1905 Chicago Cubs replay update: McGann’s the man

by Scott Fennessy

Chicago, IL
8/9/1905

The Cubs face the Giants in a big game 2 of this series. The Giants won a thriller in 11 innings yesterday behind yet another big day by Mike Donlin who is leading the majors in batting average coming into today’s action.

Today’s task is much more difficult however as Mordecai Brown faces Christy Mathewson. This is the type of pitcher you don’t want to face after a tough outing, but that is how it fell out. Neither team scores in the first, however the visitors draw first blood when Dan McGann rips a solid single to center and the big first baseman steals second, his 25th of the season. This was big as George Browne drops a floater in front of right fielder Frank Schulte for an RBI single. Brown shuts them down, but the 1-0 lead is a good start for the New Yorkers.

Again nothing happens until the bottom of the third when light hitting Joe Tinker slips a grounder between Bill Dahlen and Art Devlin for a single. The hit and run single by equally light hitting Brown puts runners on the corners, and Chance orders the struggling Billy Maloney to lay down a sac bunt. Billy puts this one down, and it’s a beauty. McGann charges in from first, and picked up the ball bare handed, but juggles it and has no play. Tinker scores the tying run and runners are on first and second. Mathewson then has a rare moment of relaxation with Johnny Evers and he drops a soft single into right for an RBI single putting runners on the corners.

“Big 6” then gets Frank Schulte to ground out but the red hot Frank Chance then hits a curve ball hard and deep. This is over Donlin’s head and off the wall, and Chance gets a two RBI double. Mathewson then very clearly struggling fools Jim Casey with a changeup and the inning is over, but not before the men in blue get a 4-1 lead.

Nothing happened in the 4th inning, but Brown has had one glaring flaw in an otherwise pretty good year, and that is the long ball. While 1905 “power” is drastically different from 2013 power, the Giants have more of it than anyone else, and they routinely use it to club their way back into games. Just ask the Reds and Cardinals fans that saw seemingly insurmountable leads vanish in just 2-3 innings.

And true to form that’s just how the Giants start their comeback. Mike Bowerman draws a leadoff walk. That is pretty impressive. Why you ask? Well that’s because Bowerman never saw a pitch he would not swing at. In 294 plate appearances that was just his 7th of the year. Sammy Strang then bunts him to scoring position, which in this case would not matter as Bill Dahlen rips a Brown changeup over the left field wall for a two run homer, his 4th of the year. Brown does close the inning down afterwards, but the score is now just 4-3 Cubs on top.

The Cubs get an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th when Chance gets his second extra base hit of the day, with a booming triple to right that nearly left the ball park. Casey hit a sac fly scoring the run and the inning ended 5-3 Cubs in front.
Unfortunately the Giants immediately get right back into this as McGann gets his second hit of the day with his 15th double of the year. Dan has seen his average finally begin a steady rise into the 270’s. I have praised him a lot, as while he has never been spectacular, he has been very clutch and today is no exception. Browne then hits a liner that makes it to the wall. Slagle get the throw in, but it’s not a good one and well off the bag at third and McGann scores while Browne gets a triple.. Bowerman then hits a sac fly to Schulte in right and the game is suddenly tied. This is New York baseball at its finest and most typical. Brown stops the bleeding, but it is too little too late.

We go into the ninth tied at five and unfortunately it does not stay that way long. Donlin gets his first hit of the day and steals second well ahead of Johnny Kling’s throw. McGann then gets his third hit of the day, and this was the killer as Donlin scores the eventual winning run. Carl Lundgren comes in and closes the inning, but when the Cubs go down 1-2-3 in the ninth the game, and quite frankly the season come to an end.

Another tough loss to the G-men, and honestly I don’t see anything that will stop their eventual roll to the world championship. The White Sox have better pitching, but almost no offense, and the A’s the same. The Indians would offer a better offensive challenge, but pitching has at times faltered, and is nowhere as good as the Chicago/Philadelphia teams. Perhaps the Cubs can stay close, or perhaps with Ginger Beaumont, Fred Clarke, and the seemingly now unstoppable Honus Wagner can somehow climb back into this as well.

Hoping for a better day tomorrow.

[photo credit]