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Saturday, June 17, 1876
Prior to today's game, New York Mutuals pitcher Candy Cummings had started in 77 major league games. In those games, Cummings had yielded a lifetime total of 2 home runs.
Meanwhile, Chicago's new sensation Holly Hollingshead had had 177 career at-bats, and had hit no home runs.
All that changed today, as Hollingshead went 4 for 4 against the Mutuals in New York, with two singles, a sacrifice bunt, and TWO home runs. He hit his first career home run in the top of the first inning off of Cummings to give the White Stockings a 1-0 lead. Then, in the top of the third, he hit a key sacrifice bunt that contributed to a two-run inning to make it 3-0. In the top of the fifth, he got a single in another two-run inning to give Chicago a 5-0 lead. Then, in the top of the sixth, he hit a second home run off of the stunned Cummings. This one was a two-run shot to make it a 7-0 game. After the Mutuals pulled to within 7-4, Hollingshead got one more single in the top of the ninth, as the White Stockings added three more insurance runs, to make the final total of the game 10-4.
National League pitchers are beginning to wonder how Chicago knew about this Hollingshead character, and where he's been before this year.
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