Sunday, January 22, 2012

The 1884 Maroons: A Tough Loss


About 800 people were present at the game to-day, the last of the series of four played here between the Cincinnati Unions and the St. Louis Unions.  It was the hottest day of the season.  The sun blazing out of a clear sky with the mercury at [eighty-two degrees.]  The Cincinnatis had for their manager a new man, Sam Crane, and to this they are tonight ascribing success.  They were first at bat.  Harbidge went out on a fly.  Then Powell got a base on balls, and afterward reached second on a wild throw, made by Baker for the purpose of catching him napping.  Hawes then sent a single to left, giving Powell time to score.  Hawes made first on his own hit and right away got to second on Dunlap's muff of Dickerson's assist.  Then Sylvester flew out to Dickerson and Dunlap took in Jones' grounder and threw him out at first.  After that it was an even tug through five innings, during which each club had players on bases, but neither proved able to send a man around.  In the seventh inning Sylvester opened with a good three-baser to left, and got home on a failure by Brennan, after the ball had been fielded to him, to get it to the catcher.  Jones then got a base on balls.  Crane followed on his grounder to Dunlap, and got his first while Dunlap threw in to head off Sylvester.  Burns sent off a grounder, which, by Dunlap's assist, was fielded in and availed to capture Jones at the home plate.  Then Crane undertook to steal home, but got taken in.  Barber in the eighth started with a three-bagger and came in on Harbidge's out.  Powell made a base hit and was followed by Hawes with a two-baser, but Jones and Sylvester were unable to bring them home.  Whitehead sent a grounder to Jones who fumbled it, which with Schwartz's low ball, gave Whitehead second.  Dunlap, after Hodnett had struck out, sent a sky-scraper to center for a home run, making the only two runs for the visitors.  Dickerson then hit safely, after which Rowe forced him out at second on a grounder.  In the ninth inning two hits by the Cincinnatis and four errors by the visitors gave the home club three runs, while the visitors proved an easy prey in the last half of the inning.
-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 20, 1884

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