A celebration of leftiness...show your favorite lefthanded cards from 1941 or earlier

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by GeoPoto

In 1924 the Washington Senators faced a Game 7 against the New York Giants in that year's World Series. Bucky Harris, Washington's 26-year old player/manager was worried about the young, but rapidly developing first-baseman Bill Terry. So he "surprised" the Giants by starting righthander Curly Ogden, prompting John McGraw to commit to their "righthanded" lineup. After getting a strikeout and issuing a walk, Ogden was pulled and replaced by the lefthanded George Mogridge. An early variant on today's popular "opener".

To continue this narrative, 35-year-old George Mogridge pitched 4.2 innings and gave up 1 earned run, thereby keeping the Senators in Game 7, which Walter Johnson eventually won in relief in the 12th inning. Earlier in the 1924 WS, with the Senators down 2 games to 1 and playing at NY, Mogridge started critical Game 4, pitched 7.1 innings giving up 2 earned runs, and was the winning pitcher. This is the only WS game the Senators won at NY.

Despite WaJo's heroics in relief in Game 7, arguably, the Senators' pitching heroes for the 1924 WS were Mogridge and fellow lefty, Tom Zachary. Zachary was the starting and winning pitcher in Game 2 (8.2 innings) and elimination Game 6 (a 9-inning complete game).