Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-18
SOME LUCKY PLAYS
IN BASE BALL
BY HUGH S. FULLERTON.

AnSOn uSeu 10 say, ne luck eNeHs up.
But it never does. There are lucky clubs
and unlucky clubs in base ball. and luck
is one of the biggest elements in the game.
The runs of good and bad luck that come
to teams either get them so full of conf
dence they can't be beaten discourage
them that they could win game with
a high sky. a head wind and a home UNI
pire. The freaks of luck are strange and
peculiar. | remember one through which
the old Chicago team won a game
The team was playing Washington. and
in the ninth inning Chicago was two runs
| to the bad, with two on bases and two out,
when LANCE ripped a hot grounder toward
short. II looked easy, but the Shortstop
| fumbled. and LANCE was safe. One run
scored, and Ryan. who had been on second.
turned third and dashed for the plate,
seemingly throwing away the game. De
Mont. the Washington shortstop. recovered
the ball and made quick snap throw to
the plate; but the throw was high, and the
ball went over the catchers head to the
stand. rolled mp inclined door uy which
the players reached the dressing room, and
thence through a hole which had been cut
in the stand that player could reach
a hand through and open the door. LANCE
scored, winning the game for Chicago
After the game was over Joe Campbell.
Tom Browne and [ tried TO drive a ball
through that hole by main force and failed;
the hole was too small. The only explana-
ton ever advanced for the freak was that
the ball twisted itself through the hole,
= x
There is a small hole, about two inches
high and perhaps three long. under the
Pittsburg grandstand just back of first
base that has won the Pirates three games
in the last six years. Each time over
throw of first resulted In the ball rolling
straight and true through that hole and
under the grandstand, although the space
IL small that the DlaNPrS have failed
hundreds of times to throw a bail through
it from distance of a few feet.
The hole IS regarded by the Pirates as
their mascot, and they have had several
sharp skirrnishes with opposing players who
have attempted TO fill II.
The most historic accident in base ball is
that which happened to Cliff Carroll IN ST.
Louis-the one that resulted IN Won der Abe
ordering all the pockets cut off the Browns
uniforms.
Cliff was in centerfield. with q runner on
first, when the batter cracked safe hit TO
center. Cliff came forward rapidly. intend
ing TO hold the runners at first and second.
The ball took a bad bound and struck Cliff
in the breast, and in grabbing for it he
showed 1t into the pocket of the shirt. In
vain he tugged at the ball-it would not
come out; so he started to run forward The
runners, asping the situation, tore around
the bases with Cliff in pursuit, but before
he got the ball out of his pocket both run
ners had scored. st. Louis was beaten and
Won der Abe was wild.
* *
A strange accident happened In game
between Chicago and Boston back in the
early nineties. The Boston grounds are
built alongside the New York. New Haven
and Hartford tracks, the left field fence be-
ing against the embankment, which fire.
quentIy breaks the fence by its weight. let
ting rubbish through, and showing out the
top of the fence until 1t leans out over the
field.
one day Billy Hamilton cracked a line
drive to left that struck the fence and shot
down into the angle. Walter Wilmot
crawled under the leaning fence and began
/ searching for the ball. which had failed to
/ bound out and Hamilton went sprinting
around the bases As Hamilton turned sec
ond Wlmot cr4wfcd from under the fence
and hurled Il tomato can into the field The
bah was inside the can.
As Itittredge tells the story Dahlen
caught the can and tagged hamilton with
IT, but Gaffney refused to call Hamilton out.
claiming Ire not touched WIKI the ball,
but with the can.
As matter OF feet, Wilmot only sue
ceeded in throwing the half way up TO
third base and before Dahicn could pry the
ball out of the can Hamilton had scored.
ono tough luck < alue Was luSl DS fitiS-
| burg on the west side grounds IN Chicago
in 1S,iS-and Barney Dreyfuss never has
been fully convinced that lie did not get
the worst OF the deal
Chicago and P2ttsburg had battled for
thirteen Innings-and the score was 1 to /.
That day Charlie Kuhn. the groundkeeper,
! had laid line OF garden hose in the third
| base foul line. 1t was at the outside OF the
| littie trench dug through the sod. and did
| rot protrude above the level OF the field.
| practically being buried in the base line. In
! the thirteenth inning, with two out and "A
| man on first. Griffith pnked a weak little fly
out over third base. Clarke couldn't reach
| IL and Je1ch couldn't get back TO it, The
! ball fell on the hose bounded crooked on TO
! the foul ground and rolled to the grand
| stand, and the wIan ng run counted.
! G}rcyfUSs always b IS claimed the hit was
! foul, because 10 bound toward the stand
1 she BAH must have struck the outside edge
! Of the hose. which was on the outside edge
| os the foul line. O'Day gave Chicago the