The Washington herald., 1922-10-08
Careless Base Running
Costs Higgins Men
Muddy Battle.
M'QUILLAN HOLDS
SLUGGERS SAFE
One Victory Now Between
McGrawites and
Worlds Title.
By GRANTLAND RICE.

l
draggled as the Yankees and their
waning hope. the triumphant Giants
today moved to within one last stride
of the Kingdom they conquered and
captured just a year ago.
The hard-fighting. aggressive
Giants bagged their third victory by
the count Of to 3. as $1,000 fans.
pelted by the gray October rain. and
the beaten Yankees, attempt to play
a ball game exclusively with their
mud-coated feet Just as IL the human
hand had never been invented for any
purpose beyond a pennant. The
Yankees, by wild, carless and head
less baserunning. tossed of at least
| three tallies In a battle they might
have won with ease II they had not
insisted upon doing most Of their
thinking with their tagging and be-
wildered feet.
As the game ended. leaving the
Giants with three victorious assaults
and only one needed for the crown,
the plaintive bleating Of Yankee goats
could be he1rd from far away, the
mournful requiem OF fading Yankee
hopes, now darker than the heavy sky
beneath which they once more fell.
Meusel Prize Goat.
The parade of newly formed goats
was headed by Bob Meusel. who re-
fused to run out an infield tap in the
seventh inning, where Groh threw
low and Kelly fumbIed. That cost
tally. in the wake OF Wards ensu-
ing home run into the left field stands.
BY this direct violation of the first
primary principles of baseball, which
s- nj
away the most important run Of the
afternoon. But Meusel, even with this
terrific boner, was not the lone goat
in the herd. He had enough company
to keep ten goatherds busy!
The wild, headless. base running
of Dugan, Pipp and Schang cost
other runs and helped TO build up
the Illuminating flock with the
! dazed and astonished Babe Ruth
bringing up in the rear, once the
victim of shrewd pitching that
came near cracking his mighty
spine.
A Smarter Club.
The Yankees were outfought and
the Yankees were outthougft by a
| better, smarter ball club; but for
all that 1t required a new turn of
| lopsided versatility to throw away
the game. Nothing short of sheer
| genius in the subtle art of losing
could have provided for that third
defeat. They had the muddy
scrimmage won intthe first inning,
and refused to take 1t as a gift
They had it tied up in the
seventh, and promptly backed
away. They had 1t tied again in
the ninth. only to arise once more
upon their hind legs and take a
sock under the left ear, with a
| sure draw in sight. The human
feet are made TO run with. Un-
doubtedly they have their place in
the scheme of things. They are
in no sense to be despised or left
at home. They have their use in
arriving at ones destination. But
they are rarely supposed to direct
the way. Yet by adopting this
quaint system with their feet in
full control, they merrify tossed
away three tallies and possibly
! four or Ave.
stiII Hsve . Chance.
In the somber wake Of this last
defeat the Yankees can still win
out by swagging four straight vic
tories from a ball club that has
beaten them eight out of the last
nine decisive tests, starting from
a year ago. For last October the
Giants won five out of the last six
games. and they have now added
three more to the string-one of
the most overwhelming clean-ups
in the long history of the autumn
classic.
Four straight will bring them
home: four straight from a ma
chine that has been grinding them
into sausage from one year to an
other!
Yesterdays battle was a pitiful
spectacle for those still clinging to
dream of American League revi-
val. They saw the apparently earn
est and determined Yankees open an
early rally against Hugh McQuil-
Ian, which threatened to wreck him
utterly. in the first chapter. They
saw this rally broken up by bad
base running which shut of a flock
Of tallies after two had been scored.
Later on, with this two-run lead,
they saw Carl Mays crumple UP COM
pletely before a sudden Giant at
tack which came tearing its way
through the rain and mud for five
clean hits and four runs, one of
their old dreaded batting rallies
which blasts its way through the
opposing defense by power. speed
and brains. the combination that
always tells the story.
| Didn't Run II Out.
After this forlorn and sedrag-
gled, they saw Bob Meusel. after
rapping a ground ball to Heinie
Groh, come almost to a dead stop on
his way to first. AS 1t happened
Groh's throw across the diamond
struck In the soft dirt at Kslly's
feet and bounded away from the
bag. II Meusel had been running
at the time he could have landed
safely In port with a stride or more
to spare. But Meusel wasn't rum
ming. He was called out. and
Wards long home run, that should
have tied the score, found Meusel
sitting on the bench.
And this 10 only q part of the
heavy tragedy that struck Yankee
fans. The ninth brought the sogsy,
faithful flock even greater misery,
for 1t began with hope in full bloom
again and ended with a killing
blight.
Il