A sure-handed first baseman with a reliable bat, Holke played most of his career
with losing teams.'R(((In the Braves' 26-inning tie with Brooklyn in 1920, he made
42 putouts at first base. Though he played at a time when players often tried to
intimidate umpires with aggressive arguing, the mild-mannered Holke played 11 ML
seasons without being thrown out of a game and stretched his record to 20 pro seasons
before he was given the boot as a manager in the Three-Eye League.
(JK)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»October 15, 1917: After Red Faber and Rube Benton match three scoreless innings in Game Six, Eddie Collins leads off the 4th and hits a grounder to Heinie Zimmerman at 3B. Collins takes 2nd when the throw gets past 1B Walter Holke. Joe Jackson's fly to RF is dropped by Dave Robertson, and Collins goes to 3B. When Happy Felsch hits one back to the pitcher, Collins breaks for home. Benton throws to 3B to catch Collins, and C Bill Rariden comes up the line. But with Zimmerman in pursuit Collins keeps running and slides home safely. Zimmerman will be blamed for chasing the runner, but nobody was covering home plate. The Giants come back with two runs on Buck Herzog's triple in the 4th, but Faber wins his 3rd of the Series 4–2. The winners earn $3,669.32 each; the losers $2,442.21. One-fourth of each team's share, about $4,000, is divided equally among the clubs in each league.
»February 5, 1919: Charges brought in 1918 by Reds owner Garry Herrmann and manager Christy Mathewson against Hal Chase for betting against his team and throwing games in collusion with gamblers are dismissed by National League president John Heydler. Heydler decides Chase's sometimes indifferent play was due to "carelessness." Two weeks later John McGraw trades 1B Walter Holke and C Bill Rariden to the Reds for Chase, but the Giants will also have their problems with him. In September, McGraw will send Chase and Heinie Zimmerman home without explanation; during the investigation of the Black Sox scandal in 1920, McGraw will testify that the dismissal was because both players had thrown games and tried to enlist Fred Toney and Benny Kauff in their scheme.
»May 1, 1920:
In Boston, Brooklyn's Leon Cadore and the Braves'
Joe Oeschger duel 26 innings to a 1-1 tie in the longest game ever played in the ML. Oeschger shuts out the Dodgers for the last 21 innings, topping Art Nehf's 20 scoreless frames in a row on August 1, 1918. He gives up nine hits, and Cadore allows 12, in the 3-hour, 50-minute game. The Dodgers lose to the Phils at home
in 13 innings the next day, then return to Boston for a Monday game where they lose again in 19. For 58 innings work in 3 days, they are 0-2. An unusual
double play occurs in the 17th inning when the bases are loaded with one out. A grounder to P Oeschger results in a throw home, forcing the runner. C Hank Gowdy's throw to 1B Walter Holke is fumbled, and when the runner tries to score from 2B, the throw back to Gowdy nips the sliding Ed Konetchy.
»October 6, 1923: Braves rookie SS Ernie Padgett, playing in his 2nd game, pulls an unassisted triple play against the Phils, the first in the National League since 1878. Walter Holke lines out, Cotton Tierney is forced, and Cliff Lee is tagged out. It is the first unassisted TP in the NL since 1878. The Braves win the 5-inning nitecap, 4–1, to sweep the twinbill. Joe Batchelder picks up the W over Lefty Weinert.
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