100 Years Ago Today 9/9/1920: Brooklyn Robins in First Place with Twenty Games Left

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF DEM BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #135: Thursday, September 9, 1920 - BR
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Brooklyn Robins
Ebbets Field

New York City Center of Baseball Universe

Empire City is delirious with pennant fever and in other instances just plain mad.  Fans throughout the five boroughs are chomping at the bit for a shot at the title.  Even the suddenly relevant Highlanders featuring a 25-year old Babe Ruth have something to say.  Acquired from the Red Sox and relieved of his pitching duties by the Yankees, George Ruth continues setting baseball's single season records aflame.  Never before has the game witnessed such abnormalities when a pitched ball comes in contact with the swing of his bat.  Ruth is indeed all the rage.  Everyone wants to see The Babe.  The Yankees are even outdrawing the Giants in their own home park and John McGraw is incensed.  Unlike Chicago in 1906, New York City is yet to experience a subway World Series.  The Yankees are engaged in a three way race with the Indians and White Sox.  Cleveland finishes the day with a one game lead over Chicago, and a 1.5 game lead over the Yankees.  Meanwhile, the third place Giants bow to the Cubs at the Polo Grounds and the second place Reds defeat Boston at Braves Field.  The Giants have 21 games left in their season in which to overcome a 2.5 game deficit.  But only in New York City can there exist another universe just eighteen miles away where the Robins are letting it be known to both neighboring clubs that the road to a championship goes through Brooklyn.  If Wilbert Robinson hasn't already earned John McGraw's ire, he's certainly doing a fine job of it now.

Back home at Ebbets Field, the Brooklyn Robins defeat the visiting St. Louis Cardinals to retake sole possession of first place.  With the borough's collective heart beating like a big bass drum, an estimated crowd of 7,000 welcome home with a roar of appreciation their first place Robins.  Starter  Burleigh Grimes and company do not disappoint.  The spitballer limits the Cardinals to a pair of earned runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts en rout to his twentieth victory of the season.  It's the first time in his five year career Grimes achieves the benchmark.  Meanwhile, his opponent, Bill Doak, is denied his 19th victory of the season.  Leading-off the Brooklyn half of the second, Zack Wheat hits his sixth home run deep to left.  Wheat drives home his second run of the game in the third.  Rogers Hornsby counters in the fourth with a two run triple.  But Ivy Olson and Ed Konetchy provide all the insurance required by Burleigh Grimes.  The heart of the order - Zack Wheat, Hi Myers and Ed Konetchy - are all batting above .300, while Brooklyn's team ERA remains the best in the league.

• RECORD: 77-57 (.575)
• 1st Place; 0.5 GA