1908 Nashville vs. New Orleans baseball game

1908 Nashville–New Orleans Southern Association championship game

A panorama of the field that day.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New Orleans Pelicans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
Nashville Vols 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X 1 8 0
Date September 19, 1908 (1908-09-19)
Venue Sulphur Dell
City Nashville, Tennessee
Managers
Umpires
  • Carpenter
  • Fitzsimmons
Attendance 10,700

The 1908 Nashville vs. New Orleans baseball game dubbed by Grantland Rice "The Greatest Game Ever Played in Dixie" was a 1–0 pitching duel to decide the Southern Association championship in the deadball era, on the last day of the season.[1] Nashville won the game and thus the pennant by .002 percentage points, after finishing the prior season in last place. Both teams had the same number of losses (56), but the Pelicans were in first place with 76 wins to the Vols' second-place 74.[2] Carl Sitton used his spitball to out-pitch Ted Breitenstein for a complete-game, nine-strikeout, three-hit, shutout.[3] According to one account, "By one run, by one point, Nashville has won the Southern League pennant, nosing New Orleans out literally by an eyelash. Saturday's game, which was the deciding one, between Nashville and New Orleans was the greatest exhibition of the national game ever seen in the south and the finish in the league race probably sets a record in baseball history".[4]

Nashville scored in the seventh inning with the bases loaded. With two outs, catcher Ed Hurlburt hit a single. Then Sitton did too. Harry "Deerfoot" Bay bunted perfectly down the third base line, Bay's fondest memory in his long baseball career.[5] Julius Augustus "Doc" Wiseman then drove in the winning run. Sitton was thrown out at home after Hurlburt scored.[5]

References

  1. ↑ The Reach Official American League Base Ball Guide For 1908. A.J. Reach Company. 1908. p. 215.
  2. ↑ Simpson 2007, p. 164
  3. ↑ Simpson 2007, p. 172
  4. ↑ Hamilton Love (October 10, 1908). "South Sayings" (PDF). Sporting Life: 16.
  5. 1 2 Simpson 2013, p. 62

Bibliography

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