The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-09-16

touched Gilbert as he was racing from
first to second, and started for first
base to complete the double play,
pleased at having outwitted Gilbert
and made a brilliant move Gilbert.
however, was doing some rapid-fre
thinking and seeing for himself and
his team. Leaping after Evers he
threw out a foot and tripped him,
sending him sprawling. Evers, still
clutching the ball, rolled and crawled,
then dived to first base and put his
hand on it before Fromme was within
ten feet of the bag.
Hoelskoetter. meantime. seeing the
mtxup, dashed for the plate. Imagine
the surprise of the Chicago team when
Umpire O'Day was discovered stoop-
ing and intently watching the plate,
expecting all the time Evers would
throw the ball there. O'Day did not
see Evers touch Gilbert, nor did he
see Gilbert trip the fielder, but when
the play to the plate was delayed, he
Whirled in time to see Evers roll to
the base and beat Fromme, so he
called Fromme out but allowed the
winning run to score. 1t was not
O'Day's fault, except in that he did
not think rapidly enough. The fault
lay with the league for furnishing only
n umpire.
: Perhaps the grandest exhibition of
combination playing ever seen in n
game was in an 1S-inning pitchers
duel between Ed Reulbach of Chicago
and Jack Taylor OF st. Louis in 1907.
In the extra innings of that game
Reulbach was saved again and again
by wonderful work and some wonder
full combination palying. No fewer
than six double plays were executed
at all corners of the infield, and in
critical moments when a tenth of a
seconds forgetfulness or lettering
would have meant the loss Of the
game.
The remarkable feature of the game
was that not one of Chicago's double
plays was made until the tenth in
ming, and the score of that game
shows the way the Cub combination
was working on that afternoon, and
how far the men had to go to get into
the plays. The record follows:
Tinker to Evers to Chance. Chance
to King to Chance. Tinker to Chance.
Tinker to EveYs. Casey to Killing to
Chance. Chance to Tinker to Chance.
THE Old Gag" a play christened
and used by Anson's infield when
Pfeffer and Burns and Williamson
were helping invent plays, was n
which taught the succeeding genera.
lions of players how a man caught
between bases should be run down.
With the White Stockings never more
than three men were allowed in the
play, and to the present time all man.
ayers direct their men to play it
that way, n man chasing the run.
ner down near the man guarding the
base, and then tossing the ball to him
and, when the baseman turns the
runner back, the one who has been
pursuing him, fall in to guard the base.
Thus both avenues of escape are
closed, and a fresh runner is always
ready to pursue the firing man. The
White Stocking infield worked 1.-The
Old Gag" to tire out pitchers of the
opposing team and won many games
through that alone. They would play
to let the pitcher get a good start, and
when they caught him between bases
they ran him to a state of exhaustion,
refusing to touch him until he sur
rendered from sheer WEAKNESS. They
caught Rusie once-but the big pitcher
refused to rum, and throwing both
hands above his head trotted to the
bench without waiting to be touched.
There is nothing that steadies a
pitcher and a defensive team, or stops
an attacking club quicker than to
catch a runner asleep on the bases
in a critical moment.
In this particular of catching run
ners in the crucial moments of games
John Killing was the greatest in the
business. His ability and his GOODNESS
in that style of play alone was enough
to, stamp him the best of catchers.
Killing probably did not catch as many
runner in a season as some otheQ
catchers did, but he caught them al
ways at the right moments, when they
counted, and scores of games won by
the Cubs during their championship
a. IA