by Scott Fennessy
Chicago, IL
10/2/1905
The Cubs get another big test today as the Phillies send Tully Sparks to the mound and battle with Mordecai Brown. Tully has been good all year, and somewhat the victim of the less than stellar offense. He has still managed a 20-19 record and has the only perfect game in my replay history, so this should be a low scoring game.
Neither team does much in the first and after the Phillies waste a double by Ernie Courtney in the second the Cubs get on top thanks to the bottom of the order. Johnny Evers hits a single between first and second base and moves to second on a ground out and is still there with two out when Johnny Kling rips a double into left center that scores Evers for the first run of the day. It is nice to see Kling finally get a hit. After a great start he has really faded in the second half. The inning ended with the Cubs on top 1-0.
Nothing happens again until the top of the sixth when Frank Chance gets a lesson in patience. (I failed the test this inning as you will find out about shortly) Bill Gleason gets a single with one out and Sherwood Magee at the plate. Magee has been very streaky this year, and is presently in one of his better streaks in a while, but Gleason has no 11 so the sacrifice is on since Brown is looking strong today. The bunt is a beauty and rolls down the third base line and Jim Casey can only watch and hope it rolls foul, which it does not and runners are on first and second.
This brings John Titus to the plate. John is the hitting star on this team this year and already has one hit today, but Philadelphia wants to avoid the double play with slugger Hugh Duffy on deck, so the sacrifice is on again. Brown somehow manages to walk a batter TRYING to make an out. This has me on edge to say the least, although Chance’s thoughts are hard to tell right now.
So Duffy comes to the plate and the bases loaded. So since laying down bunts has actually been better than trying to get hits Duffy lays down the suicide squeeze. It is a perfect bunt and the Phillies tie the game while trying to make outs. This is more than I can handle and in a moment of bad sportsmanship the dice go sailing across the room. This has not happened since John Powell of the Cardinals no hit the Cubs about three years ago. The cat however found playing with dice is pretty cool after all, and I got a laugh out of it in the end and went back to finish the inning with the game tied at 1.
While the Cubs continue to struggle against Sparks, who has been completely overpowering at times the Phillies look like they really want this win as Tully Sparks leads off the 8th inning and hits a rocket that Chance makes a great diving catch on. This would have been at least two bases, probably three had he not made that play. But with two outs things start to unravel for Brown. Magee hits a double to center and Titus walks and Duffy gets hit by a curveball, but Courtney grounds out to stall the rally and when Joe Tinker grounds out to end the 9th inning it is still tied at 1 and we go to extra innings.
The Cubs look to win it in the bottom of the 10th when Hofman gets a leadoff single, then steals second and third with nobody out, but Kling hits a smash that Courtney makes a great leaping play and “Circus Solly” is caught too far from the bag for the unassisted double play. Brown is retired to end the inning and I have a bad feeling about this one.
Brown gets a perfect 11th inning and the Cubs finally win this one in as Billy Maloney gets a single, and after a game of cat and mouse steals second and taking third on a ground out scores on Frank Schulte’s sacrifice fly to end the game 2-1.
What a shame for Tully Sparks who allowed just two runs and struck out 10 to get the loss. The Cubs now have 102 victories, good enough to set the new all time record for a NL team. The 1901 White Sox 107 is mathematically safe for yet another year.
