[Big Six]

Note: The events of August 12, 1899 are taken straight from the game log of the Canton-Lima game, I kid you not...

Canton Base Ball Grounds
August 12, 1899

By 11:00 that morning, over a hundred rooters were standing in line outside the Canton ball park. The gates wouldn't open for another two hours, but if you believed the columns in the Advocate, the biggest crowd ever to watch a ballgame in Canton, Ohio was on its way to the park to watch their Watchmakers take on the Lima Terriers.

Canton was tied with Youngstown for first place in the Buckeye League East, and the Watchmakers were sending their ace, Charlie Callahan, to the box. Callahan had already won 19 games, and his 117 strikeouts were thirty more than the next-highest man's total.

Any pitcher, especially one as young as Charlie, would be nervous under these circumstances, and Canton manager Ryan Brock knew that. He wasn't surprised, therefore, to see that Charlie seemed to have the worst case of the jitters he'd ever had.

Charlie was occasionally a bit wild during warmups, but today he couldn't seem to make the ball go where he wanted it to at all. Catcher Ted Cobb stood up and called out to him.

"Is everything OK, Charlie?"

Charlie nodded. "I'm fine," he said, as casually as he could. He had been far from fine, from the moment he saw James Travis standing by the grandstand rail, an ugly, muscular roughneck by his side.

As Charlie sent a fastball humming high and so far outside that Cobb couldn't get his mitt on it, Ryan Brock came out to speak with him. "Try to relax and trust your stuff, Charlie," the manager said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You're the best we have. You don't have to be perfect; just keep us in the game and the batsmen will do the rest."

"Thanks, Skip," Charlie said, managing a smile.

Charlie knew he had done nothing wrong. He hadn't spoken to James Travis since Thursday evening back in Fremont, and he hadn't sent him a telegram. I'm on the up and up, and Josh knows it, at least, Charlie thought.

Travis and that hoodlum he's with still make me nervous, though...

When James Travis didn't hear from Charlie, he decided not to put any money down on the Canton-Lima game at all. He'd considered betting on Canton, since the Watchmakers had their best pitcher in the box against the fifth-place Terriers, but decided he'd wait for a surer thing.

There are far, far surer bets to be made than this one, Travis thought...

Charlie tried to block out the whirlwind of thoughts that raced around his mind as Lima catcher Juan Gonzales stepped in to lead off the game. Throw a strike, Charlie told himself. That will calm you down.

Charlie did just that, but it was too good a strike. Gonzales jumped on it and lined it sharply over shortstop for a single.

The young pitcher wiped his hands on his pants and looked in at the next batter, Luis Mosena. After taking a strike, Mosena tapped a bunt right back at Charlie, who could only snap the ball to first as Gonzales moved into scoring position.

The next Terrier hitter was Greg Poole, one of the league's most exciting young stars. Only 20, Poole was on his way to his second straight .300 season, and he hit with power, too.

Charlie had to work carefully but, just as he did with Gonzales, he made his first pitch too good. Poole turned on the pitch and drove it into the right-field corner. Mosena scored standing up.

At third base, Joshua Spesinger felt a chill run up his spine. He couldn't have...could he?

Josh quicky trotted over to the box. He needed to know that his teammate hadn't changed his mind about dealing with Travis. Catcher Cobb was on his way, too. Damn, Josh thought.

Spesinger reached Charlie first. He had to speak quickly. "You didn't, did you?"

Charlie shook his head just as quickly. "No! I swear to you, Josh. I swear."

Ted Cobb joined them. "What do you swear, Charlie?" he asked.

Again, Spesinger felt sick. What had Cobb heard?

"He swears he feels good, Teddy," Joshua replied quickly.

"Just calm down, kid," Cobb said reassuringly. "Throw to my glove."

Spesinger looked Charlie in the eye. "I believe you," he said with a smile.

The Terriers' cleanup man was Ricardo Alonso. Although he was 39, Alonso was still dangerous, and had been named the Buckeye League's best hitter in July. Alonso smacked a Callahan curveball down to Spesinger at third. Josh looked Poole back to second and fired to first for the out.

"See what I mean?" Cobb grinned as he called out to Charlie again.

To be continued...