2.11.2010

PUT THE ARSENIC AWAY

September 20, 1924

Dazzy knew what to do. Dazzy always knows what to do. Matter of fact the few times he's lost games this season it's because the Robins hitters went to sleep on him. So here's Max Carey stepping into the batter box, Brooklyn one loss to the Bucs away from heading to the boneyard, and Dazzy buries a fastball in his right shoulder to knock him out of the game. Oh, the Pirates leaped off their dugout bench and yelled and screamed and called Vance something I can't tell you, but the game went on and Pittsburgh was all shook up, because Grimm bounced the next pitch into a double play and a rally never happened.

And the plunking changed everything. Cuyler had to move to center field from left where he's sometimes wobbly anyway, and with two outs in the last of the 1st and Andy High on second, Fournier smashed one deep to Kiki's left. It got over his head easily, he fumbled the ball near the fence, and High scored for a 1-0 Brooklyn lead. Rachel leaped for joy and I got an early cheek-kiss out of it.

In the 6th, a Brown double, Fournier triple and Wheat single off Cooper put Brooklyn ahead 4-0. Dazzy belted a home run earlier, his fourth of the year, to make it 2-0 in the 3rd, but the big story was his pitching. After the 1st inning business he retired TWENTY Pirates in a row and looked good enough to throw a no-hit, no-run game.

Traynor finally got the first Bucs hit with a one-out single in the 8th. Wright followed with a hit but Dazzy wiped out the next two guys, and a Grimm triple and Moore sacrifice pop gave the Pirates their only run in the 9th. To finish off the glorious day, Vance whiffed Cuyler, who ended up going 0-for-4 with one butchered outfield play. It may have been his worst game of the year, and we were honored to see it.

Tomorrow it'll be Morrison against Grimes with the same dire situation on the line, and Cal Butterworth wired this morning to announce he was flying in our direction to take in the game, now that the American league has a champ. That should make an even more fun party, especially if he likes brisket beet.
—Vinny

PGH 000 000 001 - 1 3 3
BRK 101 002 01x - 5 10 0

Other Ballgames today:

CUBS 10-13-4, at GIANTS 6-11-2
The bug bite that's bothered McGraw's goons all year—inconsistency—scratches them again and just about knocks them out of the race. Mule Watson, pitching much better than he should for most of the season, picks the worst day he could to have his arm fall off. Ten of the fourteen Cub batters he faces in the first two-plus innings reach base, and if it isn't for two double plays he would've been behind more than the 7-0 that he was. The Giants finally wake up against Kauffman in the 7th and score six runs in the last three innings, but Chicago is way ahead by then. Gabby Hartnett drives in three more and now has 136 knocked in on the year.

REDS 7-13-2, at PHILLIES 2-3-1
Good Lord, are we ever bad. Not that we have a chance anytime or anywhere against Eppa Rixey, now 21-8, but we can barely score runs any more, even with all our regulars still playing on the dinky Baker Bowl field. Kind of glad I left town.

CARDINALS 12-20-1, at BRAVES 2-8-1
Gee, I never thought this would happen.

at TIGERS 8-14-2, YANKEES 7-11-0
Okay, here's the game the Tigers were supposed to have yesterday. Down 6-0 in the 1st to Joe Bush and the Yanks, they chip away for the next seven innings and finally take the lead on a 2-run Rigney double in the 8th off Milt "Ghastly" Gaston. Can't even blame Ruth for this one.

SENATORS 13-15-0, at BROWNS 3-6-2
And just becuase the season has gone this way, here's the game the Senators were supposed to have yesterday. Washington scores in every inning but three off Danforth, Grant, and Lyons, and Mogridge gets the win. The only issue for the Nats lately is Goose Goslin, who's done nothing important with the bat for a while. In this one he comes up five times with men on the bases and drives in none of them. Maybe he's saving up for the World Series.

at INDIANS 17-23-4, RED SOX 4-11-0
Boy, when half the Cleveland lineup isn't out with injuries like they usually are, they can sure mash the ball. Joe Sewell goes 6-for-6 and tops the 100 run batted in mark despite hitting only one homer all year.

at WHITE SOX 5-11-0, ATHLETICS 4-7-0
Last place looks like a certain thing for the A's. They tie up Sloppy Thurston on another late homer by Bill lamar, but Hooper singles in the bottom of the 9th for the Chcago winner anyway.




















NATIONAL LEAGUE through Saturday, September 20
Pittsburgh Pirates9156.619
Brooklyn Robins8562.5786
New York Giants8562.5786
Cincinnati Reds8265.5589
Chicago Cubs7869.53113
St. Louis Cardinals7176.48320
Philadelphia Phillies5691.38135
Boston Braves40107.27251
AMERICAN LEAGUE through Saturday, September 20
x-Washington Senators 8957.610
Detroit Tigers 8167.5479
Chicago White Sox 7770.52412.5
New York Yankees 7472.50715
Boston Red Sox 6978.46920.5
St. Louis Browns 6979.46621
Cleveland Indians 6781.45322.5
Philadelphia Athletics 6284.42526.5

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