[Dean Gordon]

I forgot to post this when it happened, but remembered....

This is from the 1917 North American Baseball League North American Baseball League World Series....

Game 1 Bill Chappelle vs Joe Williams
In perhaps the best game in World Series History, Bill Chappelle of the Giants took to the mound against Smokey Joe Williams. Both pitchers were incredible and the hitters for each side were baffled all day long. Each team had a scoring threat in the first inning due to walks. Del Paddock earned a free pass from Williams with two down in the first and stole second. George Cutshaw had a duck on the pond, but could not bring home the run, flying out to Wolter in right. Cobb also walked and stole second with two out but Del Pratt could not bring him home, popping out to the catcher. That was the end of baserunners until the New York 4th, when Cutshaw walked with two outs. Williams was unfazed and induced Ted Easterly into popping out.
The White Sox allowed another two out baserunner when Giant SS Ernie Johnson reached on an error by Pratt. It was up to Chappelle to break the deadlock but Williams struck him out swining. With the score still tied at zero, Chappelle's streak of 12 consecutive batters retired was broken by a walk to Tillie Shafer. Mack send Shafer in motion and the third bagger stole second. Enos Kirkpatrick grounded weakly to third to end the inning. Both pitchers had no-hit shutouts entering the 7th. The first hit of the game was a surrendered by Smokey Joe in that inning. A single by Heinie Zimmerman past Del Gainer down the line gave New York another two out opportunity, but that too was squandered. Chappelle allowed a baserunner in the 8th, his third walk of the game but the White Sox could do no more and remained hitless. Williams shut down the opposition until a 9th inning error by Kirkpatrick put a runner on second. Mack then ordered an intention walk to the left-handed Paddock. Williams made the idea look brilliant by inducing Cutshaw into an around the horn 5-4-3 double play. With the runner now on third, Easterly flied meekly to right ending the threat. Through 9 innings, the game had seen only 1 hit and no runs.

Extra innings went by fast with nothing serious until the 14th. Williams seemed to lose a bit of velocity, but still had surrended only 2 hits, both singles. Leading off the 14th, Chappelle knocked one back through the box for the team's 3rd hit of the day. The Giants then attempted to avoid the double play by sending Chappelle on a hit and run. The strategy was brilliant as Braggo Roth made contact and while he was forced out at first, Chappelle was on second with one out. Grover Gilmore, who had a hit in the 9th, was unable to move Chappelle onto third as he flied out. To the plate stepped Del Paddock. Mack had called for the intentional walk when Paddock batted in the 9th but had decided he had ask enough of Smokey Joe Williams for the day and brought in southpaw Eppa Rixey to create a lefty on lefty matchup. Paddock, who played in only 38 games during the season after being a regular in 1916, came through with a crucial base hit, allowing Chappelle to score the game's lone run. Chappelle then set down the White Sox in order to preserve his no-hitter and win the game 1-0.

Game 2 Jack Coombs vs Lou Schettler
Jack Coombs had quite the act to follow, as his teammate Bill Chappelle had thrown a no-hitter in Game 1. This game was remarkably similiar to the first one. New York had the first threat of the game as Joe Birmingham walked to lead off the top of the 3rd. Ernie Johnson dropped a sacrifice bunt to put Birmingham at second. Ty Cobb then dropped Jack Coombs shallow fly ball and runners were on first and third with just one out. Unfortunately for New York, Braggo Roth and Grover Gilmore could not bring home either runner and the game remained knotted at zero. The White Sox were still hitless but had a two out threat in the 4th. Cobb walked and stole second. Del Pratt then reached as his grounder got the best of Enos Kirkpatrick. With two on, Bobby Veach failed to produce and the game was still scoreless. Braggo Roth registered the game's first hit with a two base safety in the 6th but he was stranded as well. Coombs and Schettler were matching their counterparts from the previous days game through 11 innings. Coombs still had a no-hitter on the line while Schettler kept the Giants off the board. In the 11th, it was once again the Giants pitcher that broke the game open. Birmingham reached on a infield hit and went to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. Doc Miller was brought in to lay down a bunt and put Miller on third. Coombs, due to his amazing pitching, was left in to bat. He roped a liner towards by the first base bag to score Birmingham and take the lead 1-0. Coombs then held the White Sox hitless for the 25th consecutive inning to give the Giants a 2-0 lead heading to New York.

Game 3 Wilbur Cooper vs Bill Burns
The White Sox shaked the hitting demons that existed back home and got their first hit and first run of the series thanks to a triple by Del Gainer that was preceded by a Harry Wolter walk. A Ty Cobb groundout brought Gainer home to give the Sox a 2-0 lead, their first of the series. That was the end of the offense for the game. A Ted Easterly single in the 6th prevented Wilbur Cooper from registering the third no-hitter of the Series. But that was the only hit Cooper surrendered and the White Sox won 2-0 and trailed in the Series 2 games to 1.

Game 4 Red Faber vs Bill Chappelle
The Sox showed that Chappelle is human, ending his hitless streak at 15 in the 2nd. Veach doubled with 1 out and one batter later, Tillie Shafer tripled to give the visiting Sox a 1-0 lead. The Giants got that run back in the bottom half of the inning. George Cutshaw singled to lead it off, stole second, and reached third with a ground out by Ted Easterly. Heinie Zimmerman grounded out to second to bring Cutshaw home and tie the game at 1. It stayed that way until the 10th when the Sox started a two out rally. Enos Kirkpatrick reached on an error and Faber followed with a single. Wolter singled scoring Kirkpatrick but was caught stealing second to end the inning. The move proved not to be costly as Faber surrendered only a single in the 10th to end the game and tie the Series at 2 games a piece.

Game 5 Joe Williams vs Jack Coombs
The White Sox had streaks on their side. They had just beaten one of the pitchers that no-hit them and now were facing the other and the visiting team had won every game of the Series. Coombs seemed to have another no-hitter going as he increased his hitless steak to 15 innings. Once again, in the 16th inning of a pitcher's no-hit streak, the White Sox break out. Eddie Ainsmith led of the 5th with a single to right. Tillie Shafer followed with a bunt single. A Kirkpatrick bunt put runners at second and third only one down. Joe Williams took it upon himself to keep the game from going scoreless again and singled home both runner to give his team the 2-0 lead. Joe Williams made the game that way and kept it that way, blanking the Giants the rest of the way, earning the 2-0 win. That sent the Series back to Chicago with the White Sox holding a 3-2 lead and having all the momentum on their side.

Game 6 Bill Burns vs Lou Schettler
The White Sox got their first hit at home of the series on a Eddie Ainsmith triple in the 2nd but failed to score. The Giants got on the board in the 6th. Ernie Johnson lead off with a walk. He stole second and took third on Burns' sacrifice. Braggo Roth walked bringing Grover Gilmore to the plate. Roth decides to steal second and Ainsmith throws the ball away. Johnson trots home and Roth scampers onto third as the Giants lead 1-0. Gilmore extends the lead to 2-0 with a single. Bill Burns retires the next 12 White Sox in order to send the Series to Game 7.

Game 7 Bill Chappelle vs Wilbur Cooper
Another pitcher's duel in expected. Bill Chappelle threw a no-hitter in his first start of the series and Wilbur Cooper tossed a one-hitter of his own. Both pitchers decided that they would not cost their team the World Series. The game went to the 9th inning and both teams were not only scoreless, but hitless as well. The only baserunners to reach off Cooper were due to errors and the 9th was no different. He put the Giants down in order. Chappelle took to the mound in the bottom of the 9th. Harry Wolter led off with a dribbler to the side of the mound. Chappelle should have held on to the ball, but tried to make the play anyway and threw the ball away. Wolter, credited with a hit, was now at second and Cy Young had seen enough. Apparantly thinking Chappelle would be affected by the error and anticipating a bunt from Del Gainer, Cy brought in Glenn Liebhart. Liebhart is a groundball pitcher and Cy wanted to set up a double play situation by walking Ty Cobb after the expected bunt. Cy was exactly right. Del Gainer bunted Wolter to third and Cobb was walked. Now all Liebhart had to do was induce the groundball for a double play. Pratt complied and rolled one to third. Shafer grabbed it, went to second for the first out. Cobb, hustling as always, barrelled into second and took out second baseman George Cutshaw with what is undoubtedly the slide of the century. Cutshaw's throw to first was not in time and Wolter scored the winning run. Chicago wins the Series on Wilbur Cooper's no-hitter. Some people question whether Cy should have also walked Pratt but he seemingly made the right decision. While pitching was certainly prominent, the World Series was won on Cobb's hustle.

World Series MVP goes to Wilbur Cooper, who went 2-0 with 18 IP, 1 H, 1BB, 15K, and of course, the Game 7 no-hitter to clinch the Series.