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1889 Baseball Season
1889 Baseball Season
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"Hugh S. Fullerton, an expert authority, writing in the American
Magazine for June, 1910, signalizes as the greatest episode in base-ball
history the famous tenth inning in a game played at Columbus, Ohio,
between the home team and the St. Louis. It was the last day of the
season. St. Louis and Brooklyn
were almost a tie for the championship, the situation being as follows:
If both teams lost or both won, St. Louis would capture the pennant for
the fifth consecutive time, an unparalleled record. On the other hand,
Brooklyn could only become champion if on that last day Brooklyn won and
St. Louis lost.
In the early stages of the St. Louis—Columbus game, the victory of
the Brooklyns (playing in the East) was announced. The championship,
therefore, depended on the success or failure of the St. Louis club. One
can imagine the excitement and suspense of the spectators at Columbus and
the fans all over the country when the ninth inning left the two
antagonists close—locked in a tie. St. Louis scored one run in her half
of the tenth mining. More excitement, more suspense. Then came a moment of
almost frantic unrest with two me out and a runner on second base. “Big
Dave“ Orr came to the plate for Columbus. Three balls! Two strikes! The
next ball pitched must decide the greatest game of the base—ball year.
It whirled from time pitchers hand, it was met fair and square by Orr's
bat, it sailed back over center field,—the longest hit, some say, ever
made, and home came the man from second base and home came Big Dave.
That hit decided the American Association race, kept St. Louis from
breaking all records as a pennant winner, and made Dave Orr's name
immortal if base—bail retains its hold to eternity."1
It's a great story. Too bad its not true. David Orr was only with
Columbus one season: 1889. St. Louis did lose out on the third
to last day of the season when Brooklyn beat Orr and Columbus 2-1.
This game them more victories than St. Louis could achieve and the same
number of losses while Brooklyn had less games to play.
Is there any truth to this story at all? Indeed. Some say St. Louis
really lost the pennant on a three game trip to Columbus from August 30 to
September 1st. They dropped all three games to Columbus, which left them a
half game back of Brooklyn. And David Orr hit the 10th inning blast to end
the third game, though newspaper reports suggest it was over the
left-field fence. Nor was it a walk-off shot. This was in the days before
the visiting team had to bat first, and it was only after St. Louis failed
to score in the bottom of the tenth that Big Dave's short-lived
"immortality" could be celebrated.
NOTES:
1. A Handy Book of Curious Information:
Comprising Strange Happenings in the Life of Men and ... - Page 104 by
William Shepard Walsh - 1913.
References
Total
Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia by John Thorn, et al.
2006
ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia by Gary Gillette (Editor), Pete Palmer (Editor).
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