On Sunday, July 30, 1939, not more than two miles from where I presently live, the local Bay Parkway Dukes and Homestead Grays split games of a doubleheader at Erasmus Field, McDonald Avenue at the Avenue M Station along the Culver Line.
GAME ONE - The visitors take the first tilt by a score of 8 to 2. Homestead starter Tom Parker limits Bay Parkway to a pair of runs on ten hits and six walks with three strikeouts for the win. Arlington, the Duke catcher, and Godfrey drive home Bay Parkway's only runs. Meanwhile, all but shortstop Jelly Jackson hit safely for the Grays, while five batsmen wield multiple hits. Homestead strikes for 14 total hits. Playing first base, Josh Gibson is a perfect 3 for 3 with a double, stolen base, and two runs scored, and right fielder David Whatley is 2 for 5 with a stolen base, home run, and two runs batted in. Joe Stryker relieves McClosky in the sixth but not before the Bay Parkway starter surrenders three runs in the second and four more in the fifth in a losing effort.
GAME TWO - The Dukes and Grays slug their way to a four-all tie after three. Afterwhich, Bay Parkway starter Abe Spiro settles down to toss four scoreless innings before yielding Homestead's fifth and final run in the eighth. All told, Spiro allows just eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts for the win. There was no stopping Josh Gibson, though. Back behind the plate, Gibson goes 2 for 3 with a double and run batted in. Gibson completes the twin bill with five hits in six times at-bat. Grays starting pitcher Specs Roberts helps his own cause with two runs batted in, which go for naught. He otherwise surrenders four runs on seven hits, and one walk with a strikeout in only 2.2 innings pitched for the loss.
