IN THE NEWS: The Phils whitewash the Dodgers twice, winning 30 behind Grover Alexander and 60 to back Eppa Rixey. Alexander's win in the opener is his 14th shutout, setting a major league record. The loser is Jack Coombs, who had set the record of 13 shutouts while pitching for the A's in 1910. The Phils will win tomorrow behind Al Demaree's 9th straight win, and twice more to move into 1st place.
IN THE NEWS: To help draw a Labor Day crowd, and because of their longtime rivalry, Christy Mathewson and Three Finger Brown agree to close out their careers in the same game. Matty, now the manager of the Reds, wins 108 in his only game not pitched in a Giants uniform. Mathewson and Brown dueled 25 times since 1903, with Brown, now back with the Cubs, winning 13 and losing 10; Matty is 1113. Both pitcher stagger to the end today in the nitecap of a twinbill, with the Reds racking up 19 hits, three by Matty, off Brown, while the Cubs tally 15 of Mathewson, two hits by Brown. Vic Saier hits a 3-run home run off Matty, the 5th time he has hit a 4-bagger off him, the most Matty has given up to any one hitter. The Cubs score three in the 9th before Matty gets Fritz Mollwitz, representing the tying run, to pop out. Today's win the number 373 for Mathewson. The Cubs win the A.M. contest, 30.
In Detroit, the Coveleski brothers appear together in the same game for the only time in their careers. Stan starts for the Indians and gets knocked out in Detroit's 5-run first inning. Harry relieves later on in the game as Detroit wins, 75.
IN THE NEWS: New York's Rube Benton tosses both ends of a doubleheader against the faltering Brooklyn Robins, winning the opener 61 and losing the 2nd game, 21.
IN THE NEWS: Switch-hitter Wally Schang of the A's hits home runs from both sides of the plate against the Yankees, the first major leaguer to do so. Only a handful of people see the rare feat on a rainy day. The next AL player to hits home runs from both sides will be Johnny Lucadello in 1940.
In Washington, Boston's Babe Ruth tops the Senators and Walter Johnson, 21. Ruth gives up four hits while Johnson allows 8. It is the Babe's 4th win this season versus Johnson. Washington wins the nitecap, 43, in 10 innings.
IN THE NEWS: Walter Johnson and Babe Ruth, both pitching on two days rest, square off. Washington scores two runs in the 9th when John Henry lines a bases loaded double off Ruth to tie the game, 22. Boston scores in the 10th, but Washington tallies twice off Ernie Shore to win, 43. Johnson is the winner.
IN THE NEWS: Four days after his first appearance, Pirate rookie Burleigh Grimes makes his first start, against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Brooklyn breaks a scoreless tie with two runs in the 7th, after Honus Wagner flubs a DP grounder hit by Casey Stengel. Wagner, who ostensibly had told the rookie to have Stengel hit the ball to short, reportedly says, "Those damn big feet of mine have always been in my way." (Okrent & Wulf) Pittsburgh scores two in the 8th to tie but pitcher Larry Cheney hits a run-scoring double in the bottom of the 9th to win it for Brooklyn.
IN THE NEWS: The Reds Fred Toney pitches 12 innings in the nitecap against Brooklyn before the game is called at 11 apiece. Zack Wheat goes hitless to end his hit streak at 29 consecutive games. He'll put together a streak of 26 in 1919.
At Baker Bowl, Grover Cleveland Alexander is coasting with a two hit, 60 lead in the 8th over the Cubs, when weak-hitting Steve Yerkes lines a single followed by manager Joe Tinker's only hit of the year. On a DP grounder, 1B Fred Luderus pulls his foot of the bag and Chicago goes on to score three runs. Second-place Philadelphia wins, 63, to pull with one 1/2 games of Brooklyn.
IN THE NEWS: St. Louis Browns P George Sisler wins 10 over Walter Johnson. It is his last win, as he soon becomes a regular 1B. He will also play two games as a left-handed 3B.
At Comiskey Park, Boston lefty Babe Ruth wins his 20th, beating Red Faber and the White Sox, 62. A crowd of 40,000 is on hand, the largest turnout to date in Chicago history.
IN THE NEWS: The Giants extend their win streak to 11 games by topping the Pirates in the opener of two. The nitecap is called after eight innings with the score tied 11.
Ernie Shore tops the White Sox, 43. The win, coupled with Detroit's loss, allows the Red Sox to reclaim first place by .003. Boston will win three in a row from Detroit.
Washington's Claude Thomas makes his first major-league start and shuts out the A's, 10.
IN THE NEWS: Phils ace Pete Alexander gives up two runs, both unearned, and loses to the Cubs, 20. Hippo Vaughn outduels Alex as the Phils fall two games behind Brooklyn.
At Philadelphia, the White Sox tie a major-league record when three pinch runners score in the 9th inning. The Sox win, 54, over the A's.
IN THE NEWS: Brooklyn's Jimmy Johnston swipes 2B, 3B, and home as Rube Marquard 6-hits the Cardinals for a 111 win. Brooklyn's Hack Miller makes his first appearance, going hitless in one at bat as a late inning replacement.
IN THE NEWS: Grover Cleveland Alexander beats Cincinnati twice 73 and 40 at Philadelphia, allowing just a walk in the two contests. With the Phillies needing the catch a train, Alex finishes the nitecap in 58 minutes, his 5th shutout and 8th victory over the Reds this season. Pete has now thrown 15 shutouts on the year.
IN THE NEWS: Marty Kavanagh, Indians utility man, hits the AL's first pinch-hit grand slam for Cleveland in a 53 win over the Red Sox. The ball rolls through a hole in the fence and cannot be retrieved in time for a play at the plate. Kavanagh's blast comes off Boston's Dutch Leonard and ends Boston's 7-game win streak.
In the first game of a doubleheader, Browns 1B George Sisler pitches his 2nd game in eight days, tossing a complete game, and losing 20 to the A's Harry Seibold.
IN THE NEWS: The Giants push their record win streak to 21 games by clipping the Cardinals, 10 and 62. The old record was set in 1884 when Providence won 20 straight.
Boston's Babe Ruth is 2-for-3 and shuts out Cleveland, 20, on seven hits.
IN THE NEWS: Washington manager Clark Griffith excuses several regulars for the remaining games of the season so he can use some new players. Included in the excused is 25-game winner Walter Johnson. In a league-leading 371 IP, he did not give up a home run, an all-time record.
IN THE NEWS: In the 4th doubleheader whitewash in the NL this month, the Giants' Jeff Tesreau tops the Braves, 20, in the opener. In the 2nd game, Ferdie Schupp yields a 7th inning single to Braves 1B Ed Konetchy, breaking up his no hitter. Schupp finishes with a one-hit, 60 win, and will end the year with an ERA of 0.90. For New York, it is their 25th consecutive win.
At Brooklyn, the Phils close to a half-game behind New York as the beat Brooklyn 84. Grover Cleveland Alexander is the victor for the visiting Quakers.
IN THE NEWS: Boston Red Sox P Babe Ruth closes the season with his 23rd win, topping New York 30. It is his 9th shutout and reduces his ERA to 1.75. In 324 IP he gave up no home runs. The nine shutouts is a record for lefties that will be unmatched in the AL until Ron Guidry ties it in 1978.
IN THE NEWS: In the opener of a doubleheader, Giants pitcher Rube Benton takes a no hitter into the 8th inning before Braves 1B Ed Konetchy repeats his performance of two days ago by lacing a hit, the only Boston safety. Benton wins the one-hitter, 40 for New York's record 26th win in a row. Boston then wins the 2nd game, 83, behind Lefty Tyler to snap the historic streak. Jeff Tesreau, in relief of Slim Sallee, is ineffective. Despite the winning streak, and an earlier skein of 17 victories on the road, New York finishes in 4th place.
Red Sox CF Tilly Walker, imitating Tris Speaker, his predecessor, dashes in for a low line drive and beats the runner back to 2B for an unassisted DP. It is an important play, as Dutch Leonard defeats Nick Cullop of the Yankees 10 in the 10th on Harry Hooper's sacrifice fly. The win clinches a tie for the pennant for Boston. Cleveland will beat Chicago tomorrow to give the flag to Boston.
Behind Eppa Rixey, the Phils take the morning game with Brooklyn, and now lead the NL by a half game. Brooklyn takes the nitecap, 61 behind Rube Marquard and they hammer Grover Cleveland Alexander for 11 hits including a homer by Casey Stengel. The Phils also lose SS Dave Bancroft when he breaks his ankle running to 1B. Bancroft had injured the leg earlier in the game while fielding a ball.
In his 153rd game, Tiger 3B Ossie Vitt raises his season total chances to 615, a mark that will stand for 21 years.