1905 Chicago Cubs replay update game 1: Good guys take Boston 5-2

by Scott Fennessy

Boston, MA 7/19/1905

The Cubs road trip moves to Boston where the struggling Braves await the somewhat resurging Cubs. This is game one of today’s scheduled double header and Mordecai Brown faces Vic Willis. Brown has looked very good in his last three starts so hopes are high. Willis has pitched well, but is still 7-17 despite an era just over three coming in.

Both pitchers get off to tough starts, but get bailed out by their defense in the first. Billy Maloney had singled to start the game, but is caught up in a double play as Johnny Evers lines one right back at Willis, who barely gets the glove up in time to protect himself. For the Braves, Ed Abbaticchio gets a single to start the Braves inning and Fred Tenney is up and being the best hitter on the team the hit and run on. Fred hits a rocket right at Tinker at second and Abbaticchio has no chance to beat the throw. Neither team does anything in the second, so it is not until Maloney gets a one out single in the third that things get interesting. Billy’s bat seems to set the tempo on most games so his reaching base is big. Catcher Pat Moran has no chance as Billy beats the throw with ease. Evers then connects on a 1-2 pitch and it drops into center. Maloney scores with no throw and Evers steals second himself a couple of pitches later. Frank Chance is up now, and is riding a 6 game hit streak.

The streak continues as he drops a change up into short right field. Evers scores and the lead is now 2-0 Cubs. Brown is completely dominating today and the Braves go down 1-2-3. Willis pitches what may be his best game of the year so far as neither team scores through the next 4 innings and the score is still 2-0 Cubs in the 8th.

Chance draws a leadoff walk to start the inning and moves to second on a grounder. Jim Casey who continues to flourish as he moves up in the lineup gets an RBI single to provide a bit more of a cushion and moves to second on the throw home. Johnny Kling, who has also started to come around from another short slump rips one down the right field line and it skids into foul territory. Jim Delahanty is over, but the ball hits the side wall in the corner and squirts beneath his glove and rolls a short distance behind him. He makes a good recovery, but this allows the Cubs catcher to chug into third with a triple.. Joe Tinker who is still struggling, but showing a bit more spark in the 8 spot gets his second hit of the day and Kling scores to give the Cubs a 5-0 lead. Could the Cubs be moving back into contention? Willis finally gets Brown to end the inning, but down by 5 with a pitcher having a good day is a big task for this group.

But try to comeback they do. Moran hits a ball that completely eats Casey alive, but he still is charged with the error and the runner is on. Fred Raymer then lays a sac bunt down and the slow footed Moran is now in scoring position. With two out Abbaticchio who may be the hottest Brave hitter, despite not being a big threat overall rips a double over Slagle’s head in left and Moran scores to break the shutout. Tenney then gets a 2-0 fastball and he slips it between Casey and Evers to get the Braves another run. Harry Wolverton then pops a shallow fly to Frank Schulte in right and the inning is over.

Willis gets a perfect 9th and the Braves trail by three in the bottom of the 9th. They go down quietly and the Cubs hold on to win 5-2. Good game all around by the men in blue and this could be the start of a return to dominance. This just in as the Pirates crush the Giants 8-1 with Honus Wagner getting 3 hits and George Gibson hits a towering 2 run homer off of Christy Mathewson in the 3rd. This is clearly a 3 team run now and who knows what will happen from here.

Giants 52 18 .743
Cubs 48 23 .676
Pirates 43 28 .606

[photo credit]