Opening Day 1921 - Comebacks by Yankees and Browns

The Philadedelphia Athletics came into Yankees Stadium to face off against Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees. Reliever turned starter, Eddie Rommel enters his 2nd season at the top of the rotation as he faces off against Carl Mays. Mays like Ruth, was sent to Boston for basically peanuts, as we open the season with a faded former dynasty in the A's taking on a dynasty on the rise in the Yankees.

The Athletics opened the first inning with a 3-0 lead, after catcher Cy Perkins hit a three-run blast to left, but Yankees starting pitcher Carl Mays would settle down after that. Wally Pipp's RBI single during the bottom of the 1st, puts the Yankees on the board, down 3-1. 

The Yankees would inch closer during the 4th inning as Elmer Miller smacked a one-out triple into the right field corner. Later that inning, Yankees starter Mays reached on a error (The Athletics' 3rd error in the game), and Roger Peckingpaugh singles (and advances to 2nd), putting runners on 2nd & 3rd with two outs. 2B Aaron Ward pops up behind third base in foul territory stranding Ruth on the on-deck circle.

During the bottom of the 7th inning, Babe Ruth would get his chance, tying it up 3-3 with a solo home run to deep center. 

The Athletics continue to watch the game slip away. With runners on 1st & 2nd during the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees' Ward hit a two-run single as the ball bounced off a diving Frank Welch in center (Mays & Peckingpaugh score). Mays completes the game for the Yankees, allowing only 4 hits all game. In a game that started off promising, the A's lose to the Yankees, 5-3.

The defending World Champion Cleveland Indians traveled to St. Louis to face an optimistic St. Louis Browns team. The Browns know they got the hitters, but good timely pitching will be key if they want any success this season. It's a solid starting pitcher face-off between the tribe's Stan Coveleski and the Browns' Urban Shocker.

 

 

Leading off the game, Cleveland's Charlie Jamieson draws a walk. Jamieson is coming off a break-through season (at age 28) in which he batted .319 while reaching base nearly 39% of the time. Jamieson will be Cleveland's everyday starting left fielder this season, and looks to build off his 1920 season. The 2nd batter in the lineup, Bill Wambsganss executed the hit & run, moving Jamieson up to third. The dangerous Tris Speaker would take advantage of the situation, while smacking a two-run double into the right-center field gap, while Speaker would advance to third (on the throw to home). With momentum going Cleveland's way, shortstop Joe Sewell hits a single that parachutes between 2B Marty McManus and RF Johnny Tobin, scoring in Speaker to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead. Shocker not able to locate his pitches, plunks Larry Gardner. The Browns would finally record an out on the 6th batter of the Indians' lineup, getting RF Elmer Smith to pop-out. The Indians would do no more, while stranding runners on 1st & 2nd.

Already plunking a batter in the 1st inning, and a batter earlier in the 2nd inning, Urban Shocker is thrown out of the game after he plunked his 3rd hitter of the game. Shocker (Grade 18) finished the game allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, 3 HBP & 3 earned runs in only 2 1/3 innings. The Browns called on Ray Kolp to pitch the next 1 2/3 innings, in which he only allowed 1 hit and 1 base on balls. 

Still down 3-0, the Browns battle back during the bottom half of the 4th inning. The Browns pulled off a hit-and-run with Ken Williams' big bat. With one out, Browns backstop Hank Severeid would hit a RBI single to put the team on the board. Marty McManus drives in Williams in the next at-bat, to bring St. Louis within a run. With runners on 1st & 2nd with two outs, shortstop Wally Gerber goes on to tie the game 3-3 with an RBI double. The Browns call on Allen Sothoron to take over during the top of the 5th inning, and would go on to pitch until the end of this one.

During the bottom of the 6th, the Browns' Baby Doll Jacobson would smack what appeared to be a home run, but Jamieson would time his jump perfectly robbing him at the wall.

The Brown's Sothoron continues pitching solid, keeping the Indians off the boards.

This game would go to extras...

Bottom of the 11th, the Browns' Severeid collects his 2nd hit of the game. The Browns call on pinch-runner Dud Lee (a backup shortstop) to run for the slow Severeid. The move to pinch-run with Lee would prove pivotal, as Lee beats out the force attempt at second (in a failed double-play attempt) which would result as a single for McManus.

With one out, and runners on 1st & 2nd, Wally Gerber hits a ball hard to SS Joe Sewell in which Sewell botches the grounder, and Gerber reaches first safely (E-6). Bases loaded, pitcher Allen Sothoron hits a ball back at Sewell, Sewell bobbles it, throws desperately to home plate, but the pinch-running Lee would beat out the throw, as the Browns win the ballgame!

Sothoron earns the win, pitching 7 solid innings in relief, striking out 6 batters, while allowing 5 hits.