Week 3 Summary (04/26/1920 - 05/02/1920)

Week Three of the 1920 BBW Replay is in the books, and we continue to be off to a slow start. Boston (NL) has only played nine games, although they did have a twenty-six-inning tie game on Saturday. Boston (AL), St. Louis (NL), and Chicago (NL) have all played fourteen games so far, the net result being that the standings in both leagues are still a jumbled mess.

In the AL, New York finished the week with a four-game winning streak and sits atop the AL standings with a slight two-game lead over both Chicago and Washington. The Yankees have ten wins, seven of them coming via the shutout. The White Sox stumbled out of the gate but have righted their ship recently and are looking to move past the Yankees, while the Senators have both strong hitting and pitching and would love to be in that fight as well. Cleveland is hitting .300 as a team and they expect their early season pitching struggles to even out, and directly behind them sit both St. Louis and Detroit, two teams that feature multiple great hitters that can do a lot of damage, but in both cases their pitching is suspect. Seventh-place Boston still has zero homeruns hit and may already be experiencing the remorse of having traded away Babe Ruth. Philadelphia is in last place and likely not going anywhere as Connie Mack is in the middle of another rebuilding phase, and while ultimately successful, it doesn’t bring much hope for this season.

 

In the NL, no team has really stepped forward to take control of the standings. Cincinnati has spent the most days in first place, but the week ended with a surprising Boston team sitting atop the pile. Actually, the real surprise in the NL so far is the good starts for both Boston and Philadelphia, both coming at the expense of Brooklyn (eighth place) and New York (sixth place). These four teams have one more week of intra-regional play before they start play versus the teams from the Midwest, so we'll see where this goes next.

 

Chicago (NL) Manager
Fred Mitchell

With so few games played, there isn't much to mention with regard to league leaders. Chicago (AL) third baseman Buck Weaver (.444) has gotten a hit in each of the White Sox eleven games plus Weaver, not necessarily known for the homerun ball, leads all of baseball with three longballs. St. Louis first baseman George Sisler (.548) leads the AL in batting average, while Pittsburgh second baseman George Cutshaw (.457) leads the NL.

There were two Grand Slams this past week (Tris Speaker and George Kelly), but the real highlight of this past week was the famous twenty-six inning 1-1 tie game with Brooklyn's Leon Cadore and Boston's Joe Oeschger both pitching complete games (box score). The most amazing thing about this is not the complete games themselves, but that the whole thing was accomplished in three hours and fifty minutes before it was called on account of darkness … 186 total batters in 230 total minutes … no need for a time clock here.

 

https://pixels.com/featured/wrigley-field-1918-gary-grigsby.html

Note: Artist Error: Cubs Park was renamed Wrigley Field at the start of 1927 season

Week 3 Results (04/26/1920 - 05/02/1920)

Monday, April 26, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

Brooklyn pitcher George Mohart was injured (?) on 04/25/1920

 

Philadelphia (NL) pitcher Huck Betts made his Major League Debut on 04/26/1920

 

Washington 10 New York (AL) (H) 5

 

Two errors by catcher Muddy Ruel in the top of the second led to six unearned runs and the Senators easily romped to the win in New York. Eric Erickson (2-0, 3.32) gave up some runs late, but the game had already been decided. Babe Ruth made a pinch-hit appearance, his first appearance in almost a week.

 

Joe Dugan

Philadelphia (AL) (H) 6 Boston (AL) 0

Scott Perry (1-3, 4.10) twirled a three-hit shutout for his first win of the season as the Red Sox could never get their offense started. Second baseman Joe Dugan led the A's offense with a 4-for-4 day with two runs scored and an RBI.

 

Detroit 3 St. Louis (AL) (H) 1

 

Both teams scored a run in the first and there the score stayed until shortstop Donie Bush rolled one to the wall and was able to scoot all the way around the bases for a homerun (#1) in the top of the fifth. Red Oldham (1-1, 2.50) got the win over Elam Vangilder (0-1, 1.80).

 

Philadelphia (NL) 5 Boston (NL) (H) 3

 

The Phillies scored three unearned runs in the top of the fifth to regain the lead and Eppa Rixey (3-0, 3.81) was able to go all the way for the win.

 

Brooklyn (H) 4 New York (NL) 3 (11)

 

Center fielder Hi Myers stroked a two-out RBI single to score third baseman Jimmy Johnston in the bottom of the eleventh to give the hometown Robins a 4-3 victory over their crosstown rivals. Jesse Winters (0-1, 3.38) took the loss with Rube Marquard (2-2, 5.54) picking up the win.

 

Tuesday, April 27, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

New York (NL) outfielder Lee King was injured (?) on 04/26/1920

 

Chicago (AL) 8 Cleveland (H) 3

 

Both teams could sense this was going to be an important game and they both had their best pitchers lined up for the occasion, but it was the White Sox who jumped on Stan Coveleski (2-2, 4.78) for five runs in the top of the third, the big hits being a two-run single by second baseman Eddie Collins and then a two-run homerun (#1) by right fielder Happy Felsch. Red Faber (2-0, 1.00) gave up a few runs late but was never threatened.

 

Cincinnati (H) 3 St. Louis (NL) 1

 

Dutch Ruether (4-0, 0.50) picked up his fourth win of the young season - all in April - as he kept the visiting Cardinals off the scoreboard until the ninth inning. Both teams ended up with five hits on the day, but the Reds bunched their hits in a three-run fifth.

 

Wednesday, April 28, 1920

 

Transactions: N/A

 

Chicago (AL) 3 Cleveland (H) 1

 

Center fielder Happy Felsch got ahold of a pitch in the top of the ninth and sent it over the wall for a two-run homerun (#2) and Dickey Kerr (1-0, 1.98) was able to go all the way for the win.

 

Boston (AL) 7 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 7 (14) (Tie Game)

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA192004280.shtml

 

George Sisler

St. Louis (AL) (H) 9 Detroit 2

The Browns scored three times in the bottom of the first and then poured it on from there, building up a 7-0 lead by the end of the fourth. First baseman George Sisler led the way by going 4-for-4 (.581) with two runs scored and two RBI's, allowing Urban Shocker (3-0, 3.33) to go all the way for the win.

 

Chicago (NL) (H) 2 Pittsburgh 1

 

Pete Alexander (1-3, 1.59) had been suffering from a lack of run support so today he took things into his own hands and slugged a homerun (#1) in the bottom of the seventh that put the Cubs ahead to stay. Alexander held the Pirates to only three hits on the day.

 

Thursday, April 29, 1920

 

Transactions: N/A

 

Chicago (AL) 8 Cleveland (H) 0

 

The White Sox took their third in a row from the Indians as Lefty Williams (2-2, 4.33) held the hometown team to only four hits on the day. Chicago had sixteen hits, plus Cleveland chipped in with three errors as well.

 

New York (AL) (H) 2 Washington 0

 

Babe Ruth was back in the starting lineup for the first time in a week and his two-run double in the bottom of the third was the difference in this game. Jack Quinn (2-0, 0.72) went all the way and gave up six hits, while Walter Johnson (1-2, 1.04) gave up only three hits in taking the loss.

 

Boston (AL) 6 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 1

 

Bullet Joe Bush (2-1, 2.63) had another strong outing as the A's could only score one run in the seventh. Right fielder Harry Hooper went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI's batting in the leadoff spot.

 

Detroit 7 St. Louis (AL) (H) 6

 

St. Louis spotted Detroit a three-run lead after the top of the third, but by the bottom of the fifth, the Browns were on top 6-3. After a run in the sixth, the Tigers then scored three runs in the top of the ninth as Allen Sothoron (0-3, 10.24) couldn’t get the third out. Right fielder Ira Flagstead had the big hit, a two-run single, that put the Tigers ahead in the ninth to stay.

 

Boston (NL) (H) 13 Philadelphia (NL) 5

 

The Phillies scored twice in the top of the first but by the end of the second they were losing 4-2, and then by the end of the fifth they were down 6-3. Then the Braves got hot and scored six times in the bottom of the seventh to lock the game up for Dana Fillingim (2-0, 2.50). Shortstop Rabbit Maranville went 4-for-5, scored three runs, drove in one, and hit a triple to lead the Boston offense.

 

New York (NL) 3 Brooklyn (H) 1

 

Twice Clarence Mitchell (1-1, 1.50) experienced control issues but was able to wriggle out of bases-loaded situations, but when he did it a third time a two-run single by left fielder Ross Youngs in the top of the ninth gave the Giants their first lead of the game. Fred Toney (2-1, 0.72) pitched well, kept the game close, and got the win.

 

St. Louis (NL) 4 Chicago (NL) (H) 3 (11)

 

Left fielder Dave Robertson spoiled the shutout and the win for Bill Doak when he lifted a two-run homerun (#1) in the bottom of the ninth, eventually sending the game into extra innings. St. Louis scored twice in the top of the eleventh, but Robertson doubled and came around to score and make it close, but that was all they could do in the game today.

 

Cincinnati 12 Pittsburgh (H) 11 (11)

 

The hometown Pirates fans got their money's worth today when the Pirates led 10-5 after the second inning thanks to a seven-spot in the second. With both teams now well into their bullpen, the Reds kept chipping away that that lead and managed to tie the score at 10-10 after the sixth. Both teams scored in the eighth, and the game eventually moved into extras. The Reds pushed across a run in the eleventh thanks to an unfortunate passed ball by catcher Cliff Lee and Slim Sallee came in for an innings work to secure the victory.

 

Friday, April 30, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

Chicago (NL) pitcher Abraham "Sweetbread" Bailey made his season debut on 05/01/1920. Chicago (NL) infielder Bill McCabe made his Season Debut on 05/01/1920

 

St. Louis (AL) pitcher Bill Burwell made his Major League Debut on 05/01/1920

 

Boston (AL) pitcher Gary Fortune made his Season Debut on 05/01/1920

 

New York (AL) (H) 4 Boston (AL) 0

 

Carl Mays (3-0, 0.33) delivered his second shutout in his three starts and the Yankees walked away with the home win. Babe Ruth belted his second homerun (#2) of the season.

 

Philadelphia (AL) 5 Washington (H) 3

 

The Senators hopped on the board first with a three-run third, a two-run double by center fielder Sam Rice being the big hit. Washington couldn't hold the lead as the A's scored four times in the top of the fifth, with two critical errors that opened the floodgates. Walt Kinney (1-1, 1.71) went all the way for the win and chipped in with a 3-for-4 day at the plate.

 

Hugh McQuillan

Boston (NL) (H) 4 Brooklyn 3

The Braves broke open a 1-1 tie with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Robins slowly came back to tie the score and were looking forward to extra-innings, but Hugh McQuillan (1-0, 2.45) came to the plate with runners on second and third and stroked a long fly ball that allowed third baseman Tony Boeckel to score the game-winning from third.

 

Philadelphia (NL) (H) 5 New York (NL) 4 (11)

 

Phillies catcher Mack Wheat got ahold of a two-out fastball in the bottom of the eleventh and sent it over the hitting friendly right field wall (#1) of the Baker Bowl much to the delight of the hometown fans.

 

Saturday, May 1, 1920

 

Transactions: N/A

 

Cleveland 5 Detroit (H) 3

 

Center fielder Tris Speaker started things off with a bang when he hit a three-run homerun (#2) in the top of the third and then Stan Coveleski (3-2, 4.39) pitched another strong game as he didn’t allow a hit until the seventh, allowed the three Tigers' runs in the eighth but finished with a 1-2-3 ninth.

 

New York (AL) (H) 1 Boston (AL) 0

 

The Yankees continued their hot start as Bob Shawkey (3-1, 1.54) threw a one-hit shutout for the close win. Herb Pennock (0-3, 2.74) scattered six hits in the loss, but one of the hits was a solo homerun by left fielder Duffy Lewis (#1) in the bottom of the fourth and that was the difference in the game.

 

Chicago (AL) 7 St. Louis (AL) (H) 1

 

The White Sox were determined to not let the Yankees run away with the AL pennant and continued on their charge to the top today as well. Third baseman Buck Weaver extended his hitting streak to ten games as he has now hit in every Chicago game this season, going 3-for-4 today (.475), his final hit of the day being a three-run homerun (#3) in the top of the eighth that iced the game for Red Faber (3-0, 1.00).

 

Washington (H) 5 Philadelphia (AL) 4 (10)

 

Both teams held the lead during the early game but neither could hold it and the game went into extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth left fielder Clyde Milan led off with a double and was then promptly singled home on center fielder Sam Rice's single for the game-winner.

 

Brooklyn 1 Boston (NL) (H) 1 (26) (Tie Game!)

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN192005010.shtml

 

Notes: This is it, that game you have read about or at least heard about at some point in your world of baseball historical fantasy. Twenty-six innings, a 1-1 tie, two pitchers, two complete games, and no winner or loser. And the whole thing took only three hours and fifty minutes to complete.

 

Brooklyn's Leon Cadore allowed fifteen hits on the day and faced a total of 96 batters and had twelve assists in the game. Boston (NL) hurler Joe Oeschger scattered nine hits and faced "only" 90 batters as he shut out the Robins for the final twenty-one innings, breaking a record of twenty consecutive scoreless frames in a game that had been set in 1918 by Art Nehf. Boston's Walter Holke had a busy day at first base as he collected a total of forty-two putouts for the game.

 

If that wasn't bad enough, Brooklyn then lost in thirteen innings at home on Sunday to Philadelphia, and then returned to Boston for a game on Monday that they lost in nineteen innings. Three days, fifty-eight innings played, and nothing to show for their efforts but an 0-2 record.

 

Chicago (NL) (H) 8 St. Louis (NL) 3

 

The Cubs exploded for eight runs in the middle innings and ran away with this one for the easy win. First baseman Turner Barbare went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI's, and a double to lead the offense while third baseman Charlie Deal chipped in with two doubles and three RBI's.

 

New York (NL) 12 Philadelphia (NL) (H) 0 (Grand Slam!)

 

All season manager John McGraw had been grousing about the Giants' propensity for putting runners on base but then not being able to score them, but that was not the case today as first baseman George "Highpockets" Kelly got the scoring started with a Grand Slam (#1) in the second and then a scoring onslaught ensued. Jesse Barnes (2-1, 0.53) happily accepted the run support as he limited the Phillies to only four hits on the day.

 

Pittsburgh (H) 4 Cincinnati 2

 

The Reds scored a run in the top of the first, but the Pirates answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Babe Adams (2-2, 1.01) outdueled Dutch Ruether (4-1, 1.26) for the remainder of the game and picked up the tough win.

 

Sunday, May 2, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

Detroit pitcher Red Cox made his Major League Finale on 05/01/1920

 

Boston (AL) pitcher Gary Fortune was injured (?) on 05/01/1920

 

Pittsburgh catcher Bill Haeffner was injured (?) on 05/01/1920

 

Washington pitcher Jim Shaw was injured (?) on 05/01/1920

 

Brooklyn pitcher Sherry Smith made his Season Debut on 05/03/1920

 

Cleveland 7 Detroit (H) 6

 

Jim Bagby (3-1, 2,43) and the Indians led 6-2 after the third, but the pesky Tigers never gave up and managed to make it close all the way through the bottom of the ninth, but eventually fell short. Right fielder Smoky Joe Wood picked up three RBI's on the day, center fielder Tris Speaker drove in two more, and Bagby had a 3-for-5 day at the plate with two runs scored.

 

New York (AL) (H) 9 Boston (AL) 3

 

The Yankees exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fourth and they never looked back from there. Four different New Yorkers had a pair of RBI's in this game, none of them Babe Ruth though, although Ruth did go 3-for-3 (.314) with two walks, two runs scored, and two doubles (#6, #7).

 

St. Louis (AL) (H) 6 Chicago (AL) 5

 

Chicago led 4-0 after the second, but St. Louis came back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the third to tie the score at 4-4. The White Sox regained the lead with a run in the top of the seventh, but again the Browns responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, the big play being an uncharacteristic error by second baseman Eddie Collins. Elam Vangilder came to face the minimum in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the lead and the win.

 

Braggo Roth

Washington (H) 14 Philadelphia (AL) 2

Three Philadelphia errors opened the door to eight unearned runs as the Washington bats were able to take advantage of the extra opportunities provided to them. Right fielder Braggo Roth came through with a two-out three-run triple in the third and then a two-run single in the fifth, giving him five RBI's on the day. Eric Erickson (3-1, 3.34) had to pitch out of a couple of tight spots during the game but was never really threatened.

 

Brooklyn (H) 2 Boston (NL) 0

 

The Robins pushed across two unearned runs in the bottom of the third and Burleigh Grimes (1-2, 2.77) made that lead stand up for his first win. Both pitchers only allowed four hits on the day, with George Smith (2-1, 3.81) being the hard-luck loser.

 

Chicago (NL) (H) 10 St. Louis (NL) 3

 

The Cubs scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth when Cardinals starter Jakie May's (0-1, 9.39) control got the better of him and Chicago took full advantage. After a horrid start to the season, second baseman Rogers Hornsby went 3-for-4 today and now has his average up to .245.

 

Pittsburgh 5 Cincinnati (H) 1

The Pirates scored three runs in the top of the sixth, the big hit being a two-run double off the bat of right fielder Billy Southworth. Now armed with a 4-1 lead, Wilbur Cooper (3-1, 3.09) shut down the Reds for the complete-game victory.

Week 2 Summary (04/19/1920 - 04/25/1920)

Week Two of the 1920 BBW Replay is in the books and after a slow start the season is beginning to pick up speed. Despite not having much data to speculate on, the week ended with a bang when Tris Speaker hit the first Grand Slam of the season and the final two NL games of the week ended with walk-off homeruns.

In the AL, it is New York and Cleveland that have staked out an early lead while Washington, who had started the season 5-0, has lost each of their last three games. Chicago is hoping to repeat their success of 1919, but they have scuffled a bit to start their season, while in St. Louis they have shown they have a potent offense, but it is more of a question as to what their pitching staff can do before they can consider making a serious move up the standings.

Chicago (AL) Manager
Kid Gleason

In the NL, Cincinnati has captured the top spot for the moment as they too look to repeat their success of the previous season. Both New York and Brooklyn were thought to be challengers for the top spot in the NL, but so far, they have both struggled. In their place, Boston and Philadelphia have stepped in, so after two weeks it is safe to say the NL is a little topsy-turvy at this point.

With both leagues having a successful stolen base percentage of just over the 50% mark, it feels strained to continue to send runners at a pace that will come close to replicating the number of actual stolen base attempts from 1920. So far, my caught stealing's are outpacing my successful steals, and while I know this will level off as the season progresses, that is still a lot of extra outs floating around.

 

https://pixels.com/featured/comiskey-park-1919-gary-grigsby.html

Week 2 Results (04/19/1920 - 04/25/1920)

Monday, April 19, 1920

Transactions:

 

Detroit pitcher Slim Love made his Major League Finale on 04/18/1920

 

Philadelphia (AL) pitcher Eddie Rommel made his Major League Debut on 04/19/1920. Philadelphia (AL) infielder Emmet McCann made his Major League Debut on 04/19/1920. Philadelphia (AL) pitcher Slim Harriss made his Major League Debut on 04/19/1920

 

Rip Collins

New York (AL) pitcher Rip Collins made his Major League Debut on 04/19/1920

Boston (AL) (H) 9 New York 3 (GM 1)

 

April 19 is Patriots Day in Boston and that means it's time for the first doubleheader of the season. The Red Sox blew the game open with a three-run sixth and then ran away with it with a three-run eighth. Waite Hoyt (1-0, 3.00) loaded the bases to start the ninth but got out of it with two strikeouts and a fly out to end the game.

 

New York (AL) 7 Boston (AL) (H) 0 (GM 2)

 

Carl Mays (1-0, 0.00) threw a three-hit shutout to get the doubleheader split on the road in Boston. The Yankees scored four runs in the third, the big hit being a two-run double from third baseman Bob Meusel. In his first game back in Fenway since his trade, Babe Ruth went 2-for-5 with a run, an RBI, and two doubles, and had two other balls caught at the fence.

 

Cleveland (H) 4 Detroit 2

 

Jim Bagby (1-0, 1.80) gave up two runs in the top of the fourth but otherwise kept the Tiger's bats quiet and picked up the win. Indians third baseman Larry Gardner hit his fourth triple of the young season to help the home team recapture the lead.

 

Washington 7 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 0

 

Al Schacht (1-0, 0.00), long time known as the "Clown Price of Baseball", got his 1920 season started off with a three-hit shutout victory. Schacht only had trouble in the second inning but got out of it with a bases loaded double play.

 

Boston (NL) 3 Brooklyn (H) 0

 

In a battle of spit-ballers Dana Fillingim (1-0, 0.00) outdueled Burleigh Grimes (0-1. 3.00) by throwing a three-hit shutout. Boston only had five hits, but leftfielder Les Mann had three of them and scored two runs to lead the Boston offense.

 

New York (NL) (H) 4 Philadelphia (NL) 0

 

Jesse Barnes (1-1, 0.53) only allowed two hits and shut out the Phillies for his first win of the season. Left fielder George J. Burns went 3-for-5 in the leadoff spot, but manager John McGraw was vexed because the team repeatedly missed opportunities to pad the lead.

 

Chicago (NL) 7 St. Louis (NL) (H) 0

 

A four-run seventh allowed the Cubs to get a healthy 6-0 lead and Hippo Vaughn (2-0, 0.00) threw a four-hit shutout, his second shutout in as many starts. Chicago second baseman Buck Herzog led the Cubs offense with a 4-for-4 day and four runs scored.

 

Tuesday, April 20, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

Boston (NL) infielder Hod Ford was injured (?) on 04/19/1920

 

New York (AL) pitcher Bob McGraw was injured (?) on 04/19/1920

 

St. Louis (NL) pitcher Oscar Tuero made his Major League Finale on 04/19/1920

 

Chicago (NL) pitcher Ted Turner made his Major League Debut on 04/20/1920. Chicago (NL) pitcher George Gaw made his Major League Debut on 04/20/1920

 

Boston (AL) pitcher Benn Karr made his Major League Debut on 04/20/1920

 

Detroit pitcher John Glasier made his Major League Debut on 04/20/1920. Detroit outfielder Sammy Hale made his Major League Debut on 04/20/1920

 

New York (AL) 2 Boston (AL) (H) 0

 

First baseman Wally Pipp hit his second homerun of the season in the top of the first and Bob Shawkey (2-0, 0.00) threw his second shutout of the season to defeat their rivals in Boston.

 

Detroit 4 Cleveland (H) 3

 

The Tigers went ahead early and a two-run triple by first baseman Harry Heilmann in the top of the seventh gave them a 4-0 lead, but Cleveland came back with three runs in the bottom of the ninth to make it close. Ernie Alten (1-0, 1.08) got the win but required bullpen help to get through the ninth.

 

Washington 6 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 3

 

The A's scored three times in the bottom of the third to take a temporary 3-2 lead, but Washington starter Tom Zachary (1-0, 3.00) stiffened from there and kept Philadelphia quiet thereafter. Zachary also led the Senators offensive comeback by having a 3-for-4 at the plate that included a run scored, four RBI's, and three doubles.

 

Boston (NL) 6 Brooklyn (H) 5

 

The lead swapped back and forth several times, but Joe Oeschger (1-1, 2.65) finally stiffened and held off the Brooklyn attack to get the win over Leon Cadore (0-2, 5.00).

 

Philadelphia (NL) 21 New York (NL) (H) 12

 

An offensive explosion today as both teams combined for 41 hits as both clubs brought their hitting shoes. Philadelphia scored three times in the top of the first but New York came back with five in the bottom half of the inning, and then the Phillies scored seven runs in the top of the fourth and both teams continue to pile it on from there. Left fielder George J. Burns (4-for-5) and right fielder Ross Youngs (4-for-6) were the first and second batters for the Giants, while the Phillies were paced by first baseman Gene Paulette (5-for-5, 5 RBI's) and third baseman Ralph Miller (4-for-6, four runs, five RBI's). New York fielders committed seven errors on the day, leading to nine unearned runs for the visiting Phillies.

 

Note: On this day in 1920 Babe Ruth "pulled a cartilage" early in the game and had to be helped off the field.

 

St. Louis (NL) (H) 3 Chicago (NL) 1 (12)

 

Cardinals’ catcher Verne Clemons hit a dramatic two-run homerun (2) in the bottom of the twelfth to give St. Louis the extra-inning victory over the rival Cubs.

 

Wednesday, April 21, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

Chicago (NL) pitcher George Gaw was injured (?) on 04/20/1920. Chicago (NL) pitcher Ted Turner made his Major League Finale on 04/20/1920

 

Philadelphia (AL) infielder Emmet McCann was sent out on 04/20/1920. Philadelphia (AL) catcher Johnny Walker was injured (?) on 04/20/1920

 

St. Louis (AL) 7 Chicago (AL) (H) 3

 

Wilbur Cooper

The Browns led 3-2 after the first and then they slowly added on from there, collecting fifteen hits on the day to give White Sox starter Lefty Williams (1-1, 3.07) a second shaky start. Veteran hurler Bert Gallia (1-0, 4.50) picked up the win with bullpen help from Elam Vangilder.

Pittsburgh 7 Cincinnati (H) 3

 

The Pirates led 5-0 after the fourth and Wilbur Cooper (2-0, 4.50) held off a belated Cincinnati rally attempt to get his second win of the season. Cooper also chipped in with a triple and a double to help Pittsburgh build that early lead.

 

Thursday, April 22, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

Cincinnati outfielder Charlie See was injured (?) on 04/21/1920

 

Boston (AL) infielder Hob Hiller made his Major League Debut on 04/22/1920

 

St. Louis (AL) pitcher Hod Leverette made his Major League Debut on 04/22/1920

 

Chicago (AL) 1 Detroit (H) 0

 

Second baseman Eddie Collins lined a fly to center in the top of the sixth that center fielder Ty Cobb misplayed into a four-base error, the only run of the game. Red Faber (1-0, 0.00) got the tough win over Dutch Leonard (0-1, 0.00).

 

New York (AL) (H) 3 Philadelphia (AL) 2

 

The Yankees kept the A's winless but they had to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth to pull off a come-from-behind victory. First baseman Wally Pipp came through with the game winning single and Herb Thormahlen (1-0, 0.00) got the win and threw two innings of scoreless relief.

 

St. Louis (AL) (H) 4 Cleveland 2

 

St. Louis scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to get a come-from-behind win over Cleveland. Urban Shocker (2-0, 4.50) got the win over Stan Coveleskie to the delight of the home fans.

 

Boston (AL) 6 Washington (H) 5 (10)

 

The Red Sox handed the Senators their first loss of the season, but it took ten innings. Reliever Benn Karr got the win but only after he gave up a lead-off triple in the bottom of the tenth and then was able to pitch out of it.

 

Cincinnati 1 Chicago (NL) (H) 0

 

Pete Alexander (0-3, 1.80) took his third loss of the young season despite only allowing five hits and striking out eight Reds batters, but Dutch Ruether (3-0, 0.33) was better, only allowing two hits and shutting out the hometown Cubs.

 

Philadelphia (NL) (H) 4 Brooklyn 2

 

Both teams scored two runs in the second and that was all the scoring until the bottom of the eighth when second baseman Dots Miller tripled home center fielder Cy Williams with the lead run. Williams then promptly scored on a Passed Ball and Lee Meadows (1-1, 4.50) had his first victory of the young season.

 

Friday, April 23, 1920

 

Transactions: N/A

 

Washington (H) 5 Boston (AL) 4

 

The Senators scored five times in the bottom of the second and Harry Courtney (1-0, 4.50), along with some ninth inning assistance from Tom Zachary, held off a furious Red Sox comeback attempt. Right fielder Braggo Roth had the big hit in the Washington second, a clutch two-out two-run double.

 

Hod Eller

Cincinnati 5 Chicago (NL) (H) 1

The Cubs got on the scoreboard first, but the Reds scored three times in the top of the fourth and they never looked back from there. Hod Eller (1-0, 1.00) scattered six hits and took the win as right fielder Greasy Neale provided the big bat by going 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI's.

 

Brooklyn 4 Philadelphia (NL) (H) 0

 

Clarence Mitchell (1-0, 0.00) twirled a two-hit masterpiece and shutout the Phillies on their home field. Brooklyn's offense collected eleven hits and eight walks but was unable to get a key hit to really blow the game open.

 

St. Louis (NL) 3 Pittsburgh (H) 1

 

First baseman Jack Fournier put the Cardinals ahead 2-1 with a two-run single in the top of the sixth and then he followed that up with an RBI single in the eighth, giving Jesse Haines (2-0, 0.90) the support he needed to pick up the win on the road in Pittsburgh.

 

Saturday, April 24, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

Washington infielder Joe Leonard (Team Finale 04/23/1920) died of a ruptured appendix on 05/01/1920

 

Chicago (NL) pitcher Joel Newkirk made his Major League Finale on 04/23/1920

 

Pittsburgh pitcher Johnny Meador made his Major League Debut on 04/24/1920

 

Note: On the eleventh day of the 1920 season, today was the first day in which all sixteen teams play on the same day. Further, according to historian David Vincent, this was the last day in major league history that all teams played games and no homeruns were hit. The last day of eight games (5AL; 3NL) in which no homeruns were hit was August 8, 1923.

 

Chicago (AL) 8 Detroit (H) 3

 

The Tigers scored three times in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 lead, but the White Sox responded with four runs in the fifth and ran away with it from there. Eddie Cicotte (1-1, 4.00) took the win with hitting heroics provided by veteran right fielder Eddie Murphy, making his first appearance of the season, who went 4-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI's, and had a walk as well.

 

New York (AL) (H) 3 Philadelphia (AL) 1

 

All the runs were scored in the third inning, with second baseman Del Pratt's two-run double being the big hit for the Yankees. Carl Mays (2-0, 0.50) outdueled Walt Kinney (0-1, 0.75) for the win.

 

Cleveland 13 St. Louis (AL) (H) 0

 

Jim Bagby (2-0, 0.95) gave up three hits and shutout the powerful Browns in St. Louis. The Indians scored four runs in the third and then nine times in the seventh, with a shaky St. Louis defense that allowed eight of the thirteen runs to be unearned.

 

Boston (AL) 5 Washington (H) 3

 

The Red Sox scored four times in the top of the seventh to grab the lead for good and Waite Hoyt (2-0, 3.00) went all the way for the tough road win.

 

Boston (NL) (H) 2 New York (NL) 1

 

The Braves pushed across the tying run in the bottom of the seventh and then in the ninth center fielder Ray Powell started things off with a triple. Second baseman Charlie Pick failed twice to squeeze Powell home as his two bunt attempts rolled foul, but on the next pitch Pick singled sharply to left and Boston had their win.

 

Chicago (NL) (H) 4 Cincinnati 3

 

Chicago led 4-1 after the fourth but then Hippo Vaughn (3-0, 0.67) took over and held off a Reds rally attempt. Ray Fisher (0-1, 4.91) took the loss despite inducing three Cubs double plays on the day.

 

Philadelphia (NL) (H) 5 Brooklyn 4

 

The usually reliable Burleigh Grimes (0-2, 4.24) got off to a rough start when the Phillies scored three times in the bottom of the first, but the Robins fought their way back into the game and tied the score at 4-4 in the top of the eighth. Center fielder Cy Williams led off the bottom of the eighth with a homerun (2) to get the lead back and George Smith (2-0, 5.31) held off a final Brooklyn charge by getting Zack Wheat to fly out with two outs and the bases loaded to end the game.

 

Pittsburgh (H) 2 St. Louis (NL) 1

 

Center fielder Max Carey lined a single to center in the bottom of the fourth that Austin McHenry let slip past him and the speedy Carey came all the way around for the first run. The score stayed at 1-0 until two outs in the ninth when first baseman Jack Fournier drove home a run on a fielder's choice that tied the score at 1-1. In the bottom of the ninth the Pirates got the win when right fielder Billy Southworth lined a two-out single to score left fielder Carson Bigbee with the game-winner.

 

Sunday, April 25, 1920

 

Transactions:

 

Pittsburgh catcher Nig Clarke made his Major League Finale on 04/24/1920

 

New York (NL) second baseman Frankie Frisch was injured (?) on 04/24/1920

 

St. Louis (AL) pitcher Bert Gallia (Team Finale 04/24/1920) was sold to Philadelphia (NL) on 05/19/1920

 

Detroit (H) 8 Chicago (AL) 4

 

The Tigers batters knocked Lefty Williams (1-2, 6.50) out of the box with a three-run fourth and a three-run fourth. Howard Ehmke (2-0, 0.50) went all the way for the win.

 

Philadelphia (AL) 7 New York (AL) (H) 1

 

The A's jumped on Bob Shawkey (2-1, 2.08) for three runs in the top of the fourth and then they did it again with three runs in the sixth. Now armed with a comfortable lead Rollie Naylor (1-1, 1.50) was able to waltz home with an easy win.

 

Tris Speaker

Cleveland 15 St. Louis (AL) (H) 6 (Grand Slam!)

The Indians got off to a fast start, building a 15-1 lead after the fifth inning. Center fielder Tris Speaker went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, six RBI's, a double, and a homerun (1), the homerun being the first Grand Slam of the season. Speaker came to plate with the bases loaded two more times before the game was over and did pick up two more RBI's, but no more Grand Slams today.

 

Boston (AL) 4 Washington (H) 1

 

The Red Sox got off quickly versus Walter Johnson (1-1, 1.50) with three runs in the top of the first and Bullet Joe Bush (1-1, 3.60) scattered five hits and picked up the win.

 

Brooklyn (H) 3 New York (NL) 2

 

Brooklyn was off to a bit of a slow start this season, but a brisk come-from-behind victory is always good for the fans. The Giants scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth to take a 2-1 lead, but in the bottom of the ninth run-scoring singles center fielder Hi Myers and first baseman Ed Konetchy got the win.

 

Chicago (NL) (H) 1 Pittsburgh 0 (10)

 

A real pitcher's duel as Claude Hendrix (1-0, 0.00) got the advantage over Babe Adams (1-2, 1.01) when third baseman Charlie Deal's long fly ball to left barely drifted into the left field stands for a game-winning homerun, his first of the season.

 

Cincinnati (H) 7 St. Louis (NL) 6 (13)

 

St. Louis scored two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the score at 5-5 and there the score stayed until the Cardinals took the lead with a run in the top of the thirteenth. In the bottom half of the inning second baseman Morrie Rath uncorked a two-out two-run homerun for the victory. Jimmy Ring (1-2, 4.50) went all the way for the extra inning win.