On Wednesday, July 23, 1941, in a tightly contested affair, the Bushwicks defeated the Kansas City Monarchs at Dexter Park.
The game itself marks the eleventh anniversary of the first-ever night game played at Woodhaven's ballpark. Back on July 23, 1930, in the first night game, Bushwick lost to the Springfields. In celebration of that night and paying homage to Max Rosner, Bushwick alumni, former members of Springfield, including owner Archie Turner, and home plate umpire that game, Buster Brown, are all on hand before a crowd upwards of 8,000 fans. Sportswriter Lester Bromberg of the World-Telegram serves as master of ceremonies.
With Kansas City pitching great Satchel Paige (nursing a sore arm) looking on from a box behind home plate, Bushwick's Francis "Bots" Nekola limits the Monarchs to one run on just five hits (all singles) and two walks with five strikeouts for the victory. In fact, the Monarchs remain hitless through the fifth.
Kansas City inevitably spoils the shutout when Buck O'Neil lifts a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the sixth. Ironically, it is starter Frank "Schoolboy" Bradley who scores the Monarch's only run. Bradley, third baseman Newt Allen, second baseman Rainey Bibbs, left fielder Willie Simms, and shortstop Jesse Williams accounts for Kansas City's hits.
"The fielding star of the game was Jesse Williams, shortstop of the Kansas City team. He handled eight chances brilliantly, several times robbing the Bushwick players of base hits." - The Brooklyn Citizen, July 24, 1941
Bradley yields three runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in an effective albeit losing effort on the mound. With the game tied at one through the sixth, Bushwick bunches together four of their seven hits in the seventh resulting in two runs and a 3-1 final margin of victory. Bots Nekola helps his own cause with two hits. Center fielder Buddy Hall wields a triple in the first and drivers home a run, and left fielder Jimmy Ashford also drives home a run and scores. Third baseman Gene Zaiser and catcher Charlie Hargreaves also score for Bushwick.
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