The Legend Comes Through

Superbas at Pirates, May 21, 1908

The Legend Comes Through

It’s been a rough 1908 replay so far for the Pirates.

At the start of this game, Pittsburgh found itself in 4th place, a few games below .500 and 11 games behind the league leading Giants.

The real life Pirates fared a little bit better. Pittsburgh was about a game and a half above .500 on May 21, 1908, and only 3 games out.

That didn’t help with attendance, though. This game (May 21st) was rained out in real life. However, according to the Pittsburgh Post, Pittsburgh’s home game against Brooklyn on May 20th attracted only 2,394. The game on Friday the 22nd saw 3,250 — slightly better, but still nowhere close to capacity.

In this replay, of course, the fans were certainly boycotting. And they really missed a great one.

Honus Wagner was the star in this one, picking up the pace by belting three base hits in four times at bat. He’s been producing quietly during this replay, and has his batting average up to a whopping .374.

The crucial blow came in the bottom of the 10th inning with the score knotted at 3 each:

Now, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. However, it’s absolutely possible that this single with a runner on second might provide the Pirates with the momentum they need to get back into the race.

Only time will tell.