100 years ago in Washington Senators historyWednesday, June 25, 1924 – Oh, what a week this has been. You might recall from the last report that the Senators beat Chicago in their last two games. Then, following an off day Thursday, they played the Athletics 3 times, twice in Philadelphia and once at home in DC. The Athletics were mired in last place, coming into the game as far from 7th place Cleveland as Cleveland was from 1st place. It would not surprise you that the Senators won all 3, for a 5-game win streak.
But next they headed into Yankee Stadium to face the league leaders and last year’s world champions. They started with a double header on Monday where George Mogridge and Tom Zachary both pitched complete game wins. The offensive star was Goose Goslin who batted in 4 of the Senators total of 9 runs in the two games including a home run. Now it’s a 7-game streak.
The 8th win in a row came in yesterday’s game. Paul Zahinser started it but he was relieved by spitballing reliever Allen Russell after the Yankees tied the game in the 4th. The game was still tied after 9 innings. Ford C. Frick* described what happened next:
“Then in the tenth the break came, a little break but a decisive one. For a moment [Yankee starter Herb] Pennock weakened and Bluege walked. Russell forced him, but Rice doubled to left. Comes now little Wid Matthews – Wid chewing gum and smiling, and swinging his bat with the nonchalance of a veteran.
A flash of white, a vicious swing. Crack, and out into left field soared a high fly into Hendrick’s glove. Like a flash Russell was away after the catch and while the crowd held its breath he slid home, home in a riot of dust, home safely ahead of the throw, home with the run that meant victory – and first place.”
First place? Let’s look at more of Frick’s prose:
“Old Man Opportunity came knocking at the door of Bucky Harris’ battling Griffs yesterday and the boys welcomed him with a rollicking riot of base hits, welcomed him with all the pent-up enthusiasm of years of waiting, welcomed him with fight and more fight that carried the Yankees defenses in a breath and shattered a Yankee offense that made its threat and was denied.
Today the Griffs are in first place – ahead of Ty Cobb and his hustling Tygers, ahead of the champion Yankees – showing the way to a howling pack of baseball’s elect who must gasp in amazement at the unusualness of such a spectacle.”
Personnel Update:
-- Wid Matthews continues to pound the ball. He is batting .382 coming into today’s game, leading the regulars.
-- Judge has rejoined the team, although he is still a little gimpy. On Friday, Prothro pinch hit for Shirley and Judge went in for the last 2 innings. On Sunday, he started and he continued to start the rest of the week.
-- Ossie Bluge is the starting third baseman and Doc Prothro has almost disappeared from the lineup. Prothro is hitting .331, but as Louis A. Dougher reported in Monday’s
Washington Times, “… with everyone else landing on the pill, Manager Harris feels he can afford to carry one light sticker, provided the latter shines in the field. Ossie is doing that thing.” **
That brings us to today’s game with the LEAGUE LEADING Senators carrying in their 8-win streak against the SECOND PLACE Yankees. While the fans back home were ecstatic over yesterday’s news, the more sober among them might have had concerns about today’s game, with super reliever Firpo Marberry starting; in 4 previous starts this year, he finished once in a tie, but the other 3 were losses. His opponent is 13-year veteran Leslie Ambrose “Bullet Joe” Bush who acquired his nickname in honor of his blazing fastball. He is also credited with developing the forkball.
The Senators scored in the first inning on a Goslin line drive to center that drove in Rice and Matthews. Then, in the bottom of the inning, after two easy outs, Marberry faced Babe Ruth on a 3-2 count. The third strike did not come, however. In the words of the
Evening Star’s John B, Keller, “… blooie.” The Bambino rocketed his 18th homer of the season, about 10 rows from the top of the right field bleachers, far from the foul pole. Some opined that this was his longest home run in Yankee Stadium. Keller opined that it would have left Griffith Stadium entirely. The blast might have shaken up Marberry who gave up 3 quick singles in succession, allowing the Yankees another run to tie the score.
Marberry gave up no more hits over the next six innings. Meanwhile, the Senators scored again on a Judge sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning. Later, the sky was getting very dark. Keller thought the game might have been called off at the end of the sixth. Then, as the
New York Times reported it, “Amidst darkness and the rumble of thunder, ...” the Yankees Joe Dugan got a one-out single. Firpo then took care of the last two batters to erase that flicker of hope. The New York Times further complained,
“The Senators played the old army game in the last several innings and dawdled in a way that disgusted the spectators. Marberry’s tactics on the mound were not pretty to look at, and Harris came in every minute or so to hold a weighty conference on the state of the Constitution. Marberry went into an epileptic trance before every pitch ...”
Considering the dark, and the thunder, and the rain, the umpires ended the game after seven innings and … it’s 9 in a row.
Back home, thousands of fans greeted the team when the train pulled in from New York. Sporting a 33 – 26 record, they lead the American League. But, the race is very tight and it is far from over. In fact, the 7th place Indians are only 4.5 games behind.
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* Frick’s tale was published in the
Washington Times. Many years later, he was named Commissioner of Baseball. In Frick’s take on this pivotal game whets your appetite, you can find much more in Gary Sarnoff’s
Team of Destiny.
** According to the Baseball Reference Bullpen Wiki, “Ossie Bluege ... is credited with the theory of "cutting down the cone", i.e. playing closer to home plate in order to reduce the angle at which the batter can aim to hit a ground ball past the third baseman. He was also the first third baseman to guard the lines in the late innings, in order to prevent extra-base hits.”
Note: This post was supposed to include a picture, but I couldn't figure out how to include it. You can see it at:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=7968979176479889&set=a.298218660222684
