The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-16
LUCKY PLAYS.
n Many Instances they Have Won
Close Games Which Were
Cinched aS Lost.

Luck" said the veteran ball crank.
TO Chicago News reporter. as he
watched the Orioles carry of the third
game Of THAR local series by q burst OF
bull-headed and wholly undeserved
fortune IL surely with those Raltimores, 8,
We'll, they deserve good luck for the
style Of ball they plsy, but such cont!n-
ued incessant luck as they have Ia oar
tainly marvellous.
Speaking Of good luck, did any one
ever take note what large percentage
of exciting ball games have been won
by odd happenings. due. a rule, to
some extrareous cause. such as q pecu-
liarity In the grounds. the fences. or
something Of that kind? For instance.
II is on record that in u game Of the
Pennsylv ania league last year a line
hit went spuarely against the right
field fence--adrivegood ordinarily, for
two bases. There was hole 1 n that
fence about five inches in diameter.
II the players. standing up a hundred
feet away from that fence had tried to
hit that hole with the ball, they would
have missed It ninety-nine times
straight. Yet that batted ball went
through that hole and gave the fellow
who hit 1t a home run, and his team
thus won the game.
Again in the New York State League
ball was batted far across the field,
but would have been sent in to hold the
batter at second and prevent another
man from scoring. A dog seized the ball
in his ample jaws and ran away with 1t.
The club which lost on account Of the
home run thus made, protested to Nick
Young Nick weighed the circum-
stances very carefully. and then de-
cided that the rules only covered cases
where the ball was interfered with by
some person in the crowd; that the dog
wes not a person, and that the run
would have to count in consequence
That home run of the dog settled a
championship fag. Years ago. when the
worknen We're preparing the ball field
at the Polo grounds In New York, they
left a mound Of mud about ten feet
high in extreme center field, intending
to come back after the game and cart it
away. Anson, who was playing there
that afternoon sent the ball in a
straigh line for hat mound. 1t stuck, and
George Gore. who was playing center.
slipped off the surface of the mud like q
Siidii pOS cllnDlflS II CREASED pOie,
Anson making the circuit easily
philadelphia wins games right along
through a popularity Of the right field
fence. 1t is enormously high-undoubt-
edly the te-llest fence In the world-and
cuts right field rather short Thomp-
son, Turner and the other left handed
hitters have that fence down fine. They
drive the ball against that fence and 1t
rebounds almost to the diamond, the
batter taking second or third while the
astOnished fielder is retracing his steps.
Charley Miller Of Cincinnati put an aw-
full damper on that practice about a
year ago. He studied angles and CAL
culated how the ball would rebound.
Then. instead of chasing balls to the
fence. he waited the return bound and
threw three men out at first.
Martin Duke. pitcher who has been
playing in minor leagues for years, but
has never shown good quality to last in
the National, once lost a game and
changed his name Immediately after.
Martins name when christened was
Duck. One day during very close
game, crank In the grand stand COM
menced to shout 'Quack! Quack!' at
Duck, and kept 1t up until Martin was
crazy. Finally Martin threw the ball
at his tormentor. He didn't hit him,
but three runs came In and Martin
changed his name to Duke the next
morning.