September 27, 1917: An early baseball "all-star" game is held at Fenway Park in Boston, as a benefit for the family of Tim Murnane.
Timothy Hayes Murnane was born on June 4, 1851 in Naugatuck, New Haven County, Connecticut. The son of an Irish immigrant, he inherited his father's Irish brogue, and was heard to keep it throughout his life. A 1st baseman, he played in the National Association for the Connecticut-based Middletown Mansfields in 1872, the original version of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1873 and 1874, and the Philadelphia White Stockings in 1875.
In the National League, he played for the Boston Red Caps (the team that would become the Braves) in 1876 and 1877, winning a Pennant in 1877; and the Providence Grays in their inaugural season of 1878. He retired, only 27, to run a pool hall in Boston, coming out of retirement in 1884 to manage and play for the Boston Reds in the ill-fated Union Association.
He then served as an executive in minor league baseball, and from 1887 to 1917, wrote for The Boston Globe, eventually becoming its baseball editor, and one of the most admired baseball-connected figures in the city. His 1st wife had died young, not uncommon in that era before antibiotics, and he had remarried.
On February 7, 1917, the man known as "The Silver King" for his thick white hair wrote his daily sports column for the Globe, took his wife to the opera, and, just 30 minutes after filing his column, died in his seat at the Schubert Theatre, from a heart attack. He was 65 years old.
He was such a popular figure in Boston that Mayor James Michael Curley served as one of his pallbearers. He was so admired at the Globe that the paper's owner, John I. Taylor, who had previously owned the American League's Boston Red Sox and had gotten Fenway Park built, served as an usher at his funeral.
Murnane was admired, but he was not rich. As long as he had his job, he was paid well enough to take his wife to the opera. But he had 4 young children, and had spoken often of sending them to college. Now, there was nothing left for this. So a benefit game was set up for them. The Red Sox, 2-time defending World Champions, would field a team that included future Hall of Fame right fielder Harry Hooper; established stars Jack Barry (also the Sox' manager) at 2nd base, Everett Scott at shortstop, and George "Duffy" Lewis in left field; and, as the starting pitcher, and already known as a pretty good hitter, lefthander George "Babe" Ruth.
The day had 8 of the 16 major league teams scheduled, but both the NL's New York Giants and the AL's Chicago White Sox had clinched their Pennants, so their games on this day meant nothing to them. Still, the only NL player was also a Boston player, future Hall-of-Fame shortstop Walter "Rabbit" Maranville of the Braves. Benny Kauff of the Giants and Edd Roush of the Cincinnati Reds had been willing to play, but had to bow out due to injuries. Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Philadelphia Phillies said he would come, then sent word that he couldn't, due to a family emergency.
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson and George "Buck" Weaver, both established stars, represented the White Sox. Both would later be among the 8 players banned as a result of the Black Sox Scandal; in Jackson's case, not completely fairly; in Weaver's case, totally unfairly.
The All-Stars would be managed by Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics and Hughie Jennings of the Detroit Tigers. Mack brought 1st baseman John "Stuffy" McInnis and catcher Wally Schang. Jennings brought center fielder Ty Cobb and pitcher Howard Ehmke, who would later pitch for the Red Sox, giving up the 1st home run at Yankee Stadium, to Ruth, and become a surprisingly effective spot starter for Mack's A's in Game 1 of the 1929 World Series.
Former Red Sox star Tris Speaker, now the manager and center fielder of the Cleveland Indians, also played, bringing with him shortstop Ray Chapman, who would come to baseball's saddest end. And Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators was on hand, but their starting pitcher was Urban Shocker of the St. Louis Browns. Representing the New York Yankees was pitcher Bob Shawkey.
The weather was listed as "perfect," and 17,119 fans came out, including entertainers Will Rogers and "Funny Girl" Fanny Brice, and former Heavyweight Champion John L. Sullivan, "the Boston Strong Boy." Before the game, various contests were held, including a home-run contest, won, as would later be expected, but Ruth; and a distance throw contest, won by Jackson.
Ruth and Shocker each held their opposing side scoreless for 5 innings. Shocker kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard in the 6th. Johnson took the mound for the 7th, and kept the shutout going. But in the 8th, Barry and Dick Hoblitzell singled, and Lewis hit a drive to center field that Speaker, supposedly the best defensive outfielder the game had yet seen, couldn't get to, for a triple that drove in both runners.
George "Rube" Foster -- not to be confused with Negro League pitcher and executive Andrew "Rube" Foster, or with later black slugger George Foster -- replaced Ruth in the 6th, and shut the Stars out the rest of the way. The Red Sox won, 2-0. The game generated around $13,000 -- about $300,000 in 2022 money -- enough to both buy Murnane a proper gravestone and send his kids to college as he wanted.
In 1978, the Baseball Writers Association of America posthumously awarded Murnane the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, named for the longtime publisher of The Sporting News. It is regarded as the sportswriters' equivalent to election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the winners are honored at each year's induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York.
*
September 27, 1917 was a Thursday. These 4 regularly-scheduled games were played on that day:
* The Brooklyn Robins -- as the Dodgers were known while Wilbert Robinson managed them frmo 1914 to 1931 -- lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Zack Wheat went 2-for-4. Casey Stengel went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Honus Wagner, in his final season, had already played what turned out to be his last game for the Pirates, on September 17.
* The Philadelphia Athletics, in one of their few games between 1901 and 1950 not managed by Connie Mack, beat the St. Louis Browns, 6-5 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. It's not clear who was managing them.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Senators, 6-1 at American League Park (later Griffith Stadium) in Washington.
* And the Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Braves, 6-4 at Redland Field (later renamed Crosley Field) in Cincinnati.
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