Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-12-12

Won der Ahe-A Hit That Put Two
Balls In Play at tho Same limo.
In the American Magazine Hugh s.
Fullerton writes of freak plays that
have won great baseball games Fol-
lowing Is one Of the most remarkable
stories:
Among the abnormal incidents that
figured In the earlier history OF the
national game. perhaps none is as we'll
known to old timers as the one which
happened to Cliff Carroll on the St
Louis grounds when he was a mem.
Der of the famous Browns, Perhaps
you have wondered why baseball play.
ers have plain shirt fronts and why so
few players have breast pockets. Cliff
Carroll is the reason. He was running
forward to take a base hit on the first
bound.
"The ball bounced crooked and hit
him CD the chest. he grabbed at the
ball hastily, and as he clutched it he
showed it down into the handkerchief
pocket on his shirt front The runner
saw Carroll Juggling and straining to
tear the bail out of the pocket. and in.
stead or stopping at first be sprinted
Cd to second. while Carroll, still trying
to diSlodge the ball, ran to second. The
batter passed the fielder and turned for
third with Carroll in pursuit. At third
Carroll stopped and tried in vain to re-.
lease the bali. and the runner kept on
across the plate and scored the win
ming run
Chris voD der Abe. who at that
time was at the head OF the euphonic
trio. Von der Ahe. Mnckenfuss and
D~iddlebock. which operated the club.
was furious and ordered all pockets
removed from baseball shirts Other
teams followed, and the pockets never
have been restored except by a few
players who are willing to risk the
repetition OF the accident"
A curious story is this one of a game
where two balls were in play at the
sd me time:
"Perhaps the strangest freak play
was o made by Frank McNichols CD
the Logan Square grounds in Chicago.
The Logan Square team, then owned
by Jimmy Callahan. had persuaded Nc.
Nichols. a ball player Of major league
caliber, to play first base against the
Gunthers, another strong team, and the
score was tied in the ninth inning. The
Gunthers had runners on second and
third with two out, and a base hit
meant probable defeat for the Logans
and loss of the city championship.
"Matty Fitzgerald, a we'll known um
pire. was officiating alone from behins
the pitchers slab. His blouse was fill
ed with extra balls. and in STOPPING to
sight along the plate as the pitcher
wound up be allowed one of the spare
balls to fall to the ground behind him.
The batter hit a hard line drive that
seemed aimed at the pitchers ankles.
"Fitzgerald leaped aside to avoid be.
ing hit, the batted ball struck the
ball on the ground, and the two balls
kissed off at right angles. One went
straight toward the s%hortstop, the 9th.
er toward the second baseman. Each
player thought the bali rolling toward
him was the n in play. and each
dashed forward. made clever running
scoops at the same instant and threw
to first base at the same time.
The shortstop threw high and to the
left of McNichols; the second baseman
threw low and to his right. McNichols.
with bis left hand stretched high,
caught one ball in his mitt, and with
the other hand he caught the low
throw, and Fitzgerald. after scratch
ing his head an instant, called the bat
ter out and refused to allow either OF
the runs that crossed the plate on the
play to be recorded"
The following might be called the
story of the base hit that never came
down:
"Of all the good luck freaks that |
ever heard recounted the best was that
which happened to Frank Isbell when
be was playing with st. Paul in the
old Western league. In those days
baseball on Sunday was not permitted
within the corporate limits Of st. Paul,
and a Sunday park bad been erected
outside the city's jurisdiction.
1.-The ground was extremely small
and was inclosed by a high fence. SO
small was the Enclosure that batters
hitting the ball hard against the fences
were compelled to sprint to first, be-
cause If the ball happened to rebound
directly to the fielder he could throw
q slow runner out As it required
about four hits or their equivalent in
errors to yield a run. small scores were
the rule.
"ln the ninth inning Of this game
Milwaukee bad two runs the advan.
tage. and there were runners on first
and second. with Isbell at bat. st.
Paul's only logical hope was for a
home run over n Of the high fences.
IsbeIl bit a hard line smash to right
1eld against the fence. The runner
on first was a slow man. and the fielder
squatted, expecting the ball to rebound
to him and to whirl and force the slow
man at second base, ending the game.
"But the ball didn't rebound. 1t i'm.
Daied Itself on a wire nail ahOut ron