Today’s game sees the Giants visiting Wrigley Field (1982) to play Chicago. Tim Keefe is pitching for the Giants and Big Bill Foster is on the hill for Chicago.
We’re picking up the action with no score in the top of the second.
But disaster has struck early for Chicago. Catcher Gabby “Old Tomato Face” Hartnett was injured grounding out to third for the last out of the first inning. It’s looking like he could be out for the season.
The Giants are retired in order. Cap Anson will lead off the bottom of the second for the home side.
Oh dear - it’s a three-base error by Giants left fielder Willie McCovey and now Anson is standing on third.
Chicago’s Kiki Cuyler hits a single through the left side scoring Anson. But perhaps thinking McCovey might boot the ball again he takes a wide turn around first. McCovey fields the ball cleanly and takes a chance firing the ball behind Cuyler to Terry at first and Cuyler is out!
In the top of third, Frisch grounds out to Sandberg before leadoff man John Montgomery Ward singles. Mel Ott grounds to Banks who flips to Sandberg to start a 6-4-3 double play but Ward goes into second with his spikes high and breaks it up.
The umps take a dim view of this and rule Ward out for interference and it goes into the books as a double play. Inning over.
Chicago goes 1-2-3 in the third. The score remains 1-0.
In the top of the fourth the Giants get one hit and nothing more.
Jimmie Foxx has grounded little to lead off the bottom of the fourth bringing up Big Bill Foster.
After Mel Ott flies to centre, Mays draws a walk and McCovey doubles. The Giants now have runners on second and third with one out.
Orlando Cepeda singles scoring Mays and moving McCovey up to third. The wheels might be coming off for Foster here. 3-2 Chicago.
Bill Terry singles and McCovey scores and now the game is tied at 3. Four straight batters have reached base and that’s going to be the end of the line for Foster.
Faber retires the two batters he faces to get out of that jam. The Giants send 8 men to the plate, scoring three runs on 4 hits and 1 walk and they strand two. The game is tied at 3 after 5-and-a-half.
Will you look at that. Ernie Banks answers back for Chicago with a lead off home run in the bottom of the sixth. Chicago is back on top 4-3.
That looks like Johnny Evers walking out to the plate to pinch hit.
It’s stretch time here at Wrigley.
Tim Keefe continues to pitch a gem despite being down a run. He retires the home side in order in the bottom of the seventh. The 4-5-6 hitters are coming up for the Giants trailing 4-3.
The Giants fail to make anything happen. A ground out by McCovey and a single by Cepeda before Terry grounds into a 3-6-3 double play. Chicago coming up now looking to add some insurance runs.
Keefe has now retired 9 in a row for the second time this game. We’ll see if the Giants can come from behind in the ninth and salvage this performance. It’s going to be a tough slog though as it’s the bottom of the order due up.
Freddy Lindstrom doubles and now the Giants have the tying run on second.
The throw is late and both Lindstrom and Frisch are safe. It’ll go down as a fielders choice but it was a definite mental error by Foxx. Runners on the corners now with one out and Ward, who’s 4 for 4, coming up.
Ward hits a certain double play ball to Banks at short. He throws to Sandberg for one and Frisch goes tumbling into second breaking up the double play. Lindstrom scores. The game is tied. And the Chicago players are furious. They want Frisch called out for interference.
The umpire turns and walks away and order is restored. The game is tied and there are now two out. Mel Ott who’s 0-4 today is next up.
Willie grounds out to third to end the inning. Jimmie Foxx, the pitcher’s spot, and Cap Anson are due up for Chicago in the bottom of the ninth.
Foxx strikes out and Hack Wilson will pinch hit for Foster.
Nothing for Chicago and we’re going to extra innings.
The Giants are retired in order in the top of the 10th.
It looks like Keefe is going to try and go one more inning here….
Uh oh. Cuyler reaches on an error and then Ron Santo doubles. The winning run is now in third and Sandberg coming to the plate.
Bresnahan walks and Lindstrom grounds to third. Santo only has a play at first and he takes the sure out. The Giants have the go ahead run in scoring position.
Frisch singles through the left side! Bresnahan scores and the Giants have the lead! 5-4
Ward grounds into a double play to end the inning. Banks will lead off the bottom of the 11th.
Hubbell retires Banks and Foxx. Frank Chance will pinch it here as Chicago’s last hope.
Keefe guts out the win going 10 innings giving up four runs, three of them earned, on 5 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks. He managed to survive three errors by the Giants defence.
The Giants improve to 4-0 and Chicago falls to 2-2.