Atlanta Georgian., 1913-10-12
LOSING FOUR IN
ROW To BRAVES
. HEADED CLARKE
Scribe Jim Jerpe Says George
StalIings Beat Pirates Out
Of the Pennant.
By Sid G.. Keener.

CT LOUIS, Oct. 1.-THE Pittsburg
y Pirates, pennant contenders in
- the National League annually
since 1900, have been the biggest dis
appointment in this years flag race.
Instead of being even near the top,
the Corsairs of Clarke finished a weak
fourth, even far below the third club.
A thrilling squirt down the stretch
last September and october landed
the Pirates second, a game in front Of
the Chicago Cubs And then came
the visions of the 1913 championship.
Throughout last winter the Pirates
were conceded to be the big choice
for the 1918 pennant. With the re-
markable curving staff, which includ-
ed Claude Hendrix, the 1912 king;
Marty O'Toole, the S22, 500 prize;
Babe" Adams, the 1909 worlds series
hero; Howard Camnitz, Hank Robin
son. Jack Ferry and Southpaw Coop
er, Clarke owned the leading hurling
staff in the circuit.
Great Club on Paper.
To aid the pitchers, the dope
showed that the Pirates had the ban
ner catching department, and then
the great and only Hans Wagner. In
the outfield 1t was Chief Wilson, Art
Hoffman, Scoops Carey and few
stylish youths.
On paper the Pirates outclassed
everything in the league and this
pennant stuff featured all around the
country. Just to see how outsiders
viewed the 1918 Marathon, Jim Jerpe.
baseball expert with The Pittsburg
Gazette Times, canvassed the circuit.
He had scribes in every city write
opinions.
~
at. least three e-fourths elected the Pi-
rates to represent the National
Lsague this October.
The start in April finally arrived
The Pirates jumped out by winning
seven Of their first ten games. But
then something happened. And the
| something which robbed the Pirates
out of the flag was this:
Four straight defeats from the Bos-
| ton Braves.
Four Defeats Turned Tide.
Scribe Jerpe, who has followed the
Pirates around the circuit for years
and years, claims the walloping hand
ed from the Braves In early May was
the blow that took all Of the fight out
of the Corsafrs.
81 never will forget that series
| which started May g." said Jerpe, the
| other day, just before leaving St
Louis with the Pirates. THE boys
| were full of fight. They were ahead
| OF the Giants, and although the Phils
were on top they never even counted
| Dooin's team.
I'VE got to Boston and lost the first
game in ten innings, 3 to 2. The
Braves licked Marty O'Toole, 2 to 1,
in twelve innings the second game.
| The third resulted in a to victory
for Stallings and the fourth a to 4
| for him.
Say, you never saw such change.
| tell you after those four successive
| wallopings the Pirates were through.
They tumbled from second to sixth.
THAT was the biggest surprise
Clarke had received in twelve years
| as manager OF the Pirates. The jolt
| shocked the club completely, Every
dag they went out on the field think
ing OF what happened in Boston. They
couldn't recover.
Pirates Ready to Slip.
"The result was that day by day
| the team slipped, and soon they found
themselves out OF it altogether. And
until the end the Braves had the Pi-
rates number. The series counted il
to 10 for the Braves, and 1t is the first
time since Clarke has been with
Pittsburg that a Boston club won
that many from Pittsburg, Further,
of the eleven victories for Boston.
nine came by one run"