Once Upon A Summer 8/24/1918: Morse Dry Dock BBC Defeat Royal Giants in John Donaldson's True Brooklyn Debut

From the desk: DEM BARNSTORMERS & THE DONALDSON NETWORK

The Standard Union (Brooklyn, NY), 

Thursday, August 22, 1918

Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), 

Friday, August 23, 1918

On Saturday, August 24, 1918, roughly six miles from where I presently live, the Morse Dry Dock and Repair Co. baseball club defeated the Royal Giants at Morse Field, 52nd Street, and 2nd Avenue, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. 

The Brooklyn Citizen, Sunday, August 25, 1918

Victory against the East Coast's various shipping nines continues eluding the Brooklyn Royal Giants. 

In a winning effort, Morse Dry Dock starting pitcher Chad See limits the Royals to three runs on seven hits and four walks with five strikeouts.

See holds the visitors scoreless through the fifth.  The Giants finally score once in the sixth and twice more in the eighth.  Second baseman Joe Hewitt leads the Giants with two hits and two runs scored, and third baseman Oliver Marcell scores their third run.  Shortstop John Henry Lloyd wields the Giants' only extra-base hit.  

From the batter's box, John Donaldson also connects for two hits.

However, on the mound, Morse Dry Dock offers the midwestern star no quarter.  After opening the game with a four-run first, Morse continues punishing John Donaldson's offerings to all corners of the field.  They double their score total with two runs in the fifth and two more in the home seventh.  Sacks, the left fielder, leads Brooklyn's ship workers with four hits, two for extra bases, and three runs scored.  All told, John Donaldson yields eight runs on nineteen hits (four doubles) and one walk with two strikeouts.

This game marks John Donaldson's true Brooklyn debut.

The Brooklyn Citizen, Sunday, 

August 25, 1918

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sunday, August 25, 1918

⚾

BROOKLYN ROYAL GIANTS

ONCE UPON A SUMMER, 1918: JOHN DONALDSON'S LONE SEASON WITH THE BROOKLYN ROYAL GIANTS

• 6/28 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Acquire Midwest Pitching Great, John Donaldson
• 6/30 - John Donaldson Loses Brooklyn Royal Giants Debut To New York Lincoln Giants
• 7/3 - John Donaldson Poised To Make Brooklyn/Queens Debut At Dexter Park
• 7/4 - John Donaldson Twirls Shutout Over Cuban Stars In Dexter Park Debut
• 7/7 - Joe Williams Wins Second Straight Decision Over John Donaldson; Lincoln Giants and Royal Giants Split Twin Bill
• 7/13 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Glendale at Farmer's Oval, Queens
• 7/14 - John Donaldson Defeats Bushwick; Royal Giants Split Twin Bill At Dexter Park
• 7/15 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Take Series Opener From Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
• 7/16 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Take Game Two from Bacharach Giants; John Donaldson Earns The Victory
• 7/17 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Wrap Up Series With Bacharach Giants at Atlantic City
• 7/18 - N.Y. Ship League Team Defeat Brooklyn Royal Giants at Camden, New Jersey
• 7/21 - Cuban Stars Double-Up Brooklyn Royal Giants; John Donaldson Takes Loss at Dexter Park
• 7/24 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Bow To Stan Baumgartner and Bethlehem Steel at Allentown, PA
• 7/27 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Camp Dix Soldiers*
• 7/28 - Silk Sox Clout John Donaldson's Offerings; Brooklyn Royal Giants Fall at Doherty's Oval
• 8/3 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Prospect Heights at Hackensack*
• 8/4 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Forfeit Game To Glendale at Farmer's Oval
• 8/7 - Bethlehem Steel Team Hosts a Scoreless Tie Against Brooklyn Royal Giants
• 8/11 - New York Lincoln Giants and Royal Giants Split Twin Bill at Olympic Field; Joe "Cyclone" Williams Wins Opener, John Donaldson Wins Game Two
• 8/17 - New York Ship Wins Second Contest Against Brooklyn Royal Giants at Camden, N.J.
• 8/18 - The Tietjen & Lang Shipyard Nine Defeat John Donaldson and the Brooklyn Royal Giants, North Bergen, N.J.

LHP - JOHN DONALDSON'S STARTS w/ BROOKLYN:

1. 6/30/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 2 runs, 7 hits, 2 W, 2K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
2. 7/4/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 0 RUNS, 5 hits, 1 W, 6K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
3. 7/7/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 3 runs, 9 hits, 2 W, 2K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
4. 7/14/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 1 run, 7 hits, 1 W, 5K (Bushwick; Dexter Park)
5. 7/16/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 4 runs, 14 hits, (?) W, 6K* (Atlantic City; Bacharach Park, N.J.)
6. 7/21/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 6 runs, 10 hits, 4 W, 1 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
7. 7/28/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 9 runs, 16 hits, 2 W, 3 K (Silk Sox, Doherty's Oval, N.J.)
8. 8/11/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 2 runs, 13 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Lincoln Giants, Olympic Field)
9. 8/18/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 5 runs, 5 hits, (?) W, 4 K (Tietjen & Lang, Nurge's Field, N.J.)
10. 8/24/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 8 runs, 19 hits, 1 W, 2 K (Morse Dry Dock, Brooklyn)

• LINE: 90 innings, 40 runs, 105 hits, 13 walks, 30 strikeouts, 4.00 ERA 

BEDFORD & SULLIVAN PODCAST:

Restoring Baseball Great John Donaldson's Lost Legacy With Negro Leagues Historian and Founder of The Donaldson Network, Peter Gorton.

Minnesota native Peter Gorton leads a group of historians dedicated to discovering the lost legacy of John Wesley Donaldson.  In this episode, we discuss the man, baseball career, and life of one of the more incredible and inspiring athletes to ever play the game, and how his amazing legacy became lost to a nation, most particularly Baseball's Hall of Fame.  

Original airdate: March 13, 2021