The Hitless Wonders Learn to Hit
Plus Day in Review, April 29, 1908
The Hitless Wonders Learn to Hit
This one was a real doozy of a game, let me tell you.
You know how it goes when you play a lopsided game. You start to speed things up, you start thinking about your next game or the next thing you have to do today, you stop paying attention to what the dice are telling you, and you basically check out.
That’s exactly what happened to me in this one.
Crazy Comeback
Detroit amassed a 7-0 lead in the early innings of this one, driving Ed Walsh out of the box.
Walsh won 40 games in real life and is one of the best pitchers in the set — but sometimes you just don’t have it.
I didn’t think much of it when Tigers starter George Mullin started giving up walks in the top of the 6th. Mullin had a bad outing and was generally unable to find the plate.
But then the walks kept coming, and coming. And, well, the White Sox started scoring runs.
Before the shouting was over, Chicago had scored 6 in that 6th inning to bring the score to 7-6. Mullin, who only gave up 71 walks in real life, was tagged with 8 in his meager 6 innings of work. And this was a brand new ballgame.
Chicago managed to tie it in the top of the 8th, but struggled otherwise against George Suggs, who replaced Mullin.
And then we came to the bottom of the 9th. Detroit managed to get a runner on second base for Red Downs:
It took me a while to realize that the game hadn’t ended quite yet. Downs got the base hit, of course - but that runner on first base had an “S” rating, causing him to be thrown out at the plate for the second out.
That meant it was all up to Ira Thomas, the catcher, who promptly hit a base hit of his own.
And that ended it.
Well, I guess the White Sox didn’t get quite that many hits, though 7 is pretty impressive for them.
Cobb, meanwhile, went 3 for 5, and is pulling his average up quickly.
Other Action
Superbas 7, Phillies 2: At Brooklyn, the Superbas explode with 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th to win.
Doves 6, Giants 3: At Boston, the Doves score 4 in the bottom of the 8th to win. Watch the game here.
Cubs 12, Pirates 5: At Chicago, the Cubs destroy the Pirates in the battle for first place. Watch the game here.
Reds 2, Cardinals 0: At Cincinnati, the Reds win only their second game of the season, improving to 2-13.
Tigers 8, White Sox 7: At Detroit, see above.
Highlanders 10, Red Sox 1: At New York, the Highlanders explode for 5 in the 7th and 3 in the 8th to break open a close game. Watch the game here.
Senators 8, Athletics 4: At Philadelphia, the Senators break free with a surprising display of offensive power. Watch the game here.
Naps 4, Browns 3: At St. Louis, the Naps go ahead early and hang on to win. Watch the game here.
Standings
Pretty tight pennant races, aren’t they? I’m going to enjoy them while they last.