Evening star., 1912-10-01
BY J. ED GRILLO.

This is getaway day at the ball park.
| The final game of the season isa to be
played there this afternoon, when the
| Nationals and Bostons clash for the last
| time in this campaign AS a result of yes
terday'S defeat and the Athletics victory
the Nationals hold on second place is
once more threatened, their lead now be-
| ing but u single game. Yet if they can
win today. making it two out of three.
they are sure To retain their advantage,
for the Red SoX go to Philadelphia to
finish the season, while Griffith's men
Will he engaged in New York.
Griffith will work Bob Groom this aft
| ernoon. and it is likely that Charley Hall
will pitch for Boston. Groom has won
his nine last games, and. while he was
forced to retire in the ninth inning in
Philadelphia Friday, the game was event
ually won. so that, while he does not get
chedit for victory, he is not charged
with loss.
Groom has been very successful against
the Red SoX this season, and he hopes
to increase his winning streak by one at
their expense this afternoon.
If conditions had been such that Joe
EnSel could have been worked more
often he would probably be more ef-
fective pitcher by now. His trouble is
lack of control. and the only way he will
ever master this weakness is to get into
the game as often as possible. EnSel was
not hit hard yesterday, but nearly all the
hits made off him were most timely.
This season has proven good schooling
for the young pitcher and by next season
he ought to be ready to work regularly.
Joe Boeh1inS. who succeeded Engel, is
much too green to be figured on. Boehl-
ing appears to get very nervous when he
gets on the slab and he does not always
seem to realize what he is out there for.
He has a lot of stuff, that is true, but he
needs whole lot more experience before
he can make good in this company.
For six innings it seemed that O'Brien
was on a fair way to get his name on the
base ball honor role, in that he seemed
destined to pitch no-hit game. Things
We're breaking very well for O'Brien dur
ing the early innings. and incidentally he
was pitching good ball. But, beginning
with the seventh, the locals fell on him
with a vengeance and there was an ex-
hibition of clean hitting such as is sell
dom seen. The lead which Boston had,
however, was too great to overcome and
OBrien got away with a victory when, if
he had been opposed by competent pitch
ing, he would have been driven from the
box in the closing innings.
speaker S nome run. winch opened the
third inning, was q long line drive 1-r
over Mian'S head which rolled to the eX-
treme corner of the fence and allowed
Speaker to make the circuit with compar-
ative ease.
Clyde Engel. who is filling Larry Gard
ner's shoes at third, made a sensational
play in the second inning yesterday which
undoubtedly robbed Gandil of a two-base
hit. The ball was hit directly over the
bag, where Engel speared it, and with
out getting himself in position to throw
he managed to get the ball over to first
in time to retire the runner. Engel has
proven a very valuable man for the Bos-
ton team. He fills in almost anywhere
and makes good, and while Jake Stahl
was injured he played a very satiSfac-
tory game at first base.
1t was the first time in several weeks
that John Henry broke into the game and
he showed the effects of his dleness,
though. of course, he was handicapped
by having to catch a pair of crude pitch
ers, who kept him in hot water most of
the time. Williams broke into the game
as a pinch hitter in the eighth, and he
made good, hitting single into left.
1t is evident that the burden of pitch
ing in the worlds series will fall on the
shoulders of Joe Wood. 1t is decidedly
doubtful if any one of the other members
of Stahrs pitching staff will be able to