Call to Train Stops Cardinal-Pirate Final in Ninth with Score 3-3

Rogers Hornsby, Blanked for Seven Innings, Square Issue in the Eighth

Singles by George Toporcer and Ray Blades, Hornsby's Sacrifice Fly and Doubles by Jim Bottomley and Billy Southworth Account for Three Runs

By MARTIN J. HALEY. - St. Louis Globe Democrat, Friday June 25, 1926

The Cardinal-Pittsburgh drive to pennantville was stopped by a train yesterday. The train stopped them at 4:38. At that time the Cardinals had ended their ninth inning and, as an agreement had been reached among the officials, prior to the game, that play would be called off at 4:45 in order to permit the Pirates to board an early train for Pittsburgh, the umpires decided that it would be impossible to play another complete inning in the seven minutes which remained between 4:38 and 4:45, so there was nothing for the fans to do but to go home—some of them grumbling.

It might be said that the fans had a grumble coming, because they were not informed of the time agreement until after the game had started. Of course, if any of the fans had so desired they could have had their money refunded at the time they were let in on the secret, but apparently the fans were more loyal than to take that recourse.

An Excellent Ball Game.

By remaining in their 8,000 seats the fans were treated to an excellent ball game, even though it ended in a 3-3 tie. That deadlock did not come to pass until it had appeared as if the Knot Holers were doomed to a shutout defeat. Appearances were such for the simple reason that the Cardinals had been blanked, 3 to 0, on four hits by Ray Kremer for seven innings.

Kremer himself does not deserve the entire credit for holding the Cards scoreless and to four hits for seven-ninths of the contest. Much of the credit for Kremer's showing was due to the Pirate outfielders, who roamed the meadows and went to the walls, taking hit after hit away from the Cardinal batters. However, these same sentrymen were in back of Kremer in the eighth inning and there was no reason to believe that they would not continue to support Kremer as they had for seven innings, and, no doubt, they would have, too, but the Cards changed their mode of attack.

Instead of hitting the ball a mile high and a mile wide, as they had for seven innings, thus giving the Bucco meadowmen ample room in which to pedal their fleet feet, the Cards lined the ball against the walls in the eighth and, by so doing, scored three runs to make the game safe for future business.

That eighth inning assault on Kremer was measured by two singles, two doubles and a sacrifice fly. It remained for a pinch hitter, George Toporcer, to blaze the three-run trail. Batting for Flint Rhem, Toporcer shot a single to right field. It was the first time the leadoff Cardinal batter had reached first base against Kremer. Another precedent was set in another moment, when Ray Blades pumped a hit off the handle to right field. That was Blades' first hit since the Cards returned home.

Fans in Uproar.

By this time, the fans were in an uproar and the 3000 Knot-Hole boys were chanting "there goes your ball game," with the accent on the "your," but the chant was silenced when Taylor Douthit fouled to Catcher Earl Smith. It was renewed with Hornsby at the plate, and the Rajah almost answered the chant right there, but his long drive to right was picked off the wall by Right Fielder Paul Waner. That was putout No. 2, but that putout broke Kremer's shutout by scoring Toporcer from third base, where George had sprinted on Blades' single.

Now here's where the Cards changed their attack. Bottomley and Southworth decided that the only way to overcome Pittsburg's fleet outfield feet was to crash the animated leather against the wall. No sooner decided upon than done, for Sunny Jim lined the ball high against the wall in right center, Blades scoring, and Southworth lined the ball against the dead right-field wall, Bottomley scoring the tying run.

At this stage of the attack, Manager Bill McKechnie was positive that the concrete was too close to the plate for Kremer, so the veteran Babe Adams was wig-wagged to the mound to pitch to Les Bell, and the inning closed when Les hit a long ball to Kiki Cuyler.

In the ninth inning, with Sylvester Johnson on the St. Louis mound, the Pirates were held to one hit. This was a single to right by George Grantham, who perished at first base when Blades went deep into left center for Johnny Moore's clout and when and Charlie Holm fouled to Smith. Frankie O'Farrell flied to Waner, Andy High (Flowers) popped to Pie Traynor and Holm fouled to Smith. Flowers had been inserted to bat for Tom Thevenow and Holm to swing for Johnson.

The Pirates had scored their three runs, one to an inning off Rhem, despite the fact that Rhem yielded only five hits in the eight innings he pitched. Pittsburgh's first run went across in the first inning when Cuyler and Glenn Wright doubled in succession after two were out.

The second inning saw the Bucs add another run. Grantham opened by coaxing a pass. Moore tapped to Rhem and when Flint threw late to second base, the Pirates had two men on with none out. Smith's contribution was a long fly to Douthit, on which Grantham sprinted to third. Moore tried for second on the same play and was cut down when Thevenow intercepted Douthit's throw towards third and relayed to Hornsby in time to get the ball on Moore's spikes before they reached the middle bag. Came Kremer with a pop single to right field, Grantham scoring.

Rhem Gains Mastery.

By this time Rhem had gained complete mastery of his keen assortment and the Pirates did not get another hit until the sixth. This was a tremendous double, which struck the dead centerfield wall 10 feet up. In the writer's memory, only one other player ever hit the center field wall on a fly in Sportsmans Park. The other exception was Babe Ruth, who accomplished the feat three or four years ago. Following Cuyler's soporific sock Wright laid down a bunt for a sacrifice and Traynor drove to Douthit for another sacrifice, Cuyler scoring.

The Cardinals, in their first seven innings, placed only one man as far as second base. O'Farrell gained this distinction in the second, when he singled to left just ahead of Thevenow's single to the same field. There were two dead at the moment, and the chance for a run faded when Rhem bounced out to Moore.

Chicago's Cubs open a four-game series here this afternoon. The Chicago players got in town yesterday morning and were spectators at the well-trained draw.

Sherdel's Turn Today

Bill Sherdel, who has reached the fine form which made him the best left-hander in last year's business, will work for the Cards today. Sheriff Blake or Tony Kaufmann, both right-handers, will fling for the Cubs. Sherdel has pitched twenty-one straight scoreless innings. In his last two outs he blanked the Robins, 4 to 0 and 2 to 0, giving them but two hits last Sunday.

As a result of yesterday's tie, all the first division clubs in the National League marked time, for the Reds and Dodgers were idle. Had the Pirates won, they would have gone ahead of the Reds. As it is, they still are a half game out of the lead and a game ahead of the Cards.

There were numerous fancy fielding plays in yesterday's deadlock, but one stood out above the others. This was Ray Blades' somersaulting catch of Waner's low line drive to left in the fifth. Max Carey made three fine captures, Cuyler and Waner one each. All told, the Bucco outfielders handled ten drives.

Continuing his dazzling defense at second base, Hornsby hung up six assists and three putouts, giving him a total of twenty-two chances without a bobble in three games. Another busy Cardinal infielder yesterday was Thevenow, with eight chances.

Southworth came out of his slump in the nick of time. His eighth-inning double was his first clean hit in the three games at home. He had a scratch hit in Tuesday's encounter.

Sylvester Johnson's luck is getting better. He didn't win, but neither did he lose.

Cardinal pitchers held the Buccos to eighteen hits and eight runs in the three games. Off the Pittsburgh hurlers, the Cards totalled twenty-one hits and ten runs. The Cards also outdid the champions on defense. The Cards played errorless ball in the first and third games and committed only one boot in the second. The Bucs booted once in the first game and twice in the second. Their defense yesterday was spotless, same as the Cards'.