Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Once Upon A Summer 10/13/1918: Bushwick Sweeps Twin Bill From Brooklyn at Dexter Park; John Donaldson Plays Last Games for Royal Giants

From the desk: DEM BARNSTORMERS & THE DONALDSON NETWORK



On Sunday, October 13, 1918, with the baseball season winding to a close, Bushwick hosted the Brooklyn Royal Giants for a doubleheader at Dexter Park.  These games mark the end of John Donaldson's lone season with the Brooklyn Royal Giants.



GAME ONE pits right-hander Irvin Brooks for the Royals against Frank Kelleher pitching for Bushwick.  Riding a wave of ten consecutive wins, Bushwick opened the scoring in the third, then erupted for four runs in the fifth for a 5-0 lead.  Brooklyn finally answers with two runs in the sixth, bunching together three hits and benefitting from several Bushwick misplays in the field.  But the Dexters tally single runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings en route to an 8-2 final margin of victory.  Frank Kelleher does not allow the Royal Giants a hit through the first five innings.  All told, Kelleher holds the Royal Giants to a pair of runs on just six hits and four walks with four strikeouts for the win.  Irvin Brooks yields all eight runs on twelve hits and five walks with five strikeouts in the loss.  First baseman Bill Pettus leads Brooklyn with two hits, including a double, John Donaldson goes 1 for 3 with a run scored, and Joe Hewitt also scores.  Shortstop Jimmy Irving leads Bushwick with three hits.


GAME TWO was a shortened seven-inning affair on account of darkness.  Bill Kelleher, brother of Frank, hurls for Bushwick against Phil "Fish" Cockrell for the Giants.  At the bat, the Taguer Brothers open the scoring.  Center fielder, Jimmy, doubles on the first offering he sees from Cockrell, and brother Tommy's base hit sends him home.  McVoy, the first baseman, drives home Bushwick's second run in the fourth.  Bill Kelleher holds the Royal Giants to four hits and three walks with two strikeouts over seven scoreless innings for the win.  Bushwick completes the sweep and extends their consecutive game-winning streak to twelve.  Fish Cockrell pitches well in a tough-luck loss, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts.  Cockrell, John Donaldson, Oliver Marcell (double), and Irvin Brooks account for Brooklyn's hits.







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

LHP - JOHN DONALDSON'S PITCHING RECORD w/ BROOKLYN:
  1. 6/30/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 2 runs, 7 hits, 2 W, 2 K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
  2. 7/4/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 0 RUNS, 5 hits, 1 W, 6 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
  3. 7/7/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 3 runs, 9 hits, 2 W, 2 K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
  4. 7/14/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 1 run, 7 hits, 1 W, 5 K (Bushwick; Dexter Park)
  5. 7/16/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 4 runs, 14 hits, (?) W, 6 K (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)
  11. 9/1/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 4 runs, 14 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
  12. 9/2/1918 - (L) 2 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 W, 1 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
  13. 9/4/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 6 runs, 7 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Camp Mills; Garden City, N.Y.)
  14. 9/14/1918 - (W) No game account vs. Tietjen and Lang Ship Club (Nurge's Field, N.J.)
  15. 9/22/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 7 runs, 10 hits, (?) W, (?) K (New York Giants; Jersey City)
  16. 9/29/1918 - (ND) 4 innings, 3 runs, 6 hits, 1 W, 5 K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
  17. 10/6/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 0 RUNS, 4 hits, 1 W, 6 K (Long Island City; Recreation Park)
  18. 10/12/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 1 run, 6 hits, 1 W, 5 K (Lincoln Giants; Dexter Park)
  • LINE: 141 innings, 62 runs, 154 hits16 walks, 47 strikeouts, 3.95 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



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