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LEFTY TYLER |
THE 1914 "MIRACLE" BRAVES
Lefty Tyler shuts out the Cardinals and
scores the only run to win his own game
August 3, 1914 ... The
Boston Braves made a perfect clean sweep of the series with the St.
Louis Cardinals by winning the fourth straight game by a score of 1
to 0 at the South End Grounds. The final game, like its predecessors,
was a fight from beginning to end. George "Lefty" Tyler and Dan
Griner had another pitcher's duel, and although the Cardinals giant
did excellent work, he was over shadowed by the Boston southpaw.
Neither man gave up a base on balls, each struck out eight men, and
the hits were even at three for each side up until the ninth-inning.
Tyler kept the Cardinals hits at three, and then to emphasize his great work,
led off the ninth-inning with a line drive single and scored the winning run. It
was the second time that Griner pitched a great game and lost in the series, as
in the opening game when he held the Braves to just one hit but lost.
It started to look that judging by the way each
pitcher was going neither side would be able to score before it got dark and the
game would carry on unless something broke. The break came in favor of the
Braves. Tyler opened up the ninth-inning with a single over second. Josh
Devore's sacrifice advanced him and Johnny Evers hit a high bounder that went
over the pitcher's head and came down about half way between the pitchers mound
and second base. Art Butler the shortstop had to make a lightning one-handed
play, and his throw went wide of Lee Dressen at first and got away from him.
Tyler was able to score from second, putting across the only run of the game.
It was another hard game for Griner lose, but on
the work that Tyler did after the first inning, it would've been even harder for
Tyler to lose. Lefty just outpitched his opponent. Tyler found himself in the
hole only twice during the entire game but he got out of the situation with his
great pitching.
Johnny Evers played a great game in the field in
spite of the fact that he was still bothered by his stiff neck. Lee Magee of the
Cardinals had a great game also, robbing Evers of a double in the fourth inning
by making a great running catch in left centerfield and knocking out two of the
Cardinals three hits.
Butch Schmidt got two of the three hits by the
Braves in three at-bats. Charlie Deal made one of his now famous one-handed
plays on a slow bunt by Frank Snyder, one of the best fielding plays of the
game.
Manager Stallings received word from Larry Gilbert
that he would rejoin the team tomorrow with Mrs. Gilbert feeling much better
from her recent illness.
Red Sox President Joe Lannin sent a telegram to
Braves President James Gaffney extending the use of Fenway Park to the Braves,
free of charge, for the remainder of the season. |
