New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-17
GREATEST FIGHT IN
BASEBALL NOW OVER
BIunders Mark the Difference
Between Winning and Losing
Bitter Struggle.
APPLAUSE FOR RED SOX
Applause, Too, for Giants and
Matty, Who Lost Nothing
in Defeat Coming
as It Did.
BY Herbert.

6y herbert.
II is over The Red Sox have carriea
off the highest honors OF baseball
Needless to say, am writing this
under feeling OF keen disappointment
the more so as the Giants appeared to
be in the first flush Of victory when
Murray and Merkle between them
broke the tie in the tenth inning with
crashing drives for a run that doomed
up at least for a few minutes like the
Woolworth Building TO a June bug. Il
was not to be- however, as the stress
and strain told at most critical time.
so that one error Of commission and
another Of omission opened the way
for the fighting Red Sox TO land a tell.
ing blow that turned the worlds cham
pionship for New York into vain re-
grets.
One must be hard loser, indeed who
cannot rise above an aching disap-
pointment to congratulate a winner.
The Red Sox fought a clean, sports
manlike fight, and we'll deserve the
honors and the lions share Of the
spoils. Hugh Bedient, In particular,
must be lauded for the part he played
In landing the worlds championship In
Boston. A young pitcher, and more or
less inexperienced he Is, but he stood
in the breach after Smoky" Joe Wood
had failed on Tuesday, and checked the
hard hitting Giants in their mad uphill
dash for the pennant. iris Speaker, .
batsmen OF the day, must get particular
mention for his timely single, which
meant so much in the nerve racking
tenth inning but, above all, the team
as a whole must be applauded for its
grit and courage In the face Of des-
perate odds, for surely victory was
pulled out Of the burning in that last
grim and desperate stand.
II is a matter Of news that a blunder
by Snodgrass in mufflng an easy ty
ball, and an unfortunate mlsunder-
standing between Meyers and Merkle
In going after a foul from the bat II
Speaker. opened the way for the Red
Sox to land the punch that brought
much Joy 10 Boston town and much
gloom 10 New York. Errors, however
are a part OF baseball most ims
portant part-so that this is no time
to cry over split milk. True, these mis-
takes made all the difference in the
world-the difference between winning
and losing the greatest series In the
history Of baseball series that went
to eight games because one was an
eleventh inning tie, a series in which
the teams In the deciding game strug-
gled through ten innings.
The real pity OF 1t all was that the
defence should break behind Christie
pher Mathewson--Matty. beloved Of
the fans. and by all those who admire
stoutness of heart, answering courage,
wonderful skill and keen, active brains.
big Six" pitched one OF the best games
OF his long and successful career and
If he faltered slightly after the game
should have been over and the cham
pionship won with clean fielding. II
proved only that the old master was
human and detrncted not one whit
from the glory OF his career on the
diamond
It may be pointed out In passing that
the composite score shows that the
Giants scored 81 runs to % for the Red
sox In the full series. that they made
"a safe drives TO 81, and stole i bases
10 only 3 for their opponents. Inc
story Of defeat lies largely in the Held
Ing figures and the unevenness OF tns
defence--that was fatal because someot
the errors came when they Gid the most
harm.
Space is lacking here for a more e1'
haustive analysis OF the full eight
games and can only add once more
at this time my congratulations to the
Red Sox and my congratulations also
TO the Giants. for truly one can drink 20
toast, as my friend Grantland Kiee
says, Ito a team that loses a fight Ike
this"