Snopes: Was a baseball game won by a score of 2½-2?
From David Mikkelson and Dan Evon at Snopes.com on May 6, 2020, with mention of SABR member Jacob Pomrenke:
Many a baseball fan in recent years has discovered a newspaper account relating an amazing first-person account of a game that took place in 1893.
According to former minor league pitcher William “Wild Bill” Setley, a teammate of his who broke the last bat on the field had to step up to the plate in an extra-inning game wielding an axe, and his swing cut the pitched ball in two, sending half of it over the outfield fence while the other half popped up harmlessly on the infield. After some dispute with the umpire, the batter was awarded half a run, and his team was declared the winner by a score of 2 1/2 to 2.
While many readers have enjoyed the anecdote for the tall tale it is, without regard for its literal veracity, many others have wanted to know if the story is actually true as told by Setley.
Read the full article here: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/baseball-cut-in-half-by-axe/
Originally published: May 7, 2020. Last Updated: May 7, 2020.