At the Baker Bowl, Grover Cleveland Alexander is coasting with a two-hit, 6 – 0 lead in the 8th over the Cubs, when weak-hitting Steve Yerkes lines a single followed by manager Joe Tinker’s only hit of the year. On a double play grounder, 1B Fred Luderus pulls his foot off the bag and Chicago goes on to score three runs. Second-place Philadelphia wins, 6 – 3, to pull with 1 1/2 games of Brooklyn.
The Reds’ Fred Toney pitches 12 innings in the nitecap against Brooklyn before the game is called at 1 – 1 apiece. Zack Wheat goes hitless to end his hitting streak at 29 games. He’ll put together a streak of 26 in 1919.
1916 – The Giants, sporting a 9-game winning streak, are losing 2 – 0 to Cincy in the 4th inning when rain washes out the game.
9/14/1916 – The Red Sox lineup had been Duffy Lewis hitting fifth, Everett Scott hitting sixth and Mike McNally seventh. However, this day, McNally was listed ahead of Scott on the lineup card presented to umpire Bill Dineen. In the top of the second inning, Scott and McNally reversed places without comment but, in the fourth frame, Lewis singled, then after Scott made an out, McNally singled to send Lewis to third base. The St. Louis Browns pointed out that McNally was out of turn and umpire Bill Dineen called McNally out.
1916 – Four days after his first appearance, Pirate rookie Burleigh Grimes makes his first start, against the Robins at Ebbets Field. Brooklyn breaks a scoreless tie with two runs in the 7th, after Honus Wagner flubs a double play grounder hit by Casey Stengel. Wagner, who ostensibly had told the rookie to have Stengel hit the ball to short, reportedly says, “Those damn big feet of mine have always been in my way.” Pittsburgh scores two in the 8th to tie but pitcher Larry Cheney hits a run-scoring double in the bottom of the 9th to win it for Brooklyn.
1916 – Walter Johnson and Babe Ruth, both pitching on two days rest, square off. Washington scores two runs in the 9th when John Henry lines a bases-loaded double off Ruth to tie the game, 2 – 2. Boston scores in the 10th, but Washington tallies twice off Ernie Shore to win, 4 – 3. Johnson is the winner.
New York Giant Pol Perritt beats the Phillies twice, winning 3 – 1 and 3 – 0.
Hippo Vaughn and Jimmy Lavender shut out the Pirates, 3 – 0 and 2 – 0, for a Cubs doubleheader victory.
In Washington, Boston’s Babe Ruth tops the Senators and Walter Johnson, 2 – 1. Ruth gives up four hits while Johnson allows 8. It is the Babe’s 4th win this season versus Johnson. Washington wins the nitecap, 4 – 3, in 10 innings.
Twenty-three fans attending the game against the Yankees at soaked Shibe Park, the smallest crowd in American League history, witness A’s switch-hitter Wally Schang become the first player in major league history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. The feat, not well publicized because reporters thought the heavy rain would postpone the game and did not attend the contest, will not be accomplished again in the Junior Circuit until 1940.
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