The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-11-30
THlCK-HEADED STUNT
Mccormack Couldn't Resist Hit
ting at Straight One.
Former Manager OF Philadelphia and
Providence Teams Tells How For
ner New York Player Lost
Game by Stupidity.
BY BILLY MURRAY.

The greatest play | ever saw-one
that never was made before and |
hope never will be again-was pulled
off by "Bill" Mccormack. when he
was playing for me at Providence
You fellows probably remember
him as outfelder for the New YORK
Giants and when he played semi-pro
ball around Chicago
You know that most OF the famous
bone.head plays made are by smart
players acting under impulse that
they can't control so don't think I'm
accusing Bill of pulling a solid ivory
stunt because he was in the habit of
1t. He wasn't.
We we're playing at Providence a
game that meant lot to us, and we
were fighting for the pennant, and
had a good chance to win. The game
was one of the hardest and best pitch
ed of the year, and the score was
tied when we came to the bat In the
ninth inning | don't remember ex-
dClly, Dul 1 lHllh lhN otpIc woo INV
to one. and that we had sconed our
one early in the game and hung on
to the seventh before Buffalo could
tie 1t up. The Buffalo pitcher had
everything, and II seemed as II we
were in a fair way to being licked
and we couldn't afford to take beat
ing. They came near scoring In the
first half of the ninth, and was wild
to push over run in our half, and
not give them another crack at our
pitcher who seemed to be slowing
up and losing everything he had.
The first man up for us in the ninth
inning beat out slow luck bound
er and the next one laid down sac
rifice Our two best hitters were com.
ing to bat--and was praying for a
single to finish the game. Mccormack
was waiting TO come to bat in case
the hitter who was up failed to deliver
a safe clOut, and was standing about
half way between the plate and first
base, swinging his bat and getting
ready He hadn't made a hit that
day and the Buffalo pitcher seemed
to have him on the string yet like all
players, he was confident that he
could hit and was anxious to be up
there
The batter smashed a hard single
down between left and center, and
the runner on second, who was fast,
came tearing around third for the
plate The left fielder headed of
the ball, and although there wasn't a
chance on earth to catch the runner at
the plate. he cut loose the ball as
hard as he could toward the plate
without taking time TO look or
straighten up. The only chance he
had was a thousand to one that his
wild heave would come somewhere
near the plate It didn't. The ball
came on a line about half way be-
tween first and the plate so wild that
the catcher couldn't reach II. and
what we though was the winning run
came over Imagine my surprise to
see Mccormack run at that ball,
swing his bat and hit 1t q mile to
center field. The umpire, of course,
promptly called the runner out for
the interference, and in the next in.
ming they fell on our pitcher and
hammered him all over the place,
beating us out of the ball game. And
when | asked Bill why he hit that
thrown ball, he said: Honestly, Bill,
| couldn't help It; 1t was the first
straight one I've seen today"