[Big Six]

Boston Globe, October 1, 1927
Special World Series Edition

RED SOX WIN EXTRA-INNING THRILLER; LEAD SERIES 3-0
Hilton Smith Solid in Relief Of Nehf

Special to the Globe by PAT O’FARRELL

I have been fortunate enough to play major league baseball for twenty-one seasons, and I have participated in more than my share of big games. This is the tenth World Series in which I have played, and it seems that so many of the games I remember best have not been decided in nine innings.

Today’s game in Chicago was another of this type. It took eleven innings, some timely hitting by Kiki Cuyler and Johnny Bassler, and wonderful relief pitching by Hilton Smith for us to get the better of the Cubs today.

We scored first, putting two runs over in the second inning. Tony Kauffman pitched for the Cubs, and Lou Gehrig led off the inning with a single. Cuyler belted a long triple, driving in Lou, and Bassler followed with a sacrifice fly.

The Cubs answered with three runs off Nehf in their half of the third. Kauffman helped his own cause with a base hit; Carson Bigbee singled; and Woody English doubled to score Kauffman. That brought up Oscar Charleston, and the crowd rose to its feet when Charleston ripped a long shot to deep centerfield. Fortunately, the wind was blowing stiffly in from the outfield, and the ball held up long enough for Chick Shorten to run it down. Bigbee jogged across the plate, and the score was tied. Things got no easier, however, with Gabby Hartnett coming to the plate. Nehf worked carefully to him, but Gabby punched a single to left, and when English scored, the Cubs had the lead.

Cuyler and Bassler teamed up once again to tie the score for us in the sixth. Kiki lined one into the right field corner, and with his speed, he turned it into a triple. Just as a smart ballplayer should, Bassler came up with the goal of doing anything he could to drive in the run. He took Kaufmann’s pitch right where it was thrown and served a soft line drive into right-center, just over the second baseman’s head. Cuyler scored, and that 3-3 total remained the same through nine innings.

It is a tribute to the fans of Chicago that not a man, woman, or child left Wrigley Field as the shadows grew longer over the field and the breeze became cold. Both Kauffman and Nehf had left the game for pinch hitters; Kauffman after working eight innings, Nehf after nine. Big Ed Morris was now on the hill for the Cubs, with Hilton Smith taking over for us.

Neither side scored in the tenth, and the umpires huddled to determine how much longer play could continue. The eleventh inning might be the final one we would play today, so we felt a strong sense of urgency. Art and Hilton had pitched so well that we hitters had to give them the victory.

I led the inning off with a double, my only hit in five trips today. Rather than pitch to Gehrig in such a situation, the Cubs decided to walk him, and take their chances with Frankie Frisch. Frankie hit a grounder to short, and when Charlie Hollocher decided to get the out at second, I raced over to third. That brought up Cuyler, and Kiki did it again. His single drove me in, and Frisch took third ahead of Charleston’s throw. Again, Bassler saw an opportunity to drive in a run, and this time he hit a fly ball to center field, deep enough that Charleston did not even try to throw Frisch out as he came across to score.

Those two runs gave Smith a cushion he did not need, as he retired the Cubs in order in the bottom half of the inning to sew up the victory. The final out came as Charleston took a mighty swing at a crackling curve from Smith, only to have it smack into Bassler’s mitt. We came to the mound to congratulate the young Negro hurler, who had passed his first World Series test.

We are now one victory away from the championship, which would be the eighth of my career. I know the Cubs will give it everything they have tomorrow, but I am confident that Neal Brady will be ready for them. Hopefully in twenty-four hours, I will be describing the final game of the 1927 World Series.