by Scott Fennessy
Chicago, IL
8/7/1905
The Cubs/Giants war continues today as Ed Reulbach faces George Wiltse in what should be one of the biggest mismatches of the year as the Cubs A&C faces a B. That said, never trust a man whose nickname is “Snake”. He has been having a solid year coming in at 16-10 and almost 100 strikeouts for the year. That and with the Giants potent lineup behind him anytime he steps on the hill is a chance for victory.
The Giants start off quickly and once again Art Devlin, who seems to thrive against Chicago pitching slips a grounder just out of Jim Casey’s range at third into left and promptly steals second for his 43rd steal of the year. One out later the NL’s league leader in batting average, Mike Donlin gets a pitch to his liking and rips it deep into right center field and this one rattles along the base of the wall. Billy Maloney and Frank Schulte are in pursuit, but Donlin waddles into third with his 10th triple of the year. Don’t let his “turkey walk” fool you, this man is very quick. Reulbach stops the rally, but the visitors have a 1 run lead.
The Cubs take charge in the bottom of the second as Frank Chance gets a leadoff double to start things. One out later Johnny Kling, who is showing signs of coming out of a prolonged slump gets a single scoring Chance and Kling takes second on a stolen base. With two out Joe Tinker, who has had a disappointing year at the plate gets a single scoring Kling with the lead run, but Wiltse strikes out Reulbach to end the rally and the inning. Cubs on top 2-1.
The pitcher’s duel then ensues and the score is unchanged until the bottom of the 5th when Tinker gets his second hit of the game and moved to third on a one out single by Maloney. Maloney who could be one of the fastest players in the league steals second and now runners are on second and third. Johnny Evers then hits a sac fly to deep right scoring Tinker with the insurance run and it’s now a 3-1 lead for the home team.
Reulbach continues to look sharp, but things finally come apart in the 8th inning as Wiltse, who is a very good hitting pitcher drops a soft single to left and is moved over on a sac bunt by Devlin and still there with two out when Donlin hits a solid single to right scoring Wiltse to close the gap to one run. That was Mike’s third hit of the day and Dan McGann drills a solid fly to deep left and it’s over Jimmy Slagle’s head and McGann slides into third on a close play, but the game is tied at 3, and is still that way at the end of the inning.
Nothing changes and the game is still tied at the end of regulation. Into the 10th we go, and it looked like Wiltse was going to get his first homer of the year when Schulte makes a great leaping catch at the wall with one out and saves the day. The Giants are turned away and the Cubs also try and fail to score on an opportunity in the tenth, so into the 11th inning.
With one out Donlin gets a walk that was semi-intentional as Chance wanted no part of him. Then McGann crushes another fastball and this one just misses clearing the wall in left, and Slagle plays it well, but McGann has driven in the go ahead run and after George Brown strikes out it looks like things are under control again when Mike Bowerman gets an RBI single and although the inning ends shortly afterwards the Giants take a commanding 5-3 lead into the bottom of the inning.
Slagle leads off with a single to right, and moves to second on a grounder, but Wiltse then strikes out the final two hitters and the Giants win this 5-3. A very disappointed home team shuffles into the clubhouse to think about the one that got away.
Giants 64 23 .736
Cubs 61 28 .685
Hey Scott,
Is that Hooks Wiltse or his brother Lewis aka “Snake”?
Get ’em next time.
It’s Hooks. But his nickname on the 1901 A’s was snake. I prefer snake. Oddly enough he came up as a name on ESPN when the Marlins got that come from behind no hit win on the last day of the year. He did the same thing in 1905 oddly enough.