Game 1 in Pittsburgh, October 10th 1918
Walter Johnson (16-18, 3.26) v Joe Williams (28-12, 2.01)
Train will have to dig deep here and somehow rediscover his form. Williams has shown us plenty of times what a money pitcher he is, so I’m not expecting us to give him many runs to protect. But protect them he must do if we want to get off on the right foot here.
We are instead immediately on the back foot as they take advantage of a Smith error to take a 1-0 lead in the 1st, but we come right back in the home half with runs on sac flies by Cobb and then Marcell.
A nervous start by both hurlers, and it continues when Train gives up the lead on an RBI triple by Tobin in the 3rd. But once again we have the reply handy as Cobb doubles one in to make it 3-2, and he is subsequently thrown out at home trying to score.
Then these two heroes of the hill settle right down and take control.
They come at Train in the 7th, tying it with a run on 2 hits.
Walter has given us his all and comes out for a PH in the bottom 9th with the game still knotted at 3. That hitter is Bigbee, who comes in with two out and the winning run on third, but can only pop out meekly to CF and we’re into extra innings.
Reuther takes over on the mound in relief and a two-base error by Lundy practically hands them the go-ahead run in the 10th. They add a second and we look cooked.
We get a man aboard but Williams holds his nerve to close it out.
Browns 5, Pirates 3 (10 innings)
BOX SCORE
Game 2 in Pittsburgh, October 11th 1918
Andrew Foster (23-15, 2.53) v Urban Shocker (25-15, 2.30)
Browns lead series 1-0
Shocker was a revelation in his second full year and will take a ton of beating here. Charleston was 0-for-5 in Game 1 and we missed his leadoff spark. We need it back ASAP.
The pitchers control the early proceedings here, but then they find their range in the 5th and take a 2-0 lead as Foster gets the wobbles.
Our bats have remained stubbornly quiet to this point, but in the home 5th Easterly triples and scores on a Foster hit, then we tie it on a throwing error by their catcher and then go ahead on a two-out RBI single by Lundy.
Charleston finally gets his first hit of the series to extend our lead in the next and we still hold a 4-2 lead when Foster comes out after 8. I (nervously) call on Cooper to handle their lefties and he does so without incident to get us the win and square the series heading to St. Louis.
Pirates 4, Browns 2
BOX SCORE
Game 3 in St. Louis, October 13th 1918
Pat Ragan (18-17, 2.63) v Al Mamaux (15-10, 2.38)
Series tied 1-1
A massive challenge for Al today against their big LHB, with Ragan a highly-underrated pitcher. On a hunch I insert Bigbee for Smith at LF.
The pitchers completely dominate this one through 5, but we take the lead in the 6th when Charleston doubles and scores on a two-out single by Carey.
It is still 1-0 entering the home 9th and, when Mamaux gives up a leadoff walk I again play the splits and call on Williams. He gets two outs and Drucke the third as we hang on for a dour win behind a superb game by Al Mamaux.
Pirates 1, Browns 0
BOX SCORE
Game 4 in St. Louis, October 14th 1918
Joe Williams (1-0, 0.90) v Walter Johnson (0-0, 2.00)
Pirates lead series 2-1
We can put ourselves in the box seat with a win here, but we need Train to repeat his Game 1 performance and our bats to find their mojo for that to happen. Smith back in at LF, Baker in for a struggling Marcell at 3B.
We get the start we were looking for when Cobb triples one home in the 1st, but we infuriatingly leave him stranded there.
Charleston has found his swing and that makes us a different side altogether. He’s in the thick of it in the 5th inning for our second run, when he walks, steals second and comes in on a Carey double.
Johnson is absolutely magnificent, as he sees off a number of challenges to give us back-to-back shutout wins and a 3-1 series lead.
Pirates 2, Browns 0
BOX SCORE
Game 5 in St. Louis, October 15h 1918
Urban Shocker (0-1, 3.38) v Andrew Foster (1-0, 2.25)
Pirates lead series 3-1
We have earned ourselves three bites at the cherry but, if it’s all the same to everyone, I’d rather just take the one, spit out the pip, and go home.
Charleston is again in the mix as we take a 1st-inning lead on a Cobb SF, but they cancel that out in the home half as Smith makes his third basic error of the series.
This is another game in which the offence is virtually non-existent. We do finally get the go-ahead run in the 8th on a Cobb single and then Ernie Johnson makes his 1st WS at-bat a memorable one with an RBI single to make it 3-1.
But then, in the shadows of the post, Foster loses it and they go ahead on a 3-run homer by Douglass.
We get a man aboard but are down to our last out when Bigbee hits for Foster. In the biggest AB of his short career, Carson triples the run in to tie the game at 4.
Cooper takes the mound and narrowly escapes losing the game in the bottom 9th.
In the 11th, two crucial errors by Collins let us load the bases with one out and a Schultz sac fly gives us the lead. Charleston makes it 6-4 with an RBI single and another by Carey gets us yet one more run. Cobb then all but seals it with a 2-run single to get us out by 5.
Williams sends them down in order as we get our threepeat.
A superb effort from our boys, especially the pitchers, who turned up when we needed it most. This group can now rest easy in the knowledge that they’ll be spoken of among the best for many years to come.
Pirates 9, Browns 4
BOX SCORE
PITTSBURGH WINS SERIES 4-1
SERIES MVP: Ty Cobb (Pittsburgh)
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