HORNSBY MAKES UP FOR EARLY FAILURES BY CAPSIZING BUCCANEERS
By C. Jedediah Butterworth
Base Ball Freescriber
September 4, 1924
PITTSBURGH—When one is batting .410, one is expected to come through with key blows with some degree of regularity. In short, Mr. Rogers Hornsby must deliver the winning mail for the Cardinals to win with their spotty pitching. But the Rajah has come up short time and again this season against the fierce Pittsburghers, and today at Forbes he has another chance to make amends.
Judging from today's 1st inning examples, it's clear why St. Louis is 19 games behind in the losses column. After Specs Toporcer reaches on a Wright flub to begin the game, Blades singles him over with one out. Kremer then bears down and Hornsby grounds into a third-to-second-to-first double death to kill the inning. By contrast, after a Grimm triple and Moore walk in the bottom of the 1st, the extraordinary Kiki Cuyler singles for the game's first run.
Two singles and a double in the Cardinal 2nd knots the game, but Jesse Haines gets scant support from the gloveworkers behind him. Cooney throws a rolling infield single away to lead to two Pirate runs in the 4th, and Hornsby kicks a ball with two outs and the sacks filled in the 5th to make it 4-1 for the Forbes home-standers.
It stays this way until the 8th, when Kremer tires, as many of the Buc hurlers have been doing of late. Max Flack and Heinie Mueller lead with consecutive doubles, Cooney singles, Gonzalez lofts a scoring fly, and pinch-batter Wattie Holm rips a double to tie the game! Babe Adams takes over immediately on the hill to snuff out the fire, and Hi Bell relieves Haines, throwing a scoreless bottom of the inning.
Then it is the 9th act, and Ray Blades opens the curtain with a deafening triple into the yard's outer reaches. Hornsby, who doubles and singles after his early flop, only to be stranded on the paths, cracks another double on Adams' first offering, and the Cards have the lead. A Flack single sends him scampering in, and it is suddenly 6-4.
But who would ever think this game is over? No one within fifty miles of Pittsburgh, that is certain. And with one out, Cuyler and Traynor single off Bell. Jesse Fowler is ready in the bull pen, but putting in a lefty against Wright and Maranville is sheer folly, and Hi is given the signal to continue. He gets Wright on a harmless pop to right, the Rabbit on a grounder to first, and the shocked silence at Forbes can be felt in Brooklyn.
STL 010 000 032 - 6 16 3
PIT 100 210 000 - 4 13 1
Other National League games:
at BRAVES 11-15-0, ROBINS 3-10-2
The Pittsburgh shock must take a bow to this one, though. Tiny Osborne is crushed like a flea in less than four innings of futile toil, surrendering a grand slam home run to Cunningham, only the 16th bash of the year by Boston, before he is shoved into the showers by manager Bancroft. A hideous, untimely loss for the Brooklyns.
GIANTS 23-26-2, at PHILLIES 2-7-6
Not the Phillies' best effort of the year. Joe Oescheger takes one for the team, and possibly three other teams. George Kelly, who along with Ruth is finally giving New York the timely hitting they've failed to supply until now, wallops two home runs, one with the bases loaded, and drives in seven.
CUBS 3-7-1, at REDS 2-8-2
Carl Mays again cannot notch his 19th win as Hollocher's single in the 9th ends a great pitcher's duel between Mays and Vic Aldridge and vaults the Giants back over the Reds into third place.
American League games today, which I will relate with Master Spanelli being occupied with imminent betrothal matters:
at YANKEES 5-9-0, ATHLETICS 2-10-1
Ruth's 44th home run leaves Yankee Stadium in the 7th, his sixth in five games, to give New York the insurance they need for their third straight victory.
at SENATORS 8-10-1, RED SOX 0-4-2
After Collins and Johnson, Curly Ogden has certainly been the best twirler in the circuit. His fifth shutout keeps the carmine hose in a coma throughout, and the Washington triumverate of Judge, Goslin and Rice drive in all of the game's runs. The Senator magical digit for winning the league drops to 12, and they take a half-game advantage over Pittsburgh for the best record in the land.
at WHITE SOX 4-10-0, BROWNS 3-11-1
Urban Shocker's reputation is suddenly pulp, as he loses his fifth straight decision and six out of seven, mainly due to a blistering three-double 1st inning by Chicago. St. Louis has cooled considerably after a scorching few weeks.
| NATIONAL LEAGUE through Thursday, September 4 | ||||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 82 | 49 | .626 | — |
| Brooklyn Robins | 76 | 57 | .571 | 7 |
| New York Giants | 74 | 58 | .561 | 8.5 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 74 | 59 | .556 | 9 |
| Chicago Cubs | 67 | 66 | .504 | 16 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 65 | 67 | .492 | 17.5 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 55 | 79 | .410 | 28.5 |
| Boston Braves | 38 | 96 | .284 | 45.5 |
| AMERICAN LEAGUE through Thursday, September 4 | ||||
| Washington Senators | 83 | 49 | .629 | — |
| Detroit Tigers | 74 | 60 | .552 | 10 |
| Chicago White Sox | 69 | 64 | .519 | 14.5 |
| New York Yankees | 65 | 67 | .492 | 18 |
| Boston Red Sox | 64 | 69 | .481 | 19.5 |
| St. Louis Browns | 64 | 71 | .474 | 20.5 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 57 | 76 | .429 | 26.5 |
| Cleveland Indians | 58 | 78 | .426 | 27 |
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