SEASICK ALL DAY ON A PIRATE SCHOONER

July 12, 1924

The good news is that our Pittsburgh hotel was the Schenley, not the William Penn where Benny and me ran into that creepy house detective and almost got nailed for impostoring. The bad news was that we had two games to play with the first-place Bucs at Forbes Field, and after getting shut down yesterday by Carl Mays in Cincy, no one was really in the mood to take two beatings.

The Schenley was sure a posh locale, though. Marble and chandeliers were all over the place, and Heinie told me that Presidents Taft, Roosevelt and Wilson all stayed there. We could also walk to Forbes Field, which we did on the early side, all split into groups so Pirate fans on the streets wouldn't bother us. Pittsburgh fans are basically good loyal ones anyway, and they're too excited about their team being good again to even notice opposing bums like us.

Forbes was stuffed to the rafters for the twin games, and when the first one started at high noon, the last thing we played like was bums. Meadows pitched for them, and Glenn Wright began by making what must have been his thousandth error in the last month, Holke singled with one out, Cy singled, and Wrightstone clubbed one into the right field stands for a quick 4-0 Phillie lead! Meadows was all rattled because then Wilson singled, Mokan got plunked and Ford doubled in another.

And we weren't done. Cy and Wrightstone hit back-to-back doubles in the 2nd, and Wrightstone knocked in our seventh run in the 4th with a single. Our pitcher Oescheger couldn't believe he had a 7-0 lead against these guys. In fact, he couldn't believe it so much that he started giving it away. The Bucs got one run in the 4th on a double play ball, then went to town on us in the 6th. With one out, Grimm singled, Moore and Cuyler walked, Smith singled, Traynor doubled, Maranville singled and avast ye dang mateys, it was suddenly 7-6.

Tthe Phils then gave up the sea battle and went back in their hammocks, because we couln;t score a run for beans the rest of the game. Traynor tied the thing at 7-7 by singling in Cuyler in the 8th. Arnie Stone took over for Meadows and we couldn't score on him either. I'd never seen our dugout so tensed up. Huck Betts pitched three tough innings of relief for us after Oescheger was sent packing, but then he got tired in the 10th, walking three Pirates in a row. Steineder took over to face Traynor, and we all knew this game was far lost. Pie sliced one into right field to Harper, but Moore tagged and scored easy and we had probably our worst defeat this year.

Art Fletcher showed what a good manager is like between the games, though. He told the players they should only think about the 7-0 lead they took early, because that didn't come from nowhere. Harper said yeah, but Whitey's pitching the second game for us and he hasn't won all year. Glazner was in the next room getting a rubdown, so it's good he didn't hear that, but Fletcher said that even a blind bear finds a fish once in a while and it didn't pay to have that attitude.

So out went Whitey Glazner with his 0-5 record and 7.28 earned run average to face the scariest lineup in the league, and guess the heck what? NO ONE could touch him. I mean, there was one walk, two hit batters, three singles and a double, but not once was he in real trouble. Meanwhile we knocked around Jeff Pfeffer enough to build us a 3-0 lead by the 7th and held on from there.

As we ran back to our hotel to start card games and plan dinners and whatever else tonight, all I could think about was how unpredictable baseball can be. It's almost like a box of candy, because you never know what flavor you're going to end up with.

Good night, reader-people!
—Vinny

PHI 510 100 000 0 - 7 17 0
PIT 000 105 010 1 - 8 10 2

PHI 000 110 100 - 3 9 0
PIT 000 000 000 - 0 4 2

Other National League games today:

at REDS 8-9-1, BRAVES 1-6-2
Eppa Rixey against the Braves. You don't need to know nothing else.

GIANTS 3-6-0, at CUBS 2-7-0
Art Nehf goes the whole way and all Giant runs come on a 3-run homer by Kelly, who i think found his good lineup home in the 7th spot. But we'll see.

at CARDINALS 12-17-3, ROBINS 3-11-1
Brooklyn wrecks a great chance to pick up a half game on the Bucs as Grimes turns in his worst start of the year after winning seven straight. He gives the Cards 11 hits in less than six innings before the Robins realize the hittable Jesse Haines is pitching for them. Dutch Ruether, who got booted from the Brooklyn rotation after his last awful start, comes in for the 8th and allows four runs to put the game away for good.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Saturday, July 12
Pittsburgh Pirates	54	28	.659	—
Cincinnati Reds	51	34	.600	4.5
Brooklyn Robins	49	36	.576	6.5
New York Giants	47	35	.573	7
St. Louis Cardinals	41	42	.494	13.5
Chicago Cubs	37	46	.446	17.5
Philadelphia Phillies	34	52	.395	22
Boston Braves	22	62	.262	33