Monday, January 14, 2013

The 1884 Maroons: St. Louis Could Do Nothing


For six innings to-day the St. Louis Unions could do nothing with Shaw, making but three scattered hits off his delivery.  They struck a batting streak in the seventh inning, and four hits, with a total of sixteen, earned them 3 runs.  The fielding of the home players contrasted very strongly with the work they have been doing lately.  The only fielding error was Irwin's fumble of a hot grounder out of his reach.  In the first inning Crane reached first base by driving one to Gleason, which was too hot for him.  Sweeny then threw wild to Quinn, who followed suit, and Crane was safe at third.  McCarty gave Baker a chance, but he fumbled the ball and was too late at first, while Crane scored the first run.  McCarty stole second and went to third on Hackett's single.  McCarty scored when the ball was thrown to second and then back to the plate, Hackett going to third on the play.  Shaw's sacrifices sent Hacket across the plate and Brown was the third man out, on strikes.  Slattery led off in the second with a two-bagger and cleverly stole third.  When Dolan threw to third he was coached home and was an easy out.  It was one, two three with the visitors in this inning, and then Crane opened the third with a drive for two bases.  McCarty hit a slow one to short and beat the ball to first, afterward stealing second.  O'Brien again fanned the air, instead of hitting the ball, but Hackett came to time with a rattling single, on which Crane and McCarty scored earned runs.  Quinn started off for St. Louis with a hit, being the first one of the visitors to reach first base.  Brown gave him a life by a bad throw and a put-out sent him to third.  Whitehead hit a long fly to left, which McCarty captured, and on his fine attempt to make a double at the plate Quinn scored, beating the ball.  In the sixth four errors by St. Louis, after two men were out, gave the Bostons 2 runs.  In the seventh inning Crane made the most terrific hit ever seen on the ground, lifting the ball on the fly almost to the entrance on the left-field corner.  It was a clear home-run without going over the fence, and Craine was cheered continuously as he sped around the bases.  As the visitors went to the bat in the seventh inning it began to rain, and after two hands had been disposed of, Dolan made a single, Quinn did the same thing, and then Baker and Whitehead each hit for two bases, 3 earned runs being the result.  After Sweeney had pitched four balls in the eighth the game was called on account of rain.
-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 21, 1884

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