2005-II Week Three Games 17-24

2005-II-17 07/18/05 Cottage Hill Field A-1,892
1909 Detroit Tigers 001 000 000 – 1 8 1
GIANTS…………... 000 300 21x – 6 8 0 (8-9)
HR- John Beckwith (3)
WP – Cliff Carter 2-1 1.29
LP – Summer

* Ty Cobb proved quite the attraction as the 1,892 was far and away the largest crowd at Steelton’s Cottage Hill Field for the season.
* The game was actually played – i.e. the dice rolled - at Lancaster’s new Clipper Magazine Stadium. Attending with me were John Cochrane, Rebecca, Don Adams and his sons, and several other APBA conventioneers.
* The Tiger offense proved to be a dullard … scattering 8 hits with Cobb going
1 for 4
* Ben Taylor had three hits including a homer and a double
* John Beckwith continues torrid: .434, 3, 8 with a team leading 23 hits, 13 runs, 1219 PRO
* Harrisburg is hitting .266 with 4.4 runs per game; with a 4.18 E.R.A. allowing 5 runs per game
* The APBA Conference ended the next day with NYer John Hunt capturing the tourney leading the 1975 Cincinnati Reds to the title of the defending champion 1957 Milwaukee Braves

2005-II-18 07/19/05 Cottage Hill Field A-1,751
1909 Detroit Tigers 000 000 000 – 0 4 0
GIANTS…………... 000 102 32x – 8 11 1
HR- Charleston 2 (7), Gisentaner (2)
WP –Gisentaner
LP – Donovan

* Lefty’s numbers: 9 4 0 0 3 3 CG Sho W
* Charleston’s 2 HRS put him on pace to slam 60 in 154!
* Both Rap Dixon & Ben Taylor sat out their first game of the year
* Only Charlie and Rev Cannady have appeared in every game
* 9-9 .500!

2005-II-19 07/20/05 Island Park A-1,866
1909 Detroit Tigers 002 001 021 – 6 9 0
GIANTS…………... 000 000 002 – 2 9 1
HR- Ty Cobb
WP –Mullin
LP – Lucas

* Mullin masterful in pinch; Jints get a hit an inning for 6 innings – no runs
* Mullin tired in 9th and yielded two runs
* Cobb’s homer sparks Tygers; Donie Bush 3 adds hits
* Beckwith remains torrid with 2 hits

2005-II-20 07/21/05 Island Park A-1,601
1909 Detroit Tigers 100 000 001 – 2 5 1
GIANTS……...…… 020 000 001 – 3 8 0.
HR- none
WP –Corbett
LP – Willett

* Crawford triples home a run in first
* Cannady matches with a run scoring trip of his own in 2nd, however the Jints do not strand him
* Score remains 2-1 until 9th when Cobb singles/steals and scores on Delehanty’s single
* Bush booted Cannady’s grounder to start 9th, Taylor singled and Poles pinch-hit wins it
* Spottswood Poles is 4 for 6 with three walks (.778 OBP) as a pinch hitter

2005-II-21 07/22/05 West End Grounds A-1,301
1909 Detroit Tigers 100 000 000 – 1 5 0
GIANTS…………..000 305 10x – 9 12 2
HR- Charleston (8), Beckwith (4)
WP – D. Cooper
LP – Summers, 2nd loss of series

* Beckwith 3 for 3 and Hit by a Pitch in finale
* Cannady slammed two doubles and hit into two double plays
* Jints get 6 hits in a row in the 6th
* Charleston 5 for 19 with 3 HRs and steal, Cobb 4 for 18 with one HR and 1 SB
* .272 average with 4.4 runs/game & 3.77 E.R.A. and 4.3 runs allowed/game

TRANSACTION – Pitcher Mervern “Red” Ryan, who played for the Harrisburg Giants in 1922, joined the team after the game.

STATS
Beckwith .462, 3 HRs, 12 R.B.I.
Charleston .301, 8, 18
Taylor .312, 4, 18
Cannady .317, 0, 15
Dixon .247, 0, 4

Corbett 3-0 3.10
Gisentaner 2-1 4.63
Carter 2-1, 1.29
Gardner 2-2 2.59

The Pittsburgh Crawfords during their brief period at the pinnacle of Black baseball had shown very bright. For most of that period they featured five future Hall of Famers: Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson, and Oscar Charleston. In 1932 they had five former Harrisburg Giants on their roster: Charleston, Rap Dixon, Fats Jenkins, Walter Cannady, and Three-Finger Gisentaner. It turns out that, despite Jim Riley and APBA carding him, Satchel Paige seemingly did not appear in a game for the Crawfords in ’35. Despite that he is scheduled to pitch in the upcoming Sunday doubleheader. Here comes game one:

2005-II-22 West End Grounds A-1,422
PGH 011 202 023 – 11 15 1 WP- Roosevelt Davis
HBG 121 201 001 - 8 13 1 LP – Ping Gardner
HR - Gibson

* Sam Bankhead injured early
* Cool Papa Bell had 3 hits, including 2 triples and one steal
* Harrisburg’s Charleston had 4 hits, including 2 triples, 4 ribbies
* Pittsburgh’s Charleston draws the collar
* Curtis Harris’ pinch hit followed by Cool Papa Bell triple put fords in lead in 8th
* Josh Gibson’s homer in 9th provided the ultimate margin, he had a triple earlier
* Mmy friend Willie Fordham had his debut marred by the Gibson HR, not to mention a balk
* Tthe Crawfords showed balance as all 9 lineup slots got a hit
* After no balks in the first 21 games, the Giants committed two in the last two innings
* Aa nice crowd is expected for tomorrow’s doubleheader scheduled for Rossmere Base Ball

2005-II-23/24 07/24/05 Rossmere Base Ball Park A-2,502
This double header drew a large crowd to watch Crawford aces Paige & Matlock pitch. A sweep was expected but not the sweep that happened.

1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords 004 200 001 – 7 12 1
HARRISBURG GIANTS 301 020 12x - 9 11 0
HR- Josh Gibson (2nd of series)
WP – Lefty Gisentaner
LP – Satchel Paige

NOTES:
* Gibson’s 4th innig grand slam goes for naught
* Charlie scores 3x for Harrisburg and once for Pittsburgh – only in Fantasy Ball J
* Gibson purposely passed in 9th to load bases…Judy Johnson bounced out
* Gisentaner, hitting .438, doubled and scored the ultimate winning run in 8th
* Sam Cooper, with his 8.71 E.R.A., earned a one pitch save

1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords 001 100 000 – 2 9 0
HARRISBURG GIANTS 200 000 01x – 3 4 0
HR- Charleston (9)
WP – Carter 3-1
LP – Matlock

* Jints were 6-2 on the week
* Charlie knocked in all three Giant runs
* Poles on base all four trips, two steals, two runs
* Beckwith caught the last three innings