New-York tribune., 1918-05-25
Coveleskie Pitches From
Start to Finish of
Thrilling Clash

llShed himself IN niche or the hall OF
baseball fame at the Polo Grounds yes
terday when he beat his favorite man
nlkns and a relay of pitchers by a
score of to 2 after nineteen thrilling
innings.
This was the record game of the sea-
son for length-if not for dispatch
and almost every instant Of the tussle
was fraught with incidents of the most
stirring nature. A dozen times victory
lay within the grasp of either side. A
dozen times the rival pitchers thwart-
cd rallies in the making.
But Covelcskie won the game Or
did he? He will get credit in the years
TO come in the saga of tho sport He
will go down in tho next record books
Of John buckingham Foster as having
turned the trick. He deserves much
credit. No praise for him should be
too stntcd. And vet Coveleskie was
not the Cleveland pitcher that really
scored this sensational and signal tri-
umph-a triumph that toppled Hug
gins's fighting Yankees out of second
place and elevated these visiting Clcve-
land Indians to the distinction in their
stead.
Cleveland pitcher other than Co.
veleskie won out, we repeat. But that
is scarcely truth. He was a pitcher
Cor tried to be- until recently. when
he was assigned to regular duty in the
outfeld, partly because of his hitting
ability We refer to Joe Wood
Old Terror Revives
And what picture of terror that
name conjures up from the bitter and
almost forgotten past of 1912! This
was the same phantom Of 1912 arisen
from the past to taunt New York and
snatch merited laurel from her brow
The same Wood-the same Smoky Joe
Wood-that stood John McGraw's
proud Giant champions of 1912 on their
heads in the worlds championship
Wood is Snew at the outfelding game
Cleveland &ss master in Iris Speaker
at that particular art. But Smoky Joe
Yesterday stepped in where the great
Tristan failed, and by the sheer might
of his shoulders and quick perception
of eye hammered out just the sum to-
tai of runs needed to retrieve Coveles-
kle,s pitching masterpiece.
What was Woods contribution to
this titantic struggle that ran through
more than four hours of frenzied bat
tling? Nothing less than two home
runs, the first of which kept the Indians
in the fight past regulation time, and
the second of which decided the issue
in the nineteenth inning. Players be-
fore had been known to make two home
runs in a game. No player never took
occasion to deliver one of them at Il
more spectacular m moment than did this
nightmare Wood of Red Sox fame.
1t was q poem of pitching perfection
which Stanley Coveleskie, the right
handed enigma of the Indians, reeled
off round after round throughout tha.
spellbound affray. He arose to his best
IN omarpppcioc and %boro 1,,oro y,,,,,.,
such. He pitched with a confidence tha,
baffied the heavy artillery of the Yam
KEGS. Twice the mighty Baker fcl,
down in the pinches. Bodie and Pipn
had their chances now and then. Bu;
Coveleskie was never afraid to gamble
his personal skill against any batting
eye
Yankees Pitch as Well
The pitching for New York was
scarcely less spectacular, and, indeed,
had Allen Russell been left in he might
have carried the Cleveland tribe quite
as far as did George Mogridge, his sue
cessor. Russell pitched seven beautiful
innings. Only one run was earned off
smash far into the left field bleacher.
Russell gave way to Ray Caldwell in
New York's half of the seventh, though
he might have famed quite as grace
fully for the third out.
George Mogridge, until the fatal
nineteenth, was quite the equal of Cow
eleskie, as Allen Russell had been.
Eleven innings Mogridge was hard as
adamant and cold as ice. 1t appeared
simply question as to whether or not
New York would be able to score. And
then the avalanche.
But We are getting ahead of our
story. We are overlooking Woods first
home run, which came like a bolt of
lightning, out of clear sky. Russell
had pitched shut-out ball up to the
time Wood faced him in the seventh.
Tor Cleveland's first run was a gift of
Plpp. Wood was the first man up in
the seventh inning. He swung at the
first pitch and lined the ball like rifle
bullet far into the left field omen
bleacher.
Now in your minds eye picture all
the succeeding innings with their vary
ing fortunes, their heartaches and en-
couragements, and come to the first
half of the nineteenth with darkness
fast closing down and the realization
that If New York can only hold Cleve-
Land just this once as good as a tie
is assured.
Homers Are Duplicates
Mogrldge, who had succeeded Rus
sell, gets the first batter. Up comes
Wood. the same Wood who caused con-
sternation more than a full game back.
ne takes mighty swing at the first
Offering of the southpaw as he swung
at the first Offering Of the right
handler. He meets the ball the same
way. 1t travels with the same wicked
velocity in the very same direction and
lands in almost the same spot. But a
home run far different from the first
This one decides the game. Is there
not reason for New York to curse the
name of Smoky Joe Wood?
But for Walter Pipp's error the game
probably never would have gone beyond
the ninth round, and Russell doubtless
would have conquered the Coveleskie
Jlnx in regulation time. Halt, first un
tor Cleveland in the third, singled,
O'Neill hit wickedly toward Pipp. who
made clean pickup. The tran was
set for an easy double play. But Pipp
threw wildly over Peck's head and no.
body was retired. Halt took third on
this error and scored or Coveleskie's
out to Pipp, unassisted, that should
have retired the side runless.
1T was bitter duel of the romantic
type from here to Cevelands seventh.