a Home Run
with the Bases Full--Many Times the Strategies of Managers have
Failed because Opposing Clubs "Doctored" their Grounds--"Rube"
Waddell Once Cost the Athletics a Game by Failing to Show up after
the Pitcher's Box had been Fixed for Him--But, although the "Inside"
Game Sometimes Fails, no Manager Wants a Player who will Steal Second
with the Bases Full._

There is an old story about an altercation which took place during a
wedding ceremony in the backwoods of the Virginia mountains. The
discussion started over the propriety of the best man holding the ring,
and by the time that it had been finally settled the bride gazed around on
a dead bridegroom, a dead father, and a dead best man, not to mention
three or four very dead ushers and a clergyman.

"Them new fangled self-cockin' automatic guns has sure raised hell with my
prospects," she sighed.

That's the way I felt when John Franklin Baker popped that home run into
the right-field stand in the ninth inning of the third game of the 1911
world's series with one man already out. For eight and one-third innings
the Giants had played "inside" ball, and I had carefully nursed along
every batter who came to the plate, studying his weakness and pitching at
it. It looked as if we were going to win the game, and then zing! And also
zowie! The ball went into the stand on a line and I looked around at my
fielders who had had the game almost within their grasp a minute before.
Instantly, I realized that I had been pitching myself out, expecting the
end to come in nine innings. My arm felt like so much lead hanging to my
side after that hit. I wanted to go and get some crape and hang it on my
salary whip. Then that old story about the wedding popped into my head,
and I said to myself:

"He has sure raised hell with your prospects."

"Sam" Strang, the official pinch hitter of the Giants a few seasons ago,
was one of the best in the business. McGraw sent him to the bat in the
ninth inning of a game the Giants were playing in Brooklyn. We were two
runs behind and two were already out, with one runner on the bases, and he
was only as far as second. "Doc" Scanlon was pitching for Brooklyn, and,
evidently intimidated by Sam's pinch-hitting reputation or something,
suddenly became wild and gave the Giant batter three balls. With the count
three and nothing, McGraw shouted from the bench:

"Wait it out, Sam!"

But Sam did not hear him, and h