Whoops! Cleveland beats the White Sox‚ 2 – 1‚ with the help of a successful hidden ball trick in the 9th inning. Chicago pinch runner Felix Chouinard is caught by Cleveland SS Ivy Olson.
Bill O’Hara, inserted as a pinch runner, becomes the first major leaguer to steal two bags in the same inning when he swipes second and third base in the Giants’ 9-6 victory over St. Louis at the Polo Grounds. The 28 year-old New York outfielder, who will end the season with a total of 31 stolen bases, will duplicate the feat tomorrow against the same opponents.
1908 – The month starts with the Giants in first place in the National League with a 69-45 record‚ followed by Chicago (70-47) and the Pirates (69-47). New York shakes off its 3 losses to Chicago by beating up on Boston‚ winning two at South End Grounds. Hooks Wiltse takes the opener‚ 4 – 1‚ and Christy Mathewson coasts home in the second game‚ 8 – 0‚ allowing 3 hits. Dummy Taylor pitches the 9th against the Doves.
1907 – Cubs P Ed Reulbach‚ who will be 17-4 with a 1.69 ERA‚ goes into the 9th with a 2 – 0 lead over the Cardinals at Chicago. He gives up 8 straight hits‚ 7 runs‚ and loses the game. The nitecap is stopped after 7 innings.
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.
The Highlanders win their 6th game in three days from Washington‚ sweeping their third straight doubleheader‚ 5 – 4 and 5 – 3‚ for an American League record.
With the regular umpires sick from food poisoning‚ Cub P Carl Lundgren and Cardinal C Pete Noonan are picked to umpire at the West Side Grounds. The Cubs‚ behind Mordecai Brown’s 5-hitter‚ win, 8 – 1, for their 14th win in a row.
Tom Fisher‚ former National League pitcher‚ pitches a perfect game for Shreveport in a win over Montgomery in the Southern Association. He strikes out 14.
At the Polo Grounds‚ Christy Mathewson allows 3 hits‚ strikes out 9 and allows no earned runs as New York whips the Phillies‚ 4 – 1.
Hillerich & Bradsby sign a contract with Honus Wagner to produce the first autographed model bat.
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