100 Years Ago Today 6/19/1920: Cubs Claw Brooklyn Robins in Extra Innings

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #51: Saturday, June 19, 1920 - BR
Chicago Cubs vs. Brooklyn Robins
Ebbets Field

Despite 4-7 Record During Present Home Stand Fans Continue Packing Ebbets Field Unlike Ever Before;  Another 8,000 Fans Take Saturday Loss in Stride.

After two straight days of rain the clouds over Bedford and Sullivan dissipate and baseball finally resumes play Saturday afternoon at Ebbets Field, although not exactly to Uncle Robbie's great satisfaction.  The visiting Cubs and Robins complete nine innings deadlocked at two runs apiece.  But in the Chicago twelfth and manager Wilbert Robinson looking on starter Al Mamaux commits a cardinal sin by walking leadoff batter Zeb Berry.  Berry is successfully bunted over to second then scores on Freddie Merkle's double to deep right.  But Wilbert Robinson makes no move.  After Mamaux retires third baseman Buck Herzog on a lazy fly to center for out number two Wilbert Robinson watches Chicago catcher Bob O'Farrell strike a Mamaux offering into deep center field for an inside the park home run and an abrupt 5-2 Cubs advantage.  Brooklyn scrapes together one run in the bottom of the frame but nothing more en route to a 5-3 defeat.  Performing like his old pre-war self, the great Grover Cleveland Alexander pitches another dandy.  In his third year with Chicago, Pete Alexander improves to 13-4 with a 2.22 earned run average.  Brooklyn manages just eight hits with Hi Meyers, Ed Konetchy, and Pete Kilduff, accounting for two each.  Meanwhile Zack Wheat since returning from a minor injury remains mired in an awful slump, going just 2 for 30 over his last eight games.  Al Mamaux pitches twelve innings in a losing effort.  Why, is something perhaps we'll never know.  Entering Saturday's action the Robins were coming off three straight days away from the diamond.  In other words Uncle Robbie had a fully rested and available staff.  Now he must contemplate the Robins sixth loss in their last seven games and the seventh in their last nine.  The Robins with a 28-22 record to date have now completed roughly one third of their regular season and to the dismay of naysayers still rank among the first division contenders.  They are indeed off to their best start since winning the pennant four years ago.  But Wilbert knows very well that at this point during each of the last three seasons the Robins have been a sub par team.  As if the onset of summer serves as a foreshadowing of things to come, in June 1916 the Robins post a 14-11 record.  But during the month of June from 1917 through 1919 they post sub par records.  Despite today's loss the second place Robins are still six games above .500 and are just 1.5 games behind the league leading Cincinnati Reds with the Cardinals and fourth place Cubs hot on their tail feathers.  However, June 2020 seems determined once again to become an issue as the Robins today fall to 7-8 this month.

• RECORD: 28-22 (.560)
• 2nd place; 1.5 GB