Connie Mack League Baseball

Discussions for the Connie Mack League.
Post Reply
larrysiegfried20
Posts: 135
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2018 2:42 pm

Connie Mack League Baseball

Post by larrysiegfried20 »

Mack sees his old team win in 13 innings, 4-3.

The16-18 White Elephants of Philadelphia aka, the Philadelphia Athletics changed ownership officially on August 1st. The team had been on or partially owned since 1901 by Cornelius McGilliguddy better known to legions of baseball fans as Connie Mack.

Mack won nine pennants and five World Series during his tenure.

The eighty-eight year old owner-general manager-manager, from East Brookfield, MA, began negotiations to sell his team during the NLCS between the regular season champion, Milwaukee Braves, and the upset minded Florida Landsharks, who went on to win the World Series. At the time he was tight lipped about his future with the club but did give and indication that he felt his time in baseball was running out. ''After all my years in baseball, there are two things I never got used to - haggling with a player over his contract and telling a boy he has to go back.''

Mack, dressed as he always was, in a casual suit and holding a rolled up program, watched the entire game in the exact same manner that he watched all of the 3,582 games he managed; quietly showing no emotion but appearing relaxed and resigned to the new set up without him as the bends and turns of the game in front of him played out.

Like Connie Mack's career, this game extended deep into extra inning, thirteen of them as a matter of fact, before hostilities came to another peaceful end, this time with the home team pilling one out of the fire for their loyal fans.

Things started out on a high note for Philadelphia's team. The team with a white elephant on its chest took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Tony Tompkins and Rube Lewis both singled to put runners on first and third. Athletics' catcher Joe Martel's singlecto right drove in the foirst run and Lewis scored the second run when first baseman T.J. Stienbach grounded into a around the horn double play.

2-0 Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh cut the lead to one in the ourth inning. Philadelphia starting pitcher Sam Geier walked Dave Lopat with one out ad Johnny Brosnan followed with a run scoring triple with two outs.

Pittsburgh got back on even terms in the sixth inning.

Damaso Muniz doubled to centerfield, advanced to third base on a ground out to first baseman Steinbach by Johnny Gilbreath and scored on Lopat's single to right field. Keith Clarke grounded out (Lopat went to second), and Brosnan flied out to waste any further scoring chances by stranding Lopat at second base.

The game remained tied 2-2 through the ninth inning and past the tenth before both clubs scored a run in the eleventh to extend the game further.

In that 11th inning Muniz squeaked one past a diving shortstop Tompkins, for a single, and Gilbreath hit one of the handle of his bat that dropped in just (with emphasis on just) in front of a madly charging center fielder Paul Schorr. The scratch hit put runners on first and second with no one out.

Earl Small replaced Geier (10IP 5H 3R/3ER 4BB/9S0...No decision),

The first batter Small faced, Dave Lopat, forced Gilbreath, at second. Muniz advanced to third base now with one out. Keith Clark grounded out for out number two but Muniz scored the go-ahead run on the play. 3-3 Pittsburgh.


Don Wheaton came in looking for his 13th save of the season but gave up a game tying homerun to switch hitting Wally Bullinger, batting left handed. Bullinger's blast went far over the right field fence well fair for his second homerun.

Bullinger, a thirty-three year old veteran, who can play all the infield spots, was a Connie Mack signee when he was just 19 years. is one of many players who lost multiple season due to military service (US Army in Europe).

While Small was pitching the last three innings for Philadelphia (one hit, two walks), Wheaton left after blowing the save, replaced by Kevin Nelson who got through the 12th thanks to a double play after he walked the lead off batter.

He did not make it out of the thirteenth.

Bullinger came up again and collected his fourth hit of the game (2 singled 1 double 1 homerun=8 total bases.), one of his two singles. Nelson, the losing pitcher (3-5) then gave up the game winning double to Paul Schoor.

The starting pitcher for Pittsburgh, Chuck Barry, also went ten innings (8 hits 2 runs 1 walk 5 strikeouts).

As Mr, Mack and his family departed, the press caught up with them, and asked him some questions that he graciously answered and concluded, ''No matter what I talk about, it always seems to get back to baseball. We saw and enjoyed a well played, sportsmanlike game that I have long been in favor of and even had a Code of Conduct for my players to keep. Hopefully baseball will alwauys be lke this and maintain it availability to the community, keeping the low ticke prices that have served to promote the game so well with increased attendance . That is my hope.''
Post Reply

Return to “Connie Mack League”