The Washington herald., 1909-03-07


the baseball season of 1854 In that cam
paign the record for successive victories
for major league club was established
by the Providence Grays, who put to-
gether twenty straight; Charley Sweeney
famed eighteen men in nine-iuning con
test, which still remains a big league
record, and Charley Radbourne gained
fame and renown by twirling twenty
one consecutive championship games
Early historians OF baseball say that
Rad, dngpin of pitchers in his time.
worked in twenty-seven successive bat
ties, but the files Of baseball papers Of
that year show that twenty-five was the
number. 1t is possible that the ~0ld
HOss' pitched twenty-seven consecutive
contests, but If he did so. five Of these
We're exhibition affairs, of which there
is not now any trace, writes f. J. Ian
lgan-
Radbourne not only pitched twenty-five
games in a row for the Rhode Islanders
twenty-five years ago in order TO win the
pennant for the Providence team. which
was managed by Frank Bancroft, now
business representative of the Cincin-
natl club but he oficiated on the rubber
that season in seventy-twO contests, and
when he wasn't pitching was playing
either right field, shortstop. or first base.
RadbOurne seems to have been basebalTs
original iron man Certain IS il that
there is no finger nowadays capable OF
pitching twenty-five games in a row. or
Of accomplishing what RadbOurne did IN
lsS+-winning fifty-nine contests
Average Was .z5O.
Providence's average that year was $50.
the National League teams then playing
ll2 games. OF the eighty-four triumphs
Of the Grays. Radbourne was responsible
for ffty-nine, Charley Sweeney bagging
the Hons share Of the other wins. But
Sweeney jumped the Rhode Island team
in midsummer, leaving the Grays With
Radbourne TO depend on TO win the pen
nant They had two other hurlers-
Comfy ana Miller-but these men were in
experienced and Bancroft seldom used
them
There are many tales Of how Rad
bourne started on his record breaking
exploit Of pitching twenty-five straight
games. Some chroniclers say that
Sweeney walked of the field In Phila-
delphia and refused to pitch any more
tor Providence, leaving the "OId HOss"
as the teams lone bOxman II the
Californian did this the public prints of
1884 do not mention that fact and the
tale that the team had no other pitcher
than RadbOurne doesn't agree with the
scores, which show that Miller and Con-
l. were on the clubs payroll and oeca-
sionaily twirled for the Grays after
Sweeney jumped to the ST. Louis Ma
nf aa clr
ZION.
Radbournes remarkable record Of
twenty-five games in a row. Of which
nineteen were victories, started on Au-
gust, q, 1854. against the Chicago club.
and ended on September "A, against the
same team
Eleven Consecutive Victories.
Eleven of Radbourne's twenty-five
games were consecutive victories. the
break coming on September 9, when the
Buffalos, with Jimmy Calvin pitching.
ook the Grays into camp by a score Of
70 The Bisons on that date more
over. stopped Providence from recording
twenty-one triumphs in a row. The tenn
porary setback did not disconcert Rad
bourne and his teammates. for they got
busy again and wen eight contests in a
stretch. Their next defeat was sustained
az the hands Of Detroit, which club had
Charley Getzein on the rubber. and then
won its only game Of the season from
the champions, the score being 7 to J. on
September a the Grays again were beaten.
this time by Chicago. and on the next
day Radbourne took a weH-earned rest,
Comfy doing the ninging for the New
Englanders.
In the twenty-five games Radbourne's s
opponents only thrice were able To make
ten or more hits of him. On August .2S.
the Chicagos, who finished fourth in that
yeer. cot eleven wallops of Providence's s
IRON man, While on August 90 and Sep
temoer Is the Detroits. who were tall
enders. made ten safeties or him. the
first Of these games going eleven innings
Showing his great anJ sustained effect
iveness, Radbourne's adversaries were
able 20 bat only at a III clip In these
twenty-five games and averaged less than
three runs to the contest. His record OF
twenty-five straight engagements follows: