Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-10-16
Yanks World Champs

as one of the most startlingly deci-
sive championship turns of all time.
That brief. thrilling. yet tragic
span witnessed with amazing sud
denness the ascendency Of the Yam
KEGS to the pinnacle Of their career,
and. simultaneously. the utter COL
lapse of the Giants, the crushed
hopes of John McGraw for three sue
cessive Worlds titles-a debacle so
stunning that tonight it seems to
have marked the passing for all
time from championship heights of
the Giant machine as it emerged,
broken, from the test.
1t witnessed. too. the failure of the
to fame that would have raised him
to- heights greater than any he has
avar touched. For Babe Ruth, star
Of stars the naightiest hitter Of all
time, while he had started the Yam.
KEGS of in the first inning with his
third home run of the series. fell
down miserably in the eighth inning
pinch. striking. out with the bases
full and Yankees yet one run behind.
In his place new hero was lifted
up. Bob Meusel. who stepped into the
breach that the Babe had left and
delivered the blow that resulted in
| L
! triumph.
| For seven innings. Nehf. hero of
the Giants l to victory in the third
| game, waved a magic wand over the
Yankee bats and it seemed that his
| port-side slants would again restore
| Giant hopes and keep them in the
| fight. Backed by the spectacular de-
! fensive work of his teammates. par
! ticularly the dynamic Frisch. he al
! lowed but one other hit outside Of
! Ruths circuit clout, while the Giants
were hammering Herb Pennock. Hug
| gins southpaw ace, for nine hits and
| four runs.
/ But out OF the clear sky of appar-
| ont Giant triumph came the collapse
of Nehf and with him the last break
in the shattered chain of McGraw's
pitching staff. From the highest peak
Of effectiveness. from brilliant con-
| troll. Nehf went to pieces and "Rosey"
/ Ryan. who succeeded him. failed in
a valiant effort to stem the tide.
Ward started the fatal eighth harm
| lesslv enough by flying put to Kelly.
but the first signal of Nehf's down
fall came when Schang and Scott sim
gled in quick succession. Sensing the
break of the game. Miller Higgins,
| little pilot of the Yankees, duplicated
the sort of strategy that earned one
! victory for his rival. McGraw, and
threw in the full force of his reserves
| HOFFMAN, took up the cud4els for Pen
mock and walked on four successive
balls. Haines taking his place at first
as the bases were filled.
! Nohf tried CALAMITY to steady him
self. to save the situation. but facing
new pinch hitter. Joe Bush. batting
| for Whitley Witt, he failed. Bush
walked on four successive balls. and
| Nchf. slight tragic figure, walked
| from the box, his head down and tears
| in his eyes. That pass forced Schang
| and Ryan went into the box with the
bases still full and Yankees still two
runs behind.
; Ryan, unsteadied by the tenseness
of the fight. also was wild and Scott
was forced in with the second run
when he walked Dugan on four
pitched balls. thus making the twelfth
successive ball that the Giant mounds
men had issued.
| There was mighty roar. as into
| this dramatic spotlight stepped Ruth.
| swinging his all-powerful bludgeon
| But instead of further unnerving
Ryan. the sight Of the master-mauler
| seemed to steady him, for the Babe
| let the first pitch curve squarely over
| the plate and foucd the second weak
! ~. The next Was a ball. but then
Ryan. putting all he had into his de-
livery, shot one squarely across and
! Ruth. swinging wickedly. missed
j amid thunderous outburst from the
! crowd.
/ But Ryan. safely past what seemed
! the hardest part of his task. faltered
and Meusel caught his second pitch
for whistling single over second
i base. Haines and johnson crossed the
plate with what proved to be the ty-
! ing and winning runs. while Dugan
, tailed with another for good, meas
ure when Cunningham threw wildly
to Groh in an effort to catch jumping
Joe" at third base. Pipp ended the
rally by going out. Frisch to Kelly.
| but the damage had been done and the
| Giant cause sent down to defeat.
Sam Jones, Nehf's victim in the
, third game. took Pennock's place and
held the Giants in check in the last
two innings. the nearest to a rally
coming in the eighth when Young
singled. only to be forced by Irish
Meusel. Beaten and hopeless they
| went out in order in the ninth.
Looming alongside the tragic figure
of Nehf in the Giant disaster was
that of Frisch. the 'Fordham Flash"
who stood out as the brightest all
around star of the game. 1t was
Frisch whose remarkable fielding in
the first seven innings cut off at
least two Yankee hits and seemed
to put fresh hope into the breasts
Of McGraw and his men. 1t was
Frsch whose terrific hitting figured
in three of the four Giant runs.
The Giant second sacker made one
Of the most brilliant defensive plays
of the entire series in the fourth
when he caught Dugans looping fly
in short right over his shoulder and
while running at top speed. He was
close to the foul line when he made
the catch. Again in the fifth, he
raced toward second to make a mar
| vellous stop of Schang's hot grounder
and an equally brilliant throw that
Kelly stabbed with one hand.
In the final analysis. it was the
utter failure Of the Giant pitchers
that cost the worlds champions their
crown-that. plus the fact that the
Yankees, on the other hand sup
ported steady and at times brilliant
twirlins with an indomitable, re-
morseless attack. Outside Of Nehf,
, who alone of the Giant regulars was
| able to last a full game. McGraw had
no sharpshooters upon whom to rely.
I u ~ u