Game 20, Monday, April 28, 1924

The photograph above is from a Tuesday, April 29, 1924 edition of the Seattle Daily Times. I’m not sure which edition, probably an early one since it details the previous day’s games. They had a new ‘long-range’ camera that year they had nicknamed Aunt Eppie. I’m pretty sure that has to do with the size of the camera. Aunt Eppie was also a recurring character in the Toonerville strips which appeared on the sports pages of the time. Could also be from some other cultural source, but I am not well read enough to know that..yet. The photo above is from the Monday, April 28, game between the Seattle Indians and visiting Sacramento Senators. This game was the final one is their 7 game weeklong series. In the PCL of the time, teams played each other each week for a weeklong series, and often used Monday as the travel day between series. In this instance, the game was played on the Monday since Sacramento only had to travel to Portland for its next series. The Indians’ next opponent was the Salt Lake City Bees, who would be coming up from Portland.

Here is the caption for the exciting photo essay: “Aunt Eppie disagreed with the Seattle fans and the Sacramento players in yesterday’s game between the Indians and the Solons. Her first effort (Photograph No. 2) shows that Billy Lane was out at second in the first inning when he tried to steal after a pitch out had spoiled Sammy Crane’s chance at the hit and run. McGinnis is putting the ball on Lane, who is still two feet from the base. Her second effort (No. 3) shows that McNeeley ran out of the base line to avoid being touched by Elmer Bowman, whereupon Umpire Carroll called him out, much to the disgust of the Sacramento players. 1-Earl McNeeley, star of the Solon attack and defense in the series which closed yesterday. 4-M. H. Sexton, head of the minor baseball leagues, who will be a Seattle visitor Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”  I’ve cropped the picture of Sexton and put it off to the side. For more about Sexton and his history with the game, read here.

Canfield Tames Ambitious Indians

Tribe Wastes Its Hits and Loses 4 to 1

Steuland’s Wildness Has Him in Trouble-Seattle Has Men on Bases in Every Inning Off Southpaw.

THE Seattle tribe lost a baseball game yesterday 4 to 1, the left-handed shoots of young Mr. Carroll Canfield of Sacramento taming them effectively in the well known pinches. Canfield allowed eleven hits, walked two men and his mates made a pair of boots behind him, yet he emerged with only one run scored off him in nine innings.

The small Monday crowd was kept constantly in hot water by the display of the Indians. Every minute it thought runs were going to come trooping across the platter in droves, but in every minute but one it got fooled.

Opposed to Canfield was George Steuland, coming back after having pitched on Friday. George was wild-not so awfully wild, to be sure, but just wild enough to give a smart team like the Senators plenty of opportunities. His big curve was missing the corners by inches and the Solons, up there letting everything go by until they absolutely had to hit, worked him for six bases on balls in as many innings.

Steuland is Cool.

In spite of his trouble with his control Steuland looked exceptionally good on the mound. He is as cool as a cucumber in the pinches, has every faith in his own aility to pull out of holes with ordinary support, and did pull out of several such predicaments by some nice work.

Kopp scored the first run on him when he poked the ball into left field for a single with the count of three and one on him. He stole second. Crane held him there while he threw out Hemingway, but Siglin doubled to left on a three and two count scoring the fleet “Koppie”.

Two walks to Hemingway and Siglin in the fifth were wiped out with a speedy double play, Ted Baldwin to Brady to Bowman, but in the sixth another base on balls, to Cochrane, paved the way for a pair of runs. Mollwitz sacrificed and McNeeley dropped a Texas League double on the right field foul line for a run. McGinnis poked another Texas leaguer over second and McNeeley, setting sail for the plate, scored when Billy Lane was unable to hold the catch, made at his shoe tops and at full speed.

The last Solon run came on a good clean shot across second by Shea, Cochrane’s force of him, Mollwitz’s sharp single, and a ball that took a bad bound off Ted Baldwin’s shoulder, and McNeeley’s sacrifice fly to Rohwer.

McNeeley Has Big Week

This lad McNeeley, by the way, had a wonderful week here.

In seven games he scored ten runs on twelve hits, for an average of .444.

He handled 25 chances in center field, eight in Sunday’s second game and five more yesterday.

He looks like the best bet in Sacramento’s outfield.

Indians Waste Hits

While the Solons were making the most out of the little they drew, the Indians, with Mr. Canfield acting as the chief drawback to their ambitions, were wasting aplenty. They had men on base in every inning, yet were able to push a man over that last rubber platter but once in the nine.

The Solons outsmarted them right off the bat after Billy Lane had opened with a single. A pitch-out with Crane at bat caused Lane to be nipped stealing, and with a poor throw at that. Billy started his slide too soon and didn’t quite make the bag.

Incidentally, it was the first time all week that Cliff Brady had failed to sacrifice, two fouls forcing him to hit, whereupon he flied out.

Crane followed with a single to left, stole second, but died there when Brick Eldred grounded out.

Brick, the chief of the Sand Blowers, finished an unbroken run of hitless times at bat of ten with yesterday’s game.

Bowman opened the second with a beaten-out bund, much to the surprise of the natives, who have figured him slow. It was perfectly placed. Rohwer forced him, then was picked off stealing, following which Ed Hemingway kicked Ted Baldwin’s ground ball. Earl Baldwin forced him.

Canfield got the first two men up in the next two innings, so that Brady’s single in the third and a walk and a beautifully executed hit and run play by Ted Baldwin on the hitting end and Ray Rohwer on the running end were wasted when Crane and Earl Baldwin couldn’t deliver.

Lane and Brady singled together in the fifth, but Crane and Eldred failed.

Rohwer walked again with one out in the sixth, but the Baldwins flew out.

The one Indian run came in the seventh, when Lane and Brady again singled together, Lane taking third on Hemingway’s high throw. Crane’s sacrifice fly scored Lane.

Bowman singled to open the eighth, but a signal “ball up” caused him to go out stealing.

Grimly the Indians held on and staged a young rally in the ninth. Earl Baldwin singled to start things. George Cutshaw, who had won Sunday’s first game with a pinch blow, batted for Steuland and walked. Emmer and Jimmy Welsh, both fleet of foot, were put in to run for the pair, but Lane and Brady had run out of hits by this time and Same Crane popped to Mollwitz.

Brucker Sees Game

Earl Brucker, rookie catcher, hurt in Sunday’s second game, watched the game from the grandstand.

Dr. A. Rocke Robertson, who had attended him, released him from the hospital at noon yesterday, supposing he’d go to his hotel and stay.

Brucker would probably have asked for a uniform if he hadn’t been met with the reception he was. He still a bit dizzy, but expects to be in a suit again perhaps today or tomorrow.

Two Pitchers Hurt.

Two Indian pitchers, Bill Plummer and Harvey (“Suds”) Sutherland, are on the hospital list yet, though Sutherland may be able to work this afternoon. Plummer’s arm is bound up with an injured tendon in the elbow, while Sutherland has been bothered with an ankle injured rounding first base in the opening game.

Steuland came back after only two days of rest for the game yesterday, but he is strong enough to carry considerable work, and will probably get it. Vean Gregg and Wheezer Dell will probably start early games against the Salt Lake Bees, who arrived here this morning to start a seven game series this afternoon.