability to tack on tallies, and it was a miracle our boys escaped with their winning lives.

Brownie ace Urban Shocker was on the hill, but it may as well have been George Lyons for all the respect Detroit showed him. A Blue leadoff single was followed by a run-scoring Rigney double. Cobb grounded out but then Heilman singled and Manush doubled. Bassler stroked a scoring fly. Pratt, Burke, Syl Johnson and Blue again singled, and six runs were across. A Sisler single and Baby Doll homer in the bottom half of the frame cut it to 6-2 right away, and it was a dark omen, for despite 12 more Tigers reaching base throughout the contest, not one of them scored.

The chief culprit, sorry to say, was Cobb, who single-handedly stranded nine of the 15 men with a dismal 0-for-5 performance. And the usually reliable Syl Johnson was way off his mound game, as St. Louis plated a run in the 5th and two more in the 6th on a Herschel Bennett homer before he was yanked out for Herm Pillette.

Cole relieved in the 7th and was his usual wobbly self, forcing Dauss to rescue him from a sweaty two-out pickle in the 8th. McManus singled to begin the home 9th, but old Hooks bore down from there, whiffing Collins, popping out Gerber and finishing off Evans on a weak grounder to first. The Browns have given us fits all season, and after one more battle here tomorrow, Cobb and his nervous nellies will certainly look forward to their next stop in Cleveland.

DET 600 000 000 - 6 16 1
STL 200 012 000 - 5 15 0

Other American League Games:

at YANKEES 4-7-0, SENATORS 1-5-1
What to make of these Yanks? They lose to Firpo Marberry with their ace Herb Pennock on the slab, then easily beat Walter Johnson 24 hours later behind Bullet Joe Bush. Bob Meusel provides all necessary scoring with a 3-run wallop in the 3rd, while Goslin's solo clout in the 7th is the only Washington whimper.

at WHITE SOX 7-8-2, INDIANS 5-10-2
Red Faber is now 10-4. A three-base gaffe by McNulty, filling in for Speaker, sparks a 5-run rally for Chicago out of thin air. Earl Sheely pops a homer off the left field foul stick. The Tribe gets back in the game on mostly walks and Chicago errors but leave 14 men on base, including two at second and third with one out in the 9th who end up frozen to their respective bags as Yoter and Summa make out. Just the usual White Sox magic.

at RED SOX 2-6-1, ATHLETICS 0-3-1
at RED SOX 4-10-0, ATHLETICS 2-8-0
Quinn twirls a suffocating shutout in the opener, while frequent relief man Ted Wingfield throws another complete victory in the finale. With Dykes suffering a two-week injury, Mack's men have certainly fallen back on hard times after their brief hot streak, and now must journey into Washngton, who they've hardly beaten at all.










AMERICAN LEAGUE through Wednesday, June 25
Washington Senators 4625.648
Chicago White Sox 4227.6093
Detroit Tigers 3832.5437.5
New York Yankees 3434.50010.5
St. Louis Browns 3138.44914
Boston Red Sox 2939.42615.5
Philadelphia Athletics 3041.42316
Cleveland Indians 2842.40017.5

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