Beating the Giants
October means the World Series.
In 2024, the New York Mets and Yankees are aiming to get there. A century ago, a New York team did make it to the Series – the National League’s New York Giants made it to the 1924 Fall Classic, losing to the American League champion Washington Senators, four games to three.
One more note on the New York Giants’ great season – the Doherty Silk Sox beat them.
On June 22, 1924, manager John McGraw’s team rolled off the bus at the Doherty Oval in Clifton, N.J., anxious to hit. In June 1923, the Giants put on a batting practice show, slamming balls over the fence – especially the 275 ft. wall in right – before rains washed out the game. Now under warm fair skies, they were anxious to earn $5 for each home run hit, feeling at home in this pretty ballpark, its diamond modeled after their own Polo Grounds.
At the Doherty Oval; note fans on field in front of outfield fence to accommodate big crowd (Paterson Museum).
The Silk Sox’s diminutive pitcher, Lefty James, ran to the mound to throw a few warmup pitches to catcher Paddy Smith. Umpire Jake Tajerian yelled: “Play ball!”
The 1924 Giants featured seven future Hall of Famers: Freddie Lindstrom, Ross “Pep” Youngs, George “High Pockets” Kelly, “Hack” Wilson, Travis Jackson, Bill Terry and Frankie Frisch (the only one who wouldn’t play). On the mound was little-used Walt Huntzinger, a 25 year-old righty. Coaches Hugh Jennings and Cozy Dolan managed the Giants for McGraw, who remained behind in Manhattan.
The Bergen Evening Record wrote: “Every seat in the spacious park was occupied long before the game was scheduled to start.”
Memphis Bill Strikes
The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth inning. Leading off, the Giants’ Heinie Groh, famous for using his “bottle bat,” walked. After a single and an error, New York loaded the bases.
Freddie Lindstrom lifted a sacrifice fly, scoring Groh for the first run. Next, Hack Wilson worked a walk, loading the bases again. The Giants sent up Bill Terry, who would hit .341 for his MLB career.
After getting two strikes on “Memphis Bill,” Lefty James grooved a pitch and Terry mashed it over the right field wall for a grand slam and a 5-0 Giants lead.
Hall of Famer Bill Terry
The Silk Sox answered in the bottom of the inning. After Fred Schneider singled, Passaic-born Fritz Knothe belted a home run to make it 5-2 – which is how the score remained until the ninth inning.
After he gave up the grand slam, James bore down. The Giants, winners of eight straight coming into the game, began struggling against Doherty’s wiry little lefty. Pulling down on the bill of his cap between pitches, the Paterson Press-Guardian wrote James had “sweat coming out of every pore” as he kept the fearsome lineup at bay.
The Doherty fans roared louder with each succeeding inning. Their admiration for the little southpaw only increased when the Giants replaced Huntzinger with righty Harry Baldwin in the sixth.
No one was coming in to relieve Lefty James.
Giant Killer
The Paterson Press-Guardian wrote: “…to the surprise of the mob (James) seemed to get stronger as the game progressed.” The Passaic Daily Herald described, “(The Giants) were at times helpless before the assortment of curves that the youngster sent over the plate.” From his coaching box, Silk Sox coach Sam Ingram heard fans asking, “Where does he get the strength from?”
Lefty James, Giant killer
With the Silk Sox trailing by three in the ninth, Howard Lohr slammed a ball high off the center field fence for a double. Knothe followed with a line single. “Chattering” Paddy Smith stepped to the plate, and the big catcher smacked a low curve ball over the right field wall for a game-tying homer, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Now it was up to Lefty James to hold the Giants, and he was helped by George Braun in the tenth inning who turned a nifty double play with two aboard to preserve the tie. The Paterson Press-Guardian wrote of James: “His stuff in the last three innings was far better than what he served in the earlier cantos.”
In the visitors’ dugout, the Giants acting managers Dolan and Jennings fumed. The Doherty lefty had caused the Giants to miss their 5:06 p.m. train out of Paterson to Manhattan. When Lefty threw up more zeros, the Giants missed the 5:27 p.m. train out of Passaic.
The indomitable James could care less. He set the Giants down in the fourteenth inning, trapping the New York team in Clifton. Later that evening, the Silk Sox had to hire drivers to get the Giants to Newark to hop a train back to New York City.
Unlikely Hero
In the bottom of the fourteenth, the Silk Sox’s Bobby Crowell walked to the plate. The 33 year-old second baseman and bookkeeper from Brooklyn was in the twilight of his playing career. On that June day, Crowell was dog-tired. He’d battled an intestinal illness for three weeks before the game and had not been in the best of overall health for a while. Throughout last season, he’d been plagued by dental problems. Fans nicknamed him, “Bobby Cripple.”
Besides the fatigue, Crowell was also aggravated at umpire Tajerian’s calls and told him so before getting in the box, the two jawing at the plate. While the crowd was hopeful, they expected little heroics from the “frail and slender” Crowell, as described by the Paterson Press-Guardian.
The semipro Doherty Silk Sox beating the New York Giants headlined the local sports pages.
Standing on the mound, the Giants third pitcher of the day Ernie Maun waited. On the second pitch, Crowell swung and connected – launching the ball up and over the right field wall, giving the Silk Sox and Lefty James an improbable 6-5 win.
Fans rushed from the stands, grabbing Crowell after he crossed the plate and hoisting him to their shoulders. Another mob grabbed James and he soon joined Crowell, floating and bouncing above the crowd.
The Giants went on to record a 93-60-1 record and a hard fought World Series loss. Still, it was a fine season for John McGraw’s team … including the one day when they came to Clifton.
And the Doherty Silk Sox beat them.