Sioux City Journal

6 October 1891

p. 2

THE HUSKERS DOWNED THEM

--------------------------------------

Adrian’s Colts Were Outplayed at Every Point Yesterday

--------------------------------------

HUTCHINSON AGAINST HART

--------------------------------------

The Latter Gets the Best of It in a Fair Match of Skill – The Sioux City Club Scarcely Embarrassed by the Noted Twirler – The Details.

--------------------------------------

It was a great day for the cranks. The monarch of all the western empire, Adrian C. Anson, was here with his retinue from Chicago, and was received with all due pomp.

It took just three brass bands and sixteen hack loads of citizens to escort the gentlemen to the park, where a couple of thousand people sat shivering in the chilly atmosphere waiting for the struggle which was to end no man knew how. It was the first time that Western association players had been matched against those of the National league, and there were few who dared risk a forecast of the result. The few who had that temerity were such as had seen the work of both associations and recognized the fact that there is just as good material in the west as in the east. Yet both clubs were anxious to do their best in the first game. It was sure enough game without any hippodrome about it. Anson put Hutchinson in the box and his orders were to do the best he knew how. But William B. had been in the west before, and he knew it was no kindergarten task he had tackled if it was expected of him to give the western champions pointers on ball playing.

Sioux City was properly reverential, but at the same time thought it not unwise to put their best foot forward. Billy Hart was put in the box and pitched the game of his life. He was lavish with the bases at times, but when it became necessary to shut out a run he seemed to steady down and pitch a game which was simply invincible. The field was perfect and the batting, considering the man they had to go against, was superb.

As Capt. Anson said when asked to account for the – to many – surprising results, there was no team on earth that could stand up against such playing as the Huskers did. Or as Mr. Pfeffer had it “We were simply outplayed at every point, and I do not believe the team exists that holds any license to beat these Corn Huskers of yours. We had our best in the box, and even if you eliminate all our errors, the result would remain just as it is, a well won victory for Sioux City.”

It was anything but base ball weather. The teams found their only comfort before the game began by standing around the balloon, which was slowly filling with hot air from a wood fire underneath. Wilmot did succeed in capturing a donkey that was browsing in the weeds on the upper part of the race course enclosure, but it was not easy to determine which of the two was the more miserable when they pulled up in front of the stand. It was not so hard to determine which of the two could stand it the longer.

At 3:30 sharp Mr. Hutchinson stepped into the box. He is still young and not unhandsome, and even in his practice work he displayed a wizard power over the ball which was by no means reassuring to the players who had never stood before the delivery of the man who had repeatedly downed the Beaneaters and the Giants.

Edward Swartwood was the first man to face the ordeal. The first one flew wide of the plate and Mr. Hurst’s placid contralto pronounced it a ball. The next one came singing across the plate and the handsome right fielder let drive at it. It went over the grand stand and never touched a shingle. Edward looked anxiously for another to come over, but it failed to come and he jogged down to first. Then Henry Raymond came up and after studying the peculiarities of two or three balls he sent one soaring into center, where Ryan gathered it to his bosom. Genins was next. He grazed at the clouds and listened intently while two soared over the plate and then sent the third down to Burns. Mr. Burns was suspicious of it, and attacked it much as a pup would a porcupine. He got it over Anson’s way some seconds after Francois had peeled the whitewash off the bag and Adrian looked at him and groaned within himself. W. O’Brien had met Mr. Hutchinson before and did not stand on ceremony. He selected what he deemed a desirable ball and drove it between Cooney and Burns, and the bases were all preempted. Then Parson Nicholson spat on the bandages of the small end of his bat and sent the first one that came his way down the trail that O’Brien’s hit had left, and before anybody could stop it Swartwood and Raymond were numbered with the saved. But that ended it. Van Dyke fanned out and Scheibeck popped an easy one into Cooney’s hands. Mr. Cooney, who, by the way, is better looking in the flesh than in print, was apprehensive, and he took his place on the bench he remarked : “If you fellows get to monkeying in this game you’re going to get beat.” Mr. Ryan was of like mind, for he hit the first one so hard that he was at third before it came back to the diamond. And there he died, for Wilmot left the race the race at the quarter pole on a hot grounder to the Parson; Dahlen flew to Genins, whose pretty throw to the plate kept Mr. Ryan close to his bag, and then Adrian himself came up. He was greeted with much applause, but Nick got in the way of his grounder and retired the side.

Willie Earle was the next man to tackle it. He hit a liner to left and made off as if he had a can tied to him. He and the ball hit Anse about the same time, and all three went to earth together. When they arose William had a lame knee and Adrian had a large, irregular patch of earth attached to that part of the trousers which comes handy to sit down on. Hart hit to Pfeffer, and that settled it. And Swartwood swiped in an aimless sort of way at three of William B’s drops.

At this juncture Mr. Hurst called time in order to give the boys a chance to see the balloon ascension. The professor and his smoke glutted craft soared serenely away over the hill tops and betting was even that he would light in the reservoir. But the professor had sampled the city water before and was not at all eager for the immersion. He and his parachute landed in a nice warm spot just behind the brick kiln, and the distraction was over.

Mr. Cooney went to bat, and for old friendship’s sake Hart gave him a base. He did not know Mr. Burns so well, and when that gentleman sent a hot liner at him, he gathered it in and sent it to second and Nick got the ball to first in time to head Mr. Burns off. It was a pretty double and nobody was surprised when Raymond gathered up Pfeffer’s bunt and retired the enemy.

There was nothing in the third for either party, but the fourth counted one more for the Huskers. Van Dyke got a base on balls, stole second and came to third on Scheibeck’s hit, one which bounded off Burn’s carcass into Cooney’s hands. Then Scheibeck made a break for second and Van Dyke came home while the visitors were trying to put him out.

Swartwood was the first to tackle it in the fifth and he raised the second one for three bags and Raymond brought him in on a fly out to center. A double from Scheibeck to O’Brien and Hutchinson’s fly out to Swartwood settled the visitors.

The sixth was something of a picnic. Van Dyke knocked out a pretty line hit, but took second on Wilmot’s fumble and scored on Scheibeck’s hit to Burns. Earle and Hart singled and filled the bases. Swartwood hit for one, but Scheibeck fell at the plate. Then Raymond hit and Earle came in, and when Raymond made as if to steal second Hart came in.

In the seventh Chicago got its only run. Pfeffer got a base on balls, Hutchinson sacrificed him to second and Merritt scored him on a single. In the eighth Sioux City got another run. Scheibeck got first on Burn’s error, and when Hart drove a hot one between Pfeffer and Anson, the latter placed his hands on his sides and sighed. Then Hart stole second, and Raymond bunted to third and Scheibeck came home. In the last half Dahlen exasperated Anse. Dahlen had gotten a base on balls and when Uncle Anse flew out to Van Dyke he made a break around the bases as if there were two men out already. There was but one, and Mr. Dahlen’s sprinting exhibition cost him just about $25.

In the ninth Pfeffer got another single, and Hutchinson was anxious to tally him. He swiped twice at the ball, and then asked Mr. Hart if he wouldn’t please substitute the balloon. William wouldn’t please at all, but just fanned him out. The rest of them died a natural death on trying to move up on hits which were not sufficiently long to carry them over.

The score :

Sioux City						Chicago
	R	H	P	A	E		R	H	P	A	E
Swartwood, rf	2	1	2	0	0	Ryan, cf	0	2	2	0	0
Raymond, 3b	0	1	1	0	0	Wilmot, lf	0	1	1	0	0
Genins, cf	1	0	1	0	0	Dahlen, rf	0	0	1	0	0
O’Brien, 1b	0	0	?	0	0	Anson, 1b	0	1	12	1	1
Nicholson, 2b	0	1	2	5	0	Cooney, ss	0	0	1	5	0
Van Dyke, lf	2	1	3	1	0	Burns, 3b	0	0	0	5	2
Scheibeck, ss	1	1	1	3	0	Pfeffer, 2b	1	1	3	4	0
Earle, c	1	1	6	0	0	Hutchinson, p	0	0	0	1	1
Hart, p	1	2	0	1	0	Merritt, c	0	1	7	0	0
Totals	8	9	27	13	0	Totals	1	6	27	16	4

Sioux City	2	0	0	1	1	3	0	1	0	-	8
Chicago	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	-	1

Earned runs – Sioux City 1. Three base hits – Ryan, Swartwood. Bases on balls – Off Hart 9, off Hutchinson 6. Struck out – By Hart 5, by Hutchinson 6. Wild pitch – Hart. Sacrifice hit – Sioux City. Bases stolen – Sioux City 9. Double plays – Hart, Nicholson and O’Brien; Scheibeck and O’Brien; Van Dyke, Scheibeck and O’Brien; Raymond and O’Brien. Time of game – One hour and fourty five minutes. Umpire – Hurst.

---------------------------------

Notes of the Game.

Ehret’s opportunity comes today.

The Huskers are on their metal now.

The Colts are a fine looking set of men.

Billy Earle was on the throw yesterday.

Raymond was master of his opportunities.

Billy Earle floored his old boss just for the fun of it.

Umpire Hurst is all right. He exercises judgment and stays by the results.

Adrian will have to hustle to do better work on the bag than our Billy O’Brien.

Anson still lays claim to the National championship. He says he has good grounds for the protest he has entered.

The New York base ball club has decided to investigate itself for the public benefit on the charge that the management weakened the last five games played against Boston.

--------------------------

American Association

At Washington – Baltimore, 4; Washington, 1.

At Philadelphia – Athletics, 18; Boston, 2.