The Athletics’ Jack Coombs and Chicago’s Ed Walsh duel 16 innings to a 0 – 0 tie.

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The Athletics’ Jack Coombs and Chicago’s Ed Walsh duel 16 innings to a 0 – 0 tie. Coombs gives up just three hits and strikes out 18 in what he calls his best game. Walsh gives up just six hits in 16 innings but the woeful Sox offense provides no support. Working with little rest, Walsh will win 18 of 19 starts in July, August, and September, finishing 30-9 with a 1.30 ERA. His 13 shutouts are the American League record; in 12 other games he gives up just one run.

Portrait of Jack Coombs, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics. Stamped on back: "Charles M. Conlon, Evening Telegram, New York." Handwritten on back: "Jack Coombs, Athletics, 1908.

The American League’s longest game to date takes place in Boston before 16‚000 in this 24 inning marathon both starters Jack Coombs and Joe Harris go the distance.

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The American League’s longest game to date takes place in Boston before 16‚000. Rookies Jack Coombs and 24-year-old Joe Harris go the route in a 24-inning struggle‚ ending with a 4 – 1 Athletics victory after 4 hours and 47 minutes. It sets the major league record‚ later broken‚ and is still the AL mark for two pitchers. Two batters single, and then Socks Seybold and Danny Murphy hit triples with two outs to end the contest. Philadelphia’s Coombs faces 89 batters‚ striking out a major league record 18 (broken in 1962) and giving up 14 hits‚ while the Americans’ Harris fans 14 and yields 16 hits. Harris drops his record to 2-21‚ and will start next year at 0-6 before exiting the majors for Providence‚ holding the distinctions of the worst winning percentage (.091 for a 3-30 record) and the fewest wins for any pitcher with 300 innings pitched. The 24 innings pitched will only be exceeded this century by the 26-inning battle on May 1‚ 1920 between Joe Oeschger and Leon Cadore. There won’t be a longer game in the AL until May 8‚ 1984.

Cy Young
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Boston ace Cy Young hurls a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics

ByThis Day in Baseball

On May 5, 1904, At Huntington Avenue Grounds, Boston ace Cy Young hurls a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics. Young outduels another future Hall of Famer, Rube Waddell, winning 3-0. It’s the first perfect game since the rules change that moved the pitching mound to 60 feet, six inches away from home plate. Young…