|
“DIARY OF A WINNER”
|
THE 1914 "MIRACLE" BRAVES June 5, 1914 ... The Braves started on the right path when they came home and opened up with a 7 to 2 win over Cincinnati. More than 3000 fans turned out to see the game, to the delight of manager Stallings. He felt thrilled with the showing of support that the team has received after the disastrous road trip they just came home from. Hub Perdue was on the mound for the Braves and greeted the fans to a well pitched game against the red-hot team from Cincinnati. Leon Ames was on the mound for the visitors, and while a couple of errors behind him lead in many runs, the Boston boys touched him up rather freely at the beginning and end of the game. Johnny Evers and Rabbit Maranville were the hitting stars, the former getting a single and two doubles, while Maranville got two singles with men on base. Perdue was also given by support in the field by his two stars, as well as Charlie Deal at third base. Evers made two sensational catches, running out to short center field, even more difficult because of the high windy conditions. As for the Reds, Charlie Herzog had a ball drop safely just behind second base on which Leslie Mann was credited with a double. Maranville had nine chances and landed every one of them, while Deal made a great stop of a hard-hit ground ball, that if got by him would have at least been good for a double. The Braves started off fast by putting a run over the plate in the very first inning. Evers beat out an infield hit and then made second base when Herzog threw wild to first. Maranville followed with a pass and Joe Connolly doubled to left, scoring Evers with the first run of the game. Perdue pitched splendidly, but in the fourth inning the Reds got to him and tied the score. The Braves came right back however in the bottom half of the inning to go out in front once again. Hank Gowdy drew a base on balls and went to second on Deal's infield out. He scored when Reds second baseman, Heinie Groh, let a ball get by him. Cincinnati tied up the game in the sixth inning, when Herzog was hit by a pitch ball and stole second. He scored on a Dick Hoblitzell's single to right. It was in this inning that Evers made two great catches in short center field. But again the Braves came back in the bottom of the sixth to grab a 3 to 2 lead. Larry Gilbert had a great at bat and eventually was passed. He went to second on Butch Schmidt's out. Hank Gowdy followed with a ground ball that got by third baseman Bert Niehoff, but was backed up superbly by Herzog. As Niehoff however recovered to take the throw at third on Gilbert, he tripped over the bag, and the ball went into the Cincinnati dugout, allowing Gilbert to trot home. The Reds never came back from that, and the Braves padded their lead with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth. In the seventh, with Perdue on first, Evers doubled down the right-field line. Maranville laced a hit to right to score both runners, making it 5 to 2. In the eighth-inning Hank Gowdy smashed a long fly into the centerfield bleachers for a home run. Charlie Deal then singled to left and was sacrificed to second by Purdue. Evers smacked another double to left field, to score Deal, but was later thrown out at the plate trying to score from second base on Maranville's base hit to right. The Reds tried to steal bases numerous times on catcher Hank Gowdy, who got them every time except once. |
 |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
 |
 |
