Clipping:A foreshadowing of Merkle's Boner

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Date Tuesday, August 27, 1889
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[Boston vs. Philadelphia 8/26/1889] [bottom of the 12th inning, tie score, Boston at bat, two outs, Kelly at second and Brouthers on first] Johnston followed with a solid crack to centre and ran leisurely to first, bat in hand. When within ten feet of the base, seeing that Kelly had scored, he turned towards the right and ran over towards the stand. Fogarty made a wild throw in, the ball getting away from Farrar. It was finally secured by one of the Boston players, who passed it to Kelly. Farrar, Delahanty and Sanders ran after Kelly and tried to wrest the ball from him, but he would not give it up. The crowd then surged into the field and several passes were made at the “only,” but none of them landed. Finally, with the aid of the officers, he was hustled into the dressing-room. Johnston did not touch first base. In fact, he stopped within ten feet of it; but even if Farrar had secured the ball and made the claim it would not have been allowed, as neither [umpires] Curry nor McQuade saw the play.

Kelly when seen said that he supposed Farrar wanted to substitute an old ball for a new one, as he did not tell him that he wanted the ball to make a play. Farrar admitted that in the excitement he did not tell Kelly what he wanted the ball for, but supposed that Kelly knew. The excitement was intense for a half hour, a great crowd being assembled on the outside of the grounds. The Philadelphia Item August 27, 1889

President Young yesterday [9/16] telegraphed Director Soden that the Boston-Philadelphia game had been declared by the League directors a victory for the Bostons. Three out of four members of the Board of Directors of the League voted for Boston, and it was not necessary for President Young, as chairman ex-officio, to cast his vote. President John B. Day stated in his communication to President Young

“To all practical intents and purposes the game in dispute was won for Boston on Johnston’s hit, which, having passed the centrefielder, permitted Kelly to score the winning run.” Mr. Hewett when the case was presented to him concurred in the opinion of Mr. Day and cast his vote accordingly. His opinion was not given, however, until yesterday and was a verbal reply to President Young’s message. For the Indianapolis Club President Brush decided: “The umpire is sole judge of the game, and if he did not declare Johnston out for not running to first it must be presumed that he did reach there safely, in which case the run counted.”

Messrs. Day, Brush and Hewett, it will be seen favored the award of the game to the Bostons, while President Nimick, of Pittsburg, was the only director opposed to the leaders. This effectually disposed of the story that Mr. Day is inimical to the Bostons, and speaks well for the fair minded New Yorker. The Philadelphia Item September 27, 1889

Source Philadelphia Item
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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