One of the best things to come across when you're researching is when a pitcher won both games of a doubleheader. Starting both games of a doubleheader is rare enough (and hasn't happened since 1973), but winning both is amazing. Throwing a no-hitter for one of them is even more amazing.
Clifford Randolph was a so-so minor league pitcher around 1910. He pitched in the New York State League and New England League from 1909 to 1911, and then pitched in semi-pro ball in 1912 and 1913. He returned to organized baseball with the Perth Amboy Pacers of the D-level Atlantic League, and went 12-9. But the Atlantic League went out of business before the 1915 season, and so the Perth Amboy Pacers played as a semi-pro team.
On September 6th, 1915, Clifford beat both the Franklin and St. Anthony teams in a doubleheader. In the first game, he beat the Franklin team in a 1-0 pitcher's duel, allowing the grand total of zero hits and striking out 11 batters. The opposing pitcher, "Chunk" Applegate struck out 13, and the only run was scored on a play similar to the famous play where Johnny Pesky held the ball too long in the 1946 World Series*. Mickey Loeser, left fielder for the Pacers, drew a walk in the seventh inning and went to second on a ground out. Then right fielder Eddie Regan hit a single into right. Franklin right fielder Foster made a quick return to first baseman "Eats" Coley, who hesitated long enough for Loeser to slide across home with the winning run.
* Actually, Pesky most likely did not hold the ball for long, and it's just a myth.
In the second game, the first batter he faced, first baseman "Butch" Worth, lined a single off him. Another single and an error by Randolph himself led to two runs in the first inning, but he recovered to win 4-3.
I'm hoping to make this into a series. I know Rube Parnham did this occasionally, so I'll do a post on him next.
It's pretty interesting that the paper called Randolph "Iron Man" considering how they called Joe McGinnity that for his twin bills.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Ed Reulbach? He shut out the Dodgers twice on September 26, 1908 in the thick of a pennant race.
That's pretty amazing about Reulbach -didn't remember that. I guess he'll be included sometime - but with this blog I want to focus on more obscure guys, guys you'd never hear about otherwise.
DeleteI think that this is a great idea for a series, among other things it should put some names out there that rarely, if ever, get brought up these days. I was just reading an old article a couple of weeks ago about someone who won both games of a doubleheader, but as per usual, I cannot for the life of me remember who it was. If I come across it again, I'll definitely be sending it your way.
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