Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-06-19

eteHed IOSt. Harvey, a left-nanueC
pitcher, was compelled to play third
base because of the badly crippled
condition of his team and in the seV-
entn inning. Chicago being one ahead,
the opposing team got runners to
first and second before anyone went
cut Naturally the play was for 1.-The
batter to push down a sacrifice bunt-
Inc White Sox had a system of play
designed to kill the sacrifice in that
situation The shortstop and second
baseman, aided by the pitcher, were
TO hold the runner at second as close
to the base as possible. The third
baseman was to play close. as if in
tenolng to take the bunt, but as the
ball was being pitched he was to run
back, cover third, while the pitcher
helded the hunted ball. threw to third
ana forced out the runner at that
point. Harvey had been carefully
coached how the play was to be exc
cuted, but the batter, detecting the
play from the actions of the short
stop and second baseman, changed
signals and decided to try TO drive the
ball past Harvey hard instead of
Harvey whirled and sprinted back
to third. The batter chopped the
ball hard and sent a line hit straight
toward third base The ball struck
Harvey on the back of the head, and
bounded high; the sub-third baseman.
he CT the
base, caught the ball and, by fast
throw to second doubled the runner
off. As Harvey came off the field
nursing the bump on his head Mana
ger Jones remarked; That's using
your noodle, Old Man"
Leeford Tannehill was the hero of
a remarkable play late in the season
Of 1906, and, as the play saved the
game for Chicago, and as the White
Sox won the pennant by a One-game
margin and then beat the Cubs for the
worlds championship, the freak play
might be said to have given the Sox
the worlds championship. The game
was against st. Louis and with the
White SoX one run in the lead, an
error and a two-base hit put Brown
runners on second and third with one
out. The infeld was called close to
cut off the runner at the plate and
prevent a tied score. as Jones, the
manager, saw his Alm could not hit
the st. Louis pitcher and figured a
tie probably meant a defeat. The ball
was hit f1ercely and straight at Tan
nehill, who is one of the surest field
ers in the business and possessed of
a wonderful pair of hands for block
ing hard-driven balls. The ball ap-
peared to be bounding true but on the
short bound, it struck something
shot straight at Tannehills chin, hit
him and, as he reeled from the knock
out blow, the ball fell back directly
into his hands. He threw to the plate,
then sat down looking foolish and took
the full count before he was able to
get up.
Larry Doyle's lucky kick which al
most gave the Giants the National
league championship in 1908 is an
other historic freak of play. Those
perennial rivals, the Giants and Cubs,
were playing what seemed the decid-
ing series of the year, the Cubs need
ed one run to tie and had two men on
bases, when the batter hit viciously
between Doyle and second base.
Doyle reached the ball but it broke
through his hands, and it seemed as
If the error had given Chicago the
game. Instead, the ball hit Doyle's
shin; bounded straight into the hands
of Bridwell, who was on second wait
ing for the throw, and an easy dou-
bic play retired the Chicago team,
New York winning by one run.
The tales most often told are those
Illustrating how i'll fortune will pur-
sue teams and the instances of runs
of luck" and tough breaks" are as
numerous as there are games multi
piled by players. The Chicago Cubs
never will cease mourning the fact
that George Robe, Of the White Sox,
one Of the weakest players that ever
broke into the American league, and
a weak hitter, beat them out Of one
worlds championship Robe, who
wasn't strong enough to hold s sub