Thursday, July 27, 2023

Deadball-14's Opening Day: 1919 Reds at 1906 Cubs

 


At Chicago / West Side Grounds

The 1919 Cincinnati Reds will face off against the 1906 Chicago Cubs at the West Side Grounds. The Cubs' rotation may be scary good, but the Reds' rotation is definitely not too shabby. The Reds will need to scrape out some lucky hits to keep up with the Cubs lineup, and to beat out their tough infield. The Reds send Dutch Ruether to face 'Three-Finger' Brown in a game which should be about the pitching.

Bottom of the 2nd

Leadoff triple by Cubs' first baseman/manager Frank Chance. Harry Steinfeldt would knock in Chance with an RBI single, a liner over the Reds' Morrie Rath at second base. Joe Tinker lays down a sacrifice bunt to move Steinfeldt over to second. One out, Johnny Evers at the plate, he hits this one down the right field line, it's caught by Neale, Steinfeldt tags up, the throw, and he's safe, just getting under the tag at third. The Reds' Dutch Ruether ends up walking the Cubbies' ace Mordecai Brown, nothing good usually comes out of a situation when you end up walking your counterpart. Bases loaded, two outs, for Jimmy Slagle. Slagle drills it, it's deep, it's fair, and it's caught by the Reds' Greasy Neale. Cubs 1, Reds 0

Both lineups are quite for a few innings until...

Top of the 7th

The Reds' Heinie Groh beats out a infield single to kick off the inning. Edd Roush would hit a liner past a diving Joe Tinker, advancing Groh to third. No outs with runners on the corners for Reds catcher Ivey Wingo, the pitch, and the ball rolls from under the Cubs' Johnny Kling behind home plate (Passed Ball), Groh scores, and Roush moves up to second. Wingo bounces one to the mound, Brown knocks it down, but only has a play at first, one down, but the runner moves up to third. Jake Daubert lines one to the pitcher, caught for out number two. The last two plays will be big if 'Three-Finger' can get out of this inning. The Reds' Greasy Neale steps up to the plate, he makes no contact -- The throw from Kling to third, and Roush is caught trying to steal third! 

But this one is all knotted up at 1-1 as we head to the 7-inning stretch.

Top of the 8th

Greasy Neale just beats out a single, as he tries to give the Reds a spark. LF Rube Bressler is up to the plate, strike, but there goes Neale, Kling's throw is too late, Neale has robbed second. Bressler strikes out against Brown for out number one. Reds pitcher Dutch Ruether hits a shot at Evers, Evers waves at it, it's by him, Neale rounds third, Schulte is up with it, the throw, but Neale is in standing. Reds take a 2-1 lead here late in this one. 

Bottom of the 8th

Top of the order for the Cubbies, but nothing happens as they go down 1-2-3 on fly balls to the outfield. Time is running out for Chicago. 

Top of the 9th

With one out, and Edd Roush on second (after a single & a steal), Ivey Wingo hits a deep fly to right, Roush tags up only to be thrown out at third on amazing throw from right fielder Frank Schulte.

Bottom of the 9th

The Reds' Dutch Ruether needs to get past Frank Chance, Harry Steinfeldt, and Joe Tinker. Ruether appeared to have struck out Chance, when Chance started jumping up and down, but wait, the Umpire says the ball hit him in the hand, but he seems to be okay as he wanders down to first. One on, no outs, Steinfeldt with a swinging bunt, squibs the ball to the left side, Groh comes up to field it, guns it to first, and they get him at first, while Chance moves on down to second. One out, tying run at second, Joe Tinker up at the plate. Tinker puts down a bunt pose, Ruether spins toward second, throws it to shortstop Larry Kopf, and they picked off Chance at second. It's all up to Tinker to make something happen, no wait... Chance calls from the dugout, they will have 'Circus Solly' Hofman come to the plate, while Tinker goes down to sit on the bench. Solly raps it back to the mound, Ruether is up with it, the throw to first and this one's over. 

The Reds win, 2-1.

Dutch did it on both ends for the Reds this afternoon, only allowing 1 run on the mound, while hitting the go-ahead & eventual winning run to give the Reds, the 2-1 edge. The Cubs' Mordecai 'Three-Finger' Brown gets the loss in an honorable effort in which he yielded only 1 earned run and 6 hits in 9 innings, plus 3 strikeouts. 

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