Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-27
By Half a Game.

badly needed to turn the trick.
By Half a Game.
Detroit won the American League PEN
nant by scant margin Of half game.
I recall two games won by the Tigers
over the home run route after their op-
ponents had several excellent opportuni-
ties TO win.
y peculiar fact, or facts. in connection
with these two games was that In both
instances Philadelphia opposed Detroit
Pitcher Summers worked both games for
the Tigers, and. strangely enough. won
both contests by the score of 1 to after
eleven innings of play.
The first battle took place at Phila-
delphia late in July. with Plank and
Summers as the opposing pitchers.
Plank, always hard for the Tigers to
solve. was working in grand form. and
1T didn't seem as If the tribe Of Jen-
nings had chance to score
In the eighth inning Oldring led off for
the Athletics with a. single and was sac
rifced to second. Eddie Collins followed
with hard fly to right. 1t was a ques-
ton whether or not Cobb would be able to
field the ball. Oldring hesitated for mo-
ment and then decided to take the chance
eyelash: his slight hesitation had cost the
winning run and the game.
Perhaps no batter is more feared than
Sam Crawford. and no player has q bigger
reputation for his ability to break up
games. Each time Sam faced Plank his
teammates fmplored him to smash it out
OF the lot Sam tried his hardest to re-
Spond, and twice Danny Murphy, who was
playing right, robbed Sam of hard drives
by phenomenal catches off the fence. In
one of PIank's fast shoots on the nose
and hitting it far over the right center
field. That drive won the game.
The other great game took place at De-
troit late in September. when the Tigers
were making their last stand in the bitter
struggle for first honors. The Athletics
were trying their hardest to put Detroit
out of the running. but the luck Of the
game always favored the Tigers
Eddie Summers. after winning the first
game of a double-header rather easily,
essayed to pitch the second game. 1nas-
much as the Philadelphia team had failed
10 win game off his pitching Jennings
readily agreed when he expressed desire
10 start the final.
Connie Mack selected Schlitzer to work
for the Athletics. and for ten innings it
was real pitchers battle, with honors
about even. In the seventh the Athletics
lost their chance to win through some
rather poor base running
Seyhoid started the inning with single,
put was caught mapping ii moment later
ana retired. Strunk, one of Mack'S Young
Sters, cracked out u safe ono. and through
some great base running stretched II into
double. only to be put out when he
ovcrSiid second. The next batter singled
but was forced at second. Thus i'm one
inning two singles and double failed to
produce d run.
In the tenth inning a rcmarka BILE catch
by Cobb spoiled what looked like q sure
home run from the bat of Schlitzer In
In" eleventh Claude Rossman broke I'D the
game with his big stick Meeting a fast
one squarely. he drove the ball to the CEN
teT field corner. Cobb would have heeu
sitting on the bench on such n hit before
they got the ball home. but Rossman man
sged to beat the relay small margin
Ihat ScaEt margin was enough, however
for ii spelled the only run of the game a.
well as victory.
Don't try TO figure out who would
cave won had, these two games been
.oSt by the Tigers If YOU do some one
may soon question your sanity.
The grand work of Hobo Ferris at
:ird base for St Louis Browns this
,ils year made him big favorite in
Mound City. but :. home run drive ,ha,
broke the Boston hoodoo first Installed
Hobo IN the good sraces of the fans.
boston had been trimming the
"fowns with regularity and the ST.
. ..ouis fans were sore over it. On the
browns beaten. to o. up to the last
talf OF the eighth. with CIV Morgan
pitching the finest kind of ball Things
certainly looked bad for the bunch
beaded by McAlcer.
After two men had been retired in
The eighth Morgan appeared to lose
control and passed two men and hit
another With the bases filled and
Ferris up the fans besecched him to put
the ball where Casey didn't. Hobo
swung at two and missed and then
he connected squarely and as the ball
sailed into the left field bleachers for
home run the fans went wild with
delight Iiobe had accomplished a feat
that rarely falls TO the lot of ball
player. The hoodoo had been broken
The fans who moment before were
lead sore were now the happiest in the
and. Hobe was a real hero.
No pitcher ever lost harder game
han id BIZ Donovan to Boston late
n september. On this occasion Short
stop Wagner was the man with the big
stick
1t WAS all-important game. and
when Fred Lake selected Young 70
work for Boston Jennings decided. to
Use Bill Donovan. Both teams scored
run early IN the game through err.
'ors When Boston came to the bat in
he ninth II was one and one. Donovan
lad famed ten men and allowed onl,
few hits.
With two down and two on the sacks
Wagner stepped 10 the plate. After
aking wild swing at a fast one h
net a curve square on the nose ano
cracked out one of the longest hits
.ycr seen on tho home grounds. II
truck the left field fence on Il short
IrSt bounce. For time that hit
threatened to lose the pennant for the
eigers.