May 9, 1905
Oaks Ballpark
Over ten thousand rooters had come out to Oaks Ballpark today. It was, by far, the biggest crowd to ever watch a base ball game in Kenilworth, and the smile on owner
David Herndon's face was every bit as big.
The fans were being treated to what would one day be known as a "good, old-fashioned pitchers' duel." The Oaks' starter,
Tom Dickens, and his opponent, Easton Gold Sox ace
Horace Acosta, brought identical 5-2 records into the game. Nobody was surprised, then, when Dickens and Acosta matched zeroes for five innings.
Only three Oaks had managed to hit safely against Acosta. One of them was
George Lynde, who ripped a line drive single in the bottom of the first inning. The popular outfielder smiled and doffed his cap to the cheers of the crowd. Among those cheering the loudest was a ten-year-old boy named
George Parlour, who was delighted to share his hero's given name. George was, however, possibly the only fan who was aware that Lynde's single gave him 44 safe hits in 119 at-bats, pushing his batting average to .370. The best math student his fourth grade teacher at Kenilworth Academy had ever seen, young George could figure batting averages in his head. He'd run as fast as he could to make it to Oaks Ballpark after school, and he was now especially glad he had done so.
Lynde took a long lead off first base. He was always a threat to steal, and his presence on base clearly unnerved Acosta. Reading Acosta's motion perfectly, Lynde got a fantastic lead and took off for second on the first pitch to
Johnny Kelley. Sox catcher
Marty Sullivan came out of the chute firing, but his throw sailed over the second baseman's head and into center field. Lynde was grinning as he bounced up and raced safely into third. Acosta glared over at him as he dusted himself off.
Now the Oaks were coming to bat in their half of the sixth, with the shadows lengthening over the field and a cool breeze causing the rooters to pull their jackets or sweaters around themselves more closely. Leadoff man
Dutch Hawkins fouled off the first pitch he saw, and swung and missed at the second. Acosta had Hawkins on the ropes, but Dutch bounced the next pitch toward shortstop and beat the throw to first. Acosta scowled as he snapped his glove at the return throw from the first baseman.
Now he had to face
Charlie Allison, while the crowd began to buzz excitedly. Acosta's first pitch was a curve, and Allison jumped on it with gusto. The crowd rose at the crack of the bat. The Gold Sox left fielder took two steps back before he realize his efforts would be fruitless, and he simply watched the ball disappear over the fence as the big crowd roared.
Acosta was livid. Then he noticed who was batting next.
It was
George Lynde.
The rooters hadn't even had time to sit back down before Acosta threw his first pitch. It was a fastball, and it was aimed directly at
George Lynde. George took it on the hip and turned toward the mound. Acosta knew what would happen next. He tossed his glove away and had already taken two steps toward home plate before Lynde flipped away his bat and charged toward Acosta.
Marty Sullivan tried to grab him, but the stout catcher wasn't quick enough to capture the much more athletic Oak.
Acosta squared up as Lynde approached and threw a punch, a crisp right cross. Lynde saw it coming and slipped it by shifting his head to the right. He then delivered a sharp left jab that Acosta blocked. Both Horace and George had spent a bit of time in the ring, and it showed.
The Oaks charged from their dugout in support. Big
Ricky Arzola, 6 feet and 200 pounds, led the way; he was George's best friend and roommate. The Gold Sox infielders converged on the fray, and their bench emptied as well.
Both combatants had the chance to land a punch or two before they were pulled apart. Lynde, three inches taller and twenty pounds heavier, got the better of the scrap, connecting with a hard right hand that nearly put Acosta on the ground. An angry
Ricky Arzola was subdued by
Marty Sullivan, while
Billy Hood, who was emerging as a team leader, went after
Bucky Silva, the biggest man on the Gold Sox roster.
Once order was restored, the Oaks went on to score two more runs. The Gold Sox rallied to make a game of it before
Doc Johnson did
Doc Johnson things, retiring the last two batters on three pitches to save a 4-3 victory for
Tom Dickens.
The next morning, the league office would announce suspensions for the primary combatants: two games for Lynde; six games, or two starts, for Acosta. The Oaks would miss George very much; as young
George Parlour could tell you, he'd batted .571 in his last six games.
Very few Oaks fans were thinking about this, however, as they made their ways home from a rather entertaining afternoon at the ball park.
