DOUBLE-DUTY BUTTERWORTH

FROM FENWAY TO SHIBE VIA AIR SMITH

By C. Jedediah Butterworth
Base Ball Freescriber

September 11, 1924

BOSTON—My extra-sensory weathervane pointed us to New England late last night for today's 11 a.m. Yankee-Red Sox finale, and the strain of our constant flying is wearing on Dean C. Smith. His humor has dissipated, thankfully along with his liquor consumption, and when I announce I also have odd thoughts of Philadelphia, he ceases talking to me.

But I am getting ahead of my mind here. First to the Fens, where Joe Bush faces Jack Quinn in a rare morning game to assist both clubs in launching their final western rail journeys tomorrow. It is also the final meeting between the two geographical rivals, but with Boston officially removed from the pennant push with a loss, not many locals have chosen to witness it.

It is apparently Babe Ruth's mission to depart with a flourish, though. The Sultan swats a Quinn fastball to the very top of the right field bleachers in the 1st for his incredible 45th home run and a 1-0 lead. Ripping lefty batter Ike Boone is passed on purpose in the Boston 4th, but Huggins' strategy backfires and a two-out walk to Dud Lee knots the contest. Aaron Ward puts New York back ahead with a two-out single in the 5th, but a Ruth error and singles by Clark and Boone tie it again the same inning.

Wally Pipp, fresh off his four hits yesterday, then clubs one bleacherward in the 6th for another Yank advantage. Bush is still uneasy out there but double-play balls turned by his infield bail him out of trouble twice. And then it is Ruth again in the 8th, mashing one so high to center it scatters sea gulls before dropping over the fence just beyond Denny Williams' soaring and twisting glove. The few Bostonians tired of razzing him for his previous ten games here stand and cheer, and this reporter can only marvel at the sight of someone's 46th trot around the sacks.

"You ain't serious about this Philly thing, right?" asks Smith as he meets me outside the press gate.

"It is just past 12:30, and the Senators game at Shibe begins at three. How fast is your plane?"

He winks and sips from a re-filled flask.


PHILADELPHIA—Suffice it to say I miss the first inning, when the Nats spin out four singles to give Mogridge a 2-0 cushion, but the second Athletics inning, with all its blood and thunder, spills across the green pasture in front of me.

Hauser, Simmons, Perkins and Hale all single for starters. Pitcher Heimach rolls one out to Washington manager Harris, who fumbles the ball for an error. Lamar, Miller and Hauser again then single, and six Philadelphia runs have scored! What foul germ has infected the Senators of late?

Lucky for them, Heimach is throwing as poorly as his opponent, and Washington fights back with a vengeance, scoring in four of the next five innings to compile a 10-6 lead by the 7th. Goose Goslin, nowhere near as dangerous as in the first two thirds of the year, had singled in their first run of the day and cracks a two-run homer in the 6th to put them ahead again, angling for his long-awaited 22nd game-winner of the year. All seems comfortable in the Nats' late-inning camp.

So why does Mogridge then give up three more singles and a Mule Shirley error to make it 10-8 in the 8th? Firpo Marberry tries his pitching hand, but with one out and one aboard in the 9th, Sammy Hale knocks a ball off the left pole to amazingly tie the game! The paltry Shibe gathering screams itself hoarse, and every Senator seems to visibly slump on the field.

Even when Harris triples off Meeker to begin the 10th, they seem like a different team and decidedly are, as Leibold fans, Rice pops out, and after a Goslin walk Bluege dribbles out to strand him.

All that is left is another sad show by Firpo the Clown. Miller singles, Bishop walks, Hauser singles, and the first-placers suffer their most exciting and humiliating loss of 1924.

NYY 100 011 010 - 4 9 1
BOS 000 110 000 - 2 7 0

WAS 201 022 300 0 - 10 17 3
PHA 060 000 022 1 - 11 19 0


Other American League games today (National teams are all off):

WHITE SOX 11-15-0, at TIGERS 4-9-2
Sloppy and Harry skin the Tigers alive, Thurston with a tough complete game and Hooper with a homer, single, triple and four knocked in as Detroit fails to capitalize on Washington's woes. Ken Holloway, with 236 hits allowed now in his 156 innings, is our punching bag yet again.

INDIANS 5-11-0, at BROWNS 2-10-0
A rollicking Sportsman's Park crowd of 572 witness this sleep-inducer, as Sherry Smith bests Urban Shocker, who has been anything but jolting lately with his sixth consecutive loss.

AMERICAN LEAGUE through Thursday, September 11
Washington Senators	84	54	.609	—
Detroit Tigers	78	62	.557	7
Chicago White Sox	72	67	.518	12.5
New York Yankees	70	68	.507	14
Boston Red Sox	67	72	.482	17.5
St. Louis Browns	65	74	.468	19.5
Philadelphia Athletics	60	79	.432	24.5
Cleveland Indians	60	80	.429	25