The Washington times., 1920-01-19
GIANTS LOSE TILE AS
SNODCRASS DROPS BALL
By FREDERICK @. LIEB.


the famous play-ofr game OF the 1908
National League season between the
Chicago Cubs and the New York Ma
We called Il the Cubs great
game. But even that defeat was sec
ondary with the Giants to their de-
feat by the Boston Red Sox in the
eighth and deciding game OF the 1912
worlds series. In 1908. defeat In the
play-off meant the loss OF league
pennant. In 1912. defeat In the
crucial game Of one OF the most re-
markable worlds series ever played
meant the loss OF the highest honors
In baseball-the worlds champion
ship.
II was the game In which Fred
snodgrass, the Giant center felder,
made the most expensive mufi ever
manufactured. it's exact value to the
Boston players being $35,5i4. Then
Fred Merkle. whose failure to toucn
second base In 1908 lost the Giants
the league championship. also cast his
dark shadow over the piece.
above the coacher's box. the mental
lapse OF the first baseman doing as
much to lose the worlds pennant for
the Giants as Snodgrass' inability to
catch an easy fly.
In attendance, the size OF the gate
receipts and In general interest, the
1912 worlds series was by far the
greatest played up to That time. The
series required eight games to reach
a decision as the second game result
ed In a tie.
Nothing speaks better for the hon
esty of baseball than the fact that OF
the sixteen series played between the
penanr winners OF the National and
American leagues. only two or them
went the full distance and required
deciding game to determine the win
ner. The 1912 series was one of the
two, and balloons championship ac-
tualiy hinged on the last play In the
tenth inning OF the final game.
None Co nspar~s with II.
It 10 safe to say that in no inning
ever played In baseball was SO much
history made and on which so much
hinged on every pitched and thrown
ball as In this tenth inning.
The Red Sox started of as though
they would clean up the 1912 series
in easy fashion. After fve games had
been played the Sox led, three games
to one. the NTH being an eleven
inning 6-to-6 tie.
The Boston players came down to
New York on October IA to finish the
series. 1t generally was expected
that Jake Stahl the Boston manager.
would send in Joe Wood. who already
had beaten the Giants twice. to make
complete Job of II. But instead
Ruck O'Rrien. who had lost the third
game Of the series to Marouard, again
was pitted against the Rube.
In his former game OBrien was
beaten by the close score of to ].
but when the Giants opposed him
second time they slammed him for
f,ve runs In the first inning. and won
handily by q score OF to z.
Joe Wood Il Beaten.
The scene then shifted back to
Boston. when on a cold. windy day.
the great Wood was started for the
third time But Joe met the sam
fate as did O'Brien in New York. He
was hacked to pieces in the first In
ming. Che Giants scoring six runs In
that inning. They won the ga ne cas-
lily by a score Of IL to 4, tying up the
series.
It was the greatest comeback ever
made by a team in a worlds series
and New York was wild over the pros
poets Of its prides pulling out the Sc
ries after they had appeared hope
lcssly beaten. McGraw. the New York
manager, who had lost the 1911
worlds series, was elated over the
prospect OF winning his second worlds
championship.
Boston players played as though they
were in a panic, and the Red Sox,
who had been towering favorites in
me oods. SUDDENLY found themselves
the underdog in the b tting. 1t looked
rs though they were through.
1t was unfortunate that the toss OF
a coin made Boston the place to hold
NNharn Naxu Ynrl