Ty Cobb Suspends Ken Holloway as Browns Push Tigers Into Second Division
Ty Cobb suspended pitcher Ken Holloway, George Sisler stole home in a pivotal Browns victory, Grantland Rice weighed in on the Yankees, and George Kelly’s two homers powered the Giants past Philadelphia.
Coverage from The Detroit Free Press - June 2, 1926
In This Edition
- Holloway Is Suspended And Sent To Detroit
- Browns Gain Edge in Seventh Inning
- Sport Light by Grantland Rice
- Around the League
- Advertisements
Holloway Is Suspended And Sent To Detroit
Failure to Get in Condition Causes Last Year's Pitching Ace to Be Set Down by Manager Ty Cobb.
BY HARRY BULLION.
ST. LOUIS, June 1.—Troubles that beset Kenneth Holloway in the second game of the double-header Memorial Day didn't end then.
This afternoon the pitcher was ordered to go to Detroit and consider himself suspended until he felt he was in sufficiently good condition to give the club his best efforts.
Manager Cobb's act was the upshot of Holloway's poor work in the second and third innings, letting the Browns wipe out a five run lead that the Tigers had established. Lack of condition has handicapped Holloway ever since the season started and Cobb declared today that the pitcher could either get in shape in a hurry or consider himself erased from the pay-roll until he did.
Holloway is a better pitcher than his record this year would indicate. Cobb said that there is no reason for his condition except that he willfully shirked work. "Holloway owes it to the owners of the club, to me, to the players and the fans, to give the best that's in him," said Cobb, "and I don't propose to be forced to explain why he isn't doing his best."
Charley Robertson, who once beat the Tigers without letting one man reach first base, started for the Browns today and lasted one inning. He passed three men in the second inning after Harry Heilmann singled and forced in a run before anybody was out.
Cobb "came up" with a sore back today and elected to stay out of the game. Bob Fothergill, who was second in the race for batting honors before this afternoon's joust, played the middle field in the Georgian's place.
The people here got all the baseball they wanted on Monday. There was not enough blue in the park this afternoon to wad a gun.
Quick connections were made tonight for Cleveland. The Tigers just had about time to take a shower and jump into their street clothes and tumble into taxis for the train.
Members of the White Sox, having an off day, watched the game from a place near the Tigers' dugout. Ball players are like London, England, cabmen. They ride with the other fellows when off duty. Bibb Falk watched his brother Chester Falk perform on the rubber.
Ban Johnson didn't get enough of the games Monday and he was back again this afternoon. It is said that Johnson is here to talk over alleged managerial troubles that affect George Sisler.
Elam Van Gilder pitched one ball to Fothergill starting the seventh inning, and Bob hit it into the left field bleachers for a home run. All of the bulky outfielder's weight was behind the wallop.
After hitting for Gibson, Marty O'Rourke went to second base and Warren Collins took up the pitching burden. That made O'Rourke bat in the pitcher's place and Collins in the place that Charlie Gehringer vacated.
The defeat sent the Tigers to the second division just one game behind the White Sox, who advanced though idle.
Sisler's men now have won seven out of their last eight games.
Three St. Louis pitchers, Robertson, Falk and Van Gilder, issued ten free tickets, but only two of them resulted in runs. Robertson and Falk each issued four and the other two were given by Van Gilder.
Sisler made one of the cleanest thefts of home ever registered against the Tigers. With two down in the seventh Collins paused in his delivery and the Brownie pilot taking advantage of the pause in Rip's windup, dashed for home and made it eased up.
Tavener made two bad miscues, the midget infielder evidently experiencing an off day. He let Baby Doll Jacobson's poke go through his legs in the seventh and the error killed a double play, advancing two runners, both of whom later scored on a single by Walter Gerber.
BROWNS GAIN EDGE IN SEVENTH INNING
Score Three Times in This Period When Bengals’ Defense Cracks—Theft of Home by George Sisler and Jack Tavener’s Error Decide Outcome—Both Sides Use Three Pitchers.
BY HARRY BULLION.
St. Louis, June 1.—The Tigers slid gently but firmly and officially down to the second division when they failed to take advantage of minor league pitching by the Browns and were beaten in the closing game of the series today, 9 to 7.
They were given 10 free tickets to first base by Charley Robertson, Chester Falk and Elam Van Gilder, but only two of the passes sprouted into runs. While the Browns' flingers were extremely generous with their passes they were exceptionally stingy with base hits, holding Ty Cobb's heavy artillery to seven scattered safeties, and scattered they were.
In only the sixth inning did the Tiger attack explode. Then it splashed forth with four big runs that tied the totals, after a handicap of a 6-to-2 score. And when Bob Fothergill poled his first home run of the season on the first ball delivered by Van Gilder in the seventh inning the Tigers were prancing in front.
Tavener’s Error Hurts
With the Nationals idle, the Tigers saw a chance to pick up a few points on "Bucky Harris"'s world champions, residing in third place. But the end had not been reached, and the Browns came back in their half with some snappy work and aided by a horrible miscue by Tavener not only tied the score but took the lead that they carried to the bitter finish.
Two Tigers especially were lapse in their defense while the Browns were stepping around to their winning rally. Warren Collins had two down with Sisler on third in the seventh. He paused, hesitated and delayed in his windup. Sisler jumped at the opportunity, dashed away from third and completed one of the cleanest steals of home ever put over against the Tigers. He crossed the plate before Johnny Manion had a chance to squeeze the pitch from Collins and apply it to his spikes.
A single from Marty McManus followed. Baby Doll Jacobson dribbled a simple roller down to Tavener, who had two chances to close the inning. He had the force on McManus at second and the awkward, lumbering Jake galloping down to first base. But the midget missed both openings when he allowed the ball to trickle between his legs and roll to short center, allowing McManus to reach third and Jacobson second.
Walter Gerber, who is hitting for the Browns, lined a clean single to right to score both runners. And the runs registered by McManus and Jacobson proved the winning margin at the finish for the Browns.
Get to Johns Easily
Bill Johns demonstrated at the beginning that he was decidedly off color. Sam Rice, first up, touching him for a single to center. If that were all it would have been well enough, but Fothergill let the ball get past him and Rice ran to third. Chick Galloway Melillo struck out without helping, after which Sisler’s grounder to Neun scored Rice.
Detroit got two in the second before anybody was out. Harry Heilmann singled and Robertson passed the next three, forcing in Heilmann. Falk relieved Robertson and made Johns ground to Melillo, Warner scoring. Neun clubbed a liner to Rice, whose fast return nailed Tavener at the plate.
The Browns got as many in their half and stayed ahead. Bubbles Hargrave singled and stole second. McManus doubled to left, scoring Hargrave. Two outs followed and Falk scored McManus with a single over second. St. Louis went farther in front with a run in the third on Tavener’s error and infield singles by Ken Williams and McManus, and in the fourth on a single by Sisler.
Double Play Stops Tigers
In the meantime the Tigers were not getting anywhere with Falk. Charlie Gehringer hit safely to begin the third, but a force play followed, and after two passes filled the bases, Warner hit into a double play. The fourth and fifth were hitless, the last of which found Gibson pitching instead of Johns.
By some prank of fate, Gibson got the Browns out in this inning and Heilmann opened the sixth with a single to right. Warner dropped a single in left, Heilmann stopping at second.
Tavener forced Warner and put Heilmann up another base. Manion waited for a pass, filling the bases. O'Rourke was substituted to hit for Gibson and drove a double to right, scoring Heilmann and Tavener. Manion moved to third on the blow. Neun kept the advance going with a single to center, scoring Manion and O'Rourke. Then suddenly, as the uprising started it subsided. Gehringer forced Neun at second and Heinie Manush. Collins mounted the rubber when the Browns came up and took the side in one, two, three fashion.
Van Gilder Enters Game
Van Gilder faced the Tigers in the seventh and Fothergill hit the first ball pitched into the left field bleachers for a home run. Heilmann walked and Warner sacrificed. The next two died quickly on lifts to the outposts. The Browns, though, tied the score and went ahead in their half.
Sisler singled and stopped on second when Williams singled. Hargrave hit into a double play, Sisler going to third. On the next pitch Sisler stole home with the tying run. McManus singled. Jacobson popped at Tavener, who let the ball get through him, McManus going to third and Jacobson to second on the error. In that situation, Gerber singled to center, scoring the pair.
Neither side scored in the eighth, that Smith pitched for the Tigers and the ninth opened with the Tigers in need of two to tie, or forever hold their peace. Fothergill was the first victim on a bunch at McManus. Heilmann’s high fly was smothered by Rice, and Warner completed the day with a grounder at McManus.
SPORT LIGHT
By GRANTLAND RICE
The Difference
"In days of old when knights were bold
And barons held their sway,"
They had to fight some rowdy knight
Or serfs who stood at bay;
But in those days of armor plays
No knight of high renown
Was asked to sink putts from the brink
When he was 7 down.
In days gone by with battle cry
Knights charged away with verve;
They slashed and cut—but no tough putt
Was there to test the nerve;
But on their rounds no out of bounds
Were glaring, left and right,
Nor water holes to crush their souls
And feed them full of fright.
What About the Yankees?
This seems to be one of the main queries of the day. And therein there is one remarkable feature. Most winning ball clubs have established stars at short and second, one or both. The old Athletics had Jack Barry and Eddie Collins. The Cubs had Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers. Washington had and has Roger Peckinpaugh and Bucky Harris. The Giants of old had Dave Bancroft and Frank Frisch.
Now the Yanks rumble along with two youngsters just out of the miners, and in the rush to the top which Professor Miller Huggins took these youngsters were no secondary factors.
The Yanks got away well because they were hitting the ball, because they were getting good pitching and because they were supporting this pitching in the field. This, at least, is something to start with.
A Word of Warning
Dear Grant:
List among those "who always are taking the joy out of life" Frank Crummit, the sweet singer. While your correspondent was battling to get around Pine Valley in one day and under 150, Ukalali Ike shot a cool 80, missing a two-foot putt on the eighteenth green for a 79.
This should be given wide notice so that other innocents may not fall for the wiles of Mr. Crummit's golf game—that is far removed from the dub class. I understand he will be in attendance at the national open and his friends should leave their clubs at home.
F. J. P.
The Coming Greats
Sir:
Among the best looking "first year" players in the big loop this season is Freddie Spurgeon, who guards the midway for the Cleveland Indians. In less than two months the former Valparaiso college star has many of the American League veterans picking him as the successor to Eddie Collins when the shadows finally envelope that great star.
Spurgeon is a keen fielder, has a fine arm, is fast and courageous. He is hitting well above .300 and is gaining in hitting as the season ages, instead of slipping. He hits to all corners. Hits them short and hits them far and no team can play position on him.
Recently one of the Athletic stars asked:
"Is there anything he can't hit?"
H. J. L.
Publicity
Every college football star who took up professional football, or most of them who did, received enough publicity to satisfy a motion picture star. Nearly.
But if you study the roster of the two big leagues you will find the lists bubbling over with college ball players, most of whom barely received two lines at the time.
There are more college ball players under the Big Tent than any other season has ever known. One club has 13 on the list. Another has 11.
No one pays any attention to this feature because the publicity was light.
Publicity started most of the football uproar, which is something publicity can generally manage to do.
Yet just what is the difference between a collegian playing baseball for a living and football for the same?
The Handicap
We have all been told time and again that balance and rhythm are the basis of good golf.
This is true. But in most instances one might just as well be told that the way to get to the moon is to jump there.
Balance and rhythm belong to certain systems, and they stand well apart from others.
They can be developed, to a certain extent, by practice and close study.
But they can never be developed until the fundamentals are learned and the golfer can depend largely on muscle memory.
It seems to do one little good on certain days, on many days, on most days, to know that rhythm is imperative when everything connected with the swing is jerky—and there is practically nothing one can do about it.
Bob Gardner and Cyril Tolley know what rhythm is, but in their first matches they were out in 48 with a flock of 7s. And there, as Arthur Wellesley remarked to Napoleon Bonaparte, at St. Helena, you are.
Most boxers are overpaid, as one contemporary remarks, but who wouldn't be?
AROUND THE LEAGUE
CUBS OUTBAT CARDS
Chicago, June 1.—(By the Associated Press.)—Chicago defeated St. Louis, 10 to 9, in a game which was featured by five home runs, four of which were made by the Cubs.
Gabby Hartnett made his with the bases filled in the third inning, while Cliff Heathcote cracked a pair with none on.
Ray Brooks smacked the fourth homer for Chicago with one man on in the sixth. Jim Bottomley poled his ninth homer of the season with one man on in the first inning.
KELLY’S BLOWS ASSIST GIANTS TO TRIP PHILS
Two Homers Account for 5 Runs as New York Gains Verdict, 7-6.
MAKES THEM IN ROW
First Comes With Two on Bases—Injury Forces Frisch to Retire.
Philadelphia, June 1—New York made it two straight from Philadelphia today, winning, 7-6, George Kelly’s two home runs in successive turns at bat accounting for five of the Giants’ runs.
Kelly’s first drive drove in two runners in the fifth and one was on base when he hit for the circuit in the seventh.
Captain Frank Frisch of the Giants wrenched his left leg in the second inning and was forced to retire.
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