The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell

[Big Six]

Boston Globe, September 28, 1927
Special World Series Edition

BOSTON TAKES FIRST GAME OF SERIES, 5-3
Timely Home Runs, Brady’s Mound Work Are The Difference

Special to the Globe by PAT O’FARRELL

BOSTON—There is nothing like the first game of a World Series at Fenway Park, especially when the Red Sox win! That is exactly what happened today, as Neal Brady demonstrated his competitive fire by pitching a great ballgame despite a sore arm, and we batters had just enough success against an equally tough pitcher, Satchel Paige.

The crowd today was large and enthusiastic, and I felt their support surround me like something tangible as I stood on the baseline with my teammates during the pre-game introductions. No sooner than the game began, however, I was jolted back into the reality of just how tough a team the Cubs are. Their leadoff man, Charlie Hollocher, hit a long double off Neal Brady, and after George Grantham moved Hollocher along with a ground out to me, Oscar Charleston drove in the first run of the Series with a long fly that sent our centerfielder, Chick Shorten, to the wall. Brady bore down and retired the tough Gabby Hartnett to end the inning.

We told Neal we would get that run back, and we did just that and more in our half of the inning. With one out, Lefty O’Doul hit safely, and then I got my first look at the offerings of Satchel Paige. In fact, I got three good looks at them, and when the umpire called out “strike three,” I fully realized what a great pitcher Paige already is. Fortunately for us, Lou Gehrig kept the inning going with a hit, and brought Frankie Frisch to the plate. Frankie got his bat on a fast one from Paige, and hit it over the right field fence to give us a 3-0 lead. Fenway Park seemed to sway with the cheers of the crowd.

In the fourth inning, Charleston’s base hit and a double by Dick Burrus made the score 3-2, and the Cubs tied the game in the sixth when Hollocher scored on a double play grounder by Charleston. The crowd gasped audibly when, after retiring Hartnett to end the inning, Brady came off the field rubbing his right arm and wincing. Neal is a tough cookie, however, and he assured Bill Carrigan that he could continue.

Up to this point, I had done nothing with Paige’s slants besides watch them dive across the plate, or swing and miss at them. In our half of the sixth inning, Paige finally made a mistake, and I got the meat end of the bat on the ball with authority. I knew I had hit it well, and when I was rounding first base, the umpire signaled to me that it was a home run! I tipped my cap to the cheering crowd, whose ovation carried me around the bases.

We scored the game’s final run in the eighth, when Phil Todt, whom Carrigan sent up to bat for Judy Johnson, singled home Chick Shorten after a perfect sacrifice by Brady.

Neal pitched the entire nine innings, despite the fact that he was in obvious discomfort. “This is the World Series,” he said later. “I have all winter long to rest my arm.”

Every boy dreams of hitting a home run to win a big game, and from the time the first World Series was played in 1903, my teenaged dreams centered on just such a feat. I am now forty years old, and now I know that the reality far exceeds my boyhood imaginings.

[Level]

from your post about the cubs lineup and pitching staff they seem to have a lineup chock full of guys that regularly knock the cover off the ball. also, charleston with the 5 straight batter of the year awards is a streak for the ages i would think. how does that compare to real life streaks of the same kind, either silver slugger or mvp i wonder?

[seth70liz76]

Is Pat writing his own column or is he, as was the style of the time, just allowing his name to be attached to the story. Ruth and others had ghostwriten columns (Ford Frick, I believe was one of Ruth's ghost) during this time period. I'd think Pat would have the skill to do so, but the mental demands of a deadline after the physical demands (on a baseball old body) of a full game makes me wonder.

[Big Six]

Awww, you caught him, Seth!

Pat's a bright guy, with about two and a half years at Amherst, but you're exactly right. He has to concern himself more with winning a World Series than with writing a newspaper column.

Pat won't, however, put his name on anything without some level of personal involvement, whether it's a commercial endorsement or a column. He talks about the game for a little while with a Globe reporter, a fellow who has covered the team for years and whom Pat likes and trusts. The scribe takes it from there.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Level

from your post about the cubs lineup and pitching staff they seem to have a lineup chock full of guys that regularly knock the cover off the ball. also, charleston with the 5 straight batter of the year awards is a streak for the ages i would think. how does that compare to real life streaks of the same kind, either silver slugger or mvp i wonder?

You're right, Level. Charleston is the big gun, but there isn't an easy out in that lineup. The Cubs' pitching isn't much, though; even Paige is inconsistent. You hear the name "Satchel Paige," and you think he's going to be dominant. Satch is only 20 here, so he's like a lot of talented young pitchers. The perfect situation for him would be a team where he isn't already the #1 starter, but on the Cubs, he is.

In my universe, Babe Ruth has a run going like Oscar does; I'd have to check how many Ruth has by now. Pat has 2 himself. As far as real life goes, lots of guys win lots of Silver Sluggers in a row. Bonds has won 7 MVPs and the last 4 in a row.

[Level]

ya but how often does a player reel off a streak like that, especially for the mvp?

[Big Six]

In real life, just Bonds. That's what makes the runs Oscar and the Babe are on so incredible.

[Level]

From what you have said it seems that Babe and Oscar are the only ones who regularly hit 30+ homers. Has Gehrig just had that one monster HR year?

[Big Six]

Boston Globe, September 29, 1927
Special World Series Edition

RED SOX WIN AGAIN
Veteran Stars Are The Difference
Boston Takes 2-0 Series Lead With Them To Chicago

Special to the Globe by PAT O’FARRELL


The final out of this afternoon’s game had just settled into the glove of Lefty O’Doul, and I was jogging in from my position at second base when I realized that it is possible that Fenway Park might not host another game of baseball in 1927. While the fans, whose enthusiastic support was washing around me at that very moment, deserve to see more ball, I am sure most of them would gladly trade that opportunity for a World Series that ends in a Red Sox victory while we are in Chicago. We have three chances to win two games, but the Cubs are a tough outfit, and I would not be surprised if the Series lasts long enough for us all to return to Boston to settle it.

It was thrilling to watch my sister’s husband and my longtime friend, Joe Wood, pitch such a fine game. Joe didn’t strike out as many batters as he usually does—only two Cubs heard “strike three” from the umpire—but his control was fine, and he kept the Chicago hitters off balance by changing speeds expertly. Joe allowed only six hits, and the Cubs scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. That kind of pitching gives any club a chance to win the game, and that is all you can ask from a twirler.

As for us hitters, we faced a fine opponent in Duke Houck. Houck’s control was not as sharp as usual, however, and when big league hitters can “hit ahead in the count” consistently—when the count is two balls and no strikes, or “three and one”—we find our task much easier. In the first inning today, I faced just such a situation. The count was two balls and no strikes when Houck threw me a fastball where I was looking for it, and I hit it past Oscar Charleston into right-center field. I wound up on third, and then Lou Gehrig singled me home.

The score was still 1-0, Red Sox, when I led off the fourth inning. Again, I managed to work Houck into a count that was favorable to me, and bounced a single up the middle. After Gehrig flied out, I stole second on the first pitch to Frankie Frisch, getting in just ahead a powerful throw by Gabby Hartnett. Kiki Cuyler was the next man up, and he hit one hard off the center field wall. Kiki raced to second, and I scored easily without a slide as the fans roared.

We scored again in the next inning, on a combination of a pair of walks, a fielders’ choice, and an error. The Cubs are a championship team, a game bunch of fellows, and a 3-0 deficit does not make them flinch a bit. Two innings later, the Cubs had battled back to make the score 3-2, one run scoring on a long homer by Charleston, who is as fine a hitter as I have ever seen.

Houck’s control once again failed him in the eighth inning. I led off, and he left a pitch right where I like to see them. I hit it hard down the right field line, and thought I had pulled it foul, but it landed just on the fair side of the line and bounced into the corner. As I rounded second, I looked up to see Bill Carrigan, coaching at third, moving his arm like a windmill, and I dug hard for third. The throw was off the mark, and I slid in safely with my second triple of the day. The ovation I heard as I stood up and dusted off my white home uniform was one of the warmest I have ever received, and the memory will be etched in my mind forever. Houck walked Gehrig intentionally, and at first, it looked like a good piece of strategy, when Frisch popped up to third. Then, however, Duke lost the strike zone, and walked both Cuyler and Bassler. There was no room for all of us, and I jogged across the plate with run number four. Shorten came up next, and when he singled, both Gehrig and Cuyler scored, and that made it 6-2, the eventual final tally.

I had three hits today in three official times at bat, and with the walk, I was on base every time I came up. The real hero today, however, was Wood. He smiled as he talked to the reporters, some of whom had given up on him three years ago, and he reminded me of the young pitcher who won so many big games for us back in the ‘teens.

Now it is off to Chicago on the train for at least two more games. Chicago is a great city for baseball, and the fans there will be backing the Cubs all the way. I expect that we will have an even tougher fight on our hands from this point forward.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Level

From what you have said it seems that Babe and Oscar are the only ones who regularly hit 30+ homers. Has Gehrig just had that one monster HR year?

Gehrig hit 31 in 1925, and that's the only other season of 30 or more by anyone. Mule Suttles hit 25 this past season, and at age 26, he should be moving into his peak years now. I'm sure he, Gehrig, and a few other young power hitters like Jimmie Foxx and Mel Ott will be hitting more long balls over the next few years as their power fully develops.

[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.

[Level]

that was great hearing bill carrigan coach 3rd. was it common back then for managers to coach 3rd or is this another case of bill being a "hands on" manager?

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Level

that was great hearing bill carrigan coach 3rd. was it common back then for managers to coach 3rd or is this another case of bill being a "hands on" manager?

It was actually very common for managers to coach on the bases too, as I understand it. The fact that it happens in the minor leagues today is a relic of that practice. Connie Mack was actually considered very unusual because he always remained in the dugout...that, and he managed in a business suit rather than in uniform.

I remember asking my dad why baseball managers wore uniforms like players, while no other sport's coaches do. I was probably about six or seven years old at the time. My dad was a high school baseball coach, and wore a uniform like the players. He told me that it was that way because so many managers were player-managers at one time, and since he was my dad, I never thought about the idea again.

[Level]

i think its a shame that more managers dont coach 3rd. its almost like passing the buck if you ask me. i played baseball in college and our coach (cared more about sponsorship than the team) never once coached 3rd and never listened to the other coaches yet would blame his base coaches when things didnt go right, lol. calling the shots from right out on the field somehow puts you right there in the thick of it and IMHO shows the team you are with them all the way rather than sitting on your rump on the bench with a critical eye.

BILL CARRIGAN 5 LIFE!!!

[John P. Yuda]

Originally Posted by Big Six

I remember asking my dad why baseball managers wore uniforms like players, while no other sport's coaches do. I was probably about six or seven years old at the time. My dad was a high school baseball coach, and wore a uniform like the players. He told me that it was that way because so many managers were player-managers at one time, and since he was my dad, I never thought about the idea again.

There's also the fact that -- unlike other sports -- baseball coaches are regularly out on the field, between base coaching and pitching changes/visits.

[seth70liz76]

The last man to wear street clothes and manage? Art Howe--in a turn back the clock game a couple years back with the A's.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by John P. Yuda

There's also the fact that -- unlike other sports -- baseball coaches are regularly out on the field, between base coaching and pitching changes/visits.

That's true, John. In other sports, it not only doesn't happen, but it's a violation of the rules.

[Big Six]

Sometime today, The Base Ball Life of Pat O'Farrell went over 10,000 views. I wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for your support of the story for the past 2 years. Your feedback has been very helpful, and it's helped me create a dynasty that's been a lot of fun for me, too.

Thanks again to all Pat's fans!

[Big Six]

Boston Globe, October 2, 1927
Special World Series Edition

CUBS WIN NINTH INNING THRILLER
Series Now Stands 3-1, Boston

Special to the Globe by PAT O’FARRELL

CHICAGO—One would like to think that when the champions of the National and American Leagues play against each other—teams that have been tested over a long season and proven to be the best in their league—the result would be exciting, well-played contests. This year’s World Series has provided plenty of this brand of ball. Those with faint hearts, weak stomachs, and nervous constitutions would have done well to have stayed away from Wrigley Field the past two days, as both games were the kind that leave fans breathless until the last pitch was delivered.

Today, the Cubs demonstrated that they are a team of champions, as they came from behind and won a game they absolutely had to win. Chicago scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning and sent a large crowd home happy.

The day was cool and breezy, and both teams sent their Game One starters back to the hill: Neal Brady for us, and Satchel Paige for the Cubs. The first batter of the game, “Judy” Johnson, greeted Paige with a majestic home run over the left field fence. Satchel recovered from this initial shock, however, retiring the next three men in order. We would not score again until the seventh inning.

Meanwhile, the Cubs began to hit Brady hard. Carson Bigbee drove in a run with a double in the second, and in the next inning, Charlie Hollocher and George Grantham led off with base hits. That brought up Oscar Charleston, and the crowd, which filled every nook and cranny of Wrigley Field, rose to its feet as one person. Oscar drilled a fastball from Brady deep over the fence in right center field, and as the crowd roared joyously, the big “3” appeared on the scoreboard.

I have been both a teammate and opponent of Babe Ruth, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for his ability as a player. I cannot, however, say that he is without a doubt the best player in the game today—not as long as Oscar Charleston is around. Oscar’s combination of power and speed is unprecedented in the history of the National Pastime. I have been praised for possessing both of these qualities, and while in my prime I might have been as fast as Oscar, I can no more match his power than I can match Einstein’s aptitude for physics or Caruso’s proficiency as a singer!

Both Brady and Paige then settled down and began to pitch the way they had all season long. Neither team scored until the seventh, when a strategic decision by the Cubs backfired and cost them the lead.

Frank Frisch led off the inning with a triple, bringing Kiki Cuyler to the batter’s box. Cuyler has hurt the Cubs on several occasions in the Series, and that might have been on Bill Killefer’s mind as he signaled Paige to walk Kiki intentionally. The Cubs have used
this strategy several times in the Series, and each time it seems to come back to haunt them. I believe an intentional walk might sometimes upset a pitcher’s rhythm and timing, as instead of throwing purposeful pitches, he is tossing four wide ones. Then he must return to his regular task. I wonder if it is not more difficult to find the plate right after you’ve been intentionally trying to miss it.

Paige did not mean to give the next batter, Johnny Bassler, a free pass, but he did so anyway, and the bases were now loaded. Then Paige walked Chick Shorten, forcing in a run. At that point, Killefer removed Paige from the game, and brought in Ed Morris. Paige gamely kept his head high as he made his way back to the Cubs dugout. He didn’t have his best “stuff” today, but I predict one day he will be regarded among the best pitchers in the game.

Brady provided his fellow twirler a brief respite by popping up gently to third, and then Bill Carrigan sent in Phil Todt to pinch hit for Johnson. Todt delivered a long fly, and the speedy Cuyler scored without a throw. Now the score was 4-3, Cubs. With the run that would give us the lead now in scoring position, Carrigan called on Claude Cooper to pinch-run for Shorten.

Morris, like Paige before him, was struggling with his control. Lefty O’Doul watched four more bad ones go by, and just like that, the bases were loaded again.

I had already singled and walked today, and I wanted very much to deliver a base hit in this situation, the first crucial one I had found myself in so far. Morris might have been trying not to walk me, and he threw me a fastball right down the middle. I timed my swing well, and pulled the ball sharply into right field. Bassler scored easily, and then Cooper made Carrigan look like a genius by racing home, sliding under Hartnett’s mitt, and scoring the “go-ahead” run. If we could record nine outs before the Cubs scored again, we would sweep the World Series in four games!

The difficulty of such a task is one of the things that makes baseball the greatest game of all. Neal Brady is one of the best in the business, and none of us are the least bit concerned about trusting a close game to him. However, the Cubs have a lineup full of fine hitters, a sturdy challenge for any pitcher.

Brady got the better of the Cubs for two innings, and Chicago prepared to take their “last ups” with their chances of prolonging the Series resting in the balance. Dick Burrus, the Cubs’ first sacker, was the first man up, and he singled to left. Killefer replaced him on the bases with a speedster, Bernie Weis. Then, Charlie Jamieson pounded a double, and Weis, taking no chances with nobody out, pulled in at third. Again, the Cubs inserted a faster man, Mel Acosta, who represented the winning run.

Joe Munson then endeared himself to Cubs fans eternally by lining a sharp single. When Weis crossed the plate, the game was tied; when Acosta scored, it was over. Cubs fans threw their hats into the air with unrestrained joy, and Neal Brady faced the longest journey a pitcher can make as he headed for our clubhouse.

Neal apologized to us, but there was no need for an apology. Without his strong work all season long, we would not be in the World Series, after all. We still have at least three more chances to win the Series, and while the Cubs will certainly put up a fight, we feel confident in our chances.

[Big Six]

Boston Globe, October 3, 1927
Special World Series Edition

RED SOX WIN WORLD SERIES!!
Wood Pitches Brilliantly, Wins His Second Series Game

Special to the Globe by PAT O'FARRELL

CHICAGO--As I look back on my career in major league baseball, which spans over twenty seasons now, I realize how fortunate I have been to have been a part of so many outstanding teams. I have played for ten American League championship clubs, and between 1909 and 1920, on seven World Series winners. This season, for the first time in seven years, I am proud to say that I am a member of the best team major league baseball, the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.

As I sat on the bench in our dugout before the first pitch of today's game, it dawned on me that it was possible for the Series, and the season to end today. I mean no disrespect to the Cubs at all; they are an outstanding ball club, and very worthy champions. Today, however, we were sending Joe Wood to the hill, and there is no pitcher in the game I would rather have there when a game must be won. From the look on his face, and the way he was throwing as he was warming up, I could tell that no ball club that has ever been assembled would beat Joe Wood today.

The Cubs did not get a hit off Wood until Joe Munson singled in the third inning, but Byron Houck was pitching nearly as well. The Cubs threatened to score in the fourth, when George Grantham dropped a single in front of our right fielder, Kiki Cuyler. Oscar Charleston came up and looped one in almost the same place Grantham's ball landed. George tried to take an extra base, but Cuyler fired a rifle shot to third, and Frisch tagged Grantham out. Gabby Hartnett then hit a long fly to center; if Grantham had made third safely, he could have walked in to score on Hartnett's drive. Those kinds of plays are the ones that can turn games around, and championship teams find ways to make them.

We finally broke the scoreless tie in the sixth frame. We scored twice, on a rather bizarre combination of two singles--one I hit that landed right behind the head of Dick Burrus at first, and one by Lou Gehrig that never made it out of the infield--a throwing error, a walk, and a passed ball. It certainly was not pretty, but the runs count, no matter how they were scored. The way Houck was pitching, we were lucky to come by them.

In the dugout between innings, Joe thanked us for giving him a lead, and Gehrig smiled and said to him, "I know you won't lose it." Lou proved to be quite a prophet. In fact, Lou helped us score twice more in the top of the ninth. After Wood struck out, Judy Johnson singled. Houck collected himself and struck out Lefty O'Doul, but I worked him for a base on balls to keep the inning alive.

Gehrig's base hit drove home Johnson, and I stopped at second. Then Frisch singled, and I came around to score as well. The inning ended with us holding a 4-0 lead, and with Joe still throwing well, I allowed myself the luxury of relaxing just a little bit.

The Cubs did spoil Joe's shutout, as Hartnett and Burrus hit consecutive doubles, but after Joe retired the next two men, I got the thrill of making the final play of the 1927 World Series. Joe Munson hit a grounder to me, I threw over to Gehrig, the umpire called "out," and we all came to congratulate Joe on the mound.

I have experienced this moment eight times now, and there is nothing finer that can happen to a man on a ball field.