Running Into A Loss
Phillies at Superbas, April 30, 1908
Running Into A Loss
I’ve often wondered about this scenario.
In real life, Brooklyn was leading its April 30, 1908 game against the Phillies by 2-0 after 5 full innings.
The Phillies scored 5 in the top of the 6th as the rain fell. However, they weren’t able to get out of the inning before the rain finished. The score reverted back to the 2-0 score in the 5th, allowing the Superbas a rare victory even after blowing the lead.
See more here:
Of course, the game was officially remembered as a rain-shortened 2-0 win for the Superbas - nothing more, nothing less.
Simulation
This one was a lot more dramatic.
Brooklyn came into the bottom of the 9th trailing 2-1. Harry Pattee, our hero, reached first, which brought up John Hummel:
Hummel’s double put runners on second and third with nobody out. The next batter was Phil Lewis, and I figured we’d have some fun and bunt:
Yeah, that didn’t work well.
I know it was a bad roll, but it’s not a good sign for Pattee to be picked off of third base so easily.
There was one out now, and I bunted with Lewis anyway:
That brought up Harry Lumley:
I dunno - maybe I shouldn’t have bunted? It’s hard to say what should have happened here. But that was the game.
He was quiet about it, but Lew Richie did wind up with 8 strikeouts in the end, which is pretty impressive.