WALSH SCORES SHUTOUT.
Oberlin Opposes Local Pitcher and Gives Hard Battle; Count at the End Is 2 to 0.
[BY SY.] Comiskey’s “near” champions doubled the little distance between themselves and New York in the American league pennant race yesterday when they made it three straight from Boston, winning a pitchers’ contest, 2 to 0, while Detroit’s Tigers were clawing their third straight victory out of Griffith’s hide by exactly the same count.
A Mr. Oberlin, who has helped make Milwaukee famous, did his best to put a crimp in the fighting Sox, and for a time it looked as if he was it, although he was matched against Eddie Walsh’s slippery elm delivery. This recruit with the “rah rah” name wasn’t a little bit scared of the White Sox nor of Walsh, and came mighty near outpitching him. Eddie struck out eight of the visitors, while his smaller opponent fanned only five of the Sox, but Oberlin had a shade the better of it in the hitting.
Walsh Stronger in Pinches.
Each pitcher issued three passes, and only in the pinches did Walsh outshine Oberlin, for two of “Western Reserve’s” free tickets were turned into Sox runs by timely hits, while Walsh was a whole stone wall when a run was in sight. Three times he struck out the last man in an inning with runners on the bases, and closed the game by fanning “Buck” Freeman, the clouter who would have wrenched away Tuesday’s game with his bat but for that memorable catch of Fielder Jones’.
A pair of Georges—Davis and Rohe—were the breadwinners yesterday. Their timely hits drove home the only two runs made, and Davis shared with Jones the baserunning feats which put those two runs within scoring distance of the plate. Wagner, a younger brother of the real thing, broke into the game fresh from the Eastern league, playing second base in Chadbourne’s place, and justified his name by getting two hits off Walsh.
No Chance to Score Early in Game.
Neither team would give an inch of ground in five innings, so perfect was the defense. Walsh started unsteadily by passing Hoey, the first man to face him, but Hoey was stopped when he tried to steal on Sullivan after Parent had fouled. Stahl was easy. In Chicago’s half Joens drew “Kenyon’s” first pass and stole second, but was left there.
Boston threatened hard in the third. Armbruster was passed and stole second with one out, but Walsh fanned his slab rival. Hoey scratched a hit to Rohe, which George thought was foul and O’Loughlin thought fair, putting “Buster” on third. “Old Hoss” stole second and Parent looked dangerous, but finally raised a high foul for Sullivan to pinch. The visitors came back viciously in the fourth. With one out Grimshaw and Wagner singled, but Donohue got Morgan’s rap in time to force the recruit at second. Then, with Grimshaw straining the leash at third, Walsh fanned Freeman, retiring the side.
The Sox made their first bid for runs in that round. Jones started with a single. Davis popped trying to bunt, but Rohe singled, and both men advanced a base when Oberlin made a balk. Almost anything would score a run, but Donohue hit a warm one to Morgan, who had Jones trapped off third, and the manager was run to death, while the other advanced, only to be left when Wagner ate up Dougherty’s roller.
Boston peeled off two more hits in the fifth and had runners on second and first when Walsh retired the side by striking out Stahl, but the Puritans gave Eddie little trouble after that.
Sox Get First Run in Sixth.
Not until the sixth was thought to be hopeless could Chicago score. There were two out when Davis worked “Ohio State” for his second pass and stole second off the reel. Rohe drove home the first run with a clean, hard soak to center. The seventh was promising when Dougherty reached second on Wagner’s boot and a sacrifice by Sullivan, but neither Dundon nor Walsh could score Pat.
The Sox’s second run, in the eighth, was almost a duplicate of the first. Hahn was gone when Jones worked a third pass out of the enemy’s flinger and stole second just before Davis gave the ball an awful smash, which sent it like a shot along the ground past Wagner, so fast that neither Stahl nor Freeman could get anywhere near it. George netted two bases on it, and Jones scored easily. Wagner threw out Donohue and Dougherty, retiring the side.
|
Notes of the White Sox Game.
Washington comes today for three games.
Ten thousand thanks, Detroit. All the past is forgiven.
Oberlin fanned Hahn on three pitched balls in the first inning.
“Jiggs” Donohue and “Tip” O’Neil have secured the copyright on the group photographs of the White Stockings of 1906.
Walsh had seven strikeouts to hie credit in five innings, but contented himself with only one in the remaining four rounds, saving that up for the last man.
Freeman barely missed putting a high bounder over Donohue’s head in the seventh. “Jiggs” had to jump for the ball, but pulled it down in time to make the play unassisted.
The Boston-Chicago series which closed yesterday resulted in the Sox’s favor by a wide margin. Boston won only four games out of the twenty-two played. This evens up a few old scores.
Hoey’s grounder in the third would have gone foul if Rohe had let it. He jumped over the line on to foul ground just as he was catching the ball on the bound end O’Loughlin ruled it was fair when it struck George’s mitt.
Oberlin was not accustomed to the strict enforcement of the balk rules in the major leagues and the motion on which O’Loughlin called a balk probably was allowed in the American association from which the young man came.
Wagner tried to do up his manager in a collision while going after Jones’ fly to short center field in the sixth inning. Stahl heard him coming just in time to check himself and topple over to avoid a hard bump. Wagner showed his spunk by holding the fly.
Oberlin had a spit ball which broke finely for him and mixed it up with a wide curve with good judgment. When the Sox had finished with him they expressed the hope Boston would send him against New York in one of the two games the Puritans have left to play with the Highlanders.
Jones’ fingers alone saved him from disaster in the first inning. He ran close to second on Davis’ fly to center in a hit and run play, and had to dig hard to beat Stahl’s thrown back to first base. His impetus carried him clear over first, but he could just keep the tips of his fingers on the base, while stretched flat on the ground.
Wagner made the fans a bit uneasy in the ninth by smashing a hot one past Donohue. “Jiggs” partially choked off the hit and Dundon rushed over, picked up the ball and tossed it to Walsh, who covered first, but the runner beat it by a small margin. Morgan forced Wagner at second and Freeman came up where one of his old time home runs would tie up the game. Remembering his narrow escape at Freeman’s hands the day before, Walsh took no chances, but worked “Buck” cautiously into striking out.
