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Shutouts and shyness
Fostoria House Hotel
Fostoria, Ohio
Miss Kate Black
244 East 6th Street
Dover, Ohio
July 6, 1897
Dear Kate,
I am going to apologize in advance for not writing you a longer letter, but I have very little time before I have to get into bed. We have a curfew of ten o'clock on the night before a game, and Mr. Pace is not a fellow one wants to cross about a thing like that.
I wish you could have seen today's game! I felt good and strong while I was warming up, and my catcher, Jonathan Rakes, told me he had never seen my "stuff" quite so good. We scored two runs early, with the help of one of the new men we got in June, Fred Iversen. He got three hits today. Fred is a young fellow, 20 years old, and he looks like he's a real ball player.
Another man who is new to the team, Colin O'Holohan, hit a nice triple and drove in that Callahan fellow who plays the outfield for us. That Callahan is quite a handy player to have around, I must say. He ran back to the fence and caught a long drive, and saved two runs for me!
I got lucky there, and I guess I got lucky a few more times, too, and I was able to hold the Farmers scoreless. I haven't had a "shutout" since the very first game of the season, so I had almost forgotten how good it feels.
I am sorry to go on and on like that. I know you like base ball, but I promise I will write to you about other things too. Tomorrow, I will write to you again and I will tell you about this very pretty park we pass on our way to the Fostoria grounds. When I pass it, I think about how much I would enjoy walking there with you some time.
We will be back in Dover in two more days. Lafe Keefer is going to pitch that day. I hope he will turn out to be a good addition to the team, since my Pa and I talked Mr. Pace and the Canton bigwigs into giving him a chance.
I hope you and your family are well, and I hope I will see you at the grounds on Tuesday.
Sincerely yours,
Charlie
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