New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-19
Giants Lose Their First
Game of Year to Dodgers
Great Throw from Right by
Casey Stengel Spells
Hopes of Giants
BY W. J. MACBETH

The Giants dropped the first game
OF the season 70 the Dodgers At I'd
bets Field yesterday afternoon. Inc
score was ( to 3. Everything that the
Imagination is able to associate with
such tight finish is timely so lar
as this battle is concerned. Having
10 lose some time, it is as well that
Brooklyn profted by New YorEs loss
The National League champions were
in a position to appreciate proper
start It was Uncle Robbie's first ad-
vance in five opportunities.
Brooklyn looked the part OF cham
pion in victory The Giants fought
as McGraws team always will fight
right up TO the last out. The vet
Gran Jack Coombs had TO employ all
his cunning and experience to staVe
off disaster that threatened time after
time. Good as he was, Coombs might
not have come off successfully without
the aid OF brilliant support on one or
two notable Instances.
Stengel Spells Rally
Casey Stengel. who as much as any
other individual, contributed forcioIy
70 the belated start Of the champions
snatched the prize out OF the fingers
Of the pacemakers when 1t appeared
the Polo Grounders were about 10
organize one of their famous rallies
A wonderful throw, perfectly exc
cuted by the right fielder, shut or
Fletcher and the tying run at the
plate. This play was made on Ksuh S
sharp single, with Fletcher away 20
a good lead off second. Stengel had
to come in fast 20 make the try, Tor
New York's shortstop is no ice wagon
on the maths. Perfect as was Stengels5
execution, the bold attempt would sun
have been fruitless had not Otto Miller
handled his end perfectly, too.
The throw came in on line, knee
high. but carried to Miller's right
tribe. Otto had to pivot to get MS
trusty big glove into play and tneh
{ dive quickly for F.etcher's Sims At
thur came home beautifully. WIN
hook slide and lost out by incnes only
This one play itself was we'll worth
the price OF admission. But IL was
only + plurbus unum, IN the language
of the tlatbush Squire. With perfect
support Coombs might have had Tess
/ narrowing afternoon Of II. wo very
/ bad indeld errors contributed TO as
many New York runs IN the rag emu
Of the engagement.
Possibly there might have been an
/ other outcome but for little alterea-
/ ton between Lord Byron, the UMPIRE
and Charles Lincoln Herzog. the AVA
tor-agriculturist. Herzog broke all al
/ titude records when Byron called
/ third strike on him in the sixth nm
/ ing Charlie thought out loud, and II
wouldn't do TO publish what he thought:
J He was requested to take the rest oil
/ the afternoon off. No player yet ever
won an argument from an umpire III
the field.
Lucky for CoOmbs
/ Now, whether the strike was GOOD OF
bad doesn't enter into the question al
/ ali Uerzog was the first batter OF the
inning and as two hits followed rap
! idlv. one may guess that Colby JACK
/ Coombs escaped some moments OF an
/ guish anyhow.
But as things happened in the next
/ inning Herzog would have come up
( again with the tying run on the bases
/ KilduA. the understudy of Buck, MADE
/ , brilliant bid with a hard liner which
! MYERS collared. But Kilduf is not
! Hcrzog when the game hangs on
! pinch poke.
! The Giants didn't fatten their batting
/ averages greatly at the expense o.
/ Coombs. but still they were toying WIN
/ him often enough to arrange many deil-
cate situations. Twice Walter HolKe
/ skied for third out where blow "ould
/ have kept New York's season record
pure. In the fourth the cushions were
crowded in the eighth runners we're on
/ third and second when the young hrs'
: sacker had his swings.
{ Sheriff Slim Sallee had the Dodgers
winging from the second TO the slNtn
inning. In the sixth he was shelled on
the hill in jig time. II looked as II INC
/ eoutbpay was short in work George
smith. the Columbia recruit, was hur-
/ ried no 10 the rescue after three cork
ing singles gave the Dodgers thelr sec
ond run and the lead.
Olson scratched a hit of Smith 5
glove and through Kllduf, scoring
Brooklvn's last two runs, but It was at
2 the expense Of Sallee that the runners
/ got into tallying positions.
Smith Taken Out
Smith was taken out not because OF
any shortcoming. The move showed
New York resourceful in its secondary
, strength. jim Thorpe, who batted for
/ Smith in the seventh, delivered pincn
hit that sent the somewhat ponderous
/ Lew mccarthy all the way from hrst 20
/ third and put him in position TO score
on Burns's long fly TO right. Jim MId,
/ dleton. the highly tOuted product OF
/ Louisville. in his two innings, got the
/ smuggling champions in order. ,,
/ NcGraw's grenaders were bit bold
on the bases: at least Miller usually
outguessed them whenever the hlt-and-
run was nut on. A steal by Burns, FOL
! loving his single TO start the game,
! helped 20 New York's first run. But
/ zimmerman. who hit the run home. was
caught By yards when he tried Millers
/ whip. Benny Kauf wasted q golden OPP
nortunitv and a double 90 boot when, IN
/ the second. he advertised the fact that
he would attempt 10 steal third.
pitch-out settled this foolhardy attempt.
Brooklyn tied the score in its half
OF the first. Fabrique singled, took
third on Myers's double and tailed on
/ Wheat's grounder, which Holke handled
alone. Miller singled with two gone IN
the second. lie was the only Dodger 70
see first base from that time till the
I fifth.
Il was Miller again who singled in
+ the ffth. with one out. lie was caught
on an attempted hit and run when
Salee pitched out 20 Coombs. Colby