CONTROVERSY
Plus: Day in Review, May 3, 1908
CONTROVERSY
I’m going to get in trouble for this one. I’m going to have to barricade my doors against the barrage of Cubs fans that is sure to come.
St. Louis went into the bottom of the 9th inning with a commanding 4-1 lead. I thought they were sure to win.
But, of course, there’s never a sure thing — not even in dice baseball.
After two quick outs, the Cubs put Del Howard up to pinch hit for Jack Pfiester. Howard rewarded me by rolling a 9 for a single against Fred Beebe. Beebe hadn’t given up many hits that day: this was only the 4th.
Up next was Johnny Evers, who promptly smacked a double, scoring Howard.
I thought about taking Beebe out, but decided against it. I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for complete games. I think I’ll always be this way. It’s a kind of sickness.
Anyway, Frank Chance came up and hit a ball to shortstop Patsy O’Rourke. O’Rourke promptly kicked the ground ball, allowing Chance to reach safely.
The score was 4-2 with runners on first and second. I left Beebe in the ballgame to pitch to Johnny Kling.
And this is what happened:
I’ll explain.
Kling singled to right, scoring Evers from second. Frank Chance came tearing over to third base and reached safely. The score was now 4-3 in favor of the Cardinals.
So where’s the controversy?
It lies in that little c.
If I had told Kling to play it safe before rolling the dice, he wouldn’t have tried to steal. The game would have continued, Beebe would certainly have been taken out, and it would have all been on Jimmy Sheckard’s shoulders.
So was it realistic or not?
In the unrealistic camp, you could easily argue that Kling would never have stolen a base in this circumstance. Kling is a catcher, of course. He’s not the fastest runner in the world, although he did steal enough bases to get a first column 11 and two second column 11s on his card. Still, this isn’t exactly Rickey Henderson.
As for the realistic argument, remember that Kling represented the potential winning run. Reaching second base would have been a huge deal, especially given the game situation. The Cubs had just lost a tight 1-0 game the day before. They needed a boost of morale.
In the end, though, the play stands. Like it or not.
I get the feeling that Fred Beebe has had hard luck. A 1.43 ERA doesn’t seem to mesh well with a 2-2 record.
Other Action
Naps 3, White Sox 0: At Chicago, the Naps won, ensuring that parity and chaos continues to reign in the American League. Watch the game here.
Cardinals 4, Cubs 3: At Chicago, see above.
Reds 8, Pirates 3: At Pittsburgh, the Pirates continue their slide. Watch the game here.
Tigers 10, Browns 0: At St. Louis, the first-place Browns are almost no-hit by the superior Tigers. Watch the game here.
Standings
As I mentioned above, the Naps beating the White Sox again ensures that the American League is going to stay close for a long time to come. It’s hard for me to refrain from recording every American League game, knowing that any one of these teams could wind up being the leader of the pack in the end.