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Chicago Tribune, 14 October 1906
In spite of the rankest or exhibition of fielding a team of champions ever gave In public, the White Stockings won the advantage again In the struggle for the world’s pennant, defeating the National league bunting winners by a score of 8 to 6 yesterday In the fifth. game of the series, and sending nearly 30,000 rooters away from the west side grounds fit subjects for the madhouse.
Twenty-three thousand two hundred end fifty-seven fanatics paid to see the thing, and the rest of the 80,000 rooters were outside the grounds, packed on adjoining roofs, clinging to telegraph poles and wires like monkeys, or fretting behind locked gates and trying to gain from the Incessant yelling some idea of the tide of battle was going within.
It was a complete upset of all previous dope. Comiskey’s “hitless wonders” suddenly developed a batting streak which carried them to victory In spite of everything. Two of the pitchers, who had held the Sox to low hits previously, were driven to the woods Inside of five Innings, and before the scrap was finished the south Siders had rolled up a total of twelve hits, eight of them clean two baggers. makIng a. total of twenty bases. Reulbach and Pfiester were the victims, and not until the California giant, Overall. took the slab could the raging Sox be tamed.
Spuds Become “Hitless Wonders.”
Chance s sluggers took up the roles laid down by the Sox and became “hitless wonders” themselves. With only six safeties, scattered from one end of the game to the other, they made such excellent use of their swats that they scored six runs with them and never were beaten until the twenty-seventh Spud was retired In the ninth Inning. It was any one’s game at all times. First ore team led, then the other, and even after the Sox apparently had cinched the victory Chance’s warriors refused to be still. They grew so threatening that Manager Jones finally had to take Walsh off the slab and let Doc White finish the Job for him.
Manager Chance and his cohorts of backers tried every possible trick to change the luck and break the succession of defeats on their own grounds. The home players appeared In their traveling uniforms of gray instead of the prescribed white suits, because they had not lost a game while wearing the gray. The board of trade brigade did its best by purchasing a pair of bear cubs end presenting them to Chance before the game, after the furry mascots had been led unwillingly all over the field. ’round and ’round the plate and even the bases. The hen which laid the goose eggs was penned In her coop. and Spud bench was treasured a horseshoe made by Bob FitzsImmons himself and sent with the once champion s compliments to break the luck. All these efforts did not avail to change the result or defeat the Sox, but they might be held responsible for the change of the luck which made of the south siders and the west siders to make many runs with few hits.
Drive Reulbach from Slab.
Before the[ first inning was finished, with Its varying tide of battle, the Immense crowd was half crazed and the events which followed only to increase their madness until some of the rooters did not know which way they were pulling. The Sox went after Reulbach so viciously at the start they drove him from the slab right there, and only a brilliant bit of fielding by Evers held then down to a single run. Chance’s men came back at Walsh so hotly that the spitball turned to steam before It reached their bats and became a dry curve. So fierce was their attack the Sox blew a couple of easy chances and, allowed the Nationals to pound out a. lead of two rune.
The second inning was a draw, then the Sox slammed Reulbach’s curves so hard he was removed from the slab and Pflester managed to stop Jones’ men temporarily, after they had tied up the score. The rooters from both aides of the town were frantic by this time and when Jones men began slamming out two baggers off Pfeister in the fourth, they drove their backers batty with the joy of victory. Four runs were piled up in that bunch before Overall, who replaced Jack, could stop the hitting, and that swat-fest decided the game.
The Nationals came back desperately In every Inning and had men ready to score repeatedly through errors, passes, or hits, but the lead proved too long. Walsh, pitching a great game, was unsettled by the wretched support given him at times, and what might have happened if Jones had not made the switch of slabmen never will be known.
Game 5 at West Side Park.
White Goes to Rescue.
White went to the rescue in the seventh Inning, with none out and a man on secone base, and pitched steadily to the end, while Overall, who was not counted on as a factor in the world’s series. earned high honors for himself by his perfect control and effectiveness under the severest fire a youngster ever faced. Taking the game when the Sox were maddest In their hunger for swats, with only one out and a man at second In the inning, he let the visitors down with one more tally in that round and allowed one other In the sixth.
Chance’s pitchers were given faultless support in the field, never a slip marring their work, while several brilliant plays were pulled off. Schulte’s feat of taking a low liner from Dougherty’s bat almost off his shoe laces and doubling up Rohe at the plate put a stop to that ferocious attack of the Sox In the fourth. The same Schulte did royal work with his stick. slamming out three hits for four bases in five times up.
Crowd on the North Bleachers at Yesterday’s World Championship Game
Isbell Bats Well; Fields Poorlv.
The fielding of the White Sox was ragged In the extreme, yet sprinkled with startling plays at critical moments. Isbell and Rohe helped the Nationals to all six of their runs with their flukes and wild throws, while Davis and Donohue made less expensive errors. But Isbell made the south side throng forget his unsteadiness by his great stick work. which beat anything registered In the series. Four times In succession Isbell walked to the plate and smashed two base hits Into the crowd. There was nothing fluky about them. He hit to right, left, center, and back to right again. He hit Reulbach for two doubles. Pflester for one, and Overall for one, then wound up by striking out the fifth time up, when It mattered not. Rohe plugged In a double and two singles to make up for his fielding, and George Davis was there with two doubles Into the mob, when the battle was hottest and runs were coming thickest. In fact, he drove two pitchers off the slab.
It was Davis, too, who made one of the best plays of the day, when he kept “Doc” White out of a tough hole in the eighth Inning by quick thinking and grit combined. Two were out In that round when Isbell missed Sheckard s warm roller. Schulte hit slowly out of Rohe’s reach and Davis. making a desperate effort, tried to throw the fleet Frank out at first, but too late. Sheckard saw third unguarded and took the long chance of getting closer to the plate. Davis, however, rushed to the empty bag. and, taking Donohue’s return throw while on the dead run, touched Sheckard out and held the ball In spite of a hard collision which sent both fielder and runner sprawling across the bag. That double feat, the daring of Jimmy Sheckard, which almost brought a fine chance for victory. and the nerve of George Davis. who risked a broken back to save the game, was cheered In deafening slogans by the rooters of both factions impartially. Partisanship, prejudice. and all else were forgotten for the moment. for both participants In that crucial play were Chicago players and had tolled as brilliantly in the past to bring honor to Chicago.
Hahn Opens with Single
The first Inning gave warning of the sensations to come. Hahn and his courtplastered nose opened with a single past Tinker to center. Jones bunted him to second and was out himself. Isbell smashed the first of his four doubles past Schulte Into the crowd. scoring Hahn. Then Isbell was run to death in clever fashion on Davis’ rap to Reulbach without letting George get beyond first base. It saved a Sox run, too, for Rohe followed with a hot one close to third into the crowd, for two bases and Davis was stopped on third by ground rules. Reulbach Intentionally passed Donohue, but Dougherty bounded a high one over Reulbach’s head. Like a deer Pat dashed for first. but with the speed of an eagle Evers pounced In on the ball and shot It to Chance, getting an awfully close verdict from O’Loughlin and retiring the side. That play cut off two Sox runs—for Davis and Rohe had started with the pitch and both were on the plate when the out was declared.
Chance’s men then attacked the spit ball flinger viciously. Hofman lined a clean single over Isbell’s head and was sacrificed to second by Shickard. Schulte hit a high bounder which Rohe missed, but blocked enough to hold Hofman at second. Walsh hit Chance’s hand and bat at the same time and Johnstone let the manager walk, filling the bases, with one out.
Isbell Allows Three Runs
Steinfeldt hit hard at Davis, wno smothered the hit and tossed the ball to Isbell, forcing Chance, with plenty of time for a double play, to end the round runless—and Isbell heaved It into the crowd, letting two runs score and Steiny to second. Tinker bunted close to the third base line, and Donohue muffed Walsh’s throw, while Steinfeldt plowed home from with the third run of the Inning. Tinker soon was caught off fIrst.
For one inning both teams settled. Then in the third the Sox went crazy. lsbell led with his double, a clean smash Into the left field crowd. Davis pulled a drive Into the right field spectators, scoring Isbell and driving Reulbach from the slab. Pfiester began well by striking aut Rohe, but he hit Donohue in the middle of the back. Dougherty forced “Jiggs” at second, and a moment later Pat and Davis worked a double steal which scored the latter. Then Pfiester struck out Sullivan.
Sox Again Pound Ball.
Welsh held his opponents In their half, and the Sot became rambunctious in the fourth. Walsh’ worked Pilester for a pass, but Hahn forced him at second. Jones hit a little fly into left, arid Isbell banged out his third straight double, this time a corker over Hofman’s head. Into the center field crowd. Davis followed with his second double. pulled along the left foul line. Three Sox runs were in and Overall was summoned to the slab. He passed Rohe for a starter and let Donohue rip a double to left, scoring Davis. But when Dougherty smashed a liner to right, Schulte made a brilliant running catch of It. Rohe was caught off guard, went back to third, then tried to score, but the throw, relayed by Evers, beat him to the plate.
Chance’s men scored one run In their fourth without the aid of a hit. Rohe’s wild throw gave Tinker second base. Evers was passed and the keystone pair executed a clever double steal of third and second, after Kling had fanned. A wild pitch let Tinker score and then Overall struck out. Hofman was passed and Sheckard struck out.
Spuds Put Up a Scare.
The sixth was joyous both ways. In the Sox half, with Jones fanned, Isbell smashed out his fourth straight double, selecting the right field crowd as its recipient. He went to third on Davis’ out, and scored on Rohe’s single to right. Chance’s killers came back hard in their half. There were two out when Overall and Hotman worked passes out of Walsh. who rapidly was becoming unsettled by the grueling contest and the unsteadiness of his backing. Sheckard hit to Rohe. who had a chance to retire the side, but fumbled an instant, then unwisely tried to force Hofman at second—too late by seconds. The bases were filled, and Schulte followed with a long wallop over Jones’ head Into the crowd, scoring two runs and putting his team within two of a tie. Isbell retired the side on Chance’s roller.
Overall allowed only one White Sox to reach first In the last three innings, and gave his backers all the chance they could ask to win out. So bitterly did they fight for It that, when Stelnfeldt opened the seventh with a whistling liner Into left for two bases, Manager Jones dared not continue with Walsh on the slab. White took his place, and retired the Spuds with Steiny fretting at third.
In the eighth there were two out when Isbell Sheckard’s hit, and Schulte beat out the hit on which Davis risked a broken back to stop a daring steal by Sheckard. It was too dark to see distinctly, and In the ninth lights began to gleam In the windows of neighboring blocks. Still they fought on to the finish.
Forced Out Ends Rally and Game
Chance came first In the ninth and drove Hahn back to the edge of the crowd after his swat, but Eddie pinched it. Steinfeldt hit to Rohe. who made his third wild throw to first, but Donohue got it and the out. Tinker was passed and Moran was sent to bat for Evers. There was a crash out of the gathering gloom and Davis was seen running toward second. He went through the motions of picking up something and tossing it to Isbell. Then the Sox made a dash for the bench, and the Sox half of the crowd, taking It for granted George actually had seen the ball and retired Tinker, let out one final yelp of joy.
Game 5 Box Score
Notes and Comments on the Game
Gee whiz-z-zz!
Two live cubs are brought to the park for mascots by Eddie Hoan of the board of trade. Just before the game started one of them unwillingly made the round bases. He walked a little and was pulled a little, but jumped the bags in clever fashion.
The players are as fidgety as golfers.
According to the rules of the world’s series, the national commission must choose the date and city for a possible seventh game before the sixth game of a series is played. Consequently it was decided last night that if a seventh game is necessary to decide this contest it shall be played in Chicago on Monday. If the Sox win today’s game the series will be finished. If the Nationals should win another victory on the enemy’s grounds Managers Chance and Jones will toss a coin tonight to decide whether the final battle is to be played on the west or south side.
Versatility counts. George Davis batted left handed against Reulbach and made a two bagger and when the south paw Pfiester came in George batted right handed and scored another two sacker.
Walsh struck out three men in the fourth, yet the Nationals scored one run on a pair of passes and an error by Rohs.
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