Due to his assault on Claude Lucker, a handicapped fan and a regular heckler, Ty Cobb is suspended. Although today’s game is rained out, the Tigers meet in Philadelphia, voting to boycott if the ‘Georgia Peach’ is not allowed to play.
National League President John Heydler calls a meeting with the league’s umpires to discuss ways that the new two-umpire system can prevent fighting by the players. A serious incident occurred several days earlier in Boston when Reds catcher Frank Roth attacked umpire Steve Cusack after a play at home. Several other Reds players threatened the umpire with baseball bats.
The Highlanders swap P Walter Clarkson and OF Frank Delahanty – both siblings of future Hall of Famers – to Cleveland for P Earl Moore. New York is hoping that Moore will return to the form he showed before a Highlander line drive injured his foot the previous season, limiting him to six games.
The visiting Giants, clad in their new all-black uniforms, are sliced up by the Pirates, 11 – 0. The Bucs tally 15 hits to back sinkerballer Vic Willis, obtained from Boston the previous December. Willis will toss shutouts in his next two outings.
Red Ames stops Chicago, 4 – 0, the third shutout in a row over Chicago by the Giants.
The Pirates overcome a 5 – 0 deficit against Christy Mathewson by scoring a run in the 5th and five more in the 6th for a 6 – 5 win.
A record 31,500 at the Polo Grounds see the Giants beat Pittsburgh, 7 – 3, behind Christy Mathewson. Matty allows eight hits in beating Brickyard Kennedy, who is bricked for 13 safeties. The first-place New Yorkers will soon fade, and the Pirates, now in third place, will win their third straight pennant.
On May 16, 1902, two deaf-mute players face each other for the first time in major league history. William “Dummy” Hoy, an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds, leads off the game against Luther “Dummy” Taylor, a pitcher for the New York Giants. Hoy goes 2-for-4, but the Giants win the game, 5-3, scoring all of…
Fans assemble for Cleveland’s first Sunday baseball game only to have the police arrest the players after the 1st inning. Players and umpire Tim Hurst are released on bail provided by Cleveland club owner Frank DeHaas Robison. A test case is made of rookie hurler John Powell. On June 10th, he will be found guilty of playing ball on Sunday and fined $5.
Losing to Cincinnati, 6 – 4, in the 8th inning, Louisville’s William “Farmer” Weaver hits a grand slam, and Danny Richardson follows with a solo shot – the last home run of his 11-year career – to spur a 9 – 7 win.
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