Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-26
MERKLE IS J|NXED'
Giants First BaSeman Has
Been Most Unfortunate.
FOREVER MAKING MISTAKE
Seldom Makes Error Which Does
Not Prove Expensive for
His Team.

CHICAGO. December 26.-Fred Mer-
kle of the New York Giants can claim
and will be awarded unanimously,
whether he wants it or not. the title
OF worlds champion jinx player
Ii has been his misfortune to figure
In several mishaps which occurred so
directly in the center of the base ball
Imelight that he cannot hope to have
them forgotten as easily as the mis-
takes or slips of base ball heroes
usually are.
Merkle is not the only player who
ever made costly mistakes. There are
many who probably have made more
than he ever did. He is not the only
big league star who has been accused
of petrifaction of the skull. but some
of his brain plumbers have been made
at such times that they attracted the
attention of a nations fans.
Famous Merkle Play of 1908.
The first time the thickness of Mer-
kle's dome became matter of world
wide discussion was in the fall of 1908.
That was the year in which his fail
ure to touch second base robbed AL
Bridwell of a clean base hit to center
field which would have won the Ma
ID,
would have entitled the Giants to play
In worlds series. which they might
have won-apd so on.
Merkie's failure to touch second left
the pennant race a tie and the Cubs
won the playoff and the worlds pen
nant from the Detroit Tigers But
New Workers always believe the Giants
would have beaten the Tigers in 1908
Merkle had touched second.
Perhaps the results of the 1913 series,
just ended, might have softened the
hearts of Gotham fans toward Nc
travis first baseman if he had not
been so unfortunate as to get in badly
: - that is running ahead of
my story.
ytanager McGraw decided to
Keep FRED Merkle after his 1908 mis-
take and threatened to make a star
nrst baseman out of him every one
-applauded McGraw's judgment 1t
would be interesting in the light of re-
cent history TO know now If. the dumpy
ptiot OF the Giants is glad or sorry.
Ohder McGFaWS encouragement and
tutelage Merkle lived down his 1908
blunder sufficiently to become an in
helder good enough to hold down
Job on a team which has won the Ma
llohal League pennant three years in
succession. and that's going a little.
Foul Ball Incident Recalled.
The next time Merkle'e belfry made
noise that could be heard from coast
TO coast was in the worlds series of
1872, but that noise was partially
drowned out by other sounds. In the
nnal game of that series every one re-
members muff of Snodgrass in the
tenth inning lost victory which New
} ork apparently had cinched in the
hrst half of that tenth, and that VIC
tory would have given the Giants in
stead of the Red Sox the worlds pen
nant.
Not so many remember that the fail
ure OF Merkle to cope with an easy foul
ny between first and home bases was
equally responsible for New York's de-
feat. 1t happened shortly before Snod-
grass muf and would have kept the
center felder's error from cutting any
dgure in history. Chief Meyers shares
some of the blame for losing that foul
because he might have made himself
heard sufficiently. in spite of the root
ing, to remove the thought of a col
hSion from the mind of Merkle.
But the fact remains that if McGraw
had not stuck to Merkle the Giants
might have won the worlds series of
1912. 1t is no part of this argument to
hint that without Merkle on first base
the Giants might not have been cham
pions of the old league last year. That
is admitted. and the only point being
established here is that Merkle has
proven a jinx of considerable proper
Mishaps This Year.
The unfortunate first baseman stood
sut prominently in the mishaps of this
ears worlds combat. and it is more
taan possible to show that without him
The Giants would have made better
showing in the late series. 1t is easy
10 show it. 1t is not at all probable
that the Giants could have beaten the
Athletics this year without a lot of
horseshoes on both feet. The finish
was apparent just as soon as it was
seen the Mackmen could trounce any
md all of McGraw's pitchers except
Aathewson.
The fact remains that Merkle was I'M
-ortunate enough to be responsible for
the loss of two games which the Ath-
letlcs won. and that he was on the
bench in the only game which New York
did win. Moreover. il is doubtful II the
Giants could have won that game II
Nlerkle had been playing first base that
day.
The two games for the loss of which
Nerkle can be blamed by the dopesters
were the fourth and fifth. but there are
extenuating circumstances for one OF
them AT least. In the second round OF
the fourth game Merkle's muff of an
easy fly from Barrys bat was responsl-
bic for Philadelphia first run Mclnnis
was on second at the time and Barry
hit the next ball for two-bagger, which
drove in a tally which would not have
been scored if the foul had been caught
In the fourth inning of the same game
Merkle's failure to field grounder from
Bender in time to cut of a ruin at the
plate gave Philadelphia another tally
which faster first baseman might have
stopped Merkle probably would have
made the play easily If he had not been
so lame Then again, another first base
man might not have been injured as
Nerkle was. You see this Is only a
link story. after all. The Athletics won
that game g TO ). and those two runs
meant the difference between victory and
defeat on the other hand, Merkle s
scratch home run was good for three of
New Yorks runs, and another first base
man might not have made IL.
Loses Head in Fifth Game.
For the loss of the fifth and deciding
game of this series Merkle's head. not
his feet, was chiefly responsible. In the
third inning, with Athletics at third and
second and one out. Baker hit along the