BY JOHN JOHNSON / Grand National Tribune
MOUNT JEWETT, Pa. (Friday, Aug. 30, 1918) — Carl Mays pitched the Boston Red Sox to the championship of the American League’s eastern division Friday, sweeping a doubleheader from hapless Philadelphia 12-0 and 4-1 at Fenway Park. The two Boston wins ensured that the Red Sox could finish no worse than 73-53 while Washington can do no better than 73-55 despite the Senators’ 6-1 handling of New York in our nation’s capital.
Mays shut out the Athletics on nine hits and two strikeouts in the opener, which was rescheduled from June 22 on account of wet grounds. Philadelphia made eight errors on defense, staking the hosts to an 8-0 lead after three innings.
Roy Johnson suffered the loss for Philadelphia, going to 0-5 this season after a two-inning performance that included three hits, three walks and five runs. Right fielder Charlie Jamieson pitched the remaining six innings, academic though they may have been.
Mays led all players with three singles at the plate, driving in one run, while Babe Ruth, Wally Schang and Everett Scott each hit safely twice. Ruth, Schang and Harry Hooper drove in two runs apiece, with Ruth’s damage coming on a first-inning double.
Larry Gardner went 3 for 4 for Philadelphia and Jamieson singled twice. Rube Oldring, who entered in Johnson’s stead in the third, added the lone extra-base hit, a triple.
At Griffith Stadium, the Senators jumped on New York early, scoring thrice in the first and twice in the third while allotting their guests a single tally in the sixth after the damage was done.
Walter Johnson won his 23rd game of the season behind a palindromic line of five hits, one run, one walk and five strikeouts. All nine Senators recorded hits, with Eddie Foster and Eddie Ainsmith joining Johnson with two each. Clyde Milan drove in two, including one on a sacrifice fly. Joe Judge doubled along with Milan.
Happy Finneran did not really live up to his name as he allowed all 12 hits and two walks while only striking out one. The Senators were not retired in order until the seventh. Ham Hyatt’s double was New York’s lone extra-base knock.
The Washington win left Boston needing any single victory or Senator loss in the teams’ final nine games to close out the eastern division, and the Red Sox took matters into their own hands in game two of the double bill. Amos Strunk tripled to drive in two runs, Hooper scored twice on a single and two walks, and Mays added two hits of his own in another complete-game showing. He scored the remaining run, which was as many as he allowed while giving up four hits and striking out three.
Boston took its 3-0 lead in the third inning before Philadelphia responded in the fourth when a Larry Gardner single scored Merito Acosta. The Red Sox answered that tally in the fifth and ended the scoring there.
Scott Perry tossed seven innings for the Mackmen, giving up four runs amidst five hits and seven walks. He falls to 20-19 this season while Mays is 21-13.
National League Scores: Cincinnati 5, Chicago 0; New York 1, Brooklyn 0; Boston 0-8, Philadelphia 1-3.
Other American League Scores: Cleveland 2-4, Detroit 1-2.
Standings
National League East American League East
Club Record Pct GB Out Club Record Pct GB Out
New York 69-51 .575 --- Boston 73-49 .598 ---
Brooklyn 55-67 .451 15 8/22 Washington 69-55 .556 5 8/30
Phila. 53-66 .445 15½ 8/18 New York 59-60 .496 12½ 8/23
Boston 51-69 .425 18 8/18 Phila. 50-74 .403 24 8/14
National League West American League West
Club Record Pct GB Out Club Record Pct GB Out
Chicago 82-43 .656 --- Cleveland 71-54 .568 ---
Pittsburgh 64-58 .525 16½ 8/21 Chicago 57-63 .475 11½ 8/23
Cincinnati 63-60 .512 18 8/20 St. Louis 56-63 .471 12 8/21
St. Louis 51-74 .408 31 8/10 Detroit 52-69 .430 17 8/15
Postseason Schedule Unveiled
In this even-numbered year, the western champions host the first two games of the pennant playoff series, which will begin Wednesday, Sept. 4 (June 22) in Comiskey Park and League Park. The series will shift east with off-day train trips Friday, Sept. 6 (June 24) before wrapping up on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.
Taking advantage of the Standard Time Act passed in March, which effectively shifted an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening, all games will start at 3 p.m. local time rather than the conventional hour of 2 o’clock. Even as the schedule change uses the entire extra hour gained by law, the temporary shift of the playoffs into September creates a longer evening in which to play.
In Chicago, for example, the 1917 playoffs began on Oct. 6 at 2:08 p.m. local time with a sunset of 5:24 p.m., leaving a window of about 3¼ hours to play. When the playoffs open Wednesday, Chicago will have more than four hours until its sunset at 7:20 p.m. central war time.
The World Series will be played primarily in the city of the National League champion, which would host the odd game if all seven are played. The traditional method of scheduling would place the start date on Thursday, Sept. 12 (June 30) in the National League city.
However, travel considerations will determine which four games the senior circuit in fact hosts. An all-east coast or all-lakeshore series would use the traditional schedule of two games on, three off, two on, played without days off for travel, although Sunday play is still forbidden in the east. A cross-division Fall Classic would begin in the American League city, which would use up its three games in one go to facilitate a single transfer to the opposite city before the fourth game.
There also exists the possibility that the World Series could start early if neither pennant playoff goes the distance — each day saved is a day when the playoff team’s men could be fighting in Europe or working in war-related industries.
In the event that the Red Sox and Cubs prevail in the league championship series, Boston will be declared the champion on the basis of historical fact and we will advance to 1919.
Chicago Contests at Larger Comiskey Facility
While the Chicago White Sox were eliminated last week, their stadium will see postseason action for the third consecutive season. The Cubs’ Weeghman Park seats 14,000 in a single deck, but playing at double-decked Comiskey Park will enable more than twice as many fans to attend — and perhaps more significantly for the leagues, to expend their income.
Playoff Arbiters Named By League Offices
Each league has again nominated four umpires for postseason assignments, with two working the league championship series in each circuit and the others forming a quartet in the World Series.
Cy Rigler and Ernest Quigley will umpire the National League Championship Series. Rigler calls his 10th postseason, including five of the last eight World Series, while Quigley is in his fifth postseason including a 1916 World Series assignment.
On the American League side of the docket, Billy Evans and Dick Nallin will arbitrate the pennant playoff. Evans is a 13-year veteran of the force and has handled nine postseasons while Nallin, who concludes his fourth season in blue, is a playoff debutant.
The World Series will include the National League’s second and third senior umpires, Hank O’Day and Bill Klem respectively, along with George Hildebrand and Clarence “Brick” Owens from the American League.
Klem has worked eight of the last ten World Series and ten of the last 11 playoffs while O’Day has called 13 postseasons and six World Series. At least one of the two men has umpired every October since the modern major-league structure took hold in 1901, although they have only worked together in the 1908 World Series.
Hildebrand is a seventh-year umpire who has drawn two previous playoff assignments, the 1913 American League playoff and 1914 World Series. Owens is a sixth-year umpire finishing his third season on the A.L. staff who made his playoff debut in last year’s pennant playoff.
In a departure from the last decade, the World Series will move the foul-line arbiters inside the diamond, stationing one man at each base and abandoning the previous setup where one man was responsible for all three bases.
Tune In Live
Western correspondent Pete Peters will have the National League series on his Twitter feed (@POD_Peters). The American League pennant playoff and the World Series will each “air” on the main playoff feed (@playoffdreams) and both series’ recaps will appear on our website.
Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday’s Games
Red Sox at Cleveland, first game, 3 p.m.
Giants at Cubs, first game, 4 p.m. eastern war time
Thursday’s Games
Red Sox at Cleveland, first game, 3 p.m.
Giants at Cubs, first game, 4 p.m. eastern war time
Friday’s Games
None scheduled (travel day)
Saturday’s Games
Cleveland at Red Sox, third game, 3 p.m.
Cubs at Giants, third game, 3 p.m.
Monday’s Games
Cleveland at Red Sox, fourth game if necessary, 3 p.m.
Cubs at Giants, fourth game if necessary, 3 p.m.
Tuesday’s Games
Cleveland at Red Sox, fifth game if necessary, 3 p.m.
Cubs at Giants, fifth game if necessary, 3 p.m.