Clip of the Day

Tris Speaker played 22 seasons (1907-1928) in the majors, mostly for the Red Sox and Indians. Though he never hit more than 17 home runs in any season, he was one of the top hitters in the game during a time period known as the “Dead Ball Era.” Speaker had a career batting average of .345 and hit at least .380 in six different seasons. His career total of 3,514 hits ranks him # 5 on the all-time list. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937.

On October 5, 1941, the Brooklyn Dodgers led the NY Yankees 4-3 and were one out from winning Game 4 and tying the World Series at 2 games apiece. Yankee batter Tommy Henrich swung and missed for strike three, but the 3rd strike got passed Dodger catcher Mickey Owen, allowing Henrich to reach first base. The Yankees then rallied for 4 runs to win the game and take a 3-1 lead in the Series. The Yankees would win the World Series the next day. Ironically, Mickey Owen had set a record earlier in the year for consecutive fielding chances by a catcher without committing an error.

Christy Mathewson, Giants (1905) – Not as well remembered or publicized due to how far back this Fall Classic dates, but Mathewson’s overall Series performance was remarkable. Mathewson pitched 3 games in 6 days, all of which were complete game shutouts. In addition to allowing no runs, he only walked 1 batter in his 27 innings pitched.