The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-22
FREAK PLAYS
THAT WON GAMES
Hugh Fullerton Tells Some
Original Odd Plays on
the Diamond.
BY r.. S. FULLERTON.

Tom Corcoran had one of the oldest
baseball experiences in the history of the
national league on the old Eastern park
grounds in Brooklyn years ago, IN a
game against Boston. The game vas
played on the morning OF. LABOR day. and
there had been a hard rain the night be
fore in the early part OF the game Cor
Corau going after a ground ball, felt his
foot slip and his ankle turn. and half
falling he stopped the ball and then fell.
He turned to pick up the ball TO throw
out his man. and saw no ball although
there was a hole six inches across, into
which his foot had plunged. The run
ner, reaching first, stopped and saw
Corcoran with his arm plunged TO the
elbow in the ground, and, after hestat-
ing a moment, he ian on down to sec
ond.
COrcoran. meantime. had been think
ing. His fingers were ciutched around
the ball, and yet he waited, pretending
to be cropping for the ball. The runner
started on, and as he passed Corcoran
dragged the ball out and touched him
out.
One queer thing happened to Eddie Nc
Farand when he was catching for the
Philadelphia American league team. The
game was a close one, and. late in the
battle. with q runner on third, a Chi
cago batsman hit up tall foul fly back
of the plate
Mcfarland ran back almost against
the stand and stood waiting for the ball
TO fall into his mtt Suddenly, however,
the ball took a queer shoot and landed
on the ground nearly ten feet from where
the catcher was standing. As the ball
was falling one of the Young reporters
had playfuly thrown half aE~apple at it.
and. to his astOnishment, had hit the
ball squarely and caused it to shoot side
ways
hit followed and Chicago tied IN the
c-3 me- n IN no fins
Tim DonOhue of lamented memory was
the victim of another case similar to
that of Newfoundland to his dying day
he never fully recovered his temper over
that affair
The game was in Cincinnati, early in
the season of 1891 and the act of a cold
blOoded rOwdy under the grand stand
came near costing Chicago a game. The
score was large and both teams were
hitting freely. when late in the game.
two reds were on bases with two men
out.
Danny Friend, believe, was pitching
the game. and in the pinch he forced the
hitter who. as | recall it, was Heiny
Peitz. to poke up tall foul. Tim, gloat-
ing ED grOaning chased back to the
stand to set the ball, his face wreathed
with grins and his arms extended He
ran up almost under the balcony of the
stand, and for an instant it appeared as
if the ball would fall into the stand it.
self
III came GOWN almost against the side
of the stand. and just as it was about to
strike DonOhue's glove the nervy fan un-
der the stand dashed the contents of n
schooner of beer into Donohue's face. The
ball struck Tim on the arm and rolled
away. while Tim. wild with anger started
under the stand to whip the beer throw
err.
One of the funniest plays | ever VIII
messed was pulled off on the old Balti-
more grounds along in 1896. and it was
good natured, happy Wilbur Robinson
who made the hlunder that resulted In
the defeat of the Orioles when thev miqbf
have won the game
The struggle was between Chicago and
Baltimore and il went into extra innings
In the eleventh. with Chicagoan On
second: Doctor Jimmy McJames made a
wild pitch, the ball shooting crooked and
bounding around back of the visitors
beneh with Robby in close pursuit. The
bail relied back of the water cask and
disappeared. Robby made one franfie
grab back of the cask and then. STRAIGHT
ening up furled q sponge full of water
ar McJames. who was covering the nIate
The doctor grd bbed it. and as the water
flew all over him, he tagged Jimmy Rvan
with the sronSe at the plate and soaked
bis shirt from neck to waist
In spite of the fact that the plav heat
Baltimore. the crowd yelled with delioht
over 1t, and Robby. who had made tho
sponge throw as a joke when he found
ne could not get the ball i'm tjne an
peared as much pleased as if he had won
lhe game by retrieving the ball in time
TO smut OF his man at the plate