New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-10-05
TALKING OF WORLD
SERIES, REMEMBER.
When Third Strike Lost for DonO-
van, or Matty's Hard Luck
tIss I,iIly Evans

Speaking of tough breaks In q
world series. give me your ear.
The 1919 world series between the
Boston Red sox aud the New York
Giants will go down into history as
one fthe greatest of all baseball
Eevenis.
The Red SoA got away to flying
start, and II seemed as IL the series
would be over in five games at the
most. Then the Giants, with their
| backs to the wall. shifted from tight
baseball to a running game, and even
cd up the series.
The final game of the series, eight
games being played, one resulting In
tie. was staged AT Boston. The Red
Sox won the game with 1t the series,
but never in all baseball did pitcher
get tougher break than did the great
Christy Mathewson.
1t was In that series that Snodgrass
muffed d fly ball that gave the SoN the
chance to tie. A moment later Catcher
Myers and First Baseman Mcrkle per-
mitcd foul fly to drop safe and gave
the Sox another opportunity. Then a
pinch hitter, with two strikes on him,
sent q grou,der down the third base
line that was fair by inches only, de-
Gliding the ball game.
Matty Deserved to Win
If ever pitcher deserved to win a
ball game, Matthewson was entitled
to victory in the final game of the
1912 world series. | have seen u
pitcher get many Il tough break Oh
the ball field, but none that compared
to Mathewson's portion Of hard luck
Ia that alb important game.
A few hours after the game was
over, l was standing at the Back Bay
station in Boston chatting with Ma
thewson. | couldn't refrain from al
luding to his tough luck, even though
but little baseball was being discussed.
] shall never forget Mathewson's reply
it tecmed with logic and was charac-
teristic OF that great player:
TITS all in the game. Our bad luck
was Boston's good luck. Usually a
tough break for one team is regarded
as a good break for the other team
All of which is very true,> but |
have since wondered how many
pitchers would have taken such a self
sible view Of d happening that pre-
vented Matty from winning basebalrs
greatest honor, the world series.
Costly Dropped Third Strike
Back in 1907, in the first game of
the world series between the Chicago
Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, With two
out In the ninth, the Tigers leading
by run, Bill Donovan pitching for
Detroit, struck out the batsman and
with perfect play the side should have
been retired, giving Detroit the first
game and the edge.
Instead, the Detroit backstop al
lowed the ball to trickle through his
fingers, the batsman reaching first
and the runner on third scoring the
run tAat tied up the game. The con-
test was called in the twelfth inning
on account of darkness. 1t was tough
break for Detroit.
Team Failed To Rally
: Recently | was talking this game
over with Charley O'Leary, then with
Detroit, now assistant to Manager Mill
Ter Higgins Of the New York Yankees.
Il Will always believe that the loss
of that first game through an mex
cusable eG or beat us out of good
chance to win that SERIES" said
O'beary
"lhe Tigers we're a game club. but
somehow the loss of that game which
had already been counted as won, SO
stunned the entire team that during
tho rest of tho series it failed to play
anything ike the ball il was capable
Of"
MatheWson's defeat by Boston due
TO muffed fly ball, and Bill Dono-
vans loss TO the Chicago Cubs when
his catcher let a perfect third strike
for the final out get away, stand out
as the two toughest breaks ever
enacted in the world series.