So I had a long talk with Benny this morning while we ate hot muffins from a wagon on Broad Street. Yelling at the Pirate players wasn't helping one bit, so unless we were going to run on the field and trip or tackle them, it was probably a better idea to just sit in the stands and do some rooting and praying like Phillies fans normally do.
What we never imagined was the Bucs tripping themselves up by being braggy jerks.
Yup, manager Bill McKechnie decided our team was so horrible that he could shuffle all his lineup spots like playing cards and beat us anyway. Which is what he did, leading off Cuyler, batting Wright third and Traynor fourth and speedy Max Carey all the way down at seventh. Their pitcher Kremer went along with it, even with him going for his 20th win, but Wright spoiled his plans in the Phillie 1st by tossing away a grounder and helping us get two runs. Both Kremer and Hal Carlson pitched nothing but zeroes for the next six innings, Carlson doing his usual runner-stranding magic. After another Wright flub in the 7th, Hal tripled off the wall, scored on a Heinie single, and we were up 4-0! Then it was time for the Pirates to get mad again, and they put together a nifty two-run rally in the 8th started by a Cuyler single of course. Betts came on in relief and got Moore and Carey to end the mess, Mokan singled in our fifth run, and we actually got them out in the 9th, Cuyler rapping into a double play to end it.
"We beat the Bucs!" yelled Benny, making much more noise than the other thousand or so people who were there. "The heck with that, we won a baseball game!" I shouted back. Then I gave him a good hug because I was headed back to Brooklyn tonight to start my new life with Rachel.
The strange thing is that the Pirates are also headed to Ebbets Field and their final three with the Robins, so I guess the start of our new life might include a pair of sausage rolls.
—Vinny
PIT 000 000 020 - 2 10 2
PHI 200 000 21x - 5 10 0
Other ballgames today:
at ROBINS 10-16-1, CARDINALS 4-10-2
It's 4-1 Cards headed to the last of the 3rd, when Jesse Haines just plain cracks open. A single, walk, error by him and double by Dick Loftus gives Brooklyn two runs, before the Robins score one in the 6th, four in the 7th and two more in the 8th to run away with the game and give Decatur a rare win. If Brooklyn can pull off a miracle sweep of the Bucs they'll be just three games out. Do I believe in miracles?...Usually!!
REDS 6-16-4, at GIANTS 4-10-0
As Rachel's father would say, oy. Up 2-0 thanks to more horrible Cincy fielding, Jack Bentley turns in another in his never-ending series of sickening starts for the Giants, giving the Reds five hits and three runs in the 4th, then three more hits and a run in the 5th before he's yanked out for Wayland Dean. The Giants try and fight back but leave runners in scoring spots every inning against Tom Sheehan, who ends up going the whole way. Pittsburgh's magical digit drops to four with the New York loss.
CUBS 6-14-0, at BRAVES 0-2-0
Can we hear it for the Crushing Cubbies? They finish an amazing 21-1 against the Braves and do it in style as Aldridge shuts them down for his first shutout and 20th win of the season.
SENATORS 5-9-0, at INDIANS 4-7-0
Not sure which A.L. battle Butterworth made it to today, but they're both tight and Washington clinches at least a tie for the pennant in this one as Curly Ogden goes to 19-6 and Bucky Harris racks up his 16th game-winning hit, second to Goslin on the team.
at TIGERS 6-9-1, ATHLETICS 3-10-3
With Whitehill dueling Heimach 1-1 through five, Heilman breaks the game up with a solo homer and Rigney triples in three in the 7th to put the last-place Mackers away. The Yankees are at Navin Field tomorrow while the Senators are in St. Louis, but I don't have a good feeling about any miracles happening in Michigan.
RED SOX 9-15-0, at WHITE SOX 4-12-4
Ehmke goes the distance, and Boston wins their season series with Chicago 13-9.
YANKEES 10-13-4, at BROWNS 2-6-1
Wally Pipp continues his mashing with a double, homer and single, Ruth walks four times and scores four times, and Shawkey beats Vangilder to save a little face, even though the Browns take this series 13-9.
| NATIONAL LEAGUE through Thursday, September 18 | ||||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 90 | 55 | .621 | — |
| New York Giants | 84 | 61 | .579 | 6 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 84 | 61 | .576 | 6 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 80 | 65 | .552 | 10 |
| Chicago Cubs | 77 | 68 | .531 | 13 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 69 | 76 | .476 | 21 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 56 | 89 | .386 | 34 |
| Boston Braves | 40 | 105 | .276 | 50 |
| AMERICAN LEAGUE through Thursday, September 18 | ||||
| Washington Senators | 88 | 56 | .611 | — |
| Detroit Tigers | 80 | 66 | .548 | 9 |
| Chicago White Sox | 76 | 69 | .524 | 12.5 |
| New York Yankees | 73 | 71 | .507 | 15 |
| Boston Red Sox | 69 | 76 | .476 | 19.5 |
| St. Louis Browns | 68 | 78 | .466 | 21 |
| Cleveland Indians | 65 | 81 | .445 | 23.5 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 61 | 83 | .424 | 26.5 |
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