The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-04-13
CookIey Found Eddie Collins,
Developed Gehrig And Won
20 Games For As In 1905
BY HARRY GRAYSON
(NEA Sports Editor

If Andrew Joseph Coakley hadn't
won 20 games for the Athletics in
1905 as the pitching mate of the i'm
mortal Rube Waddell and Chief
Bender and Eddie Plank, Colum-
bias veteran coach would still be a
noteworthy figure in baseball.
Andy Coakley found Eddie Col
Inns and developed Lou Gehrig.
Coakley, Providence product of
Irish parentage, weighed no more
than 145 pounds, stood S feet 11ls
In 1902, when in a Holy Cross uni
form he was the foremost college
pitcher of the day. He shut out
Walter Clarkson and Harvard, 20,
Yale, 10, in II innings, BANKED
and gave Dartmouth and Brown the
same deal.
That took trim young Coakley
directly to the Athletics, and he
won his first major league game
under the name Of McAllister the
day he got of the train from
Worcester Connie Mack never has
ben averse to resorting to the sub
terfuge of an alias that would pre-
serve the collegiate and amatuer
standing of a youngster. Eddie Col
Inns broke in under the name Of
Sullivan.
Malaria forced Coakley to the
country in the summer of 1903, kept
him inactive until the latter part
Of the season of '04.
So it wasn't until 05 that Coax
ley came into his own as a big
league Highlander. A fast baller
with lose arm that made pitching
effortless, he won 20 games while
losing no more than 6 in helping
the AS to their second pennant.
A clerical error In the American
league Office deprived Coakley CT the
pitching leadership which officially
went to Waddell with q and 10.
Garbled statistics showed Coakley
winning II and losing 8. Manager
Mack's private records corrected the
error
HOW WADDELL WAS INJURED
1t was while trying to break
Coakley's stray hat in Pullman
car that Waddell slipped. fell and
injured his left shoulder to such
an extent that he could not pitch
the closing weeks of the season and
in the World Series.
Coakley opposed the Giants in
one of Christy Mathewson's I'M
equa'led three shutouts, and was
beaten in five games. each a shut
out, unparalleled World Series
pitching.
Coakley yielded only one earned
run, SO his pitching wasn't as bad
as the score would indicate. The
AS made a half dozen errors four
on double play balls. Five runs
we're scored by the Giants in one
inning, Second Baseman Danny
Murphy twice booting balls which
would have retired the side.
Andy recalls Mike .Donlin knock
ing his name off the scoreEoard in
the eighth inning and shouting: III
Connie won't take you out Of there
I'll have to knock you out"
Coakley believes he was more
formidable pitcher with the Gin
cinnati Reds in '07-'08 than he was
with the AS in '05.
He went to the Chicago Cubs in
'08 In time to win two out of three
games when the Tinker-to-EverS-
to Chance combination required
pitching III the famous three-way
race.
He was in the dugout when Fred
Merkle pulled the most celebrated
boner in baseball history by falling
to touch second base.
The big-hearted Cubs failed TO
cut Coakley In on the World Series
swag IN '08 and contract trouble and
difficulties with Frank Chance led
the pitcher to remain out Of the
game in 10.
REGULATED GEHRIG SWING
Coakley took a whirl with the
Yankees under Hal Chase In II,
but didn't do well, and his future
was set when he coached Williams
that spring. Meanwhile, he had en-
tered the insurance business in New
York in which he remains very
successful. His biggest handicap as
a pitcher was his lack Of weight.
Coakley probably holds the record
for Gripping batters on successive
pitches-inadvertently, Of course.
AS a Cincinnati hurler on June 10,
on, ne hit Roger BreSnahan OF the
Giants on the left temple. For a
amt I? Costello wouldn't be kid
din'?"
Sure Won got a chanst. r1uttered