Sunday, September 5, 2010

The 1886 World Series: The St. Louis Players Mean Business


Painful as defeat is under any circumstances, it was doubly so yesterday when the St. Louis club pounded McCormick's pitching and outplayed the Chicagos at every point. There is no excuse to offer in extenuation of the severe defeat. The reasons for which are well known by President Spalding and Captain Anson. But what can they do to enforce discipline in this series, since the players are not under league rules and must govern themselves? The St. Louis players are in this for the money to be obtained and mean business. They play every point just as carefully one day as another. They made five errors yesterday and seven the day before. The Chicagos not only piled up twice the number of fielding errors made the first day, but they failed to hit Carruthers' delivery, with one exception, Gore making two singles. The St. Louis men, on the other hand, hit McCormick thirteen times for a total of twenty-six bases, and made six of their dozen runs, the other six being presented by the Chicagos. One feature of the St. Louis game might be eliminated with success, and that is the disgusting mouthings of the clown Latham. There was

A Universal Sentiment

of disgust expressed by the crowd that left the ball park at the close of the game at this hoodlum's obscene talk on the ball field. One well-known merchant remarked that he never would attend another game that Latham played in. The roughest element that ever attends a ball game in this city could not condone the offense of such a player as Latham. President Spalding should insist upon his being silenced; such coarse mouthings may pass in St. Louis, but will not be tolerated in Chicago.

There were fully 7,000 people present at the game yesterday, the weather being excellent for outdoor sport.
-The Daily Inter Ocean, October 20, 1886

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