October 9, 1912 Boston fans parade around Fenway Park before the start of the world Series, Game 2. Christy Mathewson later said of the moment when he took the mound at Fenway Park, “This was the only place in the world that I wanted to be. I could think of nothing greater than pitching…
1912 – Fred Merkle’s 3-run homer off Babe Adams in the 7th gives the Giants a 3 – 2 lead over Pittsburgh, and Christy Mathewson pitches the last three innings to preserve Hooks Wiltse’s win over the Bucs.
At the Polo Grounds, the Giants score runs on two solo homers by Fred Merkle and one by Beals Becker, off Art Fromme, to beat the Reds, 3 – 2. In a typical game, Christy Mathewson scatters 10 hits and walks none for the win. Armando Marsans is 4 for 4 for the Reds.
1911 – Fred Merkle’s 10th-inning sacrifice fly scores Larry Doyle to give the New York Giants a 4 – 3 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series. The victory cuts the Athletics’ lead in the Series to 3-2.
The New York Giants score a major league record 10 runs before the St. Louis Cardinals retire the first batter in the 1st inning. Fred Merkle drives in six of the Giants’ 13 runs in the 1st en route to a 19 – 5 victory. When Giants manager John McGraw decides to save starting pitcher Christy Mathewson for another day, Rube Marquard enters the game in the 2nd inning and sets a record for relievers (since broken) with 14 strikeouts in his eight-inning appearance.
The New York Giants pick up four stolen bases in a 3 – 1 victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the start of a post-1900 record 347 steals for the year. Eight Giants will steal 19 bases or better, topped by Josh Devore’s 61 and Larry Doyle’s 38.
At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson relieves in the 9th with the Giants ahead of the Phils, 2 – 0. The Quakers rattle Matty for four hits and two runs to tie, but in the bottom of the 10th, Mathewson lines a single to score Fred Merkle with the game winner.
On October 8, 1908 A special replay of a game infamously known as The “Merkle Boner” was replayed. On Sept 23, 1908, The New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Cubs were battling for first place and a spot in the 5th World Series. The stage for the Merkle boner was set, on September…
Harry Pulliam upholds Hank O’Day’s delayed decision and declares the previous day’s controversial game between the Giants and Cubs a tie, a decision nobody likes. The Cubs demand the game be forfeited to them as the crowd prevented play from continuing, although darkness would have soon ended it. Both teams appeal. Pulliam sees no inconsistency with the September 4th incident that was similar to Merkle’s Boner and claims he has merely upheld his umpire on a question of fact in each case. Meanwhile, the Giants beat the Cubs, 5 – 4, after almost blowing a 5 – 0 lead. Hooks Wiltse is relieved by Christy Mathewson, and the official scorer awards the win to Matty. The loss goes to Three Finger Brown, his first loss to Mathewson since June 13, 1905.
test On September 23, 1908, Fred Merkle of the New York Giants commits one of the most famous gaffes in baseball history. In a crucial game against the Chicago Cubs, Merkle’s failure to touch second after an apparent game-winning hit by Bridwell scoring McCormick from third costs the Giants a 2-1 win over the Cubs….
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