1919 AL - Games of Wednesday, 23 July

Results of the games played on the 90th day of the 1919 American League season . . .

Red Sox 12, Tigers 5: Babe Ruth had four hits, including a pair of home runs which brought him to within ten of Ned Williamson's single-season big-league record, and knocked in six runs to drive Boston past Detroit at Navin Field. The Tigers led 4-2 after five innings before the slugging young phenomenon went to work - Ruth homered to lead off the 6th, singled and scored in a four-run 7th that gave Boston the lead, and hit a grand slam in the 8th to seal the outcome. It was the fifth time this season in the AL that a batter compiled more than five RBI, two of which have come off the bat of the Babe in the month of July. Sam Jones (5-11) was the beneficiary of the Babe's batting bonanza, earning a complete-game win despite allowing thirteen Tiger hits, including three each by Ty Cobb and Bobby Veach. [box]

1919 AL - Games of Tuesday, 22 July

Yankees 6, White Sox 2: Frank Baker's three-run home run keyed an 8th-inning outburst that propelled New York to a road win over the first-place Chicagoans. Jack Quinn and Dickey Kerr had arm-wrestled to a draw over the first seven frames, with the home club scoring single runs in 2nd (Joe Jackson double, Swede Risberg ground out) and 7th (Ray Schalk walk, Nemo Leibold single), and the Yankees tallying a pair in their half of the 7th (Ping Bodie triple, Chick Fewster single). In the top of the 8th, with one away, Kerr (8-4) walked Roger Peckinpaugh and Wally Pipp singled him to third base. That brought Baker to the plate, second in the circuit in circuit clouts so far this season, and he drove Kerr's second pitch down the right field line and into the seats to break open the game in favor of the Yanks. This was all of the breathing space that Quinn (9-9) needed, as he set six Sox down in quick succession over the final two innings to polish off a fine four-hit performance. [box]

1919 AL - Games of Monday, 21 July

Tigers 26, Red Sox 2: Detroit broke the American League record for runs scored in a single game as they beat Boston into submission, and then some, on a long day at Navin Field. The previous AL scoring mark had been set by the 1912 Athletics. who had scored 24 times against (ironically) the Tigers at Shibe Park, but that record was surpassed during a four-run 7th inning that closed out the scoring today. There was a hint of record-breaking in the air as early as the 3rd inning, when Detroit scored ten times with the help of three of Boston's seven errors (leading to a total of ten unearned runs), but the hits and runs kept on coming: after one in the 4th, there were four in the 5th, six in the 6th and four more in the 7th as the Red Sox could not find an arm capable of stopping the bleeding after Babe Ruth (2-6) lasted only two innings on the mound. The box score is replete with stat-stuffing performances from Tiger batters: Harry Heilmann had six hits and scored four times, pitcher Howard Ehmke (8-12) had five RBI, and Donie Bush had four hits and three runs batted in. [box]

1919 AL Players of the Week - 20 July

The Batter and Pitcher of the Week in the American League for the week of 14-20 July are (* denotes a League-leading total) . . .

1919 AL - Games of Sunday, 20 July

Nationals 7, Browns 6: Sam Rice had four hits and knocked in five runs to carry Washington to a win that salvaged a split of the doubleheader in St. Louis. The Browns had looked intent on sweeping the pair of games when they plated three men in the bottom of the 1st behind a pair of walks and an Earl Smith triple, but Eric Erickson (3-4) found his legs on the hill and his teammates. led by Rice, set to work. Joe Judge reached on an error to start the 3rd and Rasty Wright (2-2) then walked the next two men to begin Rice to the plate with three men aboard. A few deliveries later, there were none aboard as Rice drove a ball into the seats for a grand slam that jumped the visitors into the lead. In the 7th, Rice was at it again as he capped an eight-batter rally with an RBI single that pushed the WAS advantage to 7-3. All the work was not done, however, as Jack Tobin and Ken Williams hit home runs in home half of the 8th to close the game to within a run, and Molly Craft had to be summoned to take the ball from Erickson and record the final four outs. [box]

1919 AL - Games of Saturday, 19 July

Nationals 1, White Sox 0: Walter Johnson pitched a one-hit shutout and needed every last ounce of that dominance to enable Washington to nip Chicago at Comiskey Park. Johnson and White Sox spot starter John Sullivan engaged in an epic pitchers' duel whose spell was only broken by a key fielding miscue by Chicago. When the Nationals came to bat in the 7th, not only was the game scoreless but Chicago had yet to register a hit and Washington but two. That latter total doubled when, with one away, Sam Rice and Buzz Murphy singled to put two men aboard. Sullivan (0-1) fanned Val Picinich and then got Howie Shanks to beat one into the ground at Fred McMullin, but the White Sox third sacker threw the ball wildly to first and Rice scampered home with the game's first run. Chicago failed again in the 7th to dent Barney, but finally broke the spell in the 8th when Swede Risberg hit a dribbler along the third base line which everyone could only watch roll to a stop for an infield hit. When Ray Schalk then coaxed a walk with two outs Chicago had their chance, but Johnson (14-5) got dangerous pinch-hitter Eddie Murphy to bounce to Joe Judge at first to end the inning. Two Washington errors made matters interesting again in the bottom of the 9th, but the fireballing right-hander from Kansas retired Joe Jackson and Happy Felsch with the tying and winning runs aboard. [box]

1919 AL - Games of Friday, 18 July

Browns 10, Yankees 1: Jack Tobin had four hits, including his ninth homer of the season, and three different Browns had two RBI as St. Louis put a pounding on New York in The Mound City. The Yankees actually led this one - briefly - when they scored in the top of the 1st on a walk, a single and Duffy Lewis' RBI force out. But then it was aa St. Louis - four hits, two walks and a Del Pratt error led to five runs in the bottom of the 1st against Allen Russell (5-5) and a double, triple and Tobin's homer provided three more in the 3rd. Carl Weilman (12-3), meanwhile, was dancing through the New York order pitching to weak contact  - the six New York hits were all singles and he put an exclamation point on the affair by getting all three NY hitters in the 9th to tap weakly back to the mound. Herman Bronkie scored three runs out of the leadoff spot for the Browns. [box]

1919 AL - Games of Thursday, 17 July

Tigers 11, Athletics 0: Once again, Detroit used the big inning to crush Philadelphia - this time it was seven runs in the 6th as the A's pitching and defensive woes continue to mount. The Tigers had pushed across a single run in the opening frame on a single, sac bunt, ground out and wild pitch, but it was quiet from there for both Walt Kinney (4-7) and Slim Love until the dam burst for the Tigers in the 6th. Three fielding errors amplified the pain of four hits, a walk, and two stolen bases as Ralph Young and Harry Heilmann each delivered two-run hits. Detroit piled on three more runs in the 8th and Love (4-3) waltzed to victory on a five-hit complete-game whitewash of the circuit's cellar dwellers. Heilmann knocked in three runs (putting him over the 50-RBI mark for the season) and Donie Bush scored three times. [box]

1919 AL - Games of Wednesday, 16 July

Yankees 13, Browns 4: Wally Pipp had four hits and Frank Baker had two homers and four RBI as New York got out quickly and then buried St. Louis for good under a pile of late-inning runs. Four runs in the 4th inning (Bob Shawkey 2-run double) had put the Yankees on top 6-2, and then three in the 7th, two more in the 8th (Pipp two-run homer) and one for good measure in the 9th completed the damage. Ken Williams has three hits for the Browns, and Hank Severeid a pair of two-baggers, but otherwise Shawkey (10-9) had all of the help he needed. [box]