A teenager when he joined his hometown Red Sox in 1911, Childe Harold was nicknamed
for the hero of Byron's epic poem. Janvrin demonstrated versatility but never held
a steady job at any one position.
(JK)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»October 4, 1913:
Washington manager Clark Griffith uses an unheard-of eight pitchers in an end-of-season farce game with Boston, including five in the 9th inning. At age 43, he pitches one inning himself, and coach John Ryan, also 43, catches. Griffith also plays RF, where he plays one off his head and misplays Hal Janvrin's liner into an inside-the-park homer. On the other end of the scale, 17-year-old Merito Acosta plays outfield alongside Walter Johnson in CF. Johnson then comes in the 8th inning to lob pitches to two hitters. Both batters, Clyde Milan and Steve Yerkes lace hits to send Johnson back to CF, and then, in relief, Nats catcher Eddie Ainsmith, in his only ML pitching appearance, gives up two triples to allow the base runners to score. The Sox score in the 9th on Janvrin's 2nd inside-the-park homer. Joe Gedeon, in his only pitching appearance, retires the last two batters as Washington wins, 10–9, beating Fred Anderson who goes the distance. The two runs "allowed" by Johnson will have historical repercussions: his ERA goes from 1.09 to 1.14, and Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968 will put Johnson's ERA in 2nd place on the all-time list. The eight pitchers sets a major-league record that won't be matched until the Dodgers, September 25, 1946.
»August 12, 1916: At Fenway, Babe Ruth squares off against Washington lefty Harry Harper and both pitchers leave after seven innings, with Boston trailing 1–0. Ruth, with two strikeouts at the plate, is lifted for pinch hitter Hal Janvrin. Washington reliever Walter Johnson makes two errors in the 8th and gives up two runs in the 9th as Boston wins, 2–1.
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