4/21/1954: Giants Whitey Lockman hit an apparent home run to RF in Pittsburgh in the top of the fifth, but it was disallowed because time had been requested by Monte Irvin and granted by 1B umpire Bill Stewart. Irvin was the base runner at 1B.
9/14/1952(2): Minnie Minoso of the White Sox hit a two-run homer off Dick Brodowski of the Red Sox in the second game of two in Chicago but lost it when the contest was halted in the 4th inning due to darkness and a 7PM Sunday curfew on the use of lights. The first game had gone 17 innings. The Sox were ahead of the Red Sox, 3-0. The game was replayed the next day and won by the White Sox 4-2.
8/6/1949: In the bottom of the first at St. Louis, the Cardinals had a runner on base when Giants pitcher Adrian Zabala was called for a balk by 1B umpire Bill Stewart. Zabala’s balk was for not coming to a complete stop before delivering. Nippy Jones hit the pitch into the LF seats, but Stewart said he had called time with the balk call, so the homer did not count. Jones later flied out.
6/22/1947(2): The Phillies were in Pittsburgh to play a doubleheader and the first game went 13 innings. The Phillies led the second game, 8-6, at the end of 4 innings, when the game was called for the Sunday curfew. Jim Tabor of the Phillies had homered in the top of the first inning against Rip Sewell with two men on and 1 out. Elbie Fletcher of the Pirates homered in the bottom of the first against Charley Schanz with two men on and 1 out.
4/17/1945: On Opening Day in Cincinnati, Pirates shortstop Frankie Zak reached first on a bunt, which sent teammate Al Lopez to second. Zak then asked for time to tie his shoelace, which was granted by umpire Ziggy Sears. However, Reds pitcher Bucky Walters had begun his pitch, which Jim Russell hit over the right field fence for an apparent three-run homer. The play was not allowed because of the time out. Russell then singled to CF to drive in one run. The eleven-inning contest was won by the home team, 7-6.
8/4/1942: The Dodgers were playing the Giants at the Polo Grounds with wartime restrictions in effect that required the lights to be shut off at a predetermined time. Brooklyn scored four runs in the top of the tenth inning, including an inside-the-park grand slam by Peewee Reese, which flew over the head of center fielder Buster Maynard and rolled to the clubhouse area. After a pitching change, a walk and a fly out, the umpires stopped the game in the middle of an at bat by Joe Medwick. The game reverted back to a nine-inning, 1-1 tie. The contest was scheduled for a September 6 makeup. This was the first time a game had ended in a tie under the lights due to the dim out regulations. The game had started at 6:45pm. The only statement made by NL President Ford Frick was to say that he would “urge earlier start times.”
7/30/1939: The Braves were in Pittsburgh for a Sunday doubleheader and beat the Pirates in the first game, 7-5. That game had a 1:25 rain delay in the ninth inning, causing the second game to start later than planned. In the bottom of the third of game two, Johnny Rizzo hit a solo homer off Joe Sullivan. In the top of the fifth frame, the game was called due to the Pennsylvania curfew law with the Braves leading 6-3
5/14/1938: The Cardinals hosted the Reds in St. Louis. Reds outfielder Dusty Cooke hit a drive in the sixth inning that hit the edge of the pavilion roof in deep right center field. The umpires ruled the ball in play and Cooke reached third base for a triple. After the ninth inning ended with the teams tied at 5-5, Reds manager Bill McKechnie announced that he was protesting the game based on that call in the sixth inning. The Cardinals had scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. The Reds scored once in the top of the tenth but the Redbirds won the contest with two in the bottom of the frame. NL president Ford Frick upheld the protest on June 3 and declared the game a tie. He also awarded Cooke with a homer, so it became “unlost.” The teams replayed the game on August 20.
6/6/1937(2): Joe Medwick of the Cardinals lost a homer in the second game of a doubleheader against the Phillies in Philadelphia. He had hit what would have been his tenth homer of the season in the first inning and St. Louis was leading 8-2 in the top of the fourth. An 88 minute rain delay in the first game delayed the start of game two and the 7 o’clock closing law was approaching. The Phils started stalling by making unnecessary pitching changes, mound conferences and asking for different balls. Eventually umpire Bill Klem forfeited the game to the Redbirds and all stats were wiped out because the game failed to go five innings. Manager Jimmie Wilson was later fined $100 by Ford Fick for his stalling tactics. Medwick was still able to win the triple-crown in that year even though he tied with Mel Ott with 31 home runs.
In the top of the 2nd, Ethan Allen of the Cards races around the bases for an inside-the-park home run at the Polo Grounds, but is out for batting out of turn. Joe Medwickwas the correct batter. Allen then bats for himself and grounds out. But St. Louis prevails, 7 – 3.
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