Evening star., 1919-02-24
BASE BALL ON THE. INSIDE
WITH BILLY EVANS

! One day last summer while on the
Boston bench before the festivities, the
Red Sox players were discussing quick
finishes. The day previous. Babe Ruth
had put one on at the expense of Cleve-
land For eleven innings Cleveland and
Boston had battled without a score, SO
efficient had been the pitching of Sam
Jones for Boston and Stanley Cove
leskie for Cleveland In the twelfth
Iinning with Amos Strunk on first as
a result of a hit. Ruth met fast one
| on the nose and sent the ball up into
the right field bleachers- It was one
of the rnehtiest drives I have over
seen and broke UP the ball game. just
as the fans were settled back for a
record breaking extra-in inning affair.
The winning of that game meant
much to Boston. 1t was the opening
event of a five-game series with Cleve-
| land, that had much to do with deter
mining the pennant winner. 1t put
plenty of confidence in the Boston
club-just the thing needed Ruth's
wallop was the all-absorbing topic in
Boston, among nobody more than the
Boston club. The rapidity with which
Ruth busted UP that game caused
Heinle Wagner to recall how Bill Car
rington brought a game to an even
more rapid close in New York, only
with the reverse English.
| i was the plate umpire and the facts
| as related by-Nagner were soon fresh
| in my memory Boston went into the
| final inning three runs to the bad.
Almost in a twinkling the bases were
! filed with no one out Bill Carrigan
tn III Ty-cf E.I1
was to his liking and Carrigan took
healthy swing. The ball sailed on a
| line to the left Of shorstop. 1t looked
( good for a couple of bases. Going over
at top speed the Yangee shortstop nab
| bed it with his gloved hand, touched
second, threw to first, retired the side
| and broke up the game.
| Dutch Leonard, who had come to
Boston to see the game, was on the
| bench talking things over with his
| old teammates. He laughed as Wag-
ner told how Carrigan had cleared
| the bases on one ball.
| 1T didn't take Bill long to end that
| ball game" said Dutch, but believe
have him at least tied for speed. and
am, pretty certain my episode con-
tanned more action. We were playing
Detroit 1t was the last half of the
ninth and the Tigers had filled the
bases with one man out. when our
pitcher was yanked and I was sent iu
We had a two-run lead. I went in
cold and didn't have much to offer as
Sam Crawford stepped into the bat
ter's box. I got the curve inside, Just
at the letters, and it wasn't a very
good curve at that Crawford stepped
back, pulled 1t down the first base line
mile minute, and a moment later
/ was putting on my sweater, and
saying a lot of unkind things to my
self about myself"
While il may seem. strange to say
an umpire could break up a game in
even quicker time, did it once in st.
Louis some years ago. st Louis lost
without ever finishing the last half
OF the ninth inning, which is also a
bit unusual when I tell you rain or
darkness didn't interfere. Neither did
/ call time.
1t was the second half of a double
header with Detroit The Tigers had
fashion and were leading something
like to when st. Louis came to bat
in the last half of the ninth inning
of the second game. The playing of
the ST. Louis club had been a dsap-
pointment to the large crowd
The first man up for st. Louis was
an easy, out. 1t was rather late in.
the fall, and a bunch of recruits were
sitting on the, st. Louis bench Art
Griggs was sent UP to hit for the
catcher. With the count two balls
and two strikes, the next pitch was
right over the plate, but a trif1e low,
so 7 called it a bali. It might have
been called either way without much
protest Griggs evidently thought I
had called itI aAstrike, because. he
started for the bench. The crowd was
making so much noise it was impos-
sible to make ones self beard The
electric score board did not exist in