With the Resolutes on the road and facing elimination, the second-year franchise turned to rookie pitcher Christy Mathewson to keep their season alive. Mathewson was a hard-luck loser in Game 2, but could he rebound and save his team in a do-or-die Game 4? Read on to find out!
Pud Galvin got two quick outs in the top of the first, but Fred Clarke hit a liner that Sam Crawford misplayed, giving the Resolutes a man on second and an opportunity to score early in the game. They didn't waste it. Clarke scored easily on a single by Jake Beckley.
In the top of the third, Blue Legs fans got a preview of things to come when Pete Hill broke for second. The throw by Frank Chance -- behind the plate because of King Kelly's injury -- was way off the mark. The Resolutes had the green light to run, and ended up stealing five bases over the course of the game. Hill scored moments later on Elmer Flick's single, giving the visitors a 2-0 edge.
The Resolutes continued to nickel-and-dime Galvin in the middle innings. Monte Ward scored on Hill's single in the fifth, and Frank Grant scored on John McGraw's triple in the sixth. It was now 4-0. The Legs, meanwhile, could muster nothing against Mathewson.
Desperate for baserunners, the Legs pulled Galvin in the bottom of the seventh for a pinch hitter, but to no avail. Vic Willis entered in the top of the eighth to stop the bleeding, but immediately issued free passes to Clarke and Beckley. Grant's triple plated both men, running the score up to 6-0. McGraw's groundout brought Grant home, and a shell-shocked Willis could only stare in disbelief at a scoreboard that read 7-0 for the visiting Resolutes. The Blue Legs' dreams of winning the championship on their home field were quickly disintegrating.
The outcome of the game was not in doubt, but could Mathewson make history with the league's first playoff shutout? A couple of postseasons ago, Galvin took a shutout into the ninth inning but couldn't seal the deal. Now it was Mathewson's turn. Crawford was the first batter, and he went down quickly on strikes. Chance flied out to left for the second out. Now it was up to power-hitting third baseman Jimmy Collins to keep the Legs' hopes alive. The rookie was having none of it. He struck out Collins to notch the first shutout of his career and the first postseason shutout ever.
The series is tied at two games apiece and going back to the Resolutes' home for the decisive fifth game!
No comments:
Post a Comment