World's Series Game 2
This was supposed to be a sweep. Following the surprising upset, we heard all kinds of things from the Boston Beaneaters ownership. The players were rusty after taking a week and a half off and waiting for the Americans to finish their season. The Washington brass had gotten to the umpires in their own stadium. The Nationals just got lucky. We have to be honest: we didn't see too much rust, bad calls, or luck in Game 1. We just saw one team wipe the floor with another.
Whatever led to the outcome of the first game, the Beaneaters sent portly right-hander Scott "Undertall" Hight (23-14, 3.28) to the mound for the second game. Hight lacked a great fastball but got hitters out by changing speeds and moving the ball around the plate. This year, he'd developed an out pitch in the nickel curve. It could not be said that he was a small man. His opponent was Brian "Heavy" Pike (20-11, 1.76), who, ironically enough, was the lighter of the combatants. Actually, his nickname had more to do with his fastball than his girth - on the season, he gave up just 1 home run and yielded a .254 opponents' slugging average.
Lineups
Boston
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Munger, RF
Glass, 3B
Merwin, CF
Amill, 2B
McNeice, 1B
Dean, LF
Johnson, SS
Patterson, C
Hight, RHP
Washington
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Pendergest, RF
Pollaiuolo, C
Randles, 3B
Young, 1B
Don Croom, 2B (.264, 43 G, 9 XBH)
Trafford, SS
Hollar, LF
D'Annunzio, CF
Pike, RHP
One change to the Nationals' lineup: with McMartin not able to see straight, Don Croom took over at second base with, like the game before, Woody Randles sliding over to the hot corner. McMartin had missed about a month during the season and this was how the Nationals worked around it then as well.
Brian Pike labored early, giving up 3 hits and 2 bases on balls in the first 2 innings. In the second, all those runners ended up hurting him, as with the bases loaded and a man out the pitcher Scott Hight hit a lazy grounder towards second that Don Croom was just barely able to turn into an out. On the play, Eric McNeice scored. 1-0 Boston.
Boston added 3 more runs in the 6th off of a throwing error by Don Croom, base hits by Nelson Johnson and Eric McNeice, and a bases-clearing double by Bradley Patterson. In the meantime, Scott Hight was absolutely shutting down the home team. Through 5 innings, he had yet to yield a hit, and only a Raphael Pollaiulolo single with 2 outs in the 6th kept his streak from going any further.
Ben Hollar broke up the shutout as well in the 7th by driving home Bill Young on a base hit. Still, it was clear that the Nationals were going to have a lot of problems scoring runs off of Scott Hight and perhaps the Beaneaters in general now that they were without their cleanup hitter. The 8th and 9th innings went by uneventfully and suddenly the tables had been turned: Boston had won 1 of 2 in the nation's capital and could end the series without having to return there with 3 wins in Beantown.
Code:
Wednesday, October 9th, 1901
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Boston Beaneaters 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 4 8 2
Washington Nationals 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 2
Boston AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
W. Munger RF 5 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 0 0
R. Glass 3B 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .625 0 1
E. Merwin CF 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .143 0 0
L. Amill 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .111 1 2
E. McNeice 1B 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 .250 0 0
D. Dean LF 3 1 2 1 1 1 0 .429 0 1
N. Johnson SS 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 .500 0 1
B. Patterson C 4 0 1 2 0 1 3 .250 0 2
S. Hight P 4 0 0 1 0 0 3 .000 0 1
Totals 35 4 8 4 2 4 14
BATTING
Doubles: B. Patterson (2, 6th Inning off B. Pike, 2 on, 2 outs)
Total Bases: R. Glass 2, B. Patterson 2, N. Johnson 2, D. Dean 2, E. McNeice
2-out RBI: B. Patterson, D. Dean
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: W. Munger, L. Amill, S. Hight
GIDP: L. Amill
Team LOB: 7
BASERUNNING
CS: D. Dean (1)
FIELDING
Errors: L. Amill 2
Double Plays: 1 (McNeice-Johnson)
Washington AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
B. Pendergst RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333 0 1
R. Pollaiuolo C 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 .333 0 2
W. Randles 3B 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .333 0 2
B. Young 1B 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .222 0 0
D. Croom 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 0 0
J. Trafford SS 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .375 0 1
B. Hollar LF 3 0 1 1 0 0 3 .500 0 2
I. D'Annnzio CF 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 .125 0 0
B. Pike P 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 0
Totals 32 1 4 1 1 3 13
BATTING
Total Bases: B. Young, W. Randles, B. Hollar, R. Pollaiuolo
2-out RBI: B. Hollar
GIDP: B. Hollar
Team LOB: 7
FIELDING
Errors: J. Trafford , D. Croom
Double Plays: 1 (Trafford-Young)
Boston IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
S. Hight W (1-0) 9.0 4 1 1 1 3 0 111 76 1.00
PITCHING
Game Score: S. Hight 77
Batters Faced: S. Hight 34
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Hight 7-16
Pitches - Strikes: S. Hight 111-76
HB: S. Hight
Washington IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
B. Pike L (0-1) 9.0 8 4 1 2 4 0 150 91 1.00
PITCHING
Game Score: B. Pike 63
Batters Faced: B. Pike 37
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Pike 17-4
Pitches - Strikes: B. Pike 150-91