Saturday, August 18, 2012

The 1884 Maroons: One Of The Rankest Ever Played


The weather to-day, although a trifle too warm to play ball, was all that the spectators desired.  About 2,000 persons assembled at the Exposition Park to enjoy the exhibition.  In contrast with the preceding day's game this was, as Shafer more tritely than elegantly expressed it, "one of the rankest ever played."  The St. Louis representatives fielded execrably and piled error on top of error until it really became monotonous.  Notwithstanding the loose playing of the visitors, it was a very exciting and closely contested game, the score standing 5 to 4 in favor of the Lucas nine.  The Pittsburg team were first at bat, and on errors by Whitehead and Baker and a triple and double-bagger by Gardner and Suck, scored 3 runs.  After that it was a succession of blanks until the ninth inning, when, after Ellick was retired at first, Kreig batted a long hit for two bases, Gardner struck out and Schoeneck hit for two bases, earning Kreig's run.  The visitors did not score until the fourth inning, when, after Rowe had been thrown out by Atkinson at first, Gleason and Boyle were given their bases on balls and Sweeney and Quinn made base hits bringing in 3 runs and tieing the score.  In the next inning, aided by an error by Suck, Shafer getting his base on balls and a base hit by Gleason, 2 more runs were credited to the visitors, which won them the game.
-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 27, 1884

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