The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-04-21
"A VERY EXCITING CONTEST
Chicago Won the Opening Championship.
Game After a Great Struggle.
DisrerutabIe Methods Adopted by Ansons
Men Lead to Trouble on the Field-Win-
ners of Other League Games.


the Baseball Park. The occasion was the open
Ing OF the League championship season, and
game between the Chicago and Indianapolis
clubs The season opeued-opened wide
but before it had been accomplished several dis
TressinR things had occurred chief among them
being the defeat Of the home team Three
Thousand people braved the cold, raw wind in
order to see the sport, and we're rewarded with
one OF the hardest fought games ever played on
4he diamond The excitement began
long before the game In the morn
ing it was the talk on the street
and in the cara, and as early IS o o'clock the
people went to the park The two teams pa
iraded in carriages over the principal streets
previous to the game. preceded by the When
band, and arrived at the park three-quarters OF
an hour before the game. The Chicagos imme-
diately went on to the field and practiced fully
a half hour. When the home team came ont of
the dressing-room at 3:15, they were loudly
cheered. The players looked well in their new
white suits, trimmed in red, and the commenr
was generally heard that they were
much better set of men than those who fol-
lowed the standard Of Captain Arson. The little
mascotss led the way. he was clad in q suit
similar to that by the players, with the
exception that large horseshoe took the place
of the word "Indianapolis' across the breast.
The home team practiced for fifteen minutes,
the chief feature being the work of Hines in
center field.
Umpire Valentine walked upon the field
promptly at $50 o'clock, and was received by
the crowd with liberal applause. Then tho
test began, and from the manner in which the
home team started in its friends were led to be-
leve that certain victory was before
it, The Hoosiers led off with two
earned runs, but Chicago Immediately emulated
their example. Then in the third inning an
other run made, but Chicago not only tied
the score in the last half of the inning, but
went one better and obtained the lead.
which they maintained until the last
Thinning, when George Myers sent the ball over
the fence and tied the score. But the Chicagos
again proved equal to the emergency, although
they were helped out by luck, Seerys throw
from left field would have retired the runner
thrown with remarkably accuracy, and had
It bounded naturally, the runner (Darling)
would have been caught fifteen feet from home
base. but it bounded far to side. and luck
clinched the victory which Ansons men had
been striving so hard to accomplish by their own
efforts. The contest WAS a perfectly even one,
result OF yesterdays game. The single hits
twelve-were the Same, and the totals-twenty
were the same. The errors were ave to four.
an Chicago's favor, bat Van Haltren hit batter
with pitched ball. which should be considered
an error What Nttle luck there was in the
game was in ChicsgO's favor. and gave
Inning. for example. very little
incident cut the home team out Of run. Bas-
sett was on taird and Buckley at the bat, when
Van Haltrer sent in a very wildly-pitched ball
Buckley lodged it and in doing so swung his bat
around III such q manner that 1t hit the ball.
and the wild pitch became dead ball." and
Bassett was com PEELED to remain third, where
he was left.
Valentine had an extremely difficult game to
headed. and to aggravate his position be had
nLny close decisions. He doubtless made one
mistake in not declaring Bassett out at third
base in the fourth inning. when Van Haltren
made squick throw to Pfsfer. But the deci-
sion cost Chicago nothing more than the strain
on their nerves. To Offset it. there were
three or four close decisions rendered in Chi
Cages favor, and they did cost something. The
most noticeable of these was in the ninth inning.
when Darling, who scored Chicaeo's winning
run, was declared safe on second, when ii looked
very much like he was out. Then. in the first
inning, Ryan had two strikes, and Boyle senta
third ball over the corner OF the plate as it
looked to many, but Valentine called it ball
and Ryan hit the next one over the fence,
There were other close decisions, whichswere
evenly divided between the two teams. Valen-
tines work on balls and strikes could not have
been improved
The feature of the game outside of the squab-
I bic among tho players, which Is described efse-
where. was the remarkable work OF George
Myers which is unprecedented on the ball field.
Players have made bigger batting records than
that by him yesterday, but no one ever did it
against such pitching or at such timely periods
IN the game and no one, perhaps, has ever done
at 10 contest as close and trying as that OF
yesterday. Three times he followed no Hines,
whose batting was also magnificent, with two
base drives, planting men on third and second
bases before a man was out; AID had ths three
next bAtsmen accomplished but q shadow OF the
Mork mat a. las ste be expected of them the game
canter Denny did his share Ia rnGme Team IN
men in the first inning, but the efforts Of Seery
and Shomberg were enough to "try mems souls"
-I1ey were both left HANDED batsmen, however.
and faced left-handed pitcNer-hence, they
will be forgiven as soon as the defeat is for
gotten, for they are deservedly popular with the
public. Ryan deserves the chief credit for the
visitors victory, with Darling and Pettit close
sseonde the hrst-named is a great young
player Van Haltren pitched with the coolness
saved some wild pitches by the splendid back
stopping Of Darling. For the home team,
Denny Myers and Bassett did some
at short, as Denny covered q great
amount of territory in faultless style. Myers's
Catching and throwing 60 second was alnnost on
par with his remarkable batting. while Bassett
not only made number of beautiful pick-uos
but batted we'll His long. high fly to Ryan in
of the game and but for Anson's action in
blocking him 10 the fourth. he would have made
TWO bases on mis- drive to the right field fence.
Boyles fielding was excellent as three or four
OF she visitors hits in the middle of the game
were of the lucky order
A.ll the run-gettlng occurred in the first. third
anti ninth innings In the first Hines opened
tho game with pretty single. and MYERS
smashed the ball to right center for two bases
Hines reaching third. Shomberg was the safest
hitter in the home team last wear at critical |
pBriods, and the crowd felt perfectly TRANQUIL as
he stepped 10 the plate, but he struck out al
though there were four balls and one strike on |
him 81 one time Denny, however. hit clean |
past second, and Hines and Myers scored |
Ryan's throw, which would not have caught |
Myers had il been accurate went over Dsrline,a |
head. and Denny kept to third base The /
ball got there before him, but he made /
daring head-slids under Burns, who dropped I
che bail. Denny was left there, as Seery struck
out, and Esterbrook flew ont Ryan opened fer
Chicago with long home-run drive over the
right. field fence well down in the center After
Sullivan lad been thrown out, Petit followed /
Ryans example only thas his hit barely went /
over the short riRht-feld fence. In both cases /
two strikes had been called the batsmen.
Ryau's hit was off of speedy ball, and Boyle |
tried a slow with Petit, but with no better |
result.
In the third inning Hines again led off with