May 24, 1922: Ottawa Senators’ Fred Frankhouse tosses 14-inning complete-game win over Trois-Rivières

The slumping Ottawa Senators were in need of a spark heading into their Victoria Day doubleheader against the Trois-Rivières Trios.1 The Senators, who had joined the Class B Eastern Canada League for its inaugural season of 1922, were on a six-game losing streak and mired in last place with a woeful 1-11 record.2

A promising 18-year-old St. Louis Cardinals prospect, Fred Frankhouse, got the start for Ottawa in the morning game of the twin bill. The fresh-faced rookie, in just his second start in professional baseball,3 led Ottawa to victory with a gutsy 14-inning complete game. The much-needed win was the turning point in the Senators’ season, and less than six weeks later they were perched atop the standings.

The Senators were Ottawa’s first professional baseball team since the Class B Canadian League4 folded after the 1915 season because of an intensifying First World War.5 That team − also called the Senators − posted a perfect record of four championships in the four seasons they were in the Canadian League.

The Eastern Canada League was the brainchild of Montreal baseball impresario Joe Page. The four-team circuit, whose charter members also included the Montreal Royals and a team in Valleyfield, Québec,6 had been formed on March 20, 1922, which didn’t leave much time to recruit players.7 The Senators’ hastily organized roster was short on hitting, so on May 20 they released seven players and brought in reinforcements that included infielders Art “Duke” Riley and Henning Anderson.8

Frankhouse, a native of Port Royal, Pennsylvania, had been playing sandlot ball when he was signed by the Cardinals in September 1921.9 He was initially farmed out to the Syracuse Stars10 of the Double-A International League for the 1922 season, but he didn’t appear in any regular-season games for Syracuse and was later reassigned to Ottawa.11 The 5-foot-11 right-hander struggled in his professional debut, a 7-3 loss to Valleyfield on May 21.12

Frankhouse’s mound opponent on May 24 was Lee O’Coin, who had used his “slow ball” to shut out Montreal four days earlier.13 Trois-Rivières had taken the first two contests in the four-game series in Ottawa, and they came into the twin bill with a 9-3 record, one game ahead of second-place Valleyfield.

Between 1,000 and 1,500 fans came out to Lansdowne Park to take in the 10:30 A.M. opener.14 Anderson led off the bottom of the first by working O’Coin for a walk. He stole second, went to third on an error by left fielder Jack Bailey, and scored on an RBI single by first baseman George Army.15

O’Coin settled down and retired the Senators in order in innings two through five. His streak was broken in the sixth when he hit Riley with a pitch. The next batter, second baseman E.H. Durant, sacrificed Riley to second. Army picked up his second RBI of the game by driving a single into left field and Ottawa led, 2-0.

Frankhouse, meanwhile, kept Trois-Rivières off the scoreboard through the first eight innings.16

The first two Trois-Rivières batters, Bailey and William Bernard, reached base safely in the ninth.17 The next batter, Israel “Chief” Ero,18 smacked a double that scored Bailey and advanced Bernard to third. Pinch-hitter Eugene “Paddy” Green tapped an infield single, allowing Bernard to cross the plate with the tying run. Trois-Rivières seemed poised to take the lead with nobody out and two runners on base before Frankhouse escaped the jam by retiring the next three batters.

O’Coin retired the Senators in order in the ninth, sending the game into extra innings.

Frankhouse seemed to get stronger in the extra frames, as he recorded several one-two-three innings.19 He led off the 13th with a single and stole second, although he could advance no farther.

Army led off the bottom of the 14th with a bunt single and he went to second when Trois-Rivières third baseman Tom Riley fired the ball past first base. Another recent recruit, George “Dixie” Davis,20 sacrificed Army to third. The next batter, center fielder Chant “Red” Parkes,21 hit a groundball to shortstop George Underhill and Army beat the throw home, giving Ottawa a thrilling 3-2 walk-off victory.

Frankhouse earned his first win in professional baseball, giving up 11 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 10. He stranded 10 baserunners. Despite the five extra frames, the game was completed in 2 hours and 15 minutes, giving the players plenty of time to prepare for the second game of the doubleheader, which was to start at 3 P.M.22

A much larger crowd witnessed the afternoon affair, bringing the total attendance for the holiday twin bill to 4,000.23 Ottawa swept the doubleheader by winning the second game, 5-1, on the strength of Davis’s three-hitter.24 The “Ottawas have now started and they should show plenty of smoke and steam,” predicted an Ottawa Journal scribe.25

The Senators’ pitching staff, led by Frankhouse, Parkes, and Art “Lefty” Johnson, was already strong, so manager Dick Dawson continued to focus on improving the team’s hitting.26 In early June the Senators bolstered their offense by adding slugging first baseman Paddy Hogan and middle infielder Johnny Maroney.27 Later that month Ottawa acquired two more good hitters: Underhill from Trois-Rivières, who was shifted from shortstop to the outfield and second base, and utility player Jack Kerwin.28

The Victoria Day sweep marked the beginning of a 23-11 run for the Senators and on July 4 they moved into first place for the first time.

On the morning of September 2, Ottawa held a 1½-game lead over second-place Trois-Rivières heading into a pivotal doubleheader with the Trios. But Trois-Rivières hurler Leslie “Red” Kibbee pitched back-to-back complete-game victories, limiting Ottawa to just 2 runs on 7 hits in 18 innings of extraordinary work.29 Ottawa couldn’t catch the streaking Trios in the last eight days of the season, and the Senators ended up in second place with a 68-57 record, 2½ games out.

Frankhouse finished the season with an 18-9 record, which tied him for the league lead in wins with Green. One of the highlights of his season came on July 25 in Montreal when he struck out seven consecutive Royals batters.30 Frankhouse also contributed with his bat – he hit .284 in 190 at-bats − and he did yeoman’s work when he was called upon to play in the outfield.

Frankhouse was a member of Ottawa’s entry in the Eastern Canada League at the start of the 1923 season, although it wasn’t an Ottawa team in the traditional sense. City council, led by Alderman Thomas Brewer, gave various amateur sports organizations priority use of Lansdowne Park that summer, and the professional baseball team was suddenly without a home ballpark.31 Instead, the team played almost all of its home games in Montreal and was known simply as the “Canadiens.”32

Frankhouse went 6-2 with a 2.04 ERA in nine appearances for the Canadiens. In late June he was promoted to Syracuse, where he continued his ascent to the big leagues.33

In 1924 the Eastern Canada League added two teams in Vermont and rebranded itself the Québec-Ontario-Vermont League.34 Canada’s capital reclaimed its team, which became known as the Ottawa-Hull Aces35 and was led by player-manager Jean Dubuc, a former star pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. Lansdowne Park hosted most of the team’s home games, with Sunday games played at Parc Dupuis in nearby Hull, Québec.36 Both of the Vermont teams disbanded in mid-July, and the circuit finished the season as the Québec-Ontario League.37

The Québec-Ontario League ceased operations in April 1925,38 leaving Ottawa without professional baseball until the Ottawa Senators began play in the Class C Canadian-American League in 1936.

On September 7, 1927, Frankhouse made his major-league debut for the St. Louis Cardinals in the thick of a tight pennant race. He boosted the Cardinals’ pennant chances by going 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA in September. It wasn’t enough, as St. Louis finished in second place, 1½ games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Frankhouse went 3-2 in 10 starts and 11 relief appearances in 1928, helping the Cardinals win the National League pennant. He did not appear in the World Series, which was swept by the New York Yankees in four games.

In June 1930 Frankhouse was traded to the Boston Braves, where he spent the best years of his career.39 The curveball specialist had his most successful big-league season in 1934 when he went 17-9 with a 3.20 ERA and was selected to the NL’s All-Star team.40

On August 27, 1937, Frankhouse pitched 7⅔ innings of no-hit ball for the Brooklyn Dodgers41 in a rain-shortened contest against the Cincinnati Reds. He was credited with a no-hitter, but 54 years later, Commissioner Fay Vincent’s Committee for Statistical Accuracy altered the definition of a no-hitter to “a game in which a pitcher or pitchers complete a game of nine innings or more without allowing a hit.”42 The ruling wiped 50 no-hitters from the record book dating back to 1890, including Frankhouse’s gem.43

Frankhouse finished his 13-year major-league career with a 106-97 record and a 3.92 ERA in 213 starts and 189 relief appearances.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Russ Walsh and copy-edited by Len Levin..

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, The Sporting News contract cards, SABR’s Triple Play Database, and The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. The first names of several players were identified or confirmed by consulting SABR member Christian Trudeau’s website Les Fantomes du Stade (The Stadium Ghosts). Unless otherwise noted, all play-by-play information for this game was taken from the article “Senators Win Holiday Games; Beat Three Rivers 3-2 and 5-1,” on page 10 of the May 25, 1922, edition of the Ottawa Citizen. League standings were taken from the Montreal Gazette.

Notes

1 Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria (1819-1901). In 1922 it was celebrated on May 24. Beginning in 1952 it was celebrated on the next to last Monday in May to ensure that Canadians enjoyed a holiday long weekend.

2 “Dropped Sixth Straight,” Montreal Gazette, May 24, 1922: 18.

3 Frankhouse celebrated his 18th birthday on April 9, 1922. His first professional start was on May 21. “Ottawa Pros Start Today at Lansdowne Park Diamond,” Ottawa Citizen, May 22, 1922: 11.

4 Although four professional leagues operated as the “Canadian League” between 1876 and 1905, the most successful iteration of the league was established as a six-team Class D circuit in 1911. The league expanded to eight teams with the addition of Ottawa and Peterborough in 1912, and by 1914 it had progressed to Class B, the third-highest minor-league classification at the time. William Humber, “Baseball,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, February 6, 2006, https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/baseball, accessed January 17, 2024.

5 Canada entered the First World War by declaring war on Germany on August 4, 1914. When the 207th (Ottawa-Carleton) Battalion moved into Lansdowne Park in April 1916, the Senators found themselves without a home, and the league suspended operations for the 1916 season. The league never resumed after the war. Gary Belleville, “September 7, 1914: Urban Shocker Seals Ottawa Senators’ Third Straight Canadian League Title,” SABR Games Project, accessed January 19, 2024.

6 The Valleyfield team was moved to Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Québec, in late July. Cap-de-la-Madeleine was amalgamated into the city of Trois-Rivières in 2002.

7 “Ottawa Is Named in Pro Ball League,” Ottawa Citizen, March 21, 1922: 11.

8 The Ottawa newspapers listed Anderson’s first name as “Hemming.” The author could find no other record of a player with that first name. Baseball-Reference.com, The Sporting News contract cards, and the Les Fantomes du Stade website all show a Henning Anderson from that time period. “Ottawas Take Field with New Team; Team at Last Has Hitting Strength,” Ottawa Journal, May 22, 1922: 12.

9 “Fred Frankhouse Is Signed by Cards; Is C. Kelchner’s Find,” Lebanon (Pennsylvania) Evening Report, September 9, 1921: 5.

10 Syracuse was managed by Frank Shaughnessy, a man who knew Ottawa well. Shaughnessy had played on Ottawa’s entry in the outlaw Northern Independent League in 1906, although the league did not survive the season. He spearheaded the effort to bring professional baseball back to the city in 1912; the Ottawa Senators played in the Canadian League from 1912 to 1915. Shaughnessy was president of the team and from 1913 to 1915 he was Ottawa’s player-manager. Shaughnessy had a working agreement to supply Syracuse players to the 1922 Ottawa Senators. Pitcher Chant “Red” Parkes was one of those players. David McDonald, “Baseball in Ottawa,” Ottawa Citizen, April 15, 2005: B-1; “Pro Baseball Club Sends Out Contracts,” Ottawa Citizen, April 25, 1922: 11; “Ottawas Take Field with New Team; Team at Last Has Hitting Strength.”

11 “Baseball Will Have Real Star Today; Twilight League Program,” Harrisburg Telegraph, May 1, 1922: 13; “Ottawa Pro Ball Club Will Open Local Season on Monday,” Ottawa Citizen, May 20, 1922: 13.

12 “Senators Drop Duo,” Ottawa Journal, May 22, 1922: 14.

13 “Royals Beaten in Week-End Games,” Montreal Gazette, May 22, 1922: 19.

14 The Ottawa Journal listed the attendance as 1,500 for the morning game; the Ottawa Citizen reported a crowd of 1,000. “Senators Win Holiday Games; Beat Three Rivers 3-2 and 5-1,” Ottawa Citizen, May 25, 1922: 10; “Senators Start Climb; Grab Two Games,” Ottawa Journal, May 25, 1922: 16; “Ottawas Play Errorless Ball Game; Johnson Shows Good Form on Hilltop,” Ottawa Journal, May 24, 1922: 8.

15 “Senators Start Climb; Grab Two Games.”

16 It is unclear how many hits Frankhouse gave up in the first eight innings. The Ottawa Journal reported that he kept Trois-Rivières’ hits “well scattered until the first half of the ninth.” “Senators Start Climb; Grab Two Games.”

17 Bailey reached on a single. Based on the Ottawa newspaper reports, it is unclear if Bernard reached on a single or an error by shortstop Art “Duke” Riley. Bernard’s name is listed as Bénard in various newspapers during the 1922 season. Bénard appears to be a French alias. “Three Rivers Players Grabbed by Speaker,” Portland (Maine) Evening Express, August 22, 1922: 7.

18 Contrary to popular belief at the time, “Chief” Ero likely had no First Nations/Native American blood in him. He may have received the nickname years earlier while pitching for a Mohawk team from Kahnawake (“Caughnawaga”) in the Montreal City League. “‘Chief’ Ero Died Yesterday,” Plattsburgh (New York) Press-Republican, July 29, 1950: 5; “La Casquette Lead,” Montreal Gazette, July 15, 1915: 12.

19 The Ottawa Journal reported that Frankhouse retired the Trios in order in the 10th, 11th, and 12th. The Ottawa Citizen reported that he retired the Trios in order in the 13th.

20 “Senators Start Climb; Grab Two Games.”

21 Parkes played regularly in the outfield when he wasn’t pitching. He went 17-12 on the mound and hit .228 with 2 homers in 381 at-bats. He also led the Senators with six triples. Parkes threw a no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against Montreal on July 25. “Parkes Credited with No-Hit Game,” Montreal Gazette, July 26, 1922: 12.

22 “Ottawas Play Errorless Ball Game; Johnson Shows Good Form on Hilltop.”

23 The Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Journal agreed that the total attendance for the doubleheader was 4,000. “Senators Win Holiday Games; Beat Three Rivers 3-2 and 5-1”; “Senators Start Climb; Grab Two Games.”

24 Eighteen-year-old George “Dixie” Davis was used primarily as a pitcher, although he played right field in the morning game. He appeared in 12 games for the 1922 Senators, going 4-3 on the mound and hitting .262 in 42 at-bats.

25 “Senators Start Climb; Grab Two Games.”

26 Dawson was also the secretary of the Senators. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and his family moved to Ottawa when he was a child. He had been the business manager of the Canadian League’s Ottawa Senators. Dawson did not manage the Senators for the entire 1922 season. Paddy Hogan and George Army also spent time as Ottawa’s player-manager. “Pro Baseball Club Sends Out Contracts”; “Richard W. Dawson; Sportsman to Be Buried on Thursday,” Ottawa Citizen, January 27, 1954: 22; “Senators by 7-5 Beat Three Rivers,” Ottawa Citizen, June 20, 1922: 11; “Senator Pilot Will Be Out for Few Days,” Ottawa Citizen, August 29, 1922: 11.

27 Paddy Hogan was the best hitter (minimum 100 at-bats) to play for the Senators in 1922. He left the team in mid-July to report for duty in the United States military. Hogan batted .326, had a .456 slugging percentage, and hit 2 homers in 138 at-bats. Maroney hit .316 in 136 at-bats with Ottawa. He was recalled by the Albany Senators of the Class A Eastern League in early July. “Senators Go Home with Great Record,” Ottawa Citizen, July 17, 1922: 11; “Senators Climb to Second Position,” Ottawa Citizen, July 4, 1922: 11.

28 Underhill joined Ottawa on June 20 and played the rest of the season with the team. He hit .300 with 10 homers in 393 at-bats with Trois-Rivières and Ottawa. The first reference to Kerwin that the author was able to find in the Ottawa newspapers was in a box score from the Senators’ June 19 game. Kerwin appeared in 82 games for Ottawa, hitting .295. “Errors Help Trios Defeat Ottawas, 6-3,” Ottawa Journal, June 21, 1922: 14; “Senators by 7-5 Beat Three Rivers.”

29 Kibbee also tossed a five-hit shutout against Ottawa on August 31, giving him three complete-game wins in the four-game series over a period of roughly 48 hours. (Ottawa defeated Trois-Rivières on September 1.) Kibbee had a 14-12 record for Trois-Rivières in 1922. “Red Kibbee Cops Two Games for Trios; Big Crowd Views Ottawas’ Farewell,” Ottawa Journal, September 4, 1922: 10.

30 Frankhouse’s seven consecutive strikeouts were in the second game of a doubleheader against Montreal. “Parkes Credited with No-Hit Game.”

31 “Ottawa Amateur Sports Assn. Gets Off to a Splendid Start,” Ottawa Citizen, January 24, 1923: 10.

32 The Canadiens played a game at Lansdowne Park on July 27, 1923, but it was called because of rain in the third inning. On August 17, 1923, the Canadiens beat Trois-Rivières, 6-0, at Lansdowne Park. The author could find no other Canadiens games played in Ottawa in 1923. “Pro Ball Teams Tie When Rain Stops Game,” Ottawa Citizen, July 28, 1923: 11; “Canucks Beat Trios Pro Baseball Game,” Ottawa Citizen, August 18, 1923: 10.

33 “Option Given Chicago White Sox on Weimer; Frankhouse Goes to Syracuse,” Montreal Star, June 30, 1923: 14.

34 Patrick Carpentier, “Joe Page,” SABR BioProject, accessed January 17, 2024.

35 The nickname Aces was regularly used by the Ottawa newspapers in 1924. The author searched Canadian newspapers on newspapers.com and found only one reference to the “Ottawa-Hull Senators” in 1924. That reference was on May 16. The author found eight references to the “Ottawa-Hull Aces” from May 19 to August 27. Baseball Reference refers to them as the Ottawa-Hull Senators.

36 In 2002 the cities of Hull, Gatineau, Aylmer, Buckingham, and Masson-Angers were merged into Gatineau.

37 “Quebec-Ontario,” Ottawa Citizen, July 25, 1924: 9.

38 “Quebec-Ontario League Disbands,” Montreal Gazette, April 13, 1925: 13.

39 On June 16, 1930, the St. Louis Cardinals traded Frankhouse and Bill Sherdel to the Boston Braves in return for Burleigh Grimes.

40 Another highlight of his 1934 season came in the second inning of a May 29 game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Frankhouse snared a line drive off the bat of second baseman Irv Jeffries and started a 1-3-6 triple play. As of the start of the 2024 season, it was the only 1-3-6 triple play in Braves franchise history, which dates back to 1876.

41 On February 6, 1936, the Boston Bees (formerly Braves) traded Frankhouse to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Johnny Babich and Gene Moore. Frankhouse was reacquired by the Bees on December 13, 1938, in return for Joe Stripp.

42 Murray Chass, “Experts Strike Out Trying to Explain No-Hitters,” Fresno Bee, September 8, 1991: C-7.

43 Associated Press, “Maris Has Home Run Record to Himself; 50 No-Hitters Are Dropped from List,” Los Angeles Times, September 5, 1991: C-4.