Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-20
BY J. ED GRILLo.


Special Dispatch TO The Star.
PHILADELPHIA, June 2o.-The fact
that the Nationals winning streak has
been broken and two games have been
lost in one day has not affected Manager
Grifffths confidence in his team in the
least He still believes that 1t stands
good chance to finish at the top of the
ladder. and he presents an argument to
substantiate this claim which cannot be
ignored.
He figures that when the present series
here Is over and five games with Boston
have been played there remain but few
games with these two teams. and that
all the rest will be easy. Nor does he
concede that Philadelphia and Boston
are going to take majority Of the games
from the Nationals. With everything
even he actually believes that his team
should beat the worlds champions. and
It has already demonstrated that the Red
Sox have no terrorS for it.
But even If the Athletics and Red Sox
should prove tough picking for his team
Griffith figures that he will have but few
more games with this pair. and that
from that out II will be easy picking
with the others.
II am Just as confident now as l have
ever been" said he this morning we
will make good showing against the
Athletics and Boston, and none of the
other teams are in our class It's long
while to October and i still believe that
the team which beats us out will win the
pennant'
Griffith is not an admirer Of the Ath-
letics as ball team. He believes that
with the pitching and luck even his team
ought to beat the champions, and he Is
one of the few who refuse to believe that
Mack's men will win the pennant this
year. Griffith. in fact, cannot see any
team but his own.
To one John Egan belongs the credit of
breaking the Nationals winning streak.
A decision by him In the tenth inning of
the first game yesterday deliberately gave
the Athletics the game and prevented
the Nationals from having a chance to
add their eighteenth consecutive victory.
In this inning Barry tried to score from
first on long hit to right field. Moeller
relayed the ball to Morgan. who made a
perfect throw home. Henry deliberately
blocked the plate and Barry did not get
within four feet of 1t, yet Egan called
him safe and the game was over. Even
the partisan crowd booted and Missed the
umpire, for the mistake was so palpable
That Egan had no idea of what was GO
ing on about him was evidenced by the
fact that he insisted that the players go
to their positions after he made the deci-
sion which ended the game. He called
game was over.
No team ever lost a harder game than
that first one. With the score 1 to o in
their favor. the Nationals had two men
out in the ninth and Baker up. Hughes
by clever pitching got two strikes and
two balls on Baker. and the champions
slugger foued off five fast balls which
Hughes cut through the center Of the
plate. One of these fouls was a tip
Henry n ho hut he
could not hold the ball for the third
strike. Having fouled his fast ball.
Hughes resorted to the strategic switch
Of pace and he fioated up slow one.
for he timed the ball perfectly, walked
two steps in front Of the plate and hit
1t terrific whack. sending the sphere
over the right field fence for a home
run. which tied the score.
Then came the tenth. Mcbride dis
posed Of McInnis but after making a
great stop of Barry's grounder over sec
ond he threw poorly and Barry was safe.
Then Lapp came long with the hit to
right which gave Barry the chance to at
tempt to score and Egan the opportunity
to do his strong-arm work. and the game
was over.
Tom Hughes pitched brilliant game of
ball. and nothing but the hardest kind
Of luck prevented him from shutting out
the champions and gaining the eighteenth
consecutive victory for his team Tom
has not pitched as good a game of ball
as the one of yesterday in many day.
He had everything that goes to make q
successful pitcher. and he had the hard
hitting Mackmen completely at his mercy
until Baker made that lucky drive over
the right field fence with two out in the
ninth. After that hit Hughes looked
crestfallen. To have victory snatched
from his grasp just when he seemed to
have accomplished his wish seemed cruel,
and then to have a raw decision rob him
Of the only remaining chance to redeem
himself seemed a crime.
But for Baker there would have been
two victories more to the Nationals cred
it yesterday. 1t was he who beat the
home-run drive tied the score with two
out in the ninth. and in the final game
every one OF his three hits cut a figure in
the score. Without Baker the Athletics
would have been helpless before Hughes
and Petty. Not satisfied with winning the
first game with his bat, Baker got to work
right at the outset in the second to re-
peat his performance. 1t was his hit
which started the second. In which his
team scored two runs, and 1t was his
drive which tied the score In the sixth.
q two-bagger to left and scored the run
which won the game for his team.
Though twice defeated. the Nationals
looked none the worse for their expe-
rience. When the bargain matinee was
over 1t could be candidly said that two
good ball teams had battled and that the
winner had had the breaks of luck. If
anything the Nationals were the better