CHAPTER X
THREE IN A ROW
The first jump of the team was to Cincinnati, and there they foundtheir work cut out for them. The Reds had just lost three out of fourto Pittsburgh, and they had got such a talking to from their manager,from the fans, and from the press of the city that they knew they hadto do something to redeem themselves. They knew that if they could holdthe Giants even, it would be something; if they could take three out offour they would be forgiven; while if they could make a clean sweep ofthe series they would "own the town."
It was a singular thing what delight all the Western teams, and forthat matter all the teams of the League, took in beating the Giants. Avictory over them, of course, did not count any more in the final scorethan a victory over one of the tailenders; but there was a fiendishsatisfaction in taking the scalps of the team from the "Big Town." Sothat the managers always saved their best pitchers for the games withthe Giants, while they took a chance with their second string pitchersagainst the other teams. This of course was a compliment; but it was acompliment that the Giants did not especially appreciate, for it madetheir task harder than that of any other team in the League.
So when the Giants learned that Dutch Rutter was to try his prowessagainst them in the opening game, they were not surprised. Rutter wasa left-hander who had made a phenomenal record the preceding year, andhe had been especially rested up and groomed with the Giant series inview. Meran, the manager, had figured that if he could win the firstgame with Rutter he could come back with him in the fourth, and thushave at least a chance of getting an even break on the series.
But McRae, anticipating such a move, had so arranged his own selectionof pitchers that Joe was in line for the first game, and he was notafraid to pit his "ace" against the star boxman of the Cincinnatis.
His confidence was justified, for Baseball Joe won out after agruelling struggle. In Rutter he had found an opponent worthy of hissteel. For six innings neither team broke into the run column. Rutterhad superb control for a left-hander, and he showed a most dazzlingassortment of curves and slants. But Joe came back at him with thesame brand of pitching that he had shown in the opening game, and theCincinnati batsmen were turned back from the plate bewildered anddisgruntled. In vain their manager raved and stormed.
"Why don't you hit him?" he asked of his star slugger, as the lattercame back to the bench, after having been called out on strikes.
"Hit him!" Duncan came back at him. "What chance have I got of hittinghim, when I can't even hit the ball he pitches?"
Still the Giants had a scare thrown into them when in the ninthinning, by a succession of fumbles and wild throws, the Cincinnatishad three men on bases and none out. As they themselves had only onerun, scored in the seventh inning by a three base hit by Joe, aided bya clean single by Mylert, the chances looked exceedingly good that theCincinnatis might tie the score or win the game. A clean single wouldhave brought in one run and probably two.
But Baseball Joe was always at his best when most depended on him.While the coachers tried to rattle him and the crowds franticallyadjured Thompson, who was at the bat, to bring the men on bases in tothe plate, Joe was as cool as a cucumber.
He threw a swift high one to Thompson which the latter missed by threeinches. Mylert threw the ball back to Joe, who stopped it with hisfoot and stooped as though to adjust his shoe lace. He fumbled aninstant with the lace, and then suddenly picking up the ball hurled itto second like a shot. Emden, who was taking a long lead off the base,tried to scramble back, but Denton had the ball on him like a flash.Mellen who was on third made a bolt for the plate, but Denton shot theball to Mylert, and Mellen was run down between third and home. Whilethis was going on, Gallagher had taken second, and profiting by therunning down of Mellen, kept on half way to third. He did not dare goall the way to third, because Mellen still had a chance to get backto that base. But the instant Mellen was touched out, Joe, who hadtaken part in running him down, shot the ball to Willis at third andGallagher was caught between the second and third bags. Three men wereout, the game was over, and the Giants had begun their Western invasionwith a 1 to 0 victory.
SUDDENLY PICKING UP THE BALL HE HURLED IT TO SECOND.]
Joe's quick thinking had cleared the bags in a twinkling. It had allcome so suddenly that the crowd was dumbfounded. Meran, the Cincinnatimanager, sat on the bench with his mouth open like a man in a daze. Hismen were equally "flabbergasted." Thompson still stood at the platewith his bat in hand. It seemed to him that a bunco game had beenplayed on him, and he was still trying to fathom it.
Then at last the crowd woke up. They hated to see the home team lose,but they could not restrain their meed of admiration and applause. Thestands fairly rocked with cheering. They had seen a play that theycould talk about all their lives, one that happens perhaps once in ageneration, one that they would probably never see again.
McRae and Robbie for a moment acted like men in a trance. Over Robbie'srubicund face chased all the colors of the chameleon. It almost seemedas though he might have a stroke of apoplexy. Then at last he turned toMcRae and smote him mightily on the knees.
"Did you see it, John?" he roared. "Did you see it?"
"I saw it," answered McRae. "But for the love of Pete, Robbie, keepthat pile driver off my knees. Yes, I saw it, and I don't mind sayingthat I never saw anything like it in my thirty years of baseball. Ihave to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming."
"A miracle man, that's what he is!" ejaculated Robbie. "That wing ofhis is wonderful, but it's the head on him that tops any other in theleague. He wasn't behind the door when brains were given out."
Meran, the Cincinnati manager, who was a good sport, after he hadrecovered from his astonishment, came over to the Giants' bench andshook hands with McRae and Robson.
"It was a hard game to lose, John," he said to the Giants' manager. "Ithought we had it sewed up in the ninth. But there's no use buckingagainst that pitcher of yours. I'm only glad that you can't pitch himin all your games."
Joe, flushed and smiling, was overwhelmed with congratulations, but hemade light of his feat, as was his custom.
"It was simple enough," he protested. "I had the luck to catch Emdenoff second and the boys did all the rest."
"Simple enough," mimicked Jim. "Oh, yes, it was simple enough. That'sthe reason it happens every day of the week."
It was a good beginning, but the old proverb that "a good beginningmakes a bad ending" was illustrated in this Western tour. For somereason most of the Giant pitchers could not "get going." Jim pulled outa victory in the Cincinnati series, but Markwith lost his game, andHughson, who tried to pitch one of the games, found that he was not yetin shape.
That series ended two and two. In Chicago the Giants had to be contentwith only one victory out of the series. They hoped to make up for thisin St. Louis. But they found that the fame of "Murderers' Row" hadnot been exaggerated, and there was a perfect rain of hits from theCardinals' bats that took two games out of three, the fourth that hadbeen scheduled being held up by rain.
When the team swung around to Pittsburgh, there were some addedwrinkles between McRae's brows.
"If we can only break even with Cincinnati and get the little end ofit in Chicago and St. Louis, what will Pittsburgh do to us?" he askedRobbie, with a groan.
"What Pittsburgh will do to us, John," replied Robbie soberly, "is asin and a shame!"