1903 World Series (Game 3)

The Boston Americans send Tom Hughes to the mound, as the Pittsburgh Pirates counter with Sam Leever (taking the place of Ed Doheny in the rotation) in a battle between two 20-game winners (Leever had 25 wins). The series goes to Pittsburgh, as the Pirates find themselves in a 2-0 deficit, and hope to make this a series.

Sam Leever will play a big part in Game 3.

Game 3 (at Pittsburgh)

Bottom of the 2nd - Tom Hughes delivers a pitch to Tommy Leach, Leach drills this one high and deep towards Patsy Dougherty in center, it's starting to tail away from him, this one drops in as Leach makes it to second ahead of the throw. Hughes walks Claude Ritchey, with no outs, Hughes will be hoping for a double play. Kitty Bransfield hits a little blooper to right that drops in, Leach scores, Ritchey holds third, as Bransfield collects a double -- 2nd & 3rd, with no outs for Pittsburgh. That brings up Jimmy Sebring, Hughes with the heat, this one is smacked heading for the right field corner, it drops in, both runners are going to score, Sebring to second, the relay, and he's safe! The Pirates lead 3-0, and still have no outs. Hughes with the pitch, upstairs, and Ed Phelps takes the pitch -- for a bases-on-balls, bringing up the Bucs' starting pitcher Sam Leever. Hughes issues his 3rd walk of the game, loading the bases up for Ginger Beaumont. A RBI single to right for Beaumont, the slow Phelps will hold third, bases still loaded & still with no recorded outs in this inning, as the Pirates are trying to put this much-needed game away early. Hughes will now face the dangerous Fred Clarke -- the pitch, Clarke hits this one into the left field corner, Buck Freeman has it, Phelps scores, Leever is rounding third, but the Bucs will play it a bit conservatively here. Bases still juiced with no outs, now for the great Honus Wagner. Wagner hits this one to Jimmy Collins at third, who backhands it, throws it to home for the force, a quick throw from Lou Criger behind the plate to first, a much-needed double play, as the Pirates' Clarke & Beaumont, move up to 2nd & 3rd. Tom Hughes just needs to get past Tommy Leach, who kicked this inning open with a double. Leach lines out for final out of the inning, but not before the Pirates put in a good inning with 5 runs, 5-0.

Sebring had a clutch two-run double in the 2nd.

Top of the third, the Boston Americans have pinch-hitter Aleck Smith pinch-hit for the pitcher, so we have seen the last of Tom Hughes. Hughes allowed 5 runs, 5 hits & 3 walks in only two innings of work. Two outs, Leever delivers the pitch to Smith, this one is hit towards the gap in right, Beaumont is over, so is Sebring, and it drops for a hit, Smith will reach second easily. Leever delivers to Dougherty, he swings, but he held up, and takes first base on a walk. Runners, now on 1st & 2nd for Freddy Parent, the pitch, he pops it up behind the plate, Phelps scrambles, throws his mask out of the way, it's out of play. Leever resets, the pitch, he grounds it to third baseman Leach, Leach guns it to third for the long throw & he is out. There goes some possibilities for Boston, score remains 5-0.

Norwood Gibson replaces Tom Hughes for Boston on the mound. It's Gibson's first appearance of the 1903 World Series. After a one-out walk to Kitty Bransfield, Gibson gets Boston through the inning.

Top of the 6th - Freddy Parent collects his first hit of the series, a one-out double to right center gap for Boston. With two outs, Pittsburgh elects to intentionally walk Buck Freeman, who already has a homer this series. Runners on 1st & 2nd, two outs for the batter Chick Stahl.  Stahl pops it up behind third base, Leach has it covered, three away.

Bottom of the 6th - Jimmy Sebring leads off with a looped single to right. Ed Phelps moves Sebring over to second on sacrifice bunt. One out, Gibson still on the mound in relief, delivers to the hitter Sam Leever, Leever squares, and hits this one down the first base line, first baseman George LaChance fields it, throws it to third, it's off-line, and Sebring is safe, Leever safe! LaChance is not charged with an error, but runners on the corners with one out. Ginger Beaumont flies to left, Freeman catches it, as Sebring tags up, the throw to home, and he's safe! Leever holds first, two outs now for player/manager Fred Clarke. Clarke flies out to center for final out, Pittsburgh puts up some extra padding, with a 6-0 lead here in Game 3.

George Winter comes in to relieve Norwood Gibson, who pitched four innings (allowing one run) after the starting pitcher Tom Hughes allowed 5 runs. Winter gets Boston through a 1-2-3, bottom of the 7th.

Charley "Duke" Farrell of Boston.

Chick Stahl loops a lead-off single to right. Patsy Dougherty flies out to left. Freddy Parent smacks a bullet between Tommy Leach and Honus Wagner on the left side, Stahl rounds second, but holds -- that is Parent's second hit of the ball game. Jimmy Collins hits it hard to Leach at third, he just reaches it, he will have no play at third, the throw to first, in time, for the first out, runners on 2nd & 3rd. George Winter was originally supposed to come up, Boston sends a pinch-hitter to hit for him instead -- who are they going to call? Charley Farrell, who batted .404 in 52 season at-bats, with a .466 on-base percentage. Leever sets & delivers to Farrell, Farrell smacks this one into the corner, Sebring will be chasing it down, the two runners score, Farrell is pushing for third, and he's safe, a two-out, two-run triple, and the Pittsburgh crowd is starting to get a tad nervous. Chick Stahl hits a deep fly that momentarily gives the center fielder Ginger Beaumont some trouble, but he finally gets to the fly, three down. Boston trims the lead down to four, Pirates up 6-2.

Bottom of the 8th, Boston sends Game 2 starter Bill Dinneen to the mound; He has a 3.00 ERA in 6 innings of work with 3 K's. Romer Grey pinch-hit for catcher Ed Phelps, but flied to center. Art Weaver would take over at catcher for the Pirates

The Pirates keep Sam Leever out there, going for the complete game victory. Hobe Ferris leads off by flying out to center. Leever to face George LaChance, winds & fires, it's hit over to Claude Ritchey behind second, the throw over to first, and that's the second out. Lou Criger hits a routine fly to center, and that's going to be it. The Pirates' fans are happy to get a victory, now we'll see if Pittsburgh can even up this series.

FINAL SCORE: Pittsburgh 6, Boston 2