The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-05-09

.rhe beauty about it is. said Washing
ton baseball club is hitting EN- at the
rate OF every alternate game, which,
being Interpreted, means il has won
every alternate game since the season
opened here on April p. and, with the
single exception of the shut-out by Cy
Young, has furnished a thrilling finish
IN every game lost. The fans OF WASH
ington have had more OF a run for their
money in the way OF excitement than
any others In the American League cir
cult TO date
rhe game washington won from the
Athletics yesterday by TO ? was a per-
feet specimen Of the article the club
has put up all the year. after holding
the Athletics TO three nits and no runs
in eight innings. Tom Hughes weak
ened in The ninth. and allowed the Ath-
letics to make four singles. thereby
earning two runs When Chief Bender,
last man UP, came TO bat there were
men on third and second. and Hughes
was sailing higher than the Monument.
The chief has the reputation as a saw
age swatUer in such emergencies. but
the pop fly he sent Freeman was thor
oughly tame and civilized.
It is doubtful whether in all the pres
ent season there Will be q more thrilling
moment at the local ball yard than that
when Coombs caught a fast ball on top
of his bat in the ninth inning with
men on third and second, as aforesaid,
and knocked il straight up over the
plate Such an one presents the most
| difficult Of all ordinary flies. and in the
! waning light with a heavy bank Of
I coluds overhead. this particular sky
scraper was unusually dangerous. But
what caUs Al the special thrill was the
| fact that as Street walked forward 10
/ set under the sphere It was seen that
| lie was sure 10 run afoul OF the bat
/ COombs had dropped. The fans ali Sd "
/ that Street and the bat must mingie
| but the catcher did not. Il was no use
! TO tell warning-all that could be done
/ was 10 wait and trust to luck. From q
! baseball standpoint the suspense during
| the two or three seconds that ball vas
/ in the air created A sensation much like
] that OF a man who is falling, In thai
/ every possibility in the way OF losing
/ q game flashed across the mind mingled
| with feelings OF hopeless Indifference
= But the Rep2sZ rabbits feet were or
] the job. The catch was made a minute
! fraction Of a second before Streets foo
/ touched the rounded trap Of destruction
#, the ball and the game was saved RICH,
| there, for the fckle goddess seldom
| throws mere than one glorious chance
| TO longtime loser.
After this effusion. let US pause Ions
| enough tC yell once more, Rah fol
l Street,
I That the Washington batters will fai
10 bring home the necessary runs many
| days this season Is cinch. That
1 what the other pitchers are paid for
| and If we could always land the psy-
! Geological tap the club would not lose
I a game and the race would be ovel
/ row. Still, to date Washington has
I done n surprising amount OF opportun'
! hitting. For instance. yesterday Bender
| was solved in only three rounds OF the
| eight. and five OF those seven hits Gu
an important figure in the rungetting
! The only waste was a brace of clout.
/ in the second inning with two out
| Further. both Of Washington's runs IL
| the third inning went home with tive
| out and that in the fifth materializet
with one down.
Alas for our regulations as the origI
! nal base stealers. That great tripIt
steal in the third inning was not .
| steal at all, but was a balk Comm,
| Mack said this morning he had neve
[ seen anything exactly like It. He add
/ ed that nobody but Umpire ConnoIl,
| saw II anyhow. but he did not roasf
| the arbitrator and was inclined TO ACRE,
l that the decision was fugf