European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 18, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 18 the stars and stripes for Many years i be been digging into the history of baseball trying to find out what makes this National pastime of ours tick. From time to time i be come across the names of Fred Merkle and Fred Snodgrass. Merkle As you May have also read someplace was the Guy who pulled a Bonehead Man Euver that supposedly Cost the 1908 new York giants the Pennant. Snodgrass according to the history books dropped a Flynall and was responsible for the 1912 giants defeat in the world series. Now because of some unjust and incomplete reporting almost60 years ago Merkle and Snodgrass Are too often regarded As dirty words in almost any baseball conversation dealing with old timers. It s High time someone put in a few Good words for Merkle an Snodgrass. Let s take Merkle first. He joined the giants in the fall of the 1907 at the age of 18. Be fore he reached his 20th birthday he had been dealt enough abuse and vituperation to last a lifetime. The famous Bonehead play took place in new York in sep tember of 1908 when Merkle started his very first major league game by filling in for the injured Fred Tenney at first base. John mag raw s giants were playing the Chicago cubs and the two teams were tied for the league Lead with Only two weeks to go. The great Christy Mathewson was pitching for the giants and Jac Pfiester was going for the cubs. It was 1-1 going into the last half of the ninth inning. And then with two out and Moose Mccormick on first Merkle hit a single to right and Mccormick went to third. Al Bridwell followed with a line single to Center. Mccormick of course scored easily from third he could have walked in with what appeared to be the winning run. Merkle started for second but the minute he saw the Ball Rollin for the Fence and Mccormick across the plate and the game presumably Over and won he lit out for the clubhouse to avoid the fan who in those Days swarmed the Field after each game. That was his downfall because since Bridwell now occupied first he had to touch second to formally Complete the play. Evers matted for i tall Johnny Evers the cubs great second baseman saw tha Merkle had t touched second. Evers began to Call for cubs Cente fielder Artie Hofman to go and get the Ball. Hofman had Teven chased it because the game was Over As far As he was concerned. But Evers made so much noise about getting the Ball an throwing it in to second base that Hofman finally retrieved it and threw it in. However Joe Mcginnity was coaching at third base for the giants and he sensed what was going on. He ran out intercepted the Ball and threw it out of the Park. Evers got another Ball an touched second with hundreds of fans milling around on the infield. Frank Chance the Chicago manager insisted that the umpires come out and see what was going on. Chance claimed that Evers had gotten the Ball and touched second base with it so tha Merkle was out and the game should continue still a 1-1 tie. And since the Field was now total chaos he said the game should be forfeited to Chicago both because of Mcginnity s interference and because the giants could t Clear their own Field. Finally after three Days of haggling the league ruled tha Merkle was out and that the game would be replayed entirely at the end of the season if necessary. A playoff was necessary because the two teams finished the season tied. The cubs won the playoff and then everyone pointed to Young Merkle. It is very unfair to put All the blame on Merkle. Mcgraw never did and neither did the rest of the giants. It was mostly the newspapers with their invention of the term what few fans nowadays who read about Merkle do not Knowis that the giants lost five other games after the incident at second base. If they had won any one of those five game they would have won the Pennant. They lost a doubleheader to Cincinnati and then they played the Philadelphia Phillies an lost to Harry Coveleski three times in one week. Snodgrass it it Goat it was Snodgrass who replaced Merkle As baseball s no 1goat in 1912 when he dropped a Flynall in Centerfield in the final game of the world series with the Boston red sox. Snodgrass "?30,000 Muff occurred in the 10th inning with Mathewson trying to protect a one run Lead. Contrary to what you might have read. Snodgrass did not lose the world series he merely put what turned out to be the tying run on base and he made a great running catch later in that inning. But Tri speaker and the a Cox pulled out a 2-1 Victory and naturally the press jumped on Snodgrass. Both freds Merkle and Snodgrass were actually very talented athletes but unfortunately it s what they did t do that has so often been rehashed in hot stove sessions. Merkle played 18 seasons in the majors 10 with the giants kit ?nn0�,kiyf1 a a we the cubs und two with the Yankees in if a a or f a the Glants to the Pennant in .1912 and Roundup with a .273 lifetime average. Snodgrass career was Shorter but except for that one dropped Lemr solve he a Yed with the giants from 1908 through an Glen pent two seasons with the Boston braves. He hit in 1910 and was .275 Overall. Tiger spurt keys 6-1 cd Chicago a the de troit tigers held to one hit by Cisco Carlos for seven innings erupted for five runs in the eighth and whipped Chicago 6-1for a sunday doubleheader split with the White won the first game 3 2 on Tommy Davis tie breaking Homer in the seventh inning. The american league leading tigers limited to a fourth in Ning single by Jim Northrup and trailing 1-0, appeared headed for their first doubleheader loss of the season when they finally caught up with Carlos inthe eighth inning of the night Cap. Tom Matchier led off with single and then the roof fell in on the sox. Don Wert was hit Bya pitch and Wayne Comer was Safe on an error by Carlos fill ing the bases. Hoyt Wilhelm replaced Carlo Sand Pinch hitter Willie Horton scratched an infield single scor ing Matchier before a walk to Dick Mcauliffe forced in the go ahead run. After a Force at the plate Northrup doubled Home two More runs and Norm Cash sen tin the fifth with an infield sin Gle. Comer tripled in the ninth an scored on Mcauliffe s double. Bando Hershberger Star a s Deal o s double loss Oakland a Sal band drove in three runs with two sin Gles and a double leading the Oakland athletics past Balti More 6-4 sunday for a sweep of their doubleheader. Mike Hershberger s Pinch Homer capped a three run eighth inning rally that gave the athletics a 4-2 first game Victory. The double setback dropped the second place orioles games behind the american league leading Detroit tigers. Baltimore has lost four in a the Nightcap Lew Krausse allowed four hits including Frank Robinson s three run Homer before giving Way to Jim Mike a finn first Balti Moreau r h by Blair of Valentine of for Robinsn if Powell in Robinsn 3b Blefary c Johnson 2b a Fernandz Hardin p Richert p 40004111 game Oakland a r h by pm Peris is 4020 Donaldson 2b 3000 monday of 4010 Bando 3b 4 0 1 0 Webster ib4121 Cater in 3 0 0 0 Jackson of is 3000 Rudl if 3000 Pir Oban if 0000 hers hgr if Duncan c Dobson p 41104020 40003010 11103122 20001000 11124000 3000 total Baltimore Oakland a Blefary Baltimore 1. 32 2 5 2 total 001 100 000 001 . Baltimore 5, 34 4 10 4 0002 0 3 a 4dp lob baltimoreoakland7. 2bcampanerie, Cater. Or Valentine 4blefary 5hershberger 1. , Campanells. In Hardin 62-3 7 Richert l.l-21 1-3 3 Dobson w.4-6 9 5 we Dobson. T2 20. R or be so 1118 3300 2226 Handy Bando Aid second game Baltimore Oakland a r h by a r h by 4100 pm Peris As 4 3 2 02210 Donaldson 2b 4113 monday of 4001 hers hgr of 4000 Bando 3b 4010 Webster in 2b 3 0 1 0 Cater in is 2000 Jackson 1000 Rudi 1 0000 roof c 1000 Krausse 1000 Hunter p 0000 Blair of Valentine of for Robinsn if Powell in Robinsn 3bblefary c Johnson a Fernandz Buford 2b Leonhard p Nelson p Hendricks Pho Donhue p Watt p motion Ali Rabosky p of 40002100 00004133 30211000 30113000 40103120 1000 00001000 0000 total Baltimore Oakland a Bando Baltimore 2, 2, Oakland , 2. 31 4 4 4 total 32 0 11 5100 003 0004 320 001 0 0 a 6 c. Fernandez. Dp2, Oakland 2. Lob Baltimore 8. 2b Buindo Krausse Valentine. Or Leonhard l.3-3 Nelson Odono Juhue Watt Drabowsky Krausse ,3-7jhunter pm Blefary. T in h ,. 1 53 2 12-3 4 1-30 2 0 71-3 4 12-3 0 2 30. A1 Erbb so Catfish Hunter. The a s jumped Baltimore starter Dave Leonhard for three runs in the first inning an Krausse s double touched off a two run burst in the Cut the Oakland Lead to 5-4 in the sixth unloading his second Homer after an error and Fred Valentine s the a s scored again in the Bottom of the sixth on sin Bat Ido Hershberger Bert Campa Gles by Krausse Neris and Bando. Bando also doubled a run Home in the first inning and stroked a run scoring single inthe second. Hershberger Soff Pete Richert in the opener squared it on a by Pinch hitter Danny Cater an Reggie Jackson s run scoring Chuck Dobson 4-6, went the distance for Oak land yielding five hits including bases empty homers by Valen Tine and Curt Blefary. Two run Home broke a 2-2 tie after the a two out double of hits and a lol Icli p Dobson p Heller Wilson ill 3110 Alomar or 3000 Cullen a 0000 Causey Job 0000 Horlen p ill 1000 Wilhelm p Ward pm Wood p 33 2 7 2 total Jef 100 do Dewl total Detroit Chicago a Freehan Cullen. Lob Detroit 9, Chicago Wert . Or Davit in Mccraw Mcauliffe. A Dali Mccraw. , Josephson in h Herb Liolich l.5-1 61-37 Dobson 0 0 0 killer 12-3 0 0 Horlen 62-3 i 2 Wilhelm w.2-113 0 0wood 2 0 ii hip Horlen Stanley. 1-231. Nth hour Roar second game Detroit chicagoan r h by Abill Cauliffe is 4112 Aparico is Stanley of 4100 Mcraff 111 Northrup of 5022 Davis 11 ill Freehan e 2000 Ward 3b ill Cash in 5011 Alomar 3b w Matchier 2b 4110 Wagner re Wert 3b 3100 Voss re Comer if 4110 Joseph in c Mclain p 2000 Berry cd Whorton i h 1011 Cullen 2b Trew Slusi or 0100 Carlos p Patterson p 0 0 0 0 Wilhera p Dobson p 1000 Wood Kenw Dlhy i Mullahon p total Detroit Chicago an 0 7 6 total 8" 000 000 Oil 000 1"0 Oil Carlos Mccraw. Mmclain w.ll-2 Patterson do Sun Carlos l.2-7withuhn Wood mcmahonhi31j Carlos Serfi. Of Mclain. Cards beat 4-29 on 3-run St. Louis up Catcher Johnny Edwards two run single with two out in the fifth inning capped a three run rally which enabled the St. Louis cardinals to beat the Cincinnati reds 4-2 sunday and give Ray Washbu Nhis fourth Victory of the season. Edwards Sharp single to Loftfield came after singles by dal maxvill and Lou Brock sandwiched around a walk to Washburn produced the Cardin als first run off George Culver. Culver had retired Curt flood forthe second out of the inning but then Edwards delivered game winning hit. Ins the reds took a 2-0u is filled and one out in the Cardenas the bases with two Mike a. Tolun replaced Julian j scored Shannon aft Culver a u7ci wastibuf1lepw,rpm2-r the eighth reds the rest preserve Washburn s firs Jyi us � is .to?1 of 221
