The Washington herald., 1920-02-16
FREAK RECORD
AT FIRST BASE
Eleven Players in Ginning
Game Without a Putout
At Initial Corner.
By GEORGE L. MoRELAND.

At Initial Corner.
By GEORGE L. MORELAND.
Several times 1 have noticed the
statement printed in guides as well
as articles that there have been but
five ball players covering first base
that have gone through a regular
game of nine innings without hav-
ing a put out credited to them.
/ also have a letter from a fan
in Washington asking me to give
the correct number of players who
have performed this most remark
able feat.
For the benefit of many 7 will for
the first time print the names and
dates on which a first baseman has
done this.
Two In Majors.
First of all / wish to call par
ticular attention that but two men
have ever gone through a regular
game playing for major league club.
This seems strange when you figure
that during the existence of the
National League. which has already
played forty-four years, and the
American League, which has put in
nineteen years, making In all sixty
three years of play. When you figure
that during all those years the clubs
have averaged, we will say 100
games each, and there were twelve
clubs in the National League for
eight years. you can figure what an
opportunity there must have been
for not more than two men to have
made this record.
The first major to get credit for
playing a game without a put-out
at first was Jiggs Donohue, of the
Chicago White SoX. He played in a
game at New York and the only
chance he had was an assist. This
game was played May. %, 1906.
The player who did this in the
National League was Artie ("Circus
SoliyD Hoffman. He also wore a
Chicago uniform except he was with
the Cubs. Thus the only two play
ers in the major leagues who went
without a put-out wore Chicago uni
forms.
Substitute Sncker.
The game in which Holman MAJ
his record was played in Pittsbur.
June "a, 1910. Hoffman was play
ing the bag in place of Chance,
who was on the sick list.
Tommy Leach hit the first ball
pitched to Tinker at short, and the
ball was thrown directly into the
waiting hands of Hoffman. He
dropped II. That was all the
chance he had during the remainder
of the game.
Next day I asked Tinker-who
owns the Columbus (American As
sociation) club-what he thought of
the wonderful record of Hoffman,
for 1t was wonderful when you
consider that for thirty-four years
no man had ever done what Circus
had just done.
Il don't see anything remarkable
about that. You saw me hand him
a nice ball right into his waiting
hands. What did he do? Drop it?
Then why give him any more
chances?" I thought that was the
best way to describe why a first
baseman went through a game
without a putout.
Eleven Have Record.
There have been but eleven play
ers who hold this record, one of
them being McCauley. playing first
for Washington when that club was
in the old American Association,
back in 1891.
Here is the complete record:
1861. July 21-First baseman Nell
son, Mutuals of New York, in game
against the Alpine Club. of same
city. Not a chance offered.
1877 0pfnhar Q-cnV Ha,Iyar -,
isville, American Association; not a
chance.
1891. August 6-McCauley. first
baseman, Washington, American As
ISOLATION; not a chance.
1906, May 23-"Jiggs" Donohue.
Chicago American League. against
New York, same organization. Dom
ohue had one assist,
1906, June 2S-Jack Ernst. play
ing first for the Canton (OhiO) club,
had two chances, both assists.
1906, -.ugust 12-Emerson, play
ing first for the Monsen Mass
club, against Stafford (Conn0 did
not have a chance.
1910, June 24-Hofman, Chicago,
against Pittsburg, one chance, an
error.
1910, July 1O-James Connors.
PLAYING fist Fo- Terre Haute
against South Bend. both cl,
members of the Central League, did
not have a chance.
1911. May 20-William McGam-
well. playing first for HaverhiIl,
New England League, one chance
and one assist.
1915. September 6-Kelliher. first
baseman. Worcester. New England
League. against F'itchburg (Mass. },
not a chance.
1915-"Bunny" Brief, first base
mon. Salt Lake City team. in game
against Los Angeles, Pacific Coast
League, not a chance.
Players Birthday.
Which player is the oldest. Sam
Rice or Dave Davenport? was asked
The Herald the other day. One man
who is well versed in the game re-
marked that he thought Davenport
was a couple of years older than Sam,
In looking at the records of the two
players We were surprised to find
that they are exactly the same age.
both having been born on February
20, 1892,
Another pair of players on the Ma
tionals celebrated their birthdays last
Friday, can't say IL they were born
on Friday or not, but they had to go
that day celebrating their
birthday parties. The two were Ed
ward Charity and Eric Erickson.
Both were born on February 10. but
the catcher is three years older than
the pitcher.
Nick Altrock was visitor last
evening, bidding all the bows good
Rye. When asked why the bury as
he was not leaving for the South un-
til next "wednesday. he remarked