At Pittsburgh / Forbes Field
The 1915 Boston Red Sox come into Pittsburgh to play the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates. Ernie Shore (Grade 20-YZ) toes the rubber for Boston, while he will face Jack Chesbro (Grade 19-Y).
Top of the 1st
Harry Hooper leads off the game with a triple off Chesbro. Chesbro would end up walking Larry Gardner, putting runners on the corners. Boston first baseman Dick Hoblitzel hits an RBI single up the middle to drive in Hooper. Hoblitzel was picked up off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds, midway through 1914, and now finds himself getting the majority of the starts for this Red Sox team. Gardner gets careless and is picked off at second, thanks to a wonderful throw by Pittsburgh's backstop Harry Smith. Two outs, Hoblitzel tries to steal second and is thrown out. The Red Sox score one run, but shot themselves in the foots, because the early lead could have been bigger.
Bottom of the 1st
Ginger Beaumont leads the inning off with a single to right. Beaumont steals second base. A couple batters later, Beaumont would score from second base on a RBI single by Tommy Leach. The play would cost Boston not only a run, but a catcher, as Beaumont ran over catcher Chet Thomas. Early reports from the Boston clubhouse is that Thomas may be out for awhile, it certainly didn't look good (Forrest Cady came in to replace Thomas). Game tied, 1-1.
Bottom of the 2nd
Ernie Shore walks back-to-back hitters in Claude Richey and Wid Conroy, no outs. After Harry Smith flied to Speaker in right, Bucs pitcher Jack Chesbro lays down a perfect sacrifice to move the runners up to 2nd & 3rd. Two outs, Ginger Beaumont steps up to the plate, but flies out to Hooper in center. Score remains 1-1.
Top of the 3rd
Weak-hitting Everett Scott leads off the bottom half with a single to right. Chesbro would go on to walk the pitcher Shore, plus Harry Hooper (back-to-back walks). Bases loaded, no outs for 3B Larry Gardner. Gardner strokes it sharply to short, Conroy only has a play at first, gets him... but Scott scores from third, to make it 2-1 Boston. Pittsburgh intentionally walks Tris Speaker to face Hoblitzel. Hoblitzel flies to left center, Beaumont is there, the runners are tagging but will hold as they did not want to test Ginger's strong arm. Chesbro walks Duffy Lewis to score in another run, bases still loaded. The inning ends on a hard hit grounder to Richey at second, relaying it to first to finish the inning. Boston leads, 3-1.
Bottom of the 3rd
Honus Wagner hits a liner to center that skips under Harry Hooper's glove, luckily Tris Speaker came over quickly to back him up, as they hold Wagner to a double. Cleanup hitter Tommy Leach grounds one deep in the hole, Scott is over, long throw to first... Out! Wagner would advance to third. Ernie Shore strikes out Kitty Bransfield strikes out, leaving Wagner stranded.
Bottom of the 5th
Speedy Ginger Beaumont reaches on a error (E-6) by Scott. Fred Clarke follows through with a textbook hit-and-run. Runners on the corners, no outs, as Honus Wagner steps up to the plate. Wagner smacks this one, Duffy Lewis has his back to the fence, runs out of room... and this one is gone! Three-run blast by Wagner, and the Pirates suddenly have a 4-3 lead. The next batter, Leach hits one to the mound, over to first, for the 1st out. First Baseman Kitty Bransfield puts some wood to the ball, sending the ball to deep center. The ball hits the base of the wall, and Hooper is up with it, but Bransfield won't test Hooper's strong arm. Runner on 2nd, 1 out, Claude Richey steps up to the plate, but whiffs at it, two down. Wid Conroy smashes one to the gap in right center, Harry Hooper is over quickly, cuts it off, Bransfield is rounding third, running through a red light, the throw... and he's out! What a throw from Hooper, these Red Sox OF arms can be deadly, as Bransfield is gunned down at the plate.
Regardless, the Pirates have bounced back to take the lead thanks to Mr. Wagner... Pirates lead, 4-3.
Top of the 6th
With one out, Pittsburgh's pitcher Jack Chesbro allows his 7th walk to Cady. Everett Scott hits a hard grounder to deep first, Bransfield is up with it, but has no play.... Runners safe at 1st & 2nd. Two hits for Scott. Boston's ace, Ernie Shore lets Chesbro off the hook as he hit into a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the inning unscathed.
Bottom of the 6th
Pirates catcher Harry Smith kicks off the inning with a single to right. The Pirates skipper/player Clarke calls on Fred Crolius to pinch-run for Smith and for Al Davis to pinch-hit for Chesbro. Davis would hit one to deep second, they get the force at second (4-6), but Davis just beats it out the throw at first, 1 out. Ginger Beaumont excutes the hit-and-run, runners on the corners. Fred Clarke follows Beaumont's plate appearance by lining a hit to right, and scoring in Davis. It's now 5-3, Pittsburgh. Wagner hits one to short, but is out at first on a great play by Boston's Scott, runners move up, two outs. Tommy steps up to the plate, he already has a RBI single from earlier, let's see if he can tack on some more. The pitch from Shore, hits a clothesline to deep center, Harry Hooper puts his glove up, and he's out... It nearly went over his head. Inning over.
Top of the 7th
The Pirates send out lefty Ed Doheny to face Boston's left-handed bats, while Charlie Zimmer takes over catching duties for Smith.
Doheny would strike out 3 batter in 2 1/3 innings. The Pirates would call on Sam Leever to face Boston's dangerous Del Gainer, who was in pinch-hitting for the pitcher. Leever would lock down the save on 2/3 innings pitched, as Pittsburgh comes back from a 3-1 deficit to win 5-3... On the strength of a Honus Wagner homer during the bottom of the 5th.
The tip of the Pirates' lineup: Ginger Beaumont, Fred Clarke & Honus Wagner combined on 6-for-13 hitting and 4 RBI.
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