Chicago Cubs replay recap 6/3/1905

by Scott Fennessy

The Cubs are still just percentage points behind the Giants in the chase for the NL pennant, and face the Pirates in the final game of their road trip.

Pittsburgh, PA 6/3/1905

Exposition Park

The Cubs who have played a string of close games lately face the Pirates who are playing 500 ball as only they can do. They never win a lot in a row, nor do they lose a lot in a row. Several key players have been underperforming and injuries have also hurt their cause, so manager Frank Chance was quoted before the game as saying “We can’t drop our guard against these boys, or they will beat your for sure”. Mordecai Brown faces Charlie Case. Case has not pitched well lately and needs a good performance while Brown has started picking up steam.

The Cubs go down 1-2-3 for probably the first time in over a month, and after back up Bob Ganley who is having a solid year covering for injured players and giving players time off strokes a single to left and scores on Clancey’s RBI double, and for the first time in over a week the opposition scores first, and the bucs lead 1-0.

The lead is short lived, as Joe Tinker, who is showing signs of coming out of his year long slump hits a one hop right at Tom Leach who boots it and Tinker is aboard. Chance sends him on the hit and run and “Wildfire” Schulte who is starting to come around ropes a double to tie the game at 1. The score is still tied in the bottom of the 4th when Brown unravels a bit and with 2 out walks Hillenbrand, and Pietz who is subbing today ropes an RBI double to regain the lead. Brown walks the pitcher Case, then loses control on a fastball and hits Ginger Beaumont but Ganley whiffs and the inning ends. The Cubs get a 2 out rally of their own in the 5th with Maloney and Evers (with all due respect to Bobby Dernier and Ryne Sandberg) the “daily double” comes through again with their single, steal second, RBI single formula to tie the game again. There is no further offense as both pitchers allow NO hits for the next three innings, and then the bottom falls out for Case in the 9th as Tinker reaches on an error again, Schulte is drilled as payback for Beaumonts earlier beaning. Chance is not happy, but stays in the dugout. Hans Lobert, who really does not have much of a hitters card has done surprisingly well in his rare appearances rips an RBI single to take the lead. Two outs later Maloney breaks it open with a 2 RBI single. Brown retires the side in the ninth for the 5-2 Cub victory keeping them just behind New York.

Brown gets the win, although he was very wild today, 2 walks and two HBP, but the defense was stellar with no errors and with only 4 hits the Pirates still threatened but came up short. That said, Brown did retire the last 16 hitters after Kling and Chance came to the mound and calmed him down. Case had another typical outing with 5 runs on 5 hits, walking 3 and striking out 4. Pittsburgh defense really cost them today as 4 of the runs were after errors that opened the door.