March 19, 1911 - The Washington Post - The Pennant That Was Lost on a Wild Pitch - a Sad Chapter in Norman Elberfeld's Life
Kid Elberfeld Time Line - Mar 19, 1911 The Washington Post pg. S4The Pennant That Was Lost on a Wild Pitch - a Sad Chapter in Norman Elberfeld's Life
In two of the last seven pennant races in the American League the flag has been won and lost on the last day of the season-in 1904, when Boston won, and in 1908, when Detroit was Victor.
Boston took her second championship, in the year named, by winning the first game of a double header, a wild pitch by Chesbro letting in the winning run that decided the result.
Norman Elberfeld and Wid Conroy, both Nationals now, were one wing of the New York infield in this memorable contest. And the accompanying interview Elberfeld maintains that Washington really beat New York out, and shows where the flag race was decided.
Atlanta, Georgia, March 18-"In figuring the responsibility for baseball defeat, or the credit for a victory," said Norman Elberfeld, third sacker of the Nationals in a reminiscent moment, the general public to pennant the was lost on a wild pitch a sad chapter in Norman Elberfeld's life often overlooks the play, or the incident, through which success or failure came, and credits or blames some player who really should have never had a chance to decide the result. They don't go back far enough to note how the play should have been switched.
I was in one of the two most famous finishes the American League has had playing shortstop for the Highlanders in 1904 when we lost the pennant to Boston on the closing day of the season, through being beaten in the first number of the doubleheader. That game has gone into baseball history as the one in which a wild pitch lost the pennant, As a matter of fact Chesbro did toss the chances for the flag when a spitter got away from him went to Jack Kleinow to the stand and let Lou Criger score from second base with the winning run.
"But we lost that pennant in three ways and two of those had nothing to do with this particular game. It never should have been necessary for us to take either game of this doubleheader to become champions. The flag should have been won before that. It might have been had it not been for Washington. That team, way down at the bottom of the column, started us down hill just when we were being hailed as the coming champions. It was the old story of a team that didn't count at all killing the chances of a better club. The same thing happen to us again in the fall of 1906 when, after we had given the White Sox an awful beating on their own lot, going into the lead with only about eight more games to play, Detroit, which finished seventh that year, took three straight from us, and won the flag for Fielder Jones. Last year, you will recall, Detroit, in turn had the same sort of luck when St. Louis handed it a beating in an eight-game series through which Jennings expected to go into the lead.
"We looked like all the money when we left home to make the last Western trip in 1904, but we had to stop in Washington for four games. We won the first. We were so sure of the rest of them that we almost thought Washington ought to forfeit, so we wouldn't have to spend three days on work that was being thrown away; but the Nationals brought us out of our dream. They played ring around the roses for the next three days and won every game. That was what killed their chances. It started us on the toboggan. When we got West we played some bad ball, and lost games we should have won. To make it worse, the Western managers seem to have it in it for Griffith. We found their best teams waiting for us; but if Boston was following us in, some of their stars were taken sick the the night we left; if we followed Boston in, these same stars came out of the hospital the day we arrived."
"That was where you must place the blame for loss of that pennant-to our overconfidence in Washington and the bad baseball some of our men played there and in the West. Of course, we still had a chance on closing day, when we were called on to win both games from Boston. I never will forget that game. I played short and Conroy third. There isn't a man who was in New York uniform that day, who is now on the club, and only we to Nationals, Pat Dougherty, and Jack Kleinow, of Griffith's men of that day, are still in major-league ball.
It came up to the ninth with the score tied. Both teams were on edge, the importance of the games and the size of the crowd making some of the men on both sides a little nervous. Bill Dineen, the Boston pitcher, went wild in one inning, and walked Keeler and myself after Kleinow, Chesbro, and Dougherty had singled and had filled the bases. They were still three on when Jimmy Williams came up. If he could have met one squarely, we would have won right there, but he chopped the ball on top and Dineen threw him out ending the inning. We were in the lead, but in the seventh Lachance and Ferris got on and a bad throw let both score.
"The game was decided in the ninth and Lou Criger scored the run. He never was a good hitter, and Chesbro was at his best then. It was just our luck to have Criger hit on top of the spitter, he dropping a weak grounder on the infield. Ordinarily, that is what you want to see. But this one rolled slowly and to so short a distance infield that it couldn't be reached in time for a play. Criger was safe. Dineen sacrificed. Then, with Selbach up, Chesbro hit the earth with a "spitter" that got away from him. The ball went by Kleinow, and Criger was all the way home before the catcher could get the ball back. We tried hard for a run in our half, but it was no use. And that's how a pennant was lost on the last day of the season that should have been one long before."
Elberfeld overlooked one bit of history that shows how the flag probably was lost another way. The New York club, in its earlier history, leased its lot for football games, even if these butted in on the baseball season. This wild pitch game just discussed was played on Monday. But the Highlanders had been scheduled at home for the preceding Saturday. As it chanced, the club never anticipating the situation that might present itself, had leased the park for the day, planning to transfer the ballgame to Boston. When it saw a pennant in sight and the race so close, and it tried to get rid of the football game, but couldn't break the contract. That forced them to go to Boston for Saturday, and indirectly, ended their chances. There was a postponed game at the Hub and Collins the moment they transferred, acting under the rules, insisted on the play off. That meant a doubleheader on Saturday and away from home. Chesbro had pitched on Friday, winning ???, and tried to come back on Saturday, being knocked out of the box. Boston won the first game ???? but had to fight for at the second. Young beating Powell ??? This gave Boston a tremendous advantage, forcing New York to win the last two to take the pennant. Had it retained possession of its park so that it would have had but three games to play ball at home, Chesbro undoubtedly would have won the pennant.
In two of the last seven pennant races in the American League the flag has been won and lost on the last day of the season-in 1904, when Boston won, and in 1908, when Detroit was Victor.
Boston took her second championship, in the year named, by winning the first game of a double header, a wild pitch by Chesbro letting in the winning run that decided the result.
Norman Elberfeld and Wid Conroy, both Nationals now, were one wing of the New York infield in this memorable contest. And the accompanying interview Elberfeld maintains that Washington really beat New York out, and shows where the flag race was decided.
Atlanta, Georgia, March 18-"In figuring the responsibility for baseball defeat, or the credit for a victory," said Norman Elberfeld, third sacker of the Nationals in a reminiscent moment, the general public to pennant the was lost on a wild pitch a sad chapter in Norman Elberfeld's life often overlooks the play, or the incident, through which success or failure came, and credits or blames some player who really should have never had a chance to decide the result. They don't go back far enough to note how the play should have been switched.
I was in one of the two most famous finishes the American League has had playing shortstop for the Highlanders in 1904 when we lost the pennant to Boston on the closing day of the season, through being beaten in the first number of the doubleheader. That game has gone into baseball history as the one in which a wild pitch lost the pennant, As a matter of fact Chesbro did toss the chances for the flag when a spitter got away from him went to Jack Kleinow to the stand and let Lou Criger score from second base with the winning run.
"But we lost that pennant in three ways and two of those had nothing to do with this particular game. It never should have been necessary for us to take either game of this doubleheader to become champions. The flag should have been won before that. It might have been had it not been for Washington. That team, way down at the bottom of the column, started us down hill just when we were being hailed as the coming champions. It was the old story of a team that didn't count at all killing the chances of a better club. The same thing happen to us again in the fall of 1906 when, after we had given the White Sox an awful beating on their own lot, going into the lead with only about eight more games to play, Detroit, which finished seventh that year, took three straight from us, and won the flag for Fielder Jones. Last year, you will recall, Detroit, in turn had the same sort of luck when St. Louis handed it a beating in an eight-game series through which Jennings expected to go into the lead.
"We looked like all the money when we left home to make the last Western trip in 1904, but we had to stop in Washington for four games. We won the first. We were so sure of the rest of them that we almost thought Washington ought to forfeit, so we wouldn't have to spend three days on work that was being thrown away; but the Nationals brought us out of our dream. They played ring around the roses for the next three days and won every game. That was what killed their chances. It started us on the toboggan. When we got West we played some bad ball, and lost games we should have won. To make it worse, the Western managers seem to have it in it for Griffith. We found their best teams waiting for us; but if Boston was following us in, some of their stars were taken sick the the night we left; if we followed Boston in, these same stars came out of the hospital the day we arrived."
"That was where you must place the blame for loss of that pennant-to our overconfidence in Washington and the bad baseball some of our men played there and in the West. Of course, we still had a chance on closing day, when we were called on to win both games from Boston. I never will forget that game. I played short and Conroy third. There isn't a man who was in New York uniform that day, who is now on the club, and only we to Nationals, Pat Dougherty, and Jack Kleinow, of Griffith's men of that day, are still in major-league ball.
It came up to the ninth with the score tied. Both teams were on edge, the importance of the games and the size of the crowd making some of the men on both sides a little nervous. Bill Dineen, the Boston pitcher, went wild in one inning, and walked Keeler and myself after Kleinow, Chesbro, and Dougherty had singled and had filled the bases. They were still three on when Jimmy Williams came up. If he could have met one squarely, we would have won right there, but he chopped the ball on top and Dineen threw him out ending the inning. We were in the lead, but in the seventh Lachance and Ferris got on and a bad throw let both score.
"The game was decided in the ninth and Lou Criger scored the run. He never was a good hitter, and Chesbro was at his best then. It was just our luck to have Criger hit on top of the spitter, he dropping a weak grounder on the infield. Ordinarily, that is what you want to see. But this one rolled slowly and to so short a distance infield that it couldn't be reached in time for a play. Criger was safe. Dineen sacrificed. Then, with Selbach up, Chesbro hit the earth with a "spitter" that got away from him. The ball went by Kleinow, and Criger was all the way home before the catcher could get the ball back. We tried hard for a run in our half, but it was no use. And that's how a pennant was lost on the last day of the season that should have been one long before."
Elberfeld overlooked one bit of history that shows how the flag probably was lost another way. The New York club, in its earlier history, leased its lot for football games, even if these butted in on the baseball season. This wild pitch game just discussed was played on Monday. But the Highlanders had been scheduled at home for the preceding Saturday. As it chanced, the club never anticipating the situation that might present itself, had leased the park for the day, planning to transfer the ballgame to Boston. When it saw a pennant in sight and the race so close, and it tried to get rid of the football game, but couldn't break the contract. That forced them to go to Boston for Saturday, and indirectly, ended their chances. There was a postponed game at the Hub and Collins the moment they transferred, acting under the rules, insisted on the play off. That meant a doubleheader on Saturday and away from home. Chesbro had pitched on Friday, winning ???, and tried to come back on Saturday, being knocked out of the box. Boston won the first game ???? but had to fight for at the second. Young beating Powell ??? This gave Boston a tremendous advantage, forcing New York to win the last two to take the pennant. Had it retained possession of its park so that it would have had but three games to play ball at home, Chesbro undoubtedly would have won the pennant.