"HOUDINI" CARLSON'S LATEST ESCAPE ACT

August 5, 1924

Mama ran out of the house this morning before I was even done with my bath, and left a note about meeting Cy at the Reading Market for a "light pastry." So much for me getting to talk to him when I got to the ballpark. I guess I'm happy for Mama having met someone she liked, but why did it have to be the star of the team I'm batboying for and someone I'm trying to do business with?

I rode the streetcar to Baker Bowl with Benny this time. Roy was down at the Western union office waiting for a telegram back from his wife in St. Louis, who he'd wired to try and get her and his kids to join him for Sunday's secret game. I told Benny maybe Roy should wait until the whole thing is officially official, but Benny didn't want to hear any negative stuff right now and said he had all sorts of good feelings about it and I should too.

Speaking of good feelings, Heinie Sand was hopping around our dugout like Felix the Cat. The Pirates-Brooklyn game had an earlier start for Ladies Day (Hello, Rachel! I haven't forgotten you!) and Dazzy Vance had already beaten them 2-1. "That means we're going to win today!" screamed Heinie. I asked how come and he said that the Reds lose whenever the Pirates do, or at least 95 percent of the time lately, "meaning all we gotta do is take the field and the game's in the bag!"

That seemed a little too braggy for my money, but we did have maybe the best pitching escape artist in the league going, Hal Carlson. Think I'm crazy? He's given up 200 hits in 140 innings and somehow has a 7-7 record. Ain't no other way to explain it. Tom Sheehan was pitching for the Reds, and he hasn't exactly had any Irish luck lately. Sure enough, Jimmie Wilson popped one of his sleepier curves over the bleacher wall to lead off the 2nd, and we were ahead 1-0. Boob and the Rube (Fowler and Bressler) got the game tied in the 4th with a double and single, but we went back up 2-1 on a Harper scoring grounder. Ford ran in from third on that and I nearly bumped into him picking up Harper's bat, which got most of the Phillies laughing. Edd Roush even went out of his way to jog past home plate on his way in from the field and give me a wink.

Then Houdini Hal went to work. Critz and Sheehan opened the Reds' 5th with singles, and up stepped Curt Walker. He destroyed a fastball but it was right at Ford, who nabbed it, stepped on second base to put out Critz and whipped the ball to Holke to get Sheehan. It was a triple play! The first one I'd ever seen! Maybe Heinie was right about this Cincy Curse after all.

Bressler and Pinelli singled in the 6th but Carlson got out of it. Wingo led off the 7th with a hit but Carlson got out of it. Boob began the 8th with a single and Rube hit a double play. Hal came in the dugout screaming that he had to do all the work, and the Phillie players must have heard him. Holke singled and Cy tripled. Sheehan got the next two guys, but then Mokan and Ford doubled. Carlson walked. Harper crushed a 3-run homer toward Delaware and Bill Harris took the mound. Heinie tripled! Holke, Williams and Wrightstone all walked in a row, and we had seven runs just like that.

Cy slipped me a folded-up note when he came into the dugout, but I had to stuff it in my pocket because the Reds were already back up in the 9th and knocking the feathers out of the ball. Single-triple-single-triple-single-single and they had four runs but Fletcher wouldn't take Hal out. Either because he'd been shooting his mouth off or because he also believed in the Cincy Curse.

Well, we all do now. Boob flied out, Rube hit into the fourth Reds double play of the day, and the thing was over. Houdini Carlson: 216 hits in 149 innings, 8-7 record.

And then I was in a corner of the club house, reading the note Cy had slipped to me:

ALL IN SO FAR:

Me
Hornsby
Vance
Fournier
Wheat
Alexander
Hartnett
Rixey
Mays
Roush

I almost fell over. No wonder Roush winked at me!
—Vinny

CIN 000 100 004 - 5 16 0
PHL 010 100 07x - 9 13 1

Other National League games today:

at ROBINS 2-9-1, PIRATES 1-5-1
Dazzy wins his 16th with a 5-hitter, the winning run flying home with two gone in the 9th on a Johnny Mitchell single off Cooper.

CUBS 5-9-1, at GIANTS 0-7-3
I guess having New York win on a day the Bucs lose is too much to ask of them. Pete Alexander is excellent, Jack Bentley horrible as usual, the worst fielding shortstop in baseball Travis Jackson kicks two balls, and George Kelly is unconscious at the plate again.

at BRAVES 2-6-0, CARDINALS 1-8-4
I'm telling ya, there has to be a full moon out tonight. Hornsby homers and triples but the rest of the St. Loo lineup is worthless against Marquard. A walk, error, single and Ed Sperber walk off Flint Rhem end the game in the last of the 9th.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Tuesday, August 5
Pittsburgh Pirates	67	36	.650	—
Cincinnati Reds	62	45	.579	7
Brooklyn Robins	62	46	.574	7.5
New York Giants	59	46	.562	9
St. Louis Cardinals	53	52	.505	14.5
Chicago Cubs	48	57	.457	19.5
Philadelphia Phillies	42	64	.396	26
Boston Braves	29	76	.276	38.5