The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-01-24
PLAYS THAT WON
CLOSE CONTESTS
Star Second Baseman of Giants
Describes Them.
HITS WHEN MOST NEEDED
ERRORS THAT COST TEAM cuAm-
PIoEsHIP GAMES.

! Gilbert, the star second baseman Of the
New York Giants, has written the fol
I lowing describing his best and worst
plays:
A player wants. to go after everything.
I BE on the jump all the time and make 9
/ break after the most difficult bail. Even
/ if it looks safe, go after il; you can't
I tell what might happen.
Errors don't figure with me and ! know
/ they don't with AIeGraw. a player who
does not make errors you can put down
praying that the ball doesn't come his
way.
The play that crack myself up most
on was made in Cincinnati last season
on Sept Is, when the Giants were playing
the Cincinnati Reds Ii was on the
Giants last trip and we were fighting
tooth and nail with the Chicagoes for
second place, ard every victory was as
/ big TO Us as a brick house.
We were IN the lead at the time and
things looked rosy bright for US.
All Of a sudden, however. the Reds
who were our Jonahs last year, took a
batting streak and caused serious
ness"
Donlin had made a single and Seymour
( followed with a double. They are both
fsst runners and we only had a lead Of
a run or two, so that a hit would have
tangled up matters to a dangerous point.
we moved up our infield TO head DOntn
eff at the plate In case there was a
ground hit DoIan came to bat ana
sent short fly over my head. ] could
see IL was too short for Bresnahan to
cover, So I sprinted after il for dear life
L didn't have much of an idea that
could nail the ball. but / said to myself.
Second place may depend on this so
the bail but, glancing over my shoulder,
/ caught a glimpse of it. and, with
spring and my hands OutstretcheG over
my head. I just managed to clutch the
gTlQnTp.
Both Seymour and DOnlin, thinking the
hit was surely safe, made a break for
home. tossed the ball to Babb, put
ting out Seymour and Babb shot IL TO
Louder and DOniin was nippsd before ne
could get back TO third. The play broke
the Reds all up and won us the game.
Tt may have been z lucky catch. but II
I hadn't gone after the ball and taken q
long chance I never would have land
I figured in another triple play at the
Polo grounds when we were playing the
St. Louis Cardinals. Bresnahsn caught a
short fly, with three men on bases, and
chucked TO me in time to catch the run
ner at second I snapped TO Warner.
heading of the man who was on third
81 the plate. We could have put out four
men, for Warner whipped the ball back
10 me and we pinched the runner who
was on first
There were only four triple plays made
in the National league last season, and I
was in two Of them
one, anyhow-but I try to place" the
ball. and once in awhile I COP out a pinch
swat that tells 1 remember one at
the Polo grounds only last summer that
I made in the last inning. and when we
needed a run to win There were two
out. and all / wanted was to get to first
and then I had made up my mind to take
all kinds Of chances on the bases. [ shot
the ball safe to LETT. stole second on the
first Dali pitched aud then made q break
for third on the next one. 1 slid into
third, took the third baseman's legs out
from under him so that he missed the
catcher's good throw and ] ampled home
with the winning run.
Once I made a three-base hit in Balti-
more, and that also won the game. I
make so few long hits that when I do
make a triple il is an event that I feel
like celebrating. This one was made IN
off Powell CT the St. Louis Browns. 1t
sent in three runs, and as we were t-VO
TO the bad, / was the hero.
To pick out my worst play is pretty
difficult, for I have made so many that
u Is ike looking for needle in a hay
stack. One Of the most costly ones, how
ever, was when I tried to make q circus
play against the WashingtOns in Balti-
more. There were two men on bases
and two out and two runs would win the
game. Delehanty was ar the bat and hc
hit a measly little lick that just bound
ed over the pitchers head. 1t was too
slow hit for me to get to first by q
clean play. so L took the chance Of toss-
didn't 90 within a mile Of him, and both
runners scored If I had Just stopped
the ball without trying to field il only
one run would have been scored and
we might sti I have won the game. But
1 wasn't called down by McGraw for
that
you tried for TIE play, and that's al
want he said.