By C. Jedediah Butterworth
Base Ball Freescriber
October 4, 1924
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The reporters swarming around batting practice today are like honey-fattened bees, buzzing about every detail of yesterday's scintillating extra-frame victory for the Senators. How could these clubs come close to topping that scenario?For the Pirates, their goal is to expunge the horror from their minds as soon as possible. And Clyde Barnhart's rope of a single leading off Game Two against Mogridge seems like a fine first step. Grimm bunts Clyde to second, but Traynor whiffs badly and after Carey hustles out an infield hit and steals second, the extraordinary Cuyler lines to Peckinpaugh to end the threat.
Lee Meadows seems on his game for Pittsburgh, though, and gets the Nats with no effort in the 1st. Mogridge retires the first two Bucaneers in the 2nd, then reverts to the foul pitching ways that have plagued him since Labor Day. Gooch singles, as does Meadows, and Barnhart's second shot brings home the first Pirate score.
Goslin and Rice strike singles to begin the Senator 2nd, but go nowhere as Tate, Bluege, and Peckinpaugh all roll out. It is not a comforting omen. With one out in the 3rd, Carey blisters a two-sack hit and Cuyler walks. Wright and Maranville follow with sharp singles, Gooch lifts a scoring fly out to the Goose and it is instantly 4-0 for the visitors!
The bloodletting continues in the 4th. Barnhart collects his third safety, a double, to begin matters, and after a ground out, Traynor singles him to third. Barnhart is forced at home on a Carey grounder to Bluege, but a predictable Cuyler single brings in a run and finishes not-very-gorgeous George for the afternoon. Peckinapugh caps off the inning by kicking away Wright's grounder, it is 6-0, and the aura of doom we felt much of yesterday returns to the Griffith yard.
Meadows finally flinches in the 5th, as Tate singles, Bluege walks, and with two outs Lance Richbourg, rewarded by manager Harris with the leadoff position for his heroic triple in the first game, singles in Tate to get the home nine on the board.
In the 6th it gets even more interesting. Goslin bombs a double with one out, Rice and Tate single and Bluege hits a scoring fly to make it 6-3! As they always seem to do, though, the swaggering Bucs come right back, scoring a run in the 7th on a walk to the Rabbit, stolen base and double by pitcher Meadows himself off Marberry.
My young assistant fetches me a cold pop halfway through the 8th, and I have my head turned to open the bottle when Goslin starts the Senator inning with a line single. Rice doubles and the ball park is alive once more. Tate singles home two and Meadows is sent packing! The crowd cheers his departure, but it's less of a blessing than they think.
Because in strolls Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams, the toughest relief man in either league. He walks Bluege, sees the score inch to 7-6 when Wright boots another two-out grounder, but then induces Harris to line out with two men aboard.
Russell hurls a scoreless Pittsburgh 9th, and then Babe returns to the hill. Fresh from the 9th inning dramatics yesterday, the thousands of loyalists on hand rise as one to cheer a new rally to life. Judge singles, and it's begun!
Then Goslin raps into an easy double-play, and it is done! The Goose did manage two singles and a key double, but he has been excelling at times like this all season, and his recent failures have not endeared him to Washington base ball society. Rice flies harmlessly out to Moore in right, and this tension-stuffed championship spectacle moves on to the Steel City in a perfectly even state.
PGH 013 200 100 - 7 14 1
WAS 000 012 030 - 6 12 1
W-Meadows L-Mogridge SV-Adams GWRBI-Barnhart
EDITOR'S NOTE: Game Three from Pittsburgh's Forbes Field will be Tweet-casted right here TONIGHT at 10 p.m. Eastern time, 7 Pacific, with the other games continuing at that same time through the week, and full accounts appearing on this site the following morning.
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