100 YEARS AGO AT THE POLO GROUNDS 5/31/1921: Giants Bow to Phillies; Senators Rout Yankees

From the desk: WHEN THE POLO GROUNDS WAS THE WORLD

100 Years Ago Today at the Polo Grounds: 

New York Giants & New York Yankees 

1921 Seasons Revisited

In their last season at Hilltop Park, the now formerly known New York Highlanders lost 102 games.  Rebranded as the Yankees, in 1913, they moved just a few blocks away into the Polo Grounds as tenants of the Senior Circuit's New York Giants.  To the chagrin of Giants manager John McGraw, the Americans proceeded to lose another 94 games.  

Known to hold a grudge, McGraw still harbored much animosity two full decades later, not only towards Ban Johnson and his rebel circuit (unkept promises included) but more so towards the Yankees.  As they were founded at the expense of his rendered defunct Baltimore Orioles.  

For as long as the Yankees paid their rent, the tenant/landlord relationship with the Giants remained amicably strained.  Mainly because the middling Americans, except for one season in 1916, never elevated themselves above the ranks of Junior Circuit also-rans.  But that changed in 1919 when they briefly vied for the pennant but tuckered out down the stretch to finish third.  A franchise record of 619,164 fans showed up to root for the American League contenders.  However, the Yankees' burgeoning success was not yet a pressing issue, per se, for the Giants, who were coming off a second-place finish and their best season in a decade at the turnstile.

Then, in 1920, baseball's tectonic plates along the New York/New England fault shift.  The Yankees' purchase of George Herman "Babe" Ruth from the Boston Red Sox sends seismic waves reverberating throughout the baseball world but none more intense than in Washington Heights.  

Ruth's earth-shattering record of 54 home runs was something never experienced before in the history of baseball.  However, it was an accomplishment for which John McGraw had little appreciation.  He believes players work too hard and earnestly to have their skills disrespected by some miscreant's lone swing of the bat.

Gotham's citizenry never before descended from Coogan's Bluff in such quantity and spectacle as in 1920 as the Giants would set a franchise record with 929,609 reported attendance.  However, the New York Nationals faced an economic dilemma of Ruthian proportions.  McGraw's disdain for his tenants was further heightened when the Yankees outdrew the host Giants in their own home for the first time in each franchise's history.  Headlined by Babe Ruth, the Yankees seized the city's attention, evidenced by an all-time major league record of 1,289,422 in attendance.

In 1921, over two million fans would again pack the Polo Grounds.  Babe Ruth would continue accomplishing the unimaginable, and if that wasn't surreal enough, he proceeds to top it.  All the while, with each passing day, John McGraw grows more incensed.  Lest we forget, New York City is still Little Napoleon's empire.  

Sharing a ballpark for both teams is becoming an insufferable condition—the Giants attempt to evict the Yankees before the start of 1921 to no avail.  But a solution lies not too far away ...  

Until then, two major league titans charge headlong into a season-ending October clash at the Polo Grounds.  It is New York City's first-ever World's Championship Subway Series.  All games are played at the Polo Grounds, making Coogan's Bluff the center of the baseball universe. 

This is my replay of that season.  I'll be exercising my creative license whenever and wherever ever possible.  More than anything, this is about having fun and celebrating New York City's baseball history.  

• Stats: BASEBALL REFERENCE

Enjoy the games ... PLAY BALL!

GAME #41

BOXSCORE: Tuesday, May 31, 1921 - BR

Philadelphia Phillies @ NEW YORK GIANTS

POLO GROUNDS

Giants Fail To Keep Pace With Phillies

Philadelphia gets back in this series, scoring early, often, and late.  The Giants recover from an early two-run deficit in the fifth.  But center fielder Cy Williams connects off Jesse Barnes for a home run to deep right field in the fifth, and with two outs, catcher Frank Bruggy legs out an inside-the-park home run spelling the end of Barnes' afternoon.  Facing Slim Salle in the seventh, left fielder Irish Meusel (brother of Bob Meusel) homers to right field, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead.  After trading runs in the eighth, Philadelphia erupts for four runs in the top half of the ninth.  Errors by Ross Youngs and reliever Pol Perritt contribute to the Giants' now seven-run deficit.  The home team generates two runs in the bottom of the ninth to no avail.  Jesse Barnes earned run average has done nothing but rise throughout May.

• FINAL: PHI 10; NYG 5
• RECORD: 27-14 (.659); second place, 3.0 GB of Pittsburgh

⚾         ⚾         ⚾

GAME #40

BOXSCORE: Tuesday, May 31, 1921 - BR

New York Yankees @ WASHINGTON SENATORS

Griffith Stadium

Senators Take Second Straight From Yankees; Ruth Hits Number Fifteen

Washington offers the Yankees no quarter.  After retiring the Senators in order in the first inning, Waite Hoyt, in the second, surrenders eight consecutive hits, including triples from starter Tom Zachary and center fielder Sam Rice.  Miller Huggins is forced to make an early selection from the bullpen for Tom Sheehan.  But that does little to slow down the Senators, who add a run in the third, and push across three more runs in the fourth for an 11-0 lead.  Tom Sheehan helps get the Yankees off the board with a run batted in and a run scored in the home fifth.  But Tom Zachry repays the favor with a run-scoring double in the sixth.  Babe Ruth connects on a three-run home run in the ninth inning to no avail as the Yanks still fall seven runs short.  Tom Zachry goes the distance for the win while Waite Hoyt loses his third.  For Ruth, his 15th home run of the season and the 117th of his career.  He is now just 21 home runs away from tying Roger Connor's all-time record.

• FINAL: NYY 5; WAS 12
• RECORD: 24-16 (.600); second place, 3.5 GB of Cleveland

N.Y. Knicks: Game Three Exposed Coach Thibodeau's Dilemma at the Point

From the desk: KICKING CANS DOWN 33RD STREET WITH JIMMY

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

PLAYOFFS: ROUND ONE

GAME FOUR
Knicks

vs.

Celtics

A Rose By Any Other Role Is Still Not a Rose

And herein, we see Coach Thibodeau's dilemma...

If you start Derrick Rose, the bench has no real sustenance.  With Rose in the starting role, the bench contributed 40 points (or 42.5% of the Knicks scoring).  Nerlens Noel led a four-man effort with twelve points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes.  Alec Burks led with 23 minutes.  Otherwise, Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickly contributed four points each in 13 and 15 minutes, respectively.

Derrick Rose led the floor with a game-high 30 points and five assists and tied for game-high with 39 minutes.  That's not optimal utilization of Derrick Rose.  He led all players with a minus-16, which is contrary to when he plays off the bench and usually leads the team in plus/minus.  This being said, Elfrid Payton did not play.  Coach Thibodeau would love it if Elfrid Payton of Dec-Feb can find his way back onto the floor.  Game Three proved beyond a doubt the Knicks need this.

In his first post-season, Julius Randle continues to struggle.  After averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and a league-high 37.6 minutes during the regular season, Julius averaged just 14.6 points in 35.6 minutes through three games against the Hawks.

The Knicks lost by eleven and were held under 100 points for the first time since their May 11th overtime loss against the Lakers.  RJ Barrett is averaging just 13.6 points per game, and in Game Three was limited to just seven points.  In May, Barrett eclipsed twenty points in a game four times while averaging 17.1 points over the final nine regular-season games.

Scoring just 13 points and getting outscored by 16 points in the second quarter proved devastating.  The difference in the final score speaks for itself.  Atlanta also penetrated and exposed the Knicks' interior, outscoring New York 44-30 in the paint.

There's an argument that the Knicks could and should be up 2-1 in this series.  Game Four will go a long way towards supporting that theory or not.

OTD 5/30/1931: New York Black Yankees Sweep Twin Bill From Brooklyn Royal Giants at Dexter Park

From the desk: DEM BARNSTORMERS

The Standard Union (Brooklyn, New York), May 29, 1931

SATURDAY

DOUBLEHEADER

New York Black Yankees

vs.

Brooklyn Royal Giants

FROM

DEXTER PARK

The New York Black Yankees, at this point, are essentially a continuation of the New York Lincoln Giants, who ceased operations after the 1930 season.  The team exists in 1931 as the Harlem Stars, but it's clear by this article they are already known as the Black Yankees, who, according to Seamheads, did not occur until the following season.

On Saturday, May 30, 1931, the Brooklyn Royal Giants host the New York Black Yankees at Dexter Park.

GAME ONE - Despite jumping out to a two-run lead in the first, the Royal Giants are bested by right-hander Bill Holland, while misplays in the field also contribute to their demise.  New York's captain and (now) first baseman John Henry Lloyd hit a game-tying home run as the Yankees wind up chasing Dick Redding from the box en route to a 10-5 victory.

GAME TWO - Right-hander Connie Rector provides the same as the Black Yankees take game two by a near-identical 10-4 margin and complete the twin bill sweep.

Times Union (Brooklyn New York) May 31, 1908

Sputtering Brooklyn Cyclones Drop Fourth Straight to Aberdeen Ironbirds

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

Aberdeen leads Brooklyn; 4-0

I - ABD 8; BKN 1

II - ABD 6; BKN 2

III - ABD 10; BKN 1

IV - ABD 4; BKN 1

Look What The Ironbirds Did To The Cyclones, Again!

Okay, we're at the point now where the Cyclones are losing two out of every three games.  With Saturday's loss against Aberdeen, Brooklyn falls to 7-14 (.333), which qualifies for the worst record in the league.  The Hickory Crawdads and the nearby Jersey Shore BlueClaws have the same losses, but the Cyclones have two fewer wins.

Aberdeen scored twice in the third inning, which proved sufficient.  Two Ironbird pitchers limit the Cyclones to just one run on six hits and one walk with a less embarrassing seven strikeouts.  Luke Ritter homered with two outs in the fourth to ruin the shutout.  He now has four home runs and eleven runs batted in this season.  Meanwhile, Ronny Mauricio was held hitless and continues down ticking, now with a .263 mark.

Three of Brooklyn's five pitchers surrender runs.  Starter Alec Kisena allows two runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.  After Hunter Parsons tosses 2.2 scoreless frames, Michel Otanez yields a home run, and Bryan Metoyer renders a run in the eighth.  Bryce Montes de Oca throws a scoreless ninth.

Aberdeen strikes out 14 times, but unlike the Cyclones, they pull out a three-run victory.  The Ironbirds draw seven walks, whereas the Cyclones manage all of one base on beach balls. 

But why stop there ...

Through four games, the Cyclones have been outscored by a 28-5 margin!

The Cyclones are now winless in four games against the Ironbirds, with one more chance on Sunday to salvage at least one victory and avoid a sweep.

OTD 5/30/1908: Brooklyn Royal Giants and Cuban Giants Historic Opening Day At Polo Grounds

From the desk: DEM BARNSTORMERS

The New York Times, Saturday, May 23, 1908

The New York Age, Thursday, May 28, 1908

In 1907, the Brooklyn Royal Giants, Philadelphia Giants, Cuban Giants, and Cuban Stars of Havana join together as charter members of the newly established National Association of Colored Professional Clubs of the United States and Cuba, or more commonly known as the National Association (or the International League).  Historical acknowledgment as an official league is a separate debate.

National Association Officers: 

• President - Philadelphia Giants owner, Walter Schlichter.
• Vice President - Brooklyn Royal Giants owner, John W. Connor. 
• Treasurer - Cuban Giants owner, John Bright.
• Secretary - booker/business manager, semipro owner, Nat Strong.

The Royal Giants win pennants in 1908 and 1909 and remain members until the circuit folds prior to the 1910 season.

The Standard Union (Brooklyn), Wednesday, May 27, 1908

The Standard Union (Brooklyn), Wednesday, May 27, 1908

The New York Age, Thursday, May 28, 1908

The Standard Union (Brooklyn), Friday, May 29, 1908

Per the New York Age, this would have marked the first time in the history of colored baseball that a colored team would have played in this famous ballpark.  Author, educator, and reformer, the Honorable Booker T. Washington was to throw out the first pitch.

"Playing on the grounds of the New York National League Club the famous Polo Grounds is a step nearer to the playing of games with the clubs of the National and American League Clubs in the future in this city." - The New York Age

Unfortunately, the Opening Day game slated for Saturday, May 30, 1908, was most likely rained out.  I searched high and low for evidence of an outcome or postponement and so far have found neither.  All anecdotal and circumstantial evidence points to Jupiter Pluvius being at fault.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle; Saturday, May 30, 1908

A Rainy Memorial Day Parade at Grand Army Arch in Brooklyn

"To the Defenders of the Union, 1861-1865"

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sunday, May 31, 1908; p.8,55,58

Over at Washington Park, Brooklyn, the Superbas fell to the Giants in a morning game; the second game of their scheduled doubleheader was postponed due to rain, as were many other games throughout the New York City area.

The Pittsburgh Press, Sunday, May 31, 1908

The Pittsburgh Press, Sunday, May 31, 1908

The Standard Union (Brooklyn, New York)

100 YEARS AGO AT THE POLO GROUNDS 5/30/1921: Giants Sweep Twin Bill With Phillies; Yankees Shut Out First Time This Season

From the desk: WHEN THE POLO GROUNDS WAS THE WORLD

100 Years Ago Today at the Polo Grounds: 

New York Giants & New York Yankees 

1921 Seasons Revisited

In their last season at Hilltop Park, the now formerly known New York Highlanders lost 102 games.  Rebranded as the Yankees, in 1913, they moved just a few blocks away into the Polo Grounds as tenants of the Senior Circuit's New York Giants.  To the chagrin of Giants manager John McGraw, the Americans proceeded to lose another 94 games.  

Known to hold a grudge, McGraw still harbored much animosity two full decades later, not only towards Ban Johnson and his rebel circuit (unkept promises included) but more so towards the Yankees.  As they were founded at the expense of his rendered defunct Baltimore Orioles.  

For as long as the Yankees paid their rent, the tenant/landlord relationship with the Giants remained amicably strained.  Mainly because the middling Americans, except for one season in 1916, never elevated themselves above the ranks of Junior Circuit also-rans.  But that changed in 1919 when they briefly vied for the pennant but tuckered out down the stretch to finish third.  A franchise record of 619,164 fans showed up to root for the American League contenders.  However, the Yankees' burgeoning success was not yet a pressing issue, per se, for the Giants, who were coming off a second-place finish and their best season in a decade at the turnstile.

Then, in 1920, baseball's tectonic plates along the New York/New England fault shift.  The Yankees' purchase of George Herman "Babe" Ruth from the Boston Red Sox sends seismic waves reverberating throughout the baseball world but none more intense than in Washington Heights.  

Ruth's earth-shattering record of 54 home runs was something never experienced before in the history of baseball.  However, it was an accomplishment for which John McGraw had little appreciation.  He believes players work too hard and earnestly to have their skills disrespected by some miscreant's lone swing of the bat.

Gotham's citizenry never before descended from Coogan's Bluff in such quantity and spectacle as in 1920 as the Giants would set a franchise record with 929,609 reported attendance.  However, the New York Nationals faced an economic dilemma of Ruthian proportions.  McGraw's disdain for his tenants was further heightened when the Yankees outdrew the host Giants in their own home for the first time in each franchise's history.  Headlined by Babe Ruth, the Yankees seized the city's attention, evidenced by an all-time major league record of 1,289,422 in attendance.

In 1921, over two million fans would again pack the Polo Grounds.  Babe Ruth would continue accomplishing the unimaginable, and if that wasn't surreal enough, he proceeds to top it.  All the while, with each passing day, John McGraw grows more incensed.  Lest we forget, New York City is still Little Napoleon's empire.  

Sharing a ballpark for both teams is becoming an insufferable condition—the Giants attempt to evict the Yankees before the start of 1921 to no avail.  But a solution lies not too far away ...  

Until then, two major league titans charge headlong into a season-ending October clash at the Polo Grounds.  It is New York City's first-ever World's Championship Subway Series.  All games are played at the Polo Grounds, making Coogan's Bluff the center of the baseball universe. 

This is my replay of that season.  I'll be exercising my creative license whenever and wherever ever possible.  More than anything, this is about having fun and celebrating New York City's baseball history.  

• Stats: BASEBALL REFERENCE

Enjoy the games ... PLAY BALL!

GAME #39

BOXSCORE GAME ONE: Monday, May 30, 1921 - BR

Philadelphia Phillies @ NEW YORK GIANTS

POLO GROUNDS

Fred Toney Turns Back Phillies With Both Arm and Bat

Philadelphia ties the game at one in the top half of the third.  But starter Fred Toney atones for his misstep with a home run hit deep into the right field seats, giving himself and the Giants a lead they would not again relinquish.  Ross Youngs addresses that with a home run leading off the fourth and runs batted in by Goldie Rapp and Earl Smith in the seventh, giving this game its final score of 5-1 in favor of the home team.  Fred Toney improves to 6-2 with a 3.11 ERA.  He allows just one run on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts through nine.

• FINAL: PHI 1; NYG 5

⚾

GAME #40

BOXSCORE GAME TWO: Monday, May 30, 1921 - BR

Philadelphia Phillies @ NEW YORK GIANTS

POLO GROUNDS

Giants Outslug Phillies to Secure Twin Bill Sweep

Try as they might, Philadelphia continually comes up short as the Giants lineup continues pressing throughout.  New York tallies four runs in the second on two triples, a single, and Earl Smith's home run.  High Pockets Kelly and Aaron Ward drive in two more runs in the third, and a Frank Snyder homers in the fourth, giving the Giants a 6-1 lead.  But the Phillies close with two with three runs in the fifth and one in the top of the sixth.  That's when the Giants commence the second wave of their twelve hit barrage with three runs in the bottom half of the frame, one in the seventh, and two more in the eighth.  Philadelphia can only muster two in the seventh and ultimately lose by a difference of five.  Speaking of which, five Phillies misplays in the field account for four unearned runs.  The Giants get home runs from Smith and Frank Snyder in the fourth.  Curt Walker leads the charge going 3 for 4 with a double, triple, two runs scored, and three runs batted in.  Starter Phil Douglas despite yielding seven runs on ten hits earns the victory.  Rosy Ryan pitches in with 2.2 scoreless innings.

• FINAL: PHI 7; NYG 13
• RECORD: 27-13 (.615); second place, 2.5 GB of Cleveland

 

⚾          ⚾          ⚾

GAME #38

BOXSCORE GAME ONE: Monday, May 30, 1921 - BR

New York Yankees @ WASHINGTON SENATORS

Griffith Stadium

McNally Swipes Home; Rip Collins Hurls Gem

You know what happens when you walk the leadoff batter, don't you?  Washington starter Jose Acosta issues a base on balls to Roger Peckinpaugh leading off the first.  After a double by Babe Ruth advances him to third, Peckinpaugh scores Wally Pipp's ground ball second to first.  With two outs and runners on the corners in the third and Chicken Hawks at the plate, second baseman Mike McNally steals home for a 2-0 Yankees lead.  Tasked with a spot start in the first game of today's twin bill, Rip Collins puts forth a stellar performance, allowing just one run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly to ruin the shutout.  He otherwise yields just four hits, four walks, with four strikeouts for the win.

• FINAL: NYY 2; WAS 1

⚾

GAME #39

BOXSCORE GAME TWO: Monday, May 30, 1921 - BR

New York Yankees @ WASHINGTON SENATORS

Griffith Stadium

Washington's George Mogridge Two-Hits Former Team; Senators Gain Split

Pitching clearly rules the day.  In another very tightly contested affair, Washington's tally in the second ends up being the game's decisive run.  Facing Jack Quinn, left fielder Bing Miller triples and scores when third baseman Howie Shanks advances him home.  But that's it.  Quinn allows eight hits and just one walk in a hard-luck loss.  Meanwhile, a former Yankees teammate last season and now hurler for the Senators, George Mogridge, limited the Highlanders to a mere two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in a complete-game shutout effort.  Mike McNally and Babe Ruth muster the Yankees only two hits.  Ping Bodie reaches on a walk, and the fourth and last Yankees base runner reaches safely on shortstop Frank O'Rourke's fielding error.  The crowd of 15,000 express their great appreciation for Mogridge's masterful handling of the Yanks who endure their first whitewashing this season.

• FINAL: NYY 0; WAS 1
• RECORD: 24-15 (.615), second place, 2.5 GB of Cleveland

OTD 5/29/1938: Bay Ridge Nine Sweeps Doubleheader From New Brunswick at 86th Street Grounds

From the desk: BROOKLYN SEMIPROS

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 30, 1938

On Sunday, May 29, 1908, within two miles of where I presently live, Bay Ridge won both games of a doubleheader against the aggregation from New Brunswick, New Jersey, at Ridger's Park, 86th Street, and 15th Avenue, Brooklyn.

GAME ONE - Starting for Bay Ridge, McGuire keeps New Brunswick scoreless through the first five.  After which, the visitors from New Jersey strike for three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.  However, by then, all Bay Ridge's eleven runs had already been annotated into the ledger.  McGuire yields seven hits, walks none, strikes out four, and even helps his own cause at the plate with a triple.  Bay Ridge tallies twelve hits off three Brunswick pitchers, with three going for extra bases en route to an 11-4 victory.

GAME TWO - Weber starts for Bay Ridge, allowing just one run on five hits and four walks in a seven-inning contest.  Center fielder Hoke Beazley and right fielder Babe Fischer join together on four hits in six at-bats with a run and wrap up the twin bill with four hits apiece.  Boda, the visiting shortstop, scores New Brunswick's lone run in the fifth.  Bay Ridge posts five runs on nine hits, two going for extra bases, and three walks issued by Kubiak.  This marks Bay Ridge's third twin bill sweep this season.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 30, 1938

 

OTD 5/29/1938: Bay Parkway Semipros Split Twin Bill With Cuban Stars at Erasmus Field, Brooklyn

From the desk: BROOKLYN SEMIPROS

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

DOUBLE-HEADER

Sunday, May 29, 1935

CUBAN STARS

vs.

BAY PARKWAYS

FROM

ERASMUS FIELD

On Sunday, May 30, 1938, within two miles from where I presently live, the Bay Parkways semipros split a double-header with the Cuban Stars at Erasmus Field, McDonald Avenue at the Avenue M station along the Culver Line.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

GAME ONE:  After scoring in the first inning, the Cuban Stars cling to a 2-0 lead through the fifth.  Bay Parkway finally breaks through for three runs in the sixth scored by Nolan, Posnack, and McCabe.  But their lead does not last.  With single runs in the eighth and ninth innings, the Cuban Giants come away with a late 4-3 victory.  Bay Parkway starter Sam Nahem goes through the whole repertoire of issuing four walks, fanning seven, hitting a batter, and unleashing a wild pitch in a losing effort.  Cuban Stars starter Heliodoro Diaz surrenders three runs on six hits and five walks with two strikeouts for the win.  Bay Parkway left eight runners stranded on base.  The Cuban Stars catcher is likely to be Julio Rojo.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

GAME TWO - Bay Parkway rebounds for a 7-1 victory in game two.  Starter Johnny Ubinski limits the Cuban Stars to just one run on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts through nine innings for the win.  He also comes to his own cause with a hit and a run scored.  Pitching for the Cuban Stars, Jimmenez allows seven runs on seven hits, walks three, and strikes out three in a losing effort.   Left fielder Tetelo Vargas drives home catcher Jose Maria Fernandez with the Cuban Stars lone run.  

OTD 5/29/1938: Pittsburgh Crawfords Sweep Twin Bill From Bushwick at Dexter Field

From the desk: BROOKLYN SEMIPROS

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

On Sunday, May 29, 1938, before 15,000 fans, the Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro National League II, sweep a twin bill from the Brooklyn Bushwicks at Dexter Park.  Waite Hoyt, native Brooklynite and former New York Yankees great, makes his pitching debut for Bushwick.

Crawford's Theolis Smith Twirls 11-Inning One Hitter

GAME ONE - Making his debut for Bushwick, the soon to be 38-year old Brooklyn born Waite Hoyt, on May 15 pitches his last major league game while donning a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform against the Boston Braves.  Now facing the Crawfords, Hoyt yields just two hits and strikes out five through nine scoreless innings pitched.  However, Crawford's starting right-hander Theolic Smith matches Hoyt zero for zero through the ninth, forcing extra innings.  Jimmy Pattison relives Hoyt in the tenth.  In the eleventh, Pattison surrenders three hits plating third baseman Dan Wilson and right fielder Gene Benson.  Theolic Smith closes out Bushwick in the bottom half of the frame for the win.  Smith allows just one hit to third baseman Gene Zaiser and one walk with one strikeout in a brilliant 11-inning shutout effort against the competent Bushwick.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Pittsburgh Crawfords Complete Sweep at Dexter Park

GAME TWO - Pittsburgh scores early, often, and late in game two en route to a 7-1 final score and sweep of the twin bill at Dexter Park.  Crawford's starter Barney Morris allows just one run on five hits and five walks and a hit batsman with nine strikeouts for the win.  Bushwick starter George Earnshaw surrenders twelve hits and exits a 6-0 game on the losing side.  Center fielder Buddy Hall drives home Brooklyn's lone run of the game.  In relief of Earnshaw, Jim Petersen gives up one run in the ninth, giving this game its 7-1 final score.  Pittsburgh's first baseman Johnny Washington is 3 for 5 with a triple, stolen base, and a run batted in.  Dan Wilson goes 3 for 4 with a double, stolen base, and one run batted in.  Catcher Leon Ruffin delivers home two runs.  Bushwick center fielder Buddy Hall is 2 for 4 with a triple.

100 YEARS AGO AT THE POLO GROUNDS 5/29/1921: Yankees Complete Sweep of A's; Giants Idle

From the desk: WHEN THE POLO GROUNDS WAS THE WORLD

100 Years Ago Today at the Polo Grounds: 

New York Giants & New York Yankees 

1921 Seasons Revisited

In their last season at Hilltop Park, the now formerly known New York Highlanders lost 102 games.  Rebranded as the Yankees, in 1913, they moved just a few blocks away into the Polo Grounds as tenants of the Senior Circuit's New York Giants.  To the chagrin of Giants manager John McGraw, the Americans proceeded to lose another 94 games.  

Known to hold a grudge, McGraw still harbored much animosity two full decades later, not only towards Ban Johnson and his rebel circuit (unkept promises included) but more so towards the Yankees.  As they were founded at the expense of his rendered defunct Baltimore Orioles.  

For as long as the Yankees paid their rent, the tenant/landlord relationship with the Giants remained amicably strained.  Mainly because the middling Americans, except for one season in 1916, never elevated themselves above the ranks of Junior Circuit also-rans.  But that changed in 1919 when they briefly vied for the pennant but tuckered out down the stretch to finish third.  A franchise record of 619,164 fans showed up to root for the American League contenders.  However, the Yankees' burgeoning success was not yet a pressing issue, per se, for the Giants, who were coming off a second-place finish and their best season in a decade at the turnstile.

Then, in 1920, baseball's tectonic plates along the New York/New England fault shift.  The Yankees' purchase of George Herman "Babe" Ruth from the Boston Red Sox sends seismic waves reverberating throughout the baseball world but none more intense than in Washington Heights.  

Ruth's earth-shattering record of 54 home runs was something never experienced before in the history of baseball.  However, it was an accomplishment for which John McGraw had little appreciation.  He believes players work too hard and earnestly to have their skills disrespected by some miscreant's lone swing of the bat.

Gotham's citizenry never before descended from Coogan's Bluff in such quantity and spectacle as in 1920 as the Giants would set a franchise record with 929,609 reported attendance.  However, the New York Nationals faced an economic dilemma of Ruthian proportions.  McGraw's disdain for his tenants was further heightened when the Yankees outdrew the host Giants in their own home for the first time in each franchise's history.  Headlined by Babe Ruth, the Yankees seized the city's attention, evidenced by an all-time major league record of 1,289,422 in attendance.

In 1921, over two million fans would again pack the Polo Grounds.  Babe Ruth would continue accomplishing the unimaginable, and if that wasn't surreal enough, he proceeds to top it.  All the while, with each passing day, John McGraw grows more incensed.  Lest we forget, New York City is still Little Napoleon's empire.  

Sharing a ballpark for both teams is becoming an insufferable condition—the Giants attempt to evict the Yankees before the start of 1921 to no avail.  But a solution lies not too far away ...  

Until then, two major league titans charge headlong into a season-ending October clash at the Polo Grounds.  It is New York City's first-ever World's Championship Subway Series.  All games are played at the Polo Grounds, making Coogan's Bluff the center of the baseball universe. 

This is my replay of that season.  I'll be exercising my creative license whenever and wherever ever possible.  More than anything, this is about having fun and celebrating New York City's baseball history.  

• Stats: BASEBALL REFERENCE

Enjoy the games ... PLAY BALL!

New York Tribune

GAME #37

BOXSCORE: Sunday, May 29, 1921 - BR

Philadelphia Athletics @ NEW YORK YANKEES

POLO GROUNDS

Ruth Swats Number Fourteen; Yanks Sweep A's

With a crowd of 24,000 on hand, the Yankees unleash a five-run attack in the first inning and never look back.  A maelstrom of butterflies in the stomach of inexperienced Dave Keefe perhaps gets the better of him.  Facing Babe Ruth, he unleashes two straight wild pitches, the first permitting Roger Peckinpaugh to score and the second allowing Mike McNally advancement to third base.  Keefe ultimately walks Ruth, who soon scores on a two-run triple by Chicken Hawks.  Babe Ruth then hits his 14th home run this season, leading off the fourth.  The Yankees score twice more in the seventh and once in the eighth.  Starter Alex Ferguson yields three runs on eight hits, including a home run to Joe Dugan, and one walk through five innings pitched for the win.  Making just his fourth appearance in relief of Ferguson, Tom Sheehan allows one run on two hits - a home run to Cy Perkins - over the final four innings.  The road-weary Yankees complete a three-game sweep of Philadelphia and must now board a train back to the nation's capital, where a four-game set awaits against the unkindly Senators.

• FINAL: PHI 4; NYY 9
• RECORD: 23-14 (.622), second place, 2.5 GB of Cleveland

 

New York Tribune

⚾

OFF DAY

Sunday, May 29, 1921

NEXT: Monday, May 30, 1921

Philadelphia Phillies @ NEW YORK GIANTS

POLO GROUNDS

N.Y. Islanders Take Out Penguins In Six

From the desk: THE LONG ISLAND NOMADS

NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

ROUND TWO

GAME ONE

ISLANDERS

vs.

BRUINS

FROM

Causeway Street Ice Hut

Isles Find Balance in the Force

Hear that..?

That's the sound of a window slamming shut.  

Time is running short for the Penguins.  For several years now, they've suffered poor goaltending and defensive depth.  Far too often, their top two defensemen average 28 and 29 minutes a night.  On this night, Chris Letang registers over 28 minutes.  Four Penguins defensemen finished with a minus-two.  Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust were minus-three, and Jake Guentzel was a minus-four.

Game Six starts on a down note.  Jeff Carter, there's that name again, scores just 1:27 into the game.  The Isles answer just under four minutes later.  Anthony Beauvillier nets his third of the series on feeds from Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey. 

Scott Mayfield gets whistled at 9:58 of the first for cross-checking Evgeni Malkin.  It served its purpose, but Jake Guentzel made Long Island pay at 11:12 with his first goal of the series.  Then roughly one minute later, Kyle Palmieri ties the game at two off a feed from Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

The Islanders commit their second cardinal sin of the evening when at 1:53 of the second period, Jason Zucker gives the Penguins a 3-2 lead.

After which, the Penguins fall apart like wet toilet paper.

Brock Nelson scores at 8:35, and Ryan Pulock scores 13 seconds later on feeds from Travis Zajac and Jean-Gabriel Pageau.  Just under three minutes later, Brock Nelson nets his second goal of the game for a 5-3 lead and the final margin of victory.   

Ilya Sorokin stops 34 of 37 shots on goal and all shots over the final 38:07 minutes of play.

Anthony Beauvillier and Brock Nelson register three points each.  Islanders trade acquisitions: Kyle Palmieri scores three goals in six games, and Travis Zajac, who has played infrequently, finished with a plus-two.

• ICE COLD: Mathew Barzal registers just three assists and a minus-two through six games. 

Long Island wins the series in six.  After being down two games to one, the Isles win three in a row.  Once they toned down the physicality, their overall game synced up.  They will now take on the Boston Bruins, who easily defeated the Washington Capitals in five.  I'm curious to see how they approach this easily more physical match-up.

Brooklyn Nets Take 2-0 Lead to Boston

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

PLAYOFFS: ROUND ONE

Nets lead Celtics; 2-0

I - BKN 104; BOS 93

II - BKN 130; BOS 108

GAME THREE
Brooklyn Nets

vs.

Boston Celtics

FROM

Causeway Street Gym

It's The Joe Harris Show 

That's six straight quarters that more closely resemble what most of us had in mind.  I suppose the first two quarters of Game One were just a warm-up.

I find it fascinating that 29 different players touched the ball Tuesday night, and not one of them was named DeAndre Jordan.  Otherwise, the Nets starting five outscored Boston's starting five, 97-76, a margin of 21 points.  The flip side of that is Brooklyn's bench only outscored the Celtics bench by one point.

No Celtic achieved 20 points; Marcus Smart came close with a team-high 19 points and six assists in a likewise team-high 32 minutes.  On the other hand, Flatbush had three players post at least 20 points: Kevin Durant led the team with 26 points and tied with Bruce Brown on a team-high eight rebounds.  James Harden came in at 20 points and a game-high seven assists. 

And look who led the game in shot attempts!  Mister Joe Harris was 9/14 from the field, including a Nets playoff record 7/10 from behind the arc for 25 points to go along with a team-high plus-25 in 29 minutes. Flatbush wins by 22 points, and Harris is essentially the difference.

Then there is Kyrie Irving, who, except for 15 points, puts in a near-identical performance as James Harden, with six rebounds and six assists and a plus-19 in 28 minutes.  Perhaps in this game, he and James Harden were simply following Joe Harris' lead.  Otherwise, the more divergent Harden's assist totals and Kyrie's point totals become, the more it facilitates Nets' success.  And even though he previously played in Boston since leaving the Celtics, the crowd will most likely treat this like it was his first time back because that's what fans do.

Blake Griffin scored 11 points in 20 minutes, and Landry Shamet led the bench effort with ten points in 25 minutes.

The Nets were plus-three in rebounding and plus-eight in assists.

On to Boston ...

Brooklyn Cyclones Drop Thursday Twin Bill to Aberdeen Ironbirds

From the desk: SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

THE CONEY ISLAND STRIKEOUT 

INSTRUCTIONAL ACADEMY

This is getting pretty ridiculous ...

Through 20 games, Cyclone batters have struck out 232 times for an average of 11.6 K's per game.  The opposition has struck out 192 times for a 9.6 per game average.

Brooklyn batters have thus far achieved double-digit strikeouts 15 times, which is to say only five times have they fanned nine times or less.  Their fewest in any game is six.  In only their fourth game of the season, the Cyclones struck out 17 times against Asheville.  In one game against Greenville, they fanned 15 times, then followed up the next day with 14 strikeouts; that's 29 strikeouts in two games.  Against the Hudson Valley Renegades, they struck out a season-high 18 times, and in two other games, whiffed 15 each time.  The opposition has achieved double-digit strikeouts ten times and struck out upwards of 15 times in a game just once.

Is this what they're teaching these kids?  The answer is likely and analytically, yes.  These games are effectively no different than present-day major league baseball.

Launch this!

DOUBLE-HEADER

Aberdeen Ironbirds

vs.

Brooklyn Cyclones

FROM

Old Steeplechase Grounds

 

Denton True Young disguised as Aberdeen right-hander Grayson Rodriguez limits Coney Island to one run on just two hits and one walk with nine strikeouts through five innings pitched.  Reliever Kade Strowd yields one run on four hits with two strikeouts.  Brett Baty and designated hitter Francisco Alvarez drive home Brooklyn's only two runs.  In a losing effort, starter Jaison Vilera surrenders five runs, four earned, on six hits, including a home run by DH Johnny Riser, with three walks and five strikeouts.  Brett Baty drives home his 17th run in 19 games.

• BOXSCORE: Game One
• FINAL:  ABD 6; BKN 2

Designated hitter Blake Tiberi breaks up the no-hitter in the third, and Zach Ashford (up from St. Lucie) doubles home Brett Baty to ruin the shutout in the fourth inning.  Four hits and nine strikeouts, that's the extent of your highlights; get home safely.

• BOXSCORE: Game Two
• FINAL: ABD 10; BKN 1