WHAT WERE WE THINKING OF?

September 19, 1924

Back in Brooklyn, me and Rachel and Saul jazzed up for the big final Pirates-Robins series of the year, over 25,000 people packed into Ebbets—and Tiny Osborne goes out to the mound and gets skinned alive.

After the Bucs' embarrassing loss to the Phillies yesterday when their manager fielded a cuckoo lineup, why did any of us think Brooklyn even had a chance against them? Carey ripped Tiny's first pitch for a bleeding triple into right center, and then things got bad. Moore singled with one out, the Cuyler single we can set our pocket watches to was right after that. A Traynor single made it 2-0 and the sausage rolls we'd eaten before the game were already bubbling in our guts like rotten lava.

Maranville doubled on the first pitch of the 2nd and Grimm got him in with a single. After Meadows disposed of the Robins again, Cuyler yawned and put one over the fence on the first pitch of the 3rd. Osborne, definitely soiling himself out there, got the next two guys easy but then Wright doubled, Maranville singled, and pitcher Meadows doubled to make it 6-0 in a flash.

Wilbert Robinson walked to the mound to paddle Tiny's fanny and send him to bed, and then the weirdest thing happened. Jim Roberts, a completely terrible pitcher (says Saul) who's hardly been used at all, took over and threw 2-hit shutout ball for four and a third innings! You just never know in this game, you never know. Brooklyn tried to make a game of it with two runs in the 4th and Fournier's scoring single in the 7th, but it was pretty obvious that even if the Robins tied the game the Bucs would take out their cutlasses and draw and quarter somebody else. Oh yeah, and today's three Cuyler hits puts him up to .379.

We were all quiet as mice eating dinner at Rachel's house later, and me and her read fiction books and drank tea later with some opera on the phonograph, because it was tough to find things to talk happy about. Dazzy Vance goes tomorrow against Cooper with Brooklyn's pennant life on the line, and if he fails, at least we'll be forced to get on with our lives and I can shut off that stupid opera.
—Vinny

PGH 213 000 000 - 6 14 2
BRK 000 200 100 - 3 7 1

Other National League games:

at GIANTS 5-7-1, CUBS 4-10-3 (10 innings)
I almost was ready to drop the Pirates' magical digit to two, but the Giants keep it at three as they come back from being down 4-1 in the 8th against the hottest team in either league. One in the 8th, two to tie in the 9th with the help of a Hollocher two-base error, then two walks, a Critz error and sacrifice pop fly by Jackson and New York hands Vic Keen his undeserved 20th loss of the year.

CARDINALS 5-7-0, at BRAVES 2-7-0
Hy Myers tosses a single, triple and homer into the ring from the eighth spot for St. Louis. Closing in on 110 defeats, the Braves and Marquard give up three Card runs in the 1st and that's all I wrote.

REDS 8-18-1, at PHILLIES 7-14-1
With all Reds batting where they're supposed to be, they crush three Phillie phools for 18 hits, but Mays almost blows the game anyway and Dibut is forced to cut off a big 9th inning rally by getting Harper to pop out with two men aboard and two outs. The Amazing Heinie is on base all five times to make himself feel good for a day, even though it's our 90th loss of the year.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Friday, September 19
Pittsburgh Pirates	91	55	.623	—
New York Giants	85	61	.582	6
Brooklyn Robins	84	62	.575	7
Cincinnati Reds	81	65	.555	10
Chicago Cubs	77	69	.527	14
St. Louis Cardinals	70	76	.479	21
Philadelphia Phillies	56	90	.384	35
Boston Braves	40	106	.274	51