by Scott Fennessy
Now that I have been given permission to give a game by game of the 1905 Cubs season we follow their progress 2 games after having split with their strongest challengers the NY Giants. Since then in the opening game of the series they lost to the Dodgers, and karma from the Frank Chance slide that took Art Devlin of the Giants out of the game (he returned to action the next day and went 1-4 with an RBI single) Cubs third baseman Doc Casey was injured in a similar way fortunately he will only miss 3 games. Giants manager John McGraw was quoted prior to today’s game “I told him (Chance) payback was commin’”
Washington Park, Brooklyn, NY 5/21/1905
The Cubs and Dodgers take the field in game 2 of this series. “Tornado” Jake Weimer for the Cubs and Don Scanlan for the Dodgers.
Both pitchers are throwing well today, with only a walk by Johnny Evers and a single by Joe Tinker who now has a 7 game hitting streak and have nothing to show for it. After a leadoff single by Henry Gessler Weimer retires the next 6 hitters and there is no score at the end of two. Things finally change in the third when Weimer bloops a soft single to left on an 0-1 count. Scanlan clearly upset with himself over allowing not only the leadoff batter, but the opposing pitcher to reach base loses focus and walks Billy Maloney on four straight pitches. Evers then tries to lay down a bunt, but third baseman Emil Batch drops the ball when trying to pull it from his glove and now the bags are full. Arthur “Circus Solly” Hofman lifts a fly ball to center field and Weimer scores. Scanlan settles down and retires the next two hitters with no further damage.
Weimer continues to cruise, although Gessler is now 2 for 2 with a couple of stolen bases the third inning ends with the cubbies still on top 1-0. Frank Schulte singles to lead off the 4th and starts for second and catcher Lew Ritter’s throw sails into left center allowing him to advance to third. Kling sends a fly ball to deep right and Schulte scores easily, but the damage is again limited to just the one run. Scanlan is struggling but somehow seems able to hold on. In the bottom of the inning the Dodgers finally break through with a two out rally as shortstop Phil Lewis singles and steals second and scores on a solid double into the gap. Hall grounds to Evers and the inning is over but the scores is now Cubs 2 Dodgers 1.
Johnny Evers singles on the first pitch of the 5th, and after a couple of pick off attempts Scanlan throws a flat slider and Hofman hits a rope into the right center gap and Evers scores easily. Scanlan has a chance to get things turned around, as Chance hits an easy grounder to Lewis at short who then throws the ball into the stands allowing Hofman to score and Chance takes second. Scanlan is clearly unhappy and manager Ned Hanlon comes to the mound and calms him down. The Cubs then go down 1-2-3 and after Weimer has another perfect inning the Cubs now lead 4-1.
Scanlan continues to get hit around pretty well as back up third baseman Hans Lobert not known for his hitting prowess hits a bullet into left and steals second, and later scores on Weimers third hit of the game. Scanlan again bears down and somehow holds the Cubs to just one run, but Dodgers get nothing in the bottom half of the frame and the Cubs now lead 5-1. Scanlan finally holds serve for an couple of innings and Weimer is absolutely unstoppable after retiring the side 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 8th (having now retired 13 straight hitters he is now 4-4 today as a hitter.
Scanlan takes the hill for the top of the 9th, but he won’t last to the end. After Chance hits a curve into right for a hit Lewis sends his second throw of the day into the seats on a Tinker grounder and Schulte hits Scanlan’s final toss of the day into center scoring Tinker for a 7-1 lead. Fred Mitchell comes in to retire the final two hitters and the damage is finally done. Weimer who is now pretty worn out after the extra effort on offense finally allows a soft single to center by Jimmy Sheckard who is the first base runner since Owens in the 4 moves to second on Batch’s grounder to Lobert. Weimer makes his first mistake on a BP fastball that Harry Lumley sends down the first base line and into the corner for an RBI triple. Lewis then hits a grounder to third and Lumley scores. Owens hits a soft fly to left that Hofman drops for an error and keeps the inning alive, but Hall hits a pop foul that Johnny Kling takes to end the game and the Cubs win 7-3. Weimer allowing 6 hits, walking none and striking out 3.
This was a game where the Cubs simply slapped single after single and they took advantage of every mistake the Dodgers made. Proving again that speed is vital in this era they stole 4 bases and every time they reached second they scored. Word in from Pittsburgh that the Giants have won and continue to hold a slim lead.
