Lefty Grove Leads Athletics Sweep as Phillies Stun Giants Twice on July 5, 1926
Lefty Grove struck out 14 Yankees during an Athletics doubleheader sweep, the Phillies swept the Giants at the Polo Grounds, and Brooklyn salvaged a split in Boston on July 5, 1926.
Content from the NY Daily News - Tuesday July 6, 1926
In This Edition
- Yanks Southpawed to Double Defeat
- Giants Blow Two, Count 'Em, Two Jousts to Phils
- Dodgers Divide Double Header in Boston Town
YANKS SOUTHPAWED TO DOUBLE DEFEAT
Lefty Grove Fans Fourteen In Two Games.
By MARSHALL HUNT.
Philadelphia, July 5.—On this, a festal day commemorating, allegedly, the birth of independence in our fair land, a day when there should be no suggestion of tyrannous oppression and there should be merriment and rejoicing on all hands, on this day, as we began this chronicle, gloom was deep among the Yankees and they were heavy with melancholy.
Heavenly days!
It is difficult to radiate joy when you lose two baseball games within eight hours and that's precisely what the Yankees did this depressing holiday, losing the morning game to the Athletics by a score of 2 to 1 (one of the best pitching games these aging eyes have seen in many a week) and then Walter Beall, the wild man of Washington, proceeded to pass so many people in the afternoon game that the A's couldn't very well help winning, 6 to 3.
A familiar name adorns the second New York box score today—that of Aaron Ward—for Mark Koenig has to do penance for his errancies. Signor Tony Lazzeri has been pushed over to short and Aaron Ward has been dusted off and oiled for duty at second—the first real switch Miller Huggins has made in his lineup since the season opened.
What a man is this Lefty Grove! Triumphant in the morning game, he returned in the afternoon engagement to succor his ailing pitching colleagues, and throughout the day he struck out fourteen Yankees.
Beall was guilty of two wild pitches in the second inning of the afternoon game and he forced in two of three runs in the sixth by his reckless use of passes.
The second game began in the rain and was held up half an hour in the fourth just after a single by Tony Lazzeri had tied the score at 1 to 1.
It was resumed, but the rain continued, slackened only a little.
Never could the Yankees do much with three southpaws—Rube Walberg, Eddie Rommel Pate and Grove.
Back into the lineup of the afternoon game was thrust the ailing Babe Ruth by the desperate Miller Huggins, and Lefty Grove was to fan him in the eighth, the second time during the day, for the pinch-hitting Bambino had also struck out in the morning.
The A's made only four hits in the afternoon, but why hit when Beall and Herb McQuaid were throwing out bases on balls with amazing prodigality?
Eight games have the Yankees played in Philadelphia this season and seven have they lost!
GIANTS BLOW TWO, COUNT 'EM, TWO JOUSTS TO PHILS
By WILL MURPHY.
The Giants lost two games to the Phillies before 35,000 people up at the Polo Grounds yesterday afternoon. The scores were 6–3 and 5–4.
In both instances the Phils smacked the Giant's starting pitcher for all their runs and then devoted themselves entirely to defense, at which they revealed unsuspected talents. Barney Friberg, Heinie Sand and Johnny Mokan starred afield.
Lotta Homers.
Cy Williams, Fred Leach and Butch Henline hit homers in the first game off Kent Greenfield before he was finally taken out in the third inning. After that the efforts of the Giants didn't matter, as Hal Carlson had them licked. Jack Scott had to waste six innings of fine relief pitching.
Freddie Lindstrom socked a homer in the first inning with Heinie Mueller aboard.
Virgil Barnes was the sufferer in the second stretch. He was also lifted in the third after the Phils had rapped him for five runs, for which Paul Florence's three errors bear a lot of blame.
Pardon Came Too Late.
Freddie Fitzsimmons, Red Ring and Charlie Davies all blanked the Fletchermen after that. The McGraws knocked Elmer Knight off the slab, accepted a gift run from Claude Willoughby, but were helpless before the southpaw spitballer, Clarence Mitchell, although they had plenty of chances.
Ross Youngs cracked a homer in the fifth with the persistent Mueller on base, but otherwise the Giants were a feeble lot when hits would count.
The Giants will not play a league game at the Polo Grounds until July 27. There have been no public protests over their departure.
The big Matty Day celebration will be held at the Polo Grounds tomorrow, with an exhibition game between the Giants and the Senators.
DODGERS DIVIDE DOUBLE HEADER IN BOSTON TOWN
By CHARLES HOERTER.
Boston, July 5.—The holiday was a great financial success for the Dodgers and Braves here today. Fully 15,000 fans, a goodly crowd for Boston, turned out to see the two clubs split a double header. The Braves won the first, 5 to 4, and the Dodgers the second, 14 to 5.
Aside from some brilliant relief pitching of Rube Ehrhardt, the second encounter was nothing to brag about. It was just a succession of runs, hit pitchers and extra players.
Bob, He Blows.
Bob McGraw started for the Dodgers but couldn't stand prosperity. His teammates banged out seven runs in the opening inning, but Bob was driven from the mound in the Braves' half, and replaced by Ehrhardt, who pitched fine ball for the remainder of the game.
Jess Petty twirled the first game, and, although he didn't do so badly, he suffered a lapse in the sixth inning, when he walked two batters, which cost him the game. The Braves made three of their seven hits figure in all their scoring.
Lotta Hitting Wasted.
The Dodgers slammed out twelve hits off the combined offerings of Joe Genewich and Bob Smith, most of them by Babe Herman and Buck Wheat, who got three each, and Dick Cox and Charlie Hargreaves, each of whom got two.
After holding the lead for six innings, due to some lusty clouting in the first and third frames, the Dodgers lost the lead for good in the Braves' half of the sixth. With one out, Andy High and Ike Burrus walked. Dave Bancroft tripled, scoring the two runners, and tallied himself when Wheat threw wild on the relay to third.
The scores:
