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Thread: Birthdays: 12/13

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    Member chicoruiz's Avatar
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    Birthdays: 12/13

    Reds:

    Fritz Coumbe -I didn't know much about Coumbe, a World War One-era pitcher/outfielder who ended his career with the Reds, but in researching him I found out that as a Red he participated in the majors' last triple-header. On October 2, 1920, the Reds and the Pirates played three, with the Reds taking the first two but dropping the nightcap. Did everyone but me know about this? And what time must they have started in order to finish before dark in October???

    Others:

    Dale Berra (55) -Played in the most games of any Hall of Famer's son. Dick Sisler is second.

    Ferguson Jenkins (69) -One of only four pitchers to record more than 3000 strikeouts and fewer than 1000 walks (Maddux, Schilling and Pedro are the others). Honored this year with a postage stamp in his native Canada.

    Lindy McDaniel (76) -Fine reliever; once retired 32 straight batters over four appearances.

    Billy Loes (82) -Journeyman pitcher; was present in uniform four times when a batter hit four homers in a game.

    Carl Erskine (85) -Still lives in his hometown of Anderson, Indiana; a class act all the way.

    Larry Doby -Second African-American to play in the majors, of course, but also the second to manage, and the third American to play in Japan.
    Last edited by chicoruiz; 12-13-2011 at 09:47 AM.
    "In baseball, you don't know nothin'"...Yogi Berra


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  3. #2
    Member cumberlandreds's Avatar
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    Re: Birthdays: 12/13

    They probably started that tripleheader by noon or 1 pm. Back in those days if a game took more than two hours it was considered a long game. I would say each of the three games were played in 1 1/2 hours. Considering about 20 minutes between games and I would say they finished up the day by around 6 pm.
    Reds Fan Since 1971

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    Member chicoruiz's Avatar
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    Re: Birthdays: 12/13

    OK, here's what I found:

    The triple-header was important to the Pirates because they had a chance to catch the Reds for third place if they swept, and the difference between third and fourth-place money was important to players back then. The first game started at noon on a chilly October day, with the Pirates sending their ace, Wilbur Cooper to the mound. The Reds, however, jumped on him quickly and ended up winning 13-4. With third place clinched, the remaining two games became somewhat of a farce with players playing out of position, etc.

    Two other fun notes about the game:

    -Pirate rookie Clyde Barnhart hit safely in all three games, becoming the only man to have a three-game hitting streak in one day.

    -After playing three games, the Pirates had to travel by train to Chicago and play a day game against the Cubs the next day to close out the season. Good thing there was no players union back then...
    "In baseball, you don't know nothin'"...Yogi Berra

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    Bob Borkowski (08-06-2014)

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    Beer is good!! George Anderson's Avatar
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    Re: Birthdays: 12/13

    Quote Originally Posted by chicoruiz View Post

    Carl Erskine (85) -Still lives in his hometown of Anderson, Indiana; a class act all the way.
    I believe Erskine is the last or definitely one of the very last from the 1955 WS Brooklyn team.

    I had the thrill of hearing him speak a few years back at Franklin College in Indiana. I was hoping to hear about his baseball days but he spent most of the time talking about his son Jimmy who has Down Syndrome. Erskine was very sincere when he said that the medals Jimmy won in "The Special Olympics" mean more to him than his 1955 WS ring. I will never forget him saying that because it truly came from the heart.
    "Boys, I'm one of those umpires that misses 'em every once in a while so if it's close, you'd better hit it." Cal Hubbard

  7. #5
    6 months of heartbreak Bob Borkowski's Avatar
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    Re: Birthdays: 12/13

    Adding George Shuba (87). While in the minors he pursued his dream of being a big-leaguer by developing his 'natural' swing. He practiced for hours with a rope that was hung from the ceiling. He made knots in the rope where the strike zone would be and swung a bat at the rope 600 times a day. This ritual prepared Shuba to compete in the major leagues, where his powerful line drives earned him the nickname 'Shotgun'.


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