The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-09
BY DAMON RUNYoN.

with braided arm. and lighting
heart. carried the Boston Red sox
through to victory over the New York
Giants in the opening game of the
worlds series this afternoon.
smoky joe" they call him, al
though when he made his appearance
i'm the land of the living twenty three
years ago this month, his fond parents
thought the world woufd Know ham
only az Howard Emerson Wood. and
smoky Joe II was who emerged
from that fierce fight up under
Coognn,s Bluffs with the ifuu's share
Of the glory.
LIZ. ttses1s arafsree the Esatass WITH
expert skill down to the last flung
ball: ie, them take IL up play by
play, movS by move. and show how
crashing attack by Heine Wagner,
Forrest Cady, Harry Hooper. and
Steve Yerkes. In the seventh INNING.
broke through the pitching defense
of big Charley Tesreau, the hope OF
Gotham, but when all is said and done.
Il was the efsiiie<sessseel nerve OF
Smoky Joe" that lifted the Sox across
10 to victory.
You have been told of Joe Woods
diamond deeds In columns OF type;
you have read. and listened 10
speculation as 10 hts prospects in the
championship tsit. for many weeks,
and you know that men esteem him
great In his calling. but never will
he be greater than he Was In the
last half of the ninth inning this Hf
ternoon-
Wood Faces Crisis.
A quick shift In the Giant attack,
engineered by the master mind OF
baseball brought the big town pack
snarIinE at the heels Of the young
Kansas City boy True. ne held q
two run lead az he faced the Giants
for that final inning, but in mo-
HsAst~ i,s+.- sdYa xataG -@as~ reduced to Ia
single point, with runners on third
and second base. and but one out
The roar OF forty thousand voices
beat about the ears of the wonderful
young pitcher as he faced Arthur
Fletcher the long Skinned. long
chirner. shortstop of the Giants,
crouching across the plate like a
sprinter set for the gun. SQuattins
on his launches in the coaching box.
OF third base, McGraw. the Giant
CHIEF, wss swapping stacatto com
mands to Herzog. who neryously
Jockeyel back and forth along the
base line. while Beals Becker. run
mag ttar-15!g -Anlef- MeSS1S--Q IdQGt.u
around second base.
From the coaching box. Oft first
the voice of Christy Mathewsen relied
IN unceasing chatter that could be
heard above the mad din Of the hui
man bowl In which the scene was set
A mere single meant defeat for Wood.
and Boston, because the fleet Herzog
and Becker would surely score. The
slightest slip OF any sort meant dis
aster---even long fiy to the ontfield
would bring a tie score. and Smoky
Joe knew all this rs ne fingered the
hall. he took his time. He made one
or two fiings to second to make the
agile Becker keep close To the bag:
just behind the box. picking up loose
dirt. and rubbing IL On his hands,
Strikes Out Fletcher.
And then when he was ready lie
pitched to Fletcher. and pitched with
all that binding speed which gives
him his name. and his place among
the great righthanders of baseball. He
struck the Illinois boy out for the
!. third time of the afternoon. making
a total of ten men he had famed with
dazzling smoke OF his delivery
The. next man up, wax Otis Crandali,
the wide shouldered Indiana farmer
boy, mightiest Of pinch hitters, who
had succeeded Tesreau in the hox in
the eighth inning. Perhaps "Smoky
Joe" remembered that the smuggling
Crandall had broken up a game on
the Athletics last year with a smash
At about such stage az this and he
pitched to him with caution. Mean
time Herzog and Becker were making
short. sharp dashes along the base
Tines In an effort to disconcert him
meantime the voices OF McGraw and
Mathewson fioated steadily across the
field: meantime the wild clamor roll
ca down from the two-tiered stand.
but Wood seemed undisturbed.
He took his wind-up--iong circuit
ing sweeps Of his arms. as he swung
the ball above his head. and then
dashed out with motion that seemed
to carry from his heels to his head
4 pitching motion that baseball men
call the follow through" Once he
lost control. and the ball swished
past Crandall's head. so close that
Otis fell Hat on his back ON the
ground. The count was finally three
halls ana two strikes on Crandan. ana
on the pitched bali might depend the
result OF the game.
crandaii. Strikes Out.
The young human catapult drew his
arm far back and then let fly ball
that men will tell you WAS one OF the
swift<st pitched balls they have ever
seen delivered, and which was as
straight ~ a foot rule CrandaH
sss tr1~.,i-,s.a on Sivth pa~.s