Bucky Harris chose 15-game winner Tom Zachary, who'd had one of his finest years and recorded a 2.75 ERA, to start the second game. For the Giants, it would be another lefty to follow Art Nehf. Jack Bentley, the pinch runner in the 12th inning the previous day, would get the call. John McGraw wanted to counter Washington's best batsmen, Goslin, Rice, and Judge, lefthanded hitters all, who'd hit .344, .334, and .324 respectively during the season.
The Nats struck quickly. After Zachary yielded two singles but got out of the top half unscathed, Rice singled to center with two-out in the bottom of the first frame and immediately stole second. He needn't have bothered because Goose Goslin then hammered a Bentley offering over the wall and into the bleachers in right. The third lefthanded hitter, Judge, followed with a single, beating out a slow roller to first. So much for McGraw's lefty strategy for the time being, but Judge was erased for the third out on a force-out following a Bluege grounder.
There was no more scoring until the fifth. The Senators threatened in the third, with both Harris and Judge having drawn walks and Harris having made it as far as third, but Judge had been caught trying to steal second. Tom Zachary was terrific, allowing only a single to Ross Youngs following his shaky first inning. With two away in the fifth, the Senators' boy manager came through with just his second home run of the season. He crushed a Bentley offering into the left-field bleachers, and the Senators led 3-0.
After an uneventful sixth, the Giants finally got on the board in the seventh. Zachary walked the first batter, George Kelly, and Irish Meusel followed with a single through short, moving Kelly over to third. Hack Wilson then bounced into a double play, scoring Kelly. The next three half-innings went 1-2-3. Zachary gave up only his third walk of the game, but also his third in four innings, to Frank Frisch to open the ninth. After inciting Ross Youngs to pop to short, Zachary surrendered a single to Kelly. Sam Rice's relay from right field was bobbled and by the time the ball got to the plate, Frisch, a very aggressive player, had beaten a close play and had made it all the way around. The next batter was Irish Meusel, and he forced Harris to make a great fielding play and was thrown out.
With Kelly advanced to second, the barrel-chested Hack Wilson (5'6", 195 pounds in his prime) singled to right to drive the last nail in Zachary's coffin, and Kelly scored the tying run. Firpo Marberry, who'd led the A.L. With 15 saves on his way to his 11-12, 3.09, 1924 showing, was summoned from the bullpen to get the last out, which he did promptly, striking out Travis Jackson. The deflated enthusiasm of the partisan crowd was quickly regained in the bottom of the ninth inning. Joe Judge walked on four pitches -- none of which came near the strike zone -- to lead off. Ossie Bluege sacrificed by bunting to Bentley. Roger Peckinpaugh then struck his second double in two days, and the Senators had the first World Series win of their history.
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03-19-2023, 04:06 AM
1924 World Series -- Game 2
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