CHAPTER XXVIII
THE WORLD SERIES
It was a happy team of Giants that left Pittsburgh that night on thesleeper for New York. The season's strain was over. The coveted flagwas theirs. They had fought their way through many discouragements, hadstood the gaff, and now they were at the top of their League, with noneto contest their title as champions.
"Some victory, eh, Joe?" remarked Jim to his chum.
"Right, Jim," was the ready reply.
To be sure a great battle loomed up ahead of them, but they welcomedthat with eagerness. It meant thousands of dollars to every member ofthe team, win or lose. But they had no thought of losing. The return oftheir king pitcher to the box that afternoon, and the proof that he wasin magnificent form, had filled them chock full of confidence.
And they were doubly glad that the Yankees were to be their opponents.That had been settled three days before, when the American Leagueseason had closed with the Yankees just nosing out the Clevelands atthe finish. It was settled that every game of the World Series would beplayed in New York.
This meant that there would be no long, tiresome, overnight journeysbetween cities. But it meant more than that. It meant that the questionwould now be settled once for all as to which of the New York teams wasthe better.
This had been a mooted question for a good many years past. Each teamhad its warm friends and admirers, who were ready to back it throughthick and thin. The Giants, of course, had been established longer, andhad gained a strong place in the affections of the metropolis. Theirgames, as a usual thing, drew many more spectators than those played bytheir rivals. But of late the acquisition of Kid Rose by the Yankeeshad drawn the greater attention to that team, and the Giants had beencast in the shade. They were not used to this and did not relish it.They knew the Yankees were a strong team, but at the same time theybelieved that they could take their measure if it ever came to ashowdown. Now that showdown was at hand, and the Giants were glad of it.
The public, too, were eager to have the question of supremacy settled.The metropolis was fairly seething with excitement over the series, andthe hotels already were filling up with visitors from as far off asthe Pacific Coast. Not only columns but whole pages of the newspaperswere filled with comments and prophecies respecting the chances of therespective teams.
More than anything else in the public mind was the coming duel betweenKid Rose and Joe Matson as home run hitters. Which would make thelonger hits? Which would make the more home runs? These were thequestions that were on the lips of the fans wherever two or more ofthem met. And the sporting pages of the daily newspapers were full ofit.
The series this year was to consist of nine games if so many should benecessary. The team that first won five games would be the champions ofthe world. The members of the teams were to share in the money taken inat the first five games played, so that there would be no inducement tospin out the series. After certain percentages had been deducted sixtyper cent was to go to the winners and forty per cent to the losers. Theoutlook was that each member of the winning team would get about fivethousand dollars and each member of the losing team between three andfour thousand, a difference great enough to make each player do hisbest, apart from his loyalty to his team.
Reggie had come up from Goldsboro, bringing Mabel with him, acharge of which Joe promptly relieved him. She seemed to Joe moredistractingly beautiful than ever, and his heart thumped as he realizedthat in less than a month she would be his own. That had been arrangedin their correspondence. The wedding would take place in Mabel's homein Goldsboro, and after their honeymoon they were to go to Riverside,to witness the marriage of Jim and Clara. The latter had hoped to comeon to see the World Series, but Mrs. Matson was not well enough to comealong, and Clara did not want to leave her. So poor Jim had to exercisepatience and not be too envious of the almost delirious happiness ofJoe and Mabel at being together.
A more exciting World Series than that which now began between theGiants and Yankees had never been known in the history of the game.Both teams were out for blood. Every man was on his toes, and theexcited spectators were roused almost to madness by the almostmiraculous stops and throws pulled off by the fielders. From the startit was evident that the nines were very evenly balanced, and thatwhichever finally won would in all probability do so by the narrowestkind of margin.
Victory seesawed between the teams. Joe pitched the first game, and theGiants won by 3 to 1. The Yankees took the second by 5 to 2. Jim heldthem down in the third to two runs, while the Giants accumulated six.The Yankees made it "fifty-fifty" by galloping away with the fourthgame in a free hitting contest, of which Markwith was the victim, thefinal score being 9 to 5. The Giants again assumed the lead by coppingthe fifth by 4 to 0, Joe decorating his opponents with a necklace ofgoose eggs. They repeated on the following day, and with only one moregame needed to make the five, it looked as though they would be certainwinners. But the Yankees were not yet through, and they came backstrong on the two succeeding days and evened up the score. Each had wonfour games. The ninth and final game would determine which team was tobe the champions of the world.
In these contests, Joe had batted like a fiend. McRae had played himin every game, putting him in the outfield on the days that he wasnot scheduled to pitch. In the eight games, Joe had made six circuitclouts, in addition to four three-baggers, three two-base hits, andsome singles. He was simply killing the ball.
Kid Rose also had done sterling work, and had rapped out five homers,besides a number of hits for a lesser number of bags. But Baseball Joeso far had outclassed him, both in the number and the length of hishits. There was no stopping him. High or low, incurve or outcurve, theywere all the same to him. That eagle eye of his located the course ofthe ball unerringly, and when the ash connected with the ball that ballwas slated for a ride.
There was no mistake about it. Joe had arrived. The batting crown washis. He had long since been recognized as the king of pitchers. Now hewas hailed by acclamation as the greatest hitter in the game!
Baseball Joe, Home Run King; or, The Greatest Pitcher and Batter on Record Page 29
