July 8, 1943: Dick Barrett hurls 14-inning shutout for Phillies

The Thursday afternoon doubleheader between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds at Shibe Park featured a little bit of everything for the fans in attendance. The first game was an offensive struggle in which the teams combined for 27 hits and 12 runs. The Reds came away with a 7-5 win as Johnny Vander Meer pitched a complete-game 10-hitter, walking five and striking out four.1 Every batter in the Reds lineup had at least one hit and the Reds were led by their third baseman, Steve Mesner, who had three hits and scored two runs. Four Philadelphia pitchers allowed 17 hits with Dale Mathewson (no relation to Giants great Christy Mathewson) taking the loss after coming on in relief of Schoolboy Rowe to begin the seventh inning.

Game two was a pitchers’ duel between the Reds’ Ray Starr and the Phillies’ Dick “Kewpie” Barrett. Starr entered the game with a 7-7 record and a 3.01 ERA. Barrett, a 36-year-old journeyman recently purchased from the Chicago Cubs, was looking for his first win of the season, having lost his first four decisions with the Cubs and his first start with the Phillies, 5-2 to Chicago on July 4. A wartime pitcher, Barrett had debuted for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1933 but spent the bulk of 1933-1943 with Seattle of the Pacific Coast League.

After the offensive explosion in the first contest, the second game unfolded as a pitchers’ duel. After two uneventful frames, Barrett had a rocky third inning with all the action occurring after two outs. Lonny Frey reached on an error by Philadelphia shortstop Charlie Brewster. Barrett walked Gee Walker. Bert Haas reached on another error by Brewster, and the bases were loaded. But Barrett got Eric Tipton to ground out to Brewster to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.

In the fourth inning Mesner singled but was erased on a double-play groundball by Eddie Miller. The next batter, Max Marshall, singled but he was caught stealing to end the inning.

From the fourth inning through the sixth, the only scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the sixth when, with two outs, the Phillies loaded the bases with a walk, a single, and an error, but failed to score.

Starr did not allow a Phillies hit until Coaker Triplett singled to left field one out in the fifth inning. However, Triplett was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double.

In the Reds seventh, Marshall and Al Lakeman singled and Barrett walked Lonny Frey to load the bases with one out. Gee Walker bunted into a force play at the plate, and Barrett got Haas on a comebacker to end the second bases-loaded threat of the game.

The left side of the Phillies infield made five errors in the game. In the eighth inning, Tipton hit a leadoff single, Mesner forced Tipton at second base, and Phillies third baseman Babe Dahlgren made an error on a grounder by Miller. Shortstop Brewster had three errors and was pinch-hit for in the ninth. His replacement, Glen Stewart, also made an error. Barrett got out of the eighth-inning jam with a groundout and a strikeout of Starr.2

In turn, the Phillies loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth but Starr pitched out of it.

The game remained scoreless going into extra innings, with both starters still pitching. Starr came out for a pinch-hitter in the 11th and Joe Beggs relieved him. The last of the six double plays turned in the game was turned by Philadelphia in the top of the 12th.

Barrett set the Reds down in order in the 14th, getting Frey on a groundout and Gee Walker and Haas on fly balls.

Since taking over for Starr in the 11th, Joe Beggs had given up only a single and an intentional walk, both in the 11th. But in the 14th, Coaker Triplett singled with one out and a single by Bob Finley put runners at first and second with two outs. With Pinky May at bat pinch-hitting for Barrett, Triplett stole third base. Then May singled to left field to break up the niftiest pitchers’ duel of the season and give the win to the Phillies.3

And just in time, as the Phillies fans among the 4,174 spectators discovered. Umpire George Magerkurth had signaled the occupants of the press box that he was going to call the game after the 14th.4

Immediately after the game, Bill McKechnie, the Reds manager, lodged a protest with National League President Ford Frick.5 He asserted that as Barrett, who batted after Finley, approached the plate, Magerkurth told a Phillies player, “I don’t think there is a chance of continuing the game”6 and that it would be called after the 14th. Armed with this knowledge, Phillies manager Bucky Harris sent May up to bat for Barrett.

In 13⅔ innings of work, Starr and Beggs gave up seven hits and seven walks and struck out three. Barrett, getting his first win of the season, allowed nine hits in 14 innings, walked five and struck out six. All of the 18 hits in the game were singles. Steve Mesner and Max Marshall each had three hits in a losing effort while Coaker Triplett of the Phillies had two hits.

The 14-inning outing was the longest of Barrett’s career. Later in the season, on September 26, he pitched was an 11-inning complete-game win in a 3-2 Phillies victory over the Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. He also pitched a 10-inning 3-2 win over the Pirates at Shibe Park on July 20, 1944.

SOURCES

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org.

NOTES

1 “May’s Single in the 14th [Gives] Phillies Split,” Louisville Courier Journal, July 9, 1943: 25.

2 Dahlgren, the man who replaced Lou Gehrig at first base for the New York Yankees, had spent the 1940 season with the Yankees before splitting the 1941 season with the Boston Braves and Chicago Cubs. In 1942 he was with the Cubs, Browns, and Dodgers. He was traded to the Phillies in 1943 for Al Glossop and Lloyd Waner and played in the All-Star Game.

3 “One Run Scored in Game.”

4 “One Run Scored in Game.”

5 “One Run Scored in Game.”

6 “May’s Pinch-Hit Wins Second in 14th, 1-0,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 9, 1943: 24.