The San Francisco call., 1898-04-25
FASTEST OF THE SEASON.
The Colts Defeat Bunker'S
 Team in a Hysterical
Game.

One day during the season of 1890, Oak land and San Francisco met at the Haight-street grounds in game that seemed likely to give the winner a de- cided advantage In the California League race. There was a big crowd present, and more fireworks were touched off that day than were ever exploded on a Cali fOrnia diamond. Both teams surpassed themselves, and they had both given ample evidence many times before that they could play ball. Ordinary doubles and triples were shortened into singles or pIucked from the clouds by outhelders; basehits were devOUred and turned into acrObaJic feats that could be seen in half a dozen three-rlng clrcuses. The score was tied and united until the spectators were in d frenzy, and when the game finally terminated with the OaklandS one run to the good there threatened to be a general uprising.
 That game was duplicated yesterday at Recreation Park. Its equal has not been seen on the Pacific Coast for years. Of late people have gone to ball games with the feeling that II they could become in- teTested enough to remain till the end they We're satisfied.
 Only one man left the grounds yester- day until Lee let in the winning run in the last half of the ninth by dropping Hardio's fly, and he escaped to avoid a threatened attack of heart failure.
 To enumeTdte the features would neces- eiJate description of almost every play made during the game, but perhaps the
 
 thuslasm was double play Tn the sixth Inning that would have been a triple had the ball not been knocked out of Stroeck- erS hands. It was like this:
 Russell was safe on d line drive which Trenberth blocked but could not hold Schmeer and Moskiman were given bases on balls, filling the corners. Peters fired proJecule which Wheeler handled, though 1t most lifted him off his feet to do so, and returned it to StrOecker nail ing Russell at the plate. The catcher Ia a n fire nd .fpI ID1+ Meantime SchmeeT had been streaking 1t from second, and when the ball started for first he had rounded the turn for home. Murphy saw him coming, and the ball hardly struck his pocket before 1t was on it's way back to the plate. Stroeck- CT was ready for il, but just the ball reached him Schmeer arrived, head first 1arring him so that he dropped the ball, and the runner scored the first tally for Oakland. Donovan's single scored Mos kiman.
 That is only a sample of the goods of- fered. While five errors are charged against each team they were all of the hardest brand. Not a point was over looked every man lighting the best he knew how. Hughey Smith looked as if he needed the ambulance to carry him home when he had finished his job of umpiring. Almost every decision he gave was disputed by one team or the other, as a rule without the slightest preteXt though few times his judgment on balls and strikes may have been questioned with propriety. In the last half of the ninth it looked as if there was going to be a riot when Hughey sent two Oakland runners, who had advanced base, back to their original stations. But he was right about 1t and finally succeeded in Quelling the disturbance.
 Schmeer opened up with a single and Swett, who was back of the pitcher, or dered Stroecker to brush the dirt off the plate, suspending play in the meantime While this was being done, Wheeler shot the ball to second to catch Schmeer, but threw nigh and both runners moved up. Smith properly held that the game was suspended and ordered the runners back despite the kicking of the entire Oakland team The decision did not affect the re- suit though, for Oakland managed to win out with something to spare, though at the time the Colts were two runs behind.
 The red hre began to glow when Mona han stepped to the plate in the first in- ming. The best he could do was to strike out. Then, when Krug went out on O'Neil's assist to first and Murphy flew to Schmeer, the spectators began to real ize there was trouble in store for Bun ker's men.
 Donovan worked Wheeler for a base but when Connolly did his great hurdle act and annexed O'NeiTs fly that ought to have been good for two bases the crowd began to yap. Lange's grounder -to Monahan and out at first put Donovan on second, and he went to third on a passed ball. 1t looked like a tally when the prodigy came up, but Wheeler made a monkey of him.
 The leaders went out in one. two three order again, while the colts got man 2 s far as second, but lightning double play settled his hope of completing the cir cir cult Shea sent a long fly to ConneIiv which was duly stamped and RnsseIi dropped the ball in front of the plate and beat it to first Schmeer was given his base and Moskiman settled 1t by sending a liner over short that seemed good fnSI three bases. But Trenberth went un in the air and pulled it down, then sent the ball to second before Russell could make move to get back to the bag If u,aS a beautiful double play and it set inc crowd wild.
 Frisco broke the ice in the third inning Trenoer1,, and Stroecker were given their bases and Monahan bunted and beat fhe ball to first, after Wheeler had gone out