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8/16/1910 – In the bottom of the seventh in Boston, Harry Smith pinch hit for pitcher Buster Brown and singled. Rube Sellers pinch ran for Smith and scored two batters later. These changes took place in the ninth slot in the batting order. When Doc Miller’s turn to hit came up later in the inning, Bud Sharpe was substituted for Miller in the fourth spot in the lineup. At the end of the inning, Sellers remained in the game as the new right fielder, thus hitting ninth, and Chick Evens entered the contest as the new hurler in the fourth spot in the lineup. With two out in the bottom of the eighth, the nine spot in the order came up but Evans batted and made the third out of the frame. He was out of order but accepted by St. Louis. This should have reset the batting order, making Ed Abbaticchio the next proper batter (in the fifth spot in the lineup). However, Bill Collins batted and made an out in the first spot in the order. Three batters later, it came around to Evans’s spot again but Sellers hit in the fourth place instead. Sellers ended the game with an out. None of these instances of batting out of turn were protested by the St. Louis manager, Roger Bresnahan. It could have been since no one reached base batting out of turn or it could have been that no one on the Cardinals side of the field noticed.

ByTom

8/16/1910 – In the bottom of the seventh in Boston, Harry Smith pinch hit for pitcher Buster Brown and singled. Rube Sellers pinch ran for Smith and scored two batters later. These changes took place in the ninth slot in the batting order. When Doc Miller’s turn to hit came up later in the inning, Bud Sharpe was substituted for Miller in the fourth spot in the lineup. At the end of the inning, Sellers remained in the game as the new right fielder, thus hitting ninth, and Chick Evens entered the contest as the new hurler in the fourth spot in the lineup. With two out in the bottom of the eighth, the nine spot in the order came up but Evans batted and made the third out of the frame. He was out of order but accepted by St. Louis. This should have reset the batting order, making Ed Abbaticchio the next proper batter (in the fifth spot in the lineup). However, Bill Collins batted and made an out in the first spot in the order. Three batters later, it came around to Evans’s spot again but Sellers hit in the fourth place instead. Sellers ended the game with an out. None of these instances of batting out of turn were protested by the St. Louis manager, Roger Bresnahan. It could have been since no one reached base batting out of turn or it could have been that no one on the Cardinals side of the field noticed.

Red Murray’s spectacular grab of Dots Miller’s long drive becomes a truly electrifying catch

Red Murray’s spectacular grab of Dots Miller’s long drive becomes a truly electrifying catch

ByThis Day in Baseball

New York and Pittsburgh play to a 2 – 2 tie, stopped after eight innings because of a drenching downpour. Off Christy Mathewson, Ham Hyatt hits his third pinch triple of the year, a record that won’t be matched till 1970. Outfielder Red Murray prevents a loss for Matty with one of the greatest catches ever seen at Forbes Field. With two outs and two on, Dots Miller belts a long line drive off Matty into the growing darkness. With everyone straining to follow the ball, a bolt of lightning flashes and Murray is seen making a bare-handed grab on the dead run to end the inning. Bill Klem then calls the game.

The A’s jump on Walter Johnson, scoring six runs in five innings, before relief comes in. Before exiting, Johnson hits his first major league homer, off Harry Krause, who will lead the AL in ERA with a sparkling 1.39.

ByBaseball

The A’s jump on Walter Johnson, scoring six runs in five innings, before relief comes in. Before exiting, Johnson hits his first major league homer, off Harry Krause, who will lead the AL in ERA with a sparkling 1.39.

1908 – The Cardinals deal a blow to the Giants’ pennant hopes by defeating them twice in St. Louis. With Christy Mathewson refusing to pitch on Sundays, Red Ames and Joe McGinnity take the losses.

ByBaseball

1908 – The Cardinals deal a blow to the Giants’ pennant hopes by defeating them twice in St. Louis. With Christy Mathewson refusing to pitch on Sundays, Red Ames and Joe McGinnity take the losses.

The Bucs jump on Christy Mathewson for five runs in two innings of the opener in game 1 of a double header

ByBaseball

1904 – The Pirates disappoint 23,000 at the Polo Grounds by sweeping two from the Giants, 7 – 2 and 4 – 1. The Bucs jump on Christy Mathewson for five runs in two innings of the opener. It’s the first doubleheader loss for New York this year.

Toledo native George Mullin, pitching for the Tigers, helps the attendance today (6,000) as the Tigers take on New York in a Sunday game in Toledo

Toledo native George Mullin, pitching for the Tigers, helps the attendance today (6,000) as the Tigers take on New York in a Sunday game in Toledo

ByBaseball

1903 – Toledo native George Mullin, pitching for the Tigers, helps the attendance today (6,000) as the Tigers take on New York in a Sunday game in Toledo. Mullin is racked for eight runs, but Detroit scores 12, led by the hitting of Sam Crawford, who is 5 for 6.

Bill Phillips becomes the first pitcher to allow two grand slams in the same inning

ByThis Day in Baseball

Bill Phillips becomes the first pitcher to allow two grand slams in the same inning, when Tom Burns and Malachi Kittridge both take the Alleghenys’ right-hander deep in the same frame of an 18-5 loss to the Chicago Colts. In 1999, Chan Ho Park will match the dubious feat, but will have the distinction of giving up both bases-full homers to the same batter, Fernando Tatis of the Cardinals.

Young pitcher Fred Goldsmith demonstrates at a public exhibition at the Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn, NY that the curve ball is a real pitch and not simply an optical illusion

Young pitcher Fred Goldsmith demonstrates at a public exhibition at the Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn, NY that the curve ball is a real pitch and not simply an optical illusion

ByThis Day in Baseball

1870 – Young pitcher Fred Goldsmith demonstrates at a public exhibition at the Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn, NY that the curve ball is a real pitch and not simply an optical illusion, as he manages to make a ball bend around three parallel stakes placed in the ground. Henry Chadwick is among those in attendance and reports on the event in the next day’s paper. Goldsmith’s claim to have invented the pitch will be disputed by Candy Cummings, however.