October 2, 1909: Jack Kull records only major-league win as Athletics beat Walter Johnson

The Philadelphia Athletics spent most of 1909 battling the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League. They were in first as late as August 24 but faded and were mathematically eliminated on September 30. It was a huge jump in the win column for the Athletics, who moved from 68 wins in 1908 to 95 in 1909.

Looking at a season-ending doubleheader on October 2 with the league’s tailenders, the Washington Senators, Athletics manager Connie Mack decided to audition several players in a look to the future.

Making their major-league debuts for Philadelphia in the opener of the doubleheader were 21-year-old pitcher Tommy Atkins and 23-year-old second baseman Jim Curry. Atkins was fresh off a stellar season in the Southern Association with the Atlanta Crackers. He had gone 19-11 in 34 appearances, helping the Crackers to win the Southern Association pennant. Curry was making his debut in professional baseball, having played semipro baseball in southern New Jersey. He was signed while playing baseball across the Delaware River from Philadelphia in Camden, New Jersey, where he was a heavy-hitting third baseman.

Mack moved future Hall of Famer Eddie Collins to shortstop to make room for Curry. Morrie Rath, a 21-year-old utility infielder appearing in his sixth big-league game, played third base in place of Home Run Baker, who had gone home to rest for a barnstorming tour by the Athletics later in October.1 In left field was 22-year-old Joe Jackson, in just his 10th major-league game.2

The Senators were on their way to a 110-loss season. They appeared in Philadelphia with only 11 players—three of whom were pitchers—to play their last two games of the season.3

In the opener, Senators manager Joe Cantillon put out a makeshift lineup for the 2,060 fans in attendance. Outfielder Red Killefer played catcher while pitchers Bob Groom and Dolly Gray played in the outfield. On the mound, however, the Senators were starting their ace, 21-year-old future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson, who entered with a 13-24 record but was headed for a second-place finish in the AL’s strikeout race.

Despite the Senators’ unusual lineup, they drew first blood against the left-handed Atkins. In the top of the third, they loaded the bases, helped by a single by Johnson. Left fielder Jack Lelivelt singled, driving home two runs and giving the Senators a 2-0 lead.

The Athletics halved the lead with a run in the bottom of the third. Catcher Jack Lapp doubled on a ball Gray misplayed in center. Lapp moved to third on a fielder’s choice and then scored on a passed ball by outfielder-turned-catcher Killefer. Cantillon had seen enough of Gray in the outfield, replacing him with rookie Warren Miller.

The Senators scored two more runs in the sixth after again loading the bases on a walk to Jiggs Donahue,4 Germany Schaefer’s single, and an error by center fielder Rube Oldring on Killefer’s line drive. After the Athletics forced out Donahue at home on a groundball to Atkins, catcher Lapp’s wild throw to first allowed Schaefer to score. Johnson singled for the second time in the game, scoring Killefer to make it 4-1.

Mack pulled Atkins after the sixth. Atkins gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits and five walks. He struck out four.

Relieving Atkins was another Athletic making his major-league debut, 27-year-old Jack Kull. The Pennsylvania native was a tall, power-throwing pitcher. He was compared to Rube Waddell, both being tall, left-handed power pitchers.5 Kull was in his first full season of professional baseball in 1909, and he hadn’t played any higher than Class D before coming to the majors. He was signed by Athletics scout Sam Kennedy while pitching for Pottsville (Pennsylvania) of the independent Atlantic League. Kull had a record of 15-7 with Pottsville before the league collapsed in July. He went to Fayetteville of the Class D Eastern Carolina League, finishing the season at 7-2 with the Highlanders. After the Eastern Carolina’s season ended, he headed to Philadelphia.

Kull pitched a scoreless seventh. In the bottom of the inning, the Athletics rallied. First baseman Harry Davis started the inning with an infield single and took third when Killefer threw wildly to first. Right fielder Danny Murphy singled, scoring Davis and making the score 4-2. Curry’s single and a walk to Lapp loaded the bases for Kull. Kull slapped a ball into right, scoring two runs and tying the game. A fly ball by Rath scored the go-ahead run.

The Senators tied it in the top of the eighth when Killefer was hit by a pitched ball, then scored from third on Wid Conroy’s two-out single. The Athletics went back ahead in the bottom of the eighth for good against Johnson, who went the distance. With one out, Davis singled and then scored on Murphy’s double.

Kull pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to win his only game in the major leagues. He was 1-for-1 at bat and handled flawlessly the only fielding chance he had. Johnson took the loss, ending his season at 13-25.6 The Big Train didn’t post another losing season until 1920 when he went 8-10 in limited action.

Kull was farmed out to Youngstown of the Class C Ohio-Pennsylvania League for the 1910 season, never to return to the majors. As for the two others making their debuts, Atkins pitched 15 more games for the Athletics in 1910 and then spent the rest of his career in the minors. Curry never played another game for the Athletics but appeared in four games for the 1911 New York Yankees and, at the age of 32, in five games for the 1918 Detroit Tigers.

While the Athletics didn’t win the pennant, their future was bright. The next season saw them win their first World Series. In all, they won three of the next four Series. Meanwhile, the Senators, under new manager Jimmy McAleer, had marked improvement in 1910, winning 24 more games than 1909, though only good enough for seventh place.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Thomas Merrick and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Baseball-Reference.com.

Sources

The author relied on Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, SABR.org, and three newspaper articles:

“Nationals Wind Up with Double Defeat,” Washington Evening Star, October 3, 1909: 59.

“Defeat Ends Year,” Washington Post, October 3, 1909: 1.

“Win Game in Seventh,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 3, 1909: 28.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA190910021.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1909/B10021PHA1909.htm

Notes

1 “Win Game in Seventh,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 3, 1909: 28.

2 During the 1910 season, the Athletics traded Jackson and Rath to the Cleveland Naps for outfielder Bris Lord. In 1919 Rath’s Cincinnati Reds defeated Jackson’s Chicago White Sox – dubbed the Black Sox – in the World Series.

3 “Win Game in Seventh.”

4 This was the last day of Donahue’s eight-season career, including being part of the 1906 World Series champion “Hitless Wonders” Chicago White Sox. He played in both games of the doubleheader.

5 “Interesting Ball Notes,” Mount Carmel (Pennsylvania) Item, April 30, 1908: 4.

6 The Athletics won the second game of the doubleheader, 7-2, to finish with a 95-58 record. The Senators came in at 42-110.