October 8, 1913: Mathewson outduels Plank in extra-inning classic

It was the “most wonderful pitchers’ battle ever in a World Series,” gushed sportswriter Bozeman Bulger about the epic battle between Christy Mathewson and Eddie Plank.1 Syndicated columnist Hugh Fullerton praised the hurling duel as “a wonderful game, tense in situations, magnificent with the courage and nerve displayed by these two veteran pitchers.”2 The future Hall of Famers engaged in a scoreless contest through nine innings, before “Big Six” “practically single handed, fought the foe into submission,” opined the New York Tribune, knocking in the game’s first run in the 10th inning to lead the New York Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.3

Skipper John McGraw’s reigning three-time NL champion Giants (101-51) looked like “forlorn hope,” quipped the Tribune, as they prepared for Game Two of the World Series.4 Initially favored to win the title, they had lost the opener at the Polo Grounds, 6-4, and faced with a depleted lineup the team with the best home record in baseball. First baseman Fred Merkle injured his ankle in Game One and was replaced by center fielder Fred Snodgrass, who was “lame enough to be in bed,” hobbled by a charley horse and barely able to run.5 Utilityman Tillie Shafer was shifted to center even though he had made only 11 career starts in that position. If that wasn’t bad enough, catcher Chief Meyers, who led the team in batting (.312) and slugging (.410), suffered a seriously sliced right hand on a throw from Buck Herzog during warm-ups and missed the rest of the Series.6 Larry McLean, a 6-foot-5 behemoth, donned the tools of ignorance for his 25th start of the season since his acquisition on August 6 from the St. Louis Cardinals. Skipper Connie Mack’s A’s (96-57), a remarkably healthy club all season long, were ready to unleash the majors’ highest-scoring offense in pursuit of their third title in four seasons.

It was a cloudy, sunless Wednesday afternoon with temperatures in the mid-60s in the City of Brotherly Love.7 Morning rain and mist cast doubts on whether the game would be played. Nonetheless a throng of 7,000 fans had gathered by 7 A.M. at the box office at Shibe Park, located at the intersection of 21st street and Lehigh, for a chance to purchase tickets. By order of the National Commission, baseball’s governing body, spectators would not be permitted to stand cordoned off in the outfield as they were in 1911. In addition to the capacity crowd of 20,563 at the ballpark, another five thousand sat atop the makeshift viewing stands on rowhouse rooftops along 20th Street and Somerset Street.

Neither McGraw nor Mack revealed his starting pitcher prior to the game and sent several to warm up, but both went with their longtime aces.8 The NL’s greatest hurler, with 337 wins in his 13 full seasons, the 32-year-old right-handed Mathewson was coming off another spectacular season (25-11, league-best 2.06 ERA). At 37 years of age, the southpaw Plank (18-10) was the oldest pitcher in the majors. Though not a star in Matty’s class, “Steady Eddie” had won 269 games in his 13-year career, easily the most in AL history. Mathewson and Plank had a long history together. They had first encountered one another as Pennsylvania college stars in 1899, for Bucknell and Gettysburg, respectively. In Game One of the 1905 World Series, Mathewson beat Plank, tossing the first of his three shutouts to help the Giants to their last title.

The game got underway at 2 P.M. after a brief ceremony presenting the Washington Senators Walter Johnson the Chalmers Award and a new automobile as AL MVP. Herzog led off by sending Plank’s fourth pitch into shallow left field, but second baseman Eddie Collins raced back to snare the Texas Leaguer, setting the tone for the kind of defensive struggle the game would become.9 Through the first eight innings, Plank surrendered only three hits. He began the game “with a whizzing burst of speed, slowed and began to cross them up with curves and added his crossfire,” wrote Fullerton.10 His biggest threat came in the third when Snodgrass hit a one-out liner past third base and hobbled to first on what should have been a double. Mathewson followed with a single to center field and then moved to second on Rube Oldring’s ill-advised attempt to nab Snodgrass at third. Writhing in pain, Snodgrass was replaced by pinch-runner Hooks Wiltse. Plank fielded Herzog’s tapper and threw home to catch Wiltse in a rundown while Mathewson and Herzog reached third and second, respectively. Larry Doyle flied meekly to center. The game’s defensive highlight occurred in the top of the eighth when right fielder Eddie Murphy made a “spectacular catch,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. At full speed, Murphy “plunged face forward” to snare Mathewson’s liner inches from the ground, then somersaulted to a stop.11

The Giants were in trouble in the first inning when Doyle made a “schoolboy’s fumble” on Murphy’s routine leadoff grounder to second.12 Old-ring fouled a bunt, then singled to left, and both runners moved up a station on Collins’s bunt. To the plate strolled Home Run Baker, baseball’s most potent long-ball threat. The three-time reigning major-league leader in round-trippers, Baker had blasted a home run the day before at the Polo Grounds. This time he struck out on three pitches.13 Three innings later, Baker hit a one-out bounder that “touched Doyle’s fingertips,” reported the New York Sun, and caromed into right for scratch hit.14 With two outs, Amos Strunk drew a walk on seven pitches, Mathewson’s only free pass of the game, but Jack Barry grounded out. The A’s threatened again when Collins and Baker connected for consecutive two-out singles in the eighth. Mathewson called his infielders to the mound, then dispatched Stuffy McInnis on an easy grounder to third that Herzog fielded for a force out of Collins.

The ninth inning demonstrated why these two teams had dominated their leagues in recent seasons. Beginning to show the “wear and tear of the grind,” opined the Sun, Plank surrendered a one-out single to Art Fletcher and then walked George Burns on four pitches.15 He extinguished the threat by retiring Shafer and Red Murray on a total of six pitches, prompting a loud outburst from skipper McGraw, who was coaching first base, for their failure to take pitches.16

In the bottom of the frame, Mathewson was at his best: “daring, confident, and with magnificent control,” cooed the New York Times.17 Not to be overlooked was Wiltse, who had replaced Snodgrass after running for him. A pitcher with 135 career victories thus far in his 10-year career, Wiltse had been a little-used reliever in 1913, but was known as one of the best fielders at his position. He made his big-league debut at first base in three games at the end of the season. After Strunk led off with a single, Barry bunted past Mathewson. Doyle charged and in a “reckless manner,” according to the Tribune, threw wildly past Wiltse even though he had no chance at the out.18 In the first of three tactical mistakes by the A’s in the inning, third-base coach Harry Davis held up the speedy Strunk at third as Wiltse retrieved the ball and threw home, enabling Barry to advance to second. Needing just a long fly to win the game, Mack permitted the next two batters to come to the plate, even though he had two capable pinch-hitters, Danny Murphy and Wally Schang. The Tall Tactician was subsequently roundly criticized in the press for these conservative decisions. Batting .227, Jack Lapp grounded to Wiltse who fired a bullet to erase a sliding Strunk on a close call at home plate. Plank, a .105 hitter, also grounded to Wiltse, whose throw home caught Barry in a rundown. With batters on second and third and needing a single to win it, Eddie Murphy grounded back to Mathewson who tossed to his road roommate Wiltse to end a dramatic inning. The Philadelphia crowd showed its respects with a “spontaneous outburst” of applause.19

Back on the mound in the 10th, Plank yielded a leadoff single to McLean, who was then replaced by pinch-runner Eddie Grant. After Wiltse sacrificed, Mathews hit “savagely to deep center” to drive in the game’s first run.20 Herzog followed with a grounder to Eddie Collins. Going for a double play, the anchor of the As vaunted $100,000 infield threw wildly, hitting Mathewson in the shoulder, enabling runners to advance to second and third.21 After Plank hit Doyle on the arm to load the bags, the infield moved in to set up a play at the plate. The plan backfired when Fletcher chopped a grounder over Barry’s head at shortstop to plate two more runs. Plank fanned Burns and retired Shafter on his 25th pitch of the inning and 137th of the game.22

Mathewson emerged as “master, king, emperor and ruler of all baseball pitchers,” gushed the Tribune, by retiring Oldring, Collins, and Baker in order in the 10th.23 Fittingly, Wiltse was involved in Mathewson’s 104th and final pitch.24 Playing with an infielder’s glove instead of a first baseman’s mitt, Wiltse knocked down Baker’s liner. It rolled to Doyle, who threw back to Wiltse covering the bag for the out, ending the game in 2 hours and 22 minutes.

SOURCES

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author accessed Retrosheet.org, Baseball-Reference.com, SABR.org, and the following newspaper articles:

“Eddie Plank Invincible Until That Rally in Glorious Tenth,” New York Tribune, October 9, 1913: 10.

“How the Giants Got Their Runs in Thrilling Tenth,” New York Sun, October 9, 1913: 4.

“How the Giants Won,” New York Times, October 9, 1913: 2.

Nasium, Jim. “Old Masters’ Battle on Diamond Was One of Brains and Brawn,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 9, 1913:10.

Rice, Grantland. “Big Six vs. Plank and 3 to 0 Score,” (Baltimore) Sun, October 9, 1913: 9.

“Took Chance on Plank and Lost by Failure to Score,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 9, 1913: 10.

NOTES

1 Bozeman Bulger, “Matty’s Own Hit Wins After Remarkable Ten Inning Pitching Duel,” New York Evening World, October 9, 1913: 1.

2 Hugh Fullerton, “Defeat Hit Mack Hard,” New York Times, October 9, 1913: 3.

3 “Matty Baffles Athletics by the Wizardry of His Fadeaway,” New York Tribune, October 9, 1913: 1.

4 “Matty Baffles Athletics by the Wizardry of His Fadeaway.”

5 “Matty Baffles Athletics by the Wizardry of His Fadeaway.”

6 “Matty Baffles Athletics by the Wizardry of His Fadeaway.”

7 “Yesterday’s Local Weather Report,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 9, 1913: 2.

8 Jeff Tesreau (22-13) and Al Demaree (13-4) warmed up for the Giants, as did Mathewson. Boardwalk Brown (17-11) and Plank warmed up for the A’s.

9 The fourth pitch is from “Matty Pitched but 104 Balls in Beating Macks,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 9, 1913: 11.

10 Fullerton.

11 “‘Big Six’ Handed Plank Hard Bump in Second Game,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 9, 1913: 1.

12 “Matty Pitched but 104 Balls in Beating Macks.”

13 “Matty Pitched but 104 Balls in Beating Macks.”

14 “Mathewson Reigns; Giants Even Series,” New York Sun, October 9, 1913: 4.

15 “Mathewson Reigns; Giants Even Series.”

16 “Matty Pitched but 104 Balls in Beating Macks.”

17 “Matty Blanks Athletics; Wins Game with Hit,” New York Times, October 9, 1913: 1.

18 “Matty Baffles Athletics by the Wizardry of His Fadeaway.”

19 “Matty Baffles Athletics by the Wizardry of His Fadeaway.”

20 “Matty Pitched but 104 Balls in Beating Macks.”

21 “Matty Pitched but 104 Balls in Beating Macks.”

22 Pitch counts from “Matty Pitched but 104 Balls in Beating Macks,” Philadelphia Inquirer. According to the Inquirer, Plank threw 84 strikes and 53 balls.

23 “Matty Baffles Athletics by the Wizardry of His Fadeaway.”

24 Pitch counts from “Matty Pitched but 104 Balls in Beating Macks.” According to the Inquirer, Mathewson threw 81 strikes and 23 balls.