Cubs 10, Cardinals 9: Chicago escaped with the victory in one of the wildest games of the season when Rogers Hornsby's baserunning gaffe left a 9th-inning St. Louis rally one run short. Cliff Heathcote's two-out two-run single in the 5th gave the Cards a 5-3 lead, and Hornsby extended that gap to three runs with a run-scoring single in the 7th. But Jakie May's always-tenuous hold on command and control gave way in the bottom of the inning after some rough treatment by the Cubs' hitters. A two-run triple by Lee Magee cut the Chicago lead to a single run and then May (3-6) lost sight of home plate, hitting the next two batters and walking in the tying run before Branch Rickey had seen enough and brought on Oscar Tuero. But the first two batters faced by the young Cuban right-hander singled to produce three more runs that made the score 9-6 in favor of the Cubs. Charlie Pick's RBI single in the 8th made it a four-run lead and Speed Martin took the ball in the top of the 9th after a spotless 8th in relief of Phil Douglas (7-7). Jack Smith reached on Pick's error to start the inning before Dots Miller flied out, but Milt Stock singled and Burt Shotton ripped a triple that scored two runs to cut the score to 10-8. That brought up Hornsby, who hit a line drive to right which Max Flack failed to stop on the short hop; Shotton scored and Hornsby charged around the bases as Flack chased down the ball. Rajah had no intention of stopping at third base with the potential tying run, though, and was cut down at the plate by five feet. The mistake was emphasized when Vern Clemons followed with what would have been a game-tying single, and when Martin then retired Doc Lavan for the game's final out. Flack had three hits for Chicago, while Magee drove home three. [box]
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| Max Flack had three hits, but it was his quick recovery in the field that saved the game |
Braves 4, Robins 2: Joe Riggert's third home run of the year capped an early four-run outburst by Boston and Al Demaree (6-4) held Brooklyn to a 2-for-12 batting mark with runners in scoring position as he went the distance to win. It was the home team that got off the mark first, Jimmy Johnston doubling with one out in the bottom of the 1st and then skipping home on Tommy Griffith's single. But the Braves got that run back on two 2nd-inning singles and took the lead when the first three Bostonians reached in the third; Ray Powell's two-run double was the bog blow. Riggert mashed a Burleigh Grimes (6-4) offering over the left-field fence with two gone in the 4th to make it 4-1, and the rest was up to Demaree; he allowed a run in the 6th on three Brooklyn singles, but escaped trouble in the 7th with a double-play grounder and retired six of the final seven Robins to secure the game. [box]
Reds 6, Pirates 5: The top two clubs in the circuit met for a twin-bill at Redland Field, and the opener lived up to its top-of-the-table billing. The two teams traded 3rd-inning scores before Cincinnati took the lead in the 4th after Edd Roush led off with a triple and then scored on Greasy Neale's ground out. Wilbur Cooper and Slim Sallee held the line at that point and the scoreline hadn't budged as the game entered its final third, but that would soon change. Billy Southworth started the visiting 7th with a long drive to left-center that allowed him to circle the bases with the tying run for his second home run of the season, and George Cutshaw followed with a base hit. One out later, Sallee threw away a pickoff attempt and three straight singles then plated two more Pittsburgh runs; an RBI single by Zeb Terry made it 5-2 before Slim could finally shake loose for the final out of the inning. With the Reds now in a hole, Cooper handed them a stepladder in the bottom of the inning. The Pirate hurler plunked Rube Bressler and walked the light-hitting Bill Rariden to put the first two Redlegs aboard, and Morrie Rath's infield hit loaded the bases full with one out. Jake Daubert skied to left field to score one run, but Cooper was on the verge of avoiding the worst until Heinie Groh ripped a pitch to the outfield wall for a two-run triple that tied the game at five runs apiece. The bats went quiet at that point, and the game was undecided after nine complete frames. Cooper toiled for eleven innings, but the game was still tied after a promising Pittsburgh rally in the top of the 10th was short-circuited by Southworth's ground-ball double play. The Pirates loaded the bases with one out in the 12th, but Hod Eller (six innings of shutout relief) fanned Fred Nicholson and got Southworth to ground into the final out of the inning once again. Finally, in the bottom of the 14th, late-game replacement Sherry Magee singled with one out, went to third on Rath's base hit and sprinted home ahead of the throw when Daubert dropped a squeeze bunt down the third-base line. [box]
Reds 1, Pirates 0: The second game of the doubleheader had a decidedly different quality as the teams rested their arms and legs from their early-afternoon exertion. Hal Carlson and Dutch Ruether held the hitters down for most of the second game, Cincinnati getting a runner as far as third on Jake Daubert's two-out triple in the 3rd before Heinie Groh whiffed. It was still a scoreless tilt into the 8th inning, where Pittsburgh put two baserunners aboard without scoring before the Reds finally broke the deadlock. With one out Groh and Edd Roush singled, and Greasy Neale drew a walk off of Carlson (4-2) to load the sacks. Larry Kopf then gave the home team the lead with a fly ball to center that was just deep enough to score Groh from third. Carlson struck out Ivey Wingo with the bases loaded again to end the frame, but Cincinnati had the lead with three outs to go and Ruether (7-5) finished off the four-hitter and the sweep with a 1-2-3 9th against the top of the Pirate batting order. [box]
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