CHAPTER XI
WINGING THEM OVER
"So 'tis your birthday, I do be hearin', Joe," remarked Larry Barrett,the jovial second baseman of the team, as the Giants were getting intotheir uniforms preparatory to going out on the field.
"That's what," laughed Joe, as he finished tying his shoe laces.
"I'll bet you were a ball player from the cradle," grinned Larry.
"I guess I bawled all right," Joe replied. "And once, my mother tellsme, I pitched headlong from my baby carriage."
"What would you like for a birthday present?" queried Wheeler.
"Ten runs," replied Joe, promptly. "Give me those to-day and I won'task for anything else."
"Pretty big order," remarked Wheeler, dubiously. "Ten runs are a lotto make against those Brooklyn birds. I hear they're going to put inDizzy Rance to-day, and he's a lulu. Won his last eight games and hasstarted in to make a record. Have a heart, Joe, and make it five."
"Five's plenty," asserted Jim, confidently. "I'm willing to bet that'smore than the Dodgers will get, with Joe in the box."
"We'll know more about that when the game's over," said Joe, as hemoved toward the door.
"Gee! Look at those stands and bleachers," remarked Jim, as he and hischum came out on the field. "Seems as though all New York and Brooklynhad turned out. And it's nearly an hour before the game begins. They'llbe turning them away from the gates."
"Almost like a World Series crowd," agreed Joe, as they made their wayacross the green velvet turf of the outfield toward the Giants' dugout.
It was a phenomenal throng for that stage of the playing season, andwas accounted for by the traditional rivalry between the two teams,which, while hailing from different boroughs, were both included withinthe limits of Greater New York. They fought each other like Kilkennycats whenever they came together. No matter how indifferently theymight have been going with other teams, they always braced when theyhad each other as opponents. It was not an uncommon thing, even in theseasons when the Giants had taken the series from every other team inthe League, to lose the majority of the games with the Brooklyns, eventhough the latter might be tagging along in the rear of the seconddivision.
But this year the Brooklyns were going strong, and it was generallyadmitted that they had a look-in for the pennant. Several trades duringthe previous winter had strengthened the weak places in the line-up,and their pitching staff was recognized as one of the best in eitherLeague.
"Going to pick the feathers off those birds to-day, Joe?" asked McRae,as Joe came up to the Giants' bench, where the manager was sitting.
"I sure am going to try," replied Joe. "It's about time we put a crimpin their winning streak."
Joe beckoned to Mylert, and they went out to warm up. He was feeling inexcellent fettle, and he soon found that he had all his "stuff" withhim. His curve had a sharp break, his slow ball floated up so that itseemed to be drifting, and his fast ones whizzed over like a bullet.
"You've got the goods to-day, Joe," pronounced Mylert, and he fairlywinced at the way the ball shot into his hands. "You've got speed toburn. Those balls just smoke. With that control of yours you could hita coin. They can't touch you. They'll be rolling over and playing dead."
"That listens good," laughed Joe. "At that, I'll need all I've got tomake those fellows be good."
The preliminary practice gave evidence that the game would be forblood. Both teams were on their toes, and the dazzling plays thatfeatured their work brought frequent roars of applause from the Giantand Brooklyn rooters. Then the bell rang, the umpire dusted off theplate and the vast throng settled down with delighted anticipation towatch the game.
The Brooklyns, as the visiting team, went first to bat. A roar wentup from the stands as Joe walked out to the mound. The Giant rooterspromptly put the game down as won. But the Brooklyns pinned their faithto their phenomenal pitcher, Dizzy Rance, and had different ideas aboutthe outcome of the game.
The first inning was short and sweet. Leete, the leftfielder of theDodgers, who, year in and year out, had a batting average of .300or better, swung savagely at the first ball pitched and raised askyscraping fly that Jackwell at third promptly gathered in. Mornier,with the count at three balls and two strikes, sent up a foul thatMylert caught close to the stands after a long run. Tonsten lunged atthe first ball and missed. The second was a beauty that cut the outercorner of the plate at which he did not offer and which went for astrike. Then Joe shot over a high fast one and struck him out.
"Atta boy, Joe!" and similar shouts of encouragement came from standsand bleachers, as Joe pulled off his glove and went in to the bench.
Rance, the Brooklyn pitcher, did not lack a generous round of applauseas he took up his position in the box. He had already pitched two gamesagainst the Giants and won them both. But he had never happened to bepitted against Joe, and despite his air of confidence he knew he hadhis work cut out for him.
Curry made a good try on the second ball pitched and sent a long flyto center that was caught by Maley after a long run. Iredell sent asharp single to left. Burkett slammed one off Rance's shins, and theball rolled between short and second. Before it could be recovered,Burkett had reached first and Iredell was safe at second. Wheeler triedto wait Rance out, but when the count had reached three and two he senta single to center that scored Iredell from second and carried Burkettto third. A moment later the latter was caught napping by a snap throwfrom catcher to third and came in sheepishly to the bench. Rance thenput on steam and set Jackwell down on three successive strikes.
"There's one of the runs we promised you, Joe," sang out Larry, as theGiants took the field.
"That's good as far as it goes," laughed Joe. "But don't forget I'mlooking for more."
For the Brooklyns, Trench was an easy out on a roller to Joe, who ranover and tagged him on the base line. Naylor dribbled one to Jackwellthat rolled so slowly that the batter reached first. But no damage wasdone, for Joe pitched an outcurve to Maley and made him hit into a fastdouble play, Iredell to Barrett to Burkett.
It was snappy pitching, backed up by good support, and that it wasappreciated was shown by the shouts that came from the Giant rooters,who cheered until Joe had to remove his cap.
But Rance, although the Giants had got to him for three hits inthe first inning, showed strength in the second that delighted hissupporters. He mowed the Giants down as fast as they came to the bat.
The best that Larry could do was to lift a towering fly to center thatwas taken care of by Maley. Bowen lifted a twisting foul that theBrooklyn catcher did not have to stir out of his tracks to get. Joe hita smoking liner that was superbly caught by Tonsten, who had to go upin the air for it, but held on.
In the Brooklyns' third, Joe made a great play on a well-placed bunt byReis that rolled between the box and third base. Joe slipped and fellas he grasped it, but while in a sitting position he shot it over tofirst in time to nail the runner. Rance hit a sharp bounder to the boxthat Joe fielded in plenty of time. Tighe went out on a Texas leaguerthat was gathered in by Larry.
"That boy's got 'em eating out of his hand," exulted Robbie, his redface beaming with satisfaction.
"Yes, now," agreed the more cautious McRae. "But at any time they mayturn and bite the hand that's feeding them. They're an ungrateful lot."
In their half of the inning, the Giants failed to score. Rance waspitching like a house afire. Mylert went back to the bench after threefutile offers at the elusive sphere. Curry popped a weak fly to Trench,and, Iredell, after fouling the ball off half a dozen times, groundedto Mornier at first, who only had to step on the bag to register an out.
It was Larry's turn to be in the limelight in the Brooklyns' half ofthe fourth. Leete raised a fly that seemed destined to fall betweensecond and left. It was certain that Wheeler at left could not get toit in time, though he came in racing like an express train. But Larryhad started at the crack of the bat, running in the direction of theball. He reached it just as it was going over his head, a
nd with a wildleap grasped it with one hand and held on to it.
It was one of the finest catches ever made on the Polo Grounds. Fora moment the crowd sat stupefied. Then, when they realized that abaseball "miracle" had occurred, they raised a din that could havebeen heard a mile away.
"Great stuff, Larry, old boy!" congratulated Joe, as the second basemanresumed his position. "No pitcher could ask for any better support thanthat."
"Let that go for my share of your birthday present," returned thegrinning Larry.
The next two went out in jig time, one on a grounder and the other onstrikes.
The Giants added one more run in their half of the fourth by a clevercombination of bunts and singles. Joe knew that Rance was weak onfielding bunts, and he directed his men to play on that weakness. TheBrooklyn pitcher fell all over himself in trying to handle them, andthis had a double advantage, for it not only let men get on bases butit shook for a moment the morale of the boxman and made it easier forthe succeeding batsman. It was only by virtue of a lucky double playthat Rance got by with only one run scored against him in that inning.
With two runs to the good, the Giants went out on the field in acheerful mood. They were getting onto the redoubtable Rance, notheavily, but still they were hitting him. Joe, on the other hand,seemed to be invincible. He was not trying for strike-outs except whennecessary. But his curves were working perfectly, his control wasmarvelous, and when a third strike was in order he called upon his hopball or his fadeaway and it did the trick.
And the boys behind him were certainly backing him up in fine style.They were fairly "eating up" everything that came their way, diggingthem out of the dirt, spearing them out of the air, throwing with theprecision of expert riflemen. None of them was playing that day forrecords. They were playing for the team. Already the new spirit thatJoe had infused as captain was beginning to tell.
In the Giant's half of the fifth, Joe was the first man up. Rance triedhim on an outcurve, but Joe refused to bite. The next was a fast,straight one, and Joe caught it fairly for a terrific smash over thecenterfielder's head. The outfield had gone back when he first came tothe bat, but they had not gone back far enough. It was a whale of ahit, and Joe trotted home easily, even then reaching the plate beforeMaley had laid his hand on the ball.
"Frozen hoptoads!" cried Robbie, fairly jumping up and down inexultation. "It's a murderer he is. He isn't satisfied with anythingless than killing the ball."
"He's some killer, all right," assented McRae. "With one other man likehim on the team, the race would be over. The Giants would simply walkin with the flag."
That mammoth hit should have been the beginning of a rally, but Rancetightened up and the next three went out in order, one on strikes andthe other two on infield outs.
Joe still had control of the situation, and he seemed to grow moreunhittable as the game went on. He simply toyed with his opponents,and their vain attempts to land on the ball made them at times seemludicrous.
"Sure, Joe, 'tis a shame what you're doin' to those poor boobs,"chuckled Larry, as they came in to the bench together.
"But don't forget that they're always dangerous," cautioned Joe. "Doyou remember the fourteen runs they made in one of their games againstthe Phillies? They may stage a comeback any minute."
"Not while you're in the box, old boy," declared Larry. "You'll have tobreak a leg to lose this game."
Burkett thought it was up to him to do something, and lammed out aterrific liner to left for three bases, sliding into third just afraction of a second before the return of the ball. Wheeler tried tosacrifice, but Tonsten held Burkett at third by a threatening gesturebefore putting out Wheeler at first. With the infield pulled in fora play at the plate, Jackwell double-crossed them by a single overshort that scored Burkett with the fourth run for the Giants. Barrettwent out on a grounder to Mornier, Jackwell taking second. Bowen madea determined effort to bring him in, but his long fly to center wasgathered in by Maley.
The "lucky seventh" was misnamed as far as the Brooklyns wereconcerned, for their luck was conspicuous by its absence. Although theheavy end of their batting order was up, they failed to get the ballout of the infield. Leete, their chief slugger, was utterly bewilderedby Joe's offerings and struck out among the jeers of the Giant fans.Mornier popped up a fly that Joe gobbled up, and Larry had no troublein getting Tonsten's grounder into the waiting hands of Burkett.
The Giants did a little better, and yet were unable to add to theirscore. Joe started off with a ripping single to left. Mylert tried toadvance him by sacrificing, but after sending up two fouls was struckout by Rance. Curry sent a liner to the box that was too hot to handle,but Rance deflected it to Tonsten who got Curry at first, Joe in themeantime getting to second. Iredell was an easy victim, driving theball straight into the hands of Mornier at first.
"Well, Joe," chuckled Jim, as the eighth inning began, "we haven'tgiven you your present yet, but we're in a fair way to put it over.Not to say that you're not earning most of the present yourself."
"I don't care how it comes as long as we get it," laughed Joe, as heslipped on his glove.
The time was now growing fearfully short in which the men from theother side of the bridge could make their final bid for the game. Thosefour runs that the Giants had scored were like so many mountains to bescaled, and with the airtight pitching that Joe was handing out, itseemed like an impossible task.
Still, they had pulled many a game out of the fire with even greaterodds against them, and they came up to the plate determined to do itagain, if it were at all possible.
Trench got a ball just where he liked it, and sent it whistling toleft field for a single. Naylor followed with a fierce grasser thatIredell knocked down, but could not field in time to catch the runner.It looked like the beginning of a rally, and the Brooklyn bench wasin commotion. Their coaches on the base lines jumped up and down,alternately shouting encouragement to their men and hurling gibes atJoe in the attempt to rattle him.
"We've got him going now," yelled one.
"We've just been kidding him along so far," shouted another. "Alltogether now, boys! Send him to the showers!"
Maley came next, with orders to strike at the first ball pitched. Hefollowed orders and missed. Again he swung several inches under Joe'sthrow, which took a most tantalizing hop just before it reached theplate.
He set himself for the third and caught it fairly. The ball started asa screaming liner, going straight for the box. Joe leaped in the airand caught it in his gloved hand. Like a flash he turned and hurled itto Larry at second. Trench, who had started for third at the crack ofthe ball, tried frantically to scramble back to second, but was toolate. Larry wheeled and shot down the ball to first, beating Naylor tothe bag by an eyelash. Three men had been put out in the twinkling ofan eye!
It was the first triple play that had been made that season, and thethird that had been made on the Polo Grounds since that famous park hadbeen opened. It had all occurred so quickly that half the spectatorsdid not for the moment realize what had occurred. But they woke up, androar after roar rose from the stands as the spectators saw the Giantsrunning in gleefully, while the discomfited Brooklyns, with their rallynipped in the bud, went out gloomily to their positions.
"You'll send him to the showers, will you?" yelled Larry to theBrooklyn coaches, as he threw his cap hilariously into the air.
Rance's face was a study as he took his place in the box. He saw hiswinning streak going glimmering. It was a hard game for him to lose,for he had pitched in a way that would have won most games. But he haddrawn a hard assignment in having to face pitching against which histeammates, fence breakers as they usually were, could make no headway.
Still, he was game, and there was still another inning, and nothing wasimpossible in baseball. If the Giants had expected him to crack, theywere quickly undeceived. Burkett grounded out to Trench, who made arattling stop and got him at first with feet to spare. Wheeler fouledout to Tighe. Jackwell went out on three su
ccessive strikes.
It was a plucky exhibition of pitching under discouraging conditions,and Rance well deserved the hand that he received as he went in to thebench.
"I say, Joe," remarked Jim, as his chum was preparing to go out for theninth Brooklyn inning. "Celebrate your birthday by showing those birdsthe three-men-to-a-game stunt. It will be a glorious wind-up."
"I'll see," replied Joe, with a grin that was half a promise.
Thompson, the manager of the Brooklyns, who had been having a littlerun-in with the umpire, and was standing in a disgruntled mood near thebatter's box, overheard the dialogue and stared in wonderment at Jim.
"What's that three-men-to-a-game stunt you're talking about?" he asked.
"Haven't you ever heard of it?" asked Jim.
"I never have," replied Thompson. "And I was in the game before youwere born."
"Then you've got a treat in store for you," Jim assured him. "Just youwatch this inning, and you'll see that only three men will be needed toturn your men back without a run, or even the smell of a hit. They'llbe the pitcher, the catcher and the first baseman. The rest of theGiants will have nothing to do and might as well be off the field. Infact, if it wasn't against the regulations of the game, we would callthem into the bench just now."
Thompson looked at Jim as though he were crazy.
"Trying to kid me?" the Brooklyn manager asked, with a savageinflection in his voice.
"Not at all," replied Jim, grinning cheerfully. "Just keep your eye onthat pitcher of ours."
Baseball Joe, Captain of the Team; or, Bitter Struggles on the Diamond Page 11
