The Rivalry
Red Sox at Highlanders, April 30, 1908
The Rivalry
There’s really nothing better than a good Red Sox - Yankees game, even if it is from 1908. This one was close, though it wasn’t exactly an all-time classic.
Boston overcame a New York run in the bottom of the first to take an early 3-1 lead. New York tallied a second run in the bottom of the second, but that was just about all.
Fast forward to the bottom of the 9th, where Fred Burchell was trying to hold the Highlanders back.
9th Inning
Catcher Walter Blair led things off in the bottom of the 9th the right way:
Harry Lord, nobody’s choice for defensive third baseman of the year, was charged for that error.
This kind of put me in a pickle. Burchell had pitched well, but was now down to “D” status. It looked like things might only get worse as Wid Conroy stepped to the plate.
In the meantime, I replaced the slow-footed Blair with Kid Elberfeld, the fastest man on New York’s bench.
Conroy bunted Elberfeld to second, and now the Highlanders had two chances to drive the run home.
First came the pitcher’s spot. After examining the bench, I decided to stick pitcher Al Orth up there, mainly because his hitting card was better than anybody else’s.
Orth’s fly ball to right field wasn’t exactly a base hit. However, it did allow the quick Elberfeld to make it to third base. There were two men out, but Charlie Hemphill was coming up to back. Surely, surely the Highlanders would tie the game now, right?
Well, maybe not.
Both Burchell and Bill Hogg pitched well. In fact, the Red Sox managed to win despite committing 4 errors. It was a close one, that’s for sure.