On This Day-April 26th, 1912-First Homer Hit Over The Green Monster

PLACE: Fenway Park; Boston, MA

EVENT: First Home Run Over The Green Monster 

Fenway Park opened in 1912, and the massive rampart in left field probably seemed insurmountable to most hitters of the time. As it turns out, it didn't take long for someone to break the mystique of the Green Monster. 

The Boston Globe's illustration, accompanying the
A's-Red Sox recap. These old illustrations are just the best. 

With the Philadelphia Athletics visiting Boston at The Fens on April 26^th, bench player Hugh Bradley hit a blast over the wall with two on and two out in the seventh inning in a 7-6 Red Sox win. Bradley was getting a rare start that day, taking the place of first baseman Jake Stahl, who was out of the lineup with an upper respiratory infection. Bradley would only play 40 games that season. 

It was also his only homer of the year, and one of only two for his career (277 games, 913 AB). 

Bradley went 2-4 with a double in the first, as well as the aforementioned homer in the seventh, driving in four runs and scoring two. He also made a notable play when he sprinted between RHP Hugh Bedient and 2B Steve Yerkes to snag a pop-up off the bat of A's LF Amos Strunk in the ninth inning, taking away the last chance for the A's to put the potential tying run on base. 

From The Boston Globe; April 27^th, 1912:

From The Philadelphia Inquirer; April 27^th, 1912: 

On This Day-April 22nd, 1876-First National League Game Played

Place: Jefferson Street Grounds; Philadelphia, PA

Event: First Game in National League History

Approximately 3,000 fans show up for what turned out to be the very first National League game, after the weather led to rain-outs elsewhere. The Boston Red Stockings (later to become the Atlanta Braves) beat the Philadelphia Athletic Base Ball Club (the future Philadelphia Athletics) by a score of 6-5.

Jefferson Street Grounds had been home to differing versions of ball since 1864, but was only established for use by professional teams in 1871, when the Philadelphia Athletics of the National Association played there. The Athletics won the NA pennant that same year, and would join the newly-formed NL in '76. Poor performance in the inaugural year, as well as their refusal to make Western road trips (in this case, “West” meant Louisville, Cincinnati, and St Louis), led to their expulsion from the NL at the end of their first year.

Former Cincinnati Red Stockings SS George Wright was the first batter. He and Boston entrepreneur Henry Ditson formed Wright and Ditson Sporting Goods in 1871. Interestingly, the first run was scored not on a hit, but on an errant throw by Philadelphia third baseman Ezra Sutton, though the two teams combined for twenty-six errors. This wasn't all that uncommon in the early days of the game, as field conditions were often less than ideal.

The winning pitcher, righty Joe Josephs, was playing under an alias that day; his real name was Joe Borden, and he had tossed a no-hitter in the National Association for Philadelphia against Chicago on July 28^th, 1875. “Joe Josephs” was one of several aliases that Borden was known to use. He was sometimes referred to in contemporary newspapers as “Josephus the Phenomenal”, though his career, while solid, would be over soon after.

The honor of the first hit in NL history went to CF Jim O'Rourke, the only player on either roster to appear as an active player in the 20^th century. “Orator Jim”, as he was sometimes called, was much more than a baseball player. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1887, and was a practicing lawyer between seasons. At a time when the average ballplayer was seen as unrefined, ignorant, and boorish, O'Rourke stood out as articulate and erudite. Though he certainly didn't need to rely on baseball to earn a living, it seems he had a hard time removing himself from the game, permanently. Even after retiring as a major-league player in 1893, he would remain in the minors for years to come.

From The Times (Philadelphia, PA); April 24^th, 1876:

On This Day: Detroit, Philadelphia Form Conga Line on Basepaths

PHILADELPHIA, MAY 9th-It was on this day in 1916 that the Detroit Tigers took on the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park, in what would become a game for the ages. Some such games are better than others; this one was a farce, with a sequel.

One could say that neither the Tigers nor A's pitchers had their best stuff, that day, and one would be spot on. The two teams combined to walk a total of thirty batters, an astounding total in any era.

RHP George Cunningham started for the Tigers, while fellow righty Jack Nabors took the mound for the Athletics, and both put up some ugly numbers. For Nabors, he faced only nine batters, five of whom accounted for three hits and two walks in the second inning. He walked three, allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits, and struck out not a single batter. Harry Weaver took over to pitch in the second inning, but he wasn't able to stem the onslaught. Weaver gave up four runs on only two hits, managed zero strikeouts and walked three in facing seven batters.

But it was southpaw Carl Ray who would upstage the pitchers of both teams. He took over in the third and promptly gave up a double and two walks but stranded them all. He also put up a scoreless fourth, despite the somewhat-less-than-perfect control. The fifth inning saw him surrender six more runs, but by now it hardly mattered to either side.

Ray went seven innings in relief, giving up seven runs on six hits (four earned), striking out three and walking an absurd twelve batters.

Cunningham, however, had an unusual line. He went only 2 1/3 innings, but allowed no hits and gave up only one run while walking six in the process, so he certainly mitigated the damage well enough. RHP Bernie Boland took over for Cunningham and performed slightly better; he went 6 2/3 to finish out the game, allowing one run on three hits, struck out two, and also walks half a dozen batters.

The A's further sabotaged themselves by committing five errors, two of which belonged to Nabors, both occurring in the first inning when he threw away a pair of comeback grounders. Philly shortstop Whitey Witt tacked on a pair of miscues, himself, in a season that would see him commit seventy-six more.

A bit of trivia about Witt: he was the first Yankee to bat in Yankee Stadium, and the first to score on a Babe Ruth homer.

Among the best performers that day at the plate were Ty Cobb (2-5, 2 R, 2 doubles, 4 RBI), LF Harry Heilmann (3-5, 2 R, 1 double, 3 RBI), and 1B George Burns (2-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 Sac Hits). As for the A's, if any of them could have been considered "standout performers" on this particular day, it would have to be LF Bill Stellbauer, who went 2-4 with a double, a triple, and an RBI.

Often, when a team (or teams, as the case may be) has a poor performance like this, they bounce back in a big way the next day. For both the Tigers and A's, not so. Three pitchers (one Tiger, two Athletics) combined for eighteen walks in a 9-3 Detroit victory. Philadelphia righty Tom Sheehan went seven innings, giving up six runs on six hits (none earned; we'll get to that), walking seven ans striking out one batter. Nabors was at it again when he came in to relieve Sheehan, as he gave up three runs on four hits, struck out one and walked four in two innings. Once more, the A's committed five errors, one by Sheehan and two more by Witt (remember him?), while 3B Charlie Pick and C Wally Schang added one, each.

For the Tigers, George Boehler went the distance, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out seven but walking seven, as well. Considering the seven walks, five hits, one error by Donie Bush at short, and one hit batsman, the fact that Boehler allowed only three runs from fourteen base-runners that day was fairly impressive.

From The Philadelphia Inquirer; May 10th, 1916 (written by "Jim Nasium"...heh):