Books and articles about Joe Oeschger

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The Braves' Joe Oeschger battled Brooklyn's Leon Cadore for 26 innings in the longest game in major league history, played to a 1-1 deadlock on May 1, 1920. Oeschger gave up only nine hits, walked four, and set a single-game ML record by pitching 21 consecutive scoreless innings. He was "a little tired" at the end, but said he benefited from the short seventh inning, when he retired the side on three pitches. It was not Oeschger's first marathon performance against Brooklyn; on April 30, 1919, facing Burleigh Grimes, he had pitched the Phillies to a 20-inning, 9-9 tie. Oeschger lost a league-high 18 games for Philadelphia in 1918 and won a career-high 20 with Boston in 1921. He faltered the following year, going 6-21. Before his death in 1986, he was the last survivor of the 22 participants in the 1920 marathon game. (LRD)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » September 4, 1917: The Phillies Joe Oeschger and Brooklyn's Jeff Pfeffer face off to a 14-inning scoreless tie. Pfeffer gives up just three hits, while Oeschger allows just 6. » May 13, 1918: The Phils' Joe Oeschger pitches nine no-hit innings, but they come after the Cards put together two hits and a walk for three runs in the first inning of a 10-inning 3-3 tie. » April 30, 1919: Joe Oeschger goes 20 innings for the Phils in a 9-9 tie against Brooklyn's Burleigh Grimes. Both teams score 3 in the 19th. Oeschger walks 5, gives up 22 hits. Grimes walks 5, gives up 15 hits. » 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. » November 12, 1923: John McGraw sends OF Casey Stengel, SS Dave Bancroft, and OF Bill Cunningham to the Braves for P Joe Oeschger and OF Billy Southworth. Bancroft will be named player-manager, one of three players in the swap who will skipper the Braves.