Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-26
CATCHER LAPP AND ATHLETICS
OVERLOOKED A GOOD THING
Larry Doyle in Sliding Home in Yesterday
Game With Winning Run Missed the
Plate, But Quakers Were Asleep.

, when in the third inning Oldring drove
| the ball into the seats In left and three
| runs crossed the plate. That drive seem
| ed to end the series, and even the New
/ York Players appeared to concede .ile ,H.
/ defeat. Coombs was going spiehdiuiy
4 until the seventh. when he stepped INTO
/ a wild spell. which resulted in the scor-
| ing of one run, and IN the eighth he met
| with the mishap referred to. which even
tually cause his defeat. The home run
tory. really caused the defeat of the Atm
| letics. for 1t caused the removal or the
husky left-hander from the game ana
brought into 1t Pitchers Ames and Gran
| for the Athletics. There would probably
| have been more scoring had Marquard
| remained. but off Ames and Crandall
| there was none, and the three runs which
| the home run produced were all the
Mackmen got during the afternoon.
| Coombs mishap came in the eighth.
Doyle had singled and he was pitching to
Snodgrass, when he slipped and pain
could be seen in his face. The Athletics
players ran to his aid but after a few
moments wait he concluded to. continue
the task. He got out of the inning with
out any further trouble, only to be pum-
meled quite hard in the ninth when the
score was tied. Had he been withdrawn
when he hurt himself. all might have been
different
A lucky hit by Fletcher caused all the
. trouble. CoOmbS had retired HerZOg. the
first man to face him in the ninth. when
Fletcher popped up little fly to left
which could not be reached and was good
for two bases. Even then there did not
seem to be any danger, for Meyers proved
| held Crandall cheap and put the first
ball straight over the plate. Crandall
| is a hitter of prowess and he met it
squarely and sent it on long journey
to right center. Fletcher scored and
Cranda, pulled up at second. Devore
followed CrandalTs example and swung
at the first ball pitched, a hit to left
resulting, which scored Crandall with
the tying run.
Coombs was taken out after he had
hit safely in the tenth to let Strunk run
for him. and this forced Plank into the
game. Doyle. the first man to face him.
hit to left for two bases after two strikes
were him. Snodgrass hunted. but
Planks throw to third was late. Murray
flied out to short right and Doyle was
held on third. but Merkle drove a long
fly to right, which Murphy caught on
foul ground with his back to the stand.
He erred in making the catch for he
was unable to make throw home. and
the winning run crossed the rubber. OF
course. Murphy could not tell whether
he was on fair or foul ground. Had he
had his wits about him he would have
allowed the ball to drop. for there was
no chance to make play if it happened
to be fair. and if 1t fell foul 1t gave
Plank another chance to work on Merkle.
From what looked like cinch for the
Athletics the situation has suddenly
changed to one in which the Giants must
be figured to have a good chance. The
sixth game will be played in Philadelphia
today. 1t will probably mean that Plank
and Ames will face each other. Incl
dentally it gives McGraw an advantage
in pitchers. He can work either Ames
or Marquard today. because neither
pitched more than a few innings yester-
day. With Mack it is different. He must
rely on Plank, for Bender is out of 1t for
the time being at least, and Coombs went
nine innings yesterday, not to speak OF
his injured groin.
Yesterday was the first time that the
Giants have shown anything with the
bat and then not until it was apparent
that Coombs was weakening.
Just when it seemed that there was
nothing but remote chance for the
Giants they took advantage of an open
ing and won the game. Both sides bene-
flied by errors. The three runs made by
the Atisetics were the result of muffed
thrown ball by Doyle when there was
a double play in sight in the third Lapp
had singled with one out, when Coombs
hit to Fletcher. who tossed to second
in time to force Lapp. but Doyle dropped
the ball. Oldring's home run scored both
runs a moment later. similar misplay
gave the Giants their first run in the
seventh, when Barry and Collins had a
chance for a double play and Collins
muffed the ball.
The awakening of the Giants hitters
is viewed with alarm by followers of the
Athletics The fact that the team did
not hit to amount to anything in the first
four games may mean that 1t is due
for a lot of swatting in the remaining
Struggles. which may possibly be two
more in number. for IL the Giants win
today the series will again be a tie. Bal
teams have their batting slumps and
| s'reaks. and the hitting of the Giants yes
terday is taken to mean that they are due
to do their share of the hitting from
this out. Doyle was particularly strong
/ with the stick yesterday, getting four
hits, two doubles and two SINGLES in five
/, trips to the plate. But the Improvement
| IN the stick work did not end with him.
The entire team did better. notwithstand-
Ing the fact that Coombs famed nine of
them On the other hand. the hitting of
| the Athletics was decidedly light. They
| were fortunate enough to get three runs
| with single wallop. but just as soon as
Marquard got off the rubber the hitting
| ceased.
| If McGraw loses the series he will un-
| doubtedly blame himself for not using
| either Crandall or Ames earlier in the
| series Both made splendid impressions
| yesterday and 1t seems certain shat
either would have been troublesome had
! he been allowed to start game. Ames
worked in but three innings and Crandall
In four. while Marquard went the other
| three. Any one of the trio should be
| able to come back today If needed and
| deliver the goods. The Athletics only
hope appears to be Plank, for it is hard