September 6, 1912: Smoky Joe vs. The Big Train

Joe Wood (left) and Walter Johnson

September 6, 1912: The most-hyped pitching duel in baseball history, to that point occurs at the brand-new Fenway Park in Boston.

Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators, not quite 25 years old, born in Kansas and raised in Southern California, was believed to be the fastest pitcher in baseball, and possibly the best. Certainly, the best in the American League, with Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants still regarded as the best in the National League.

But, as the man known, for his speed, as "The Big Train" told a reporter that season, "Mister, no man alive can throw a ball harder than Joe Wood." Two years younger, also a righthander, born in Kansas City but raised in Colorado, the ace of the Boston Red Sox threw so much heat that he was known as Smoky Joe.

When the Sun came up on September 6, the AL Pennant race was effectively over. The Red Sox led the 2nd-place Philadelphia Athletics by 14 1/2 games. (This would be the only season between 1910 and 1914 that the A's did not win the AL Pennant.) The Senators were also 14 1/2 back, trailing the A's by percentage points. But Johnson was always a big draw. And, on this afternoon, he would be starting against Wood. And each man would be going for his 30th win of the season: Wood was 29-4, Johnson and was 29-10.

Clyde Milan singled off Wood to begin the game, but was erased via a double play. Steve Yerkes singled off Johnson with 1 out in the bottom of the 1st, but was eliminated when Tris Speaker grounded into a force play, and then Speaker was caught stealing 2nd.

With 1 out in the bottom of the 2nd, Johnson allowed singles by Larry Gardner and Clyde Engle, but got out of the jam. Wood got in trouble in the top of the 3rd. George McBride led off with a double, and Eddie Ainsmith bunted him over to 3rd base. Johnson himself grounded into a fielder's choice, leading to McBride being caught in a rundown. He was finally tagged out at the plate by Sox catcher Forrest Cady, but Johnson, a good hitter for a pitcher, made it to 2nd. Wood then, unintentionally, walked Milan and Eddie Foster to load the bases. Then he struck Danny Moeller out to end it. It was still 0-0.

Speaker led off the bottom of the 4th with a walk, but was stranded. With 1 out in the top of the 5th, Wood walked Ainsmith, and gave up an infield single to Johnson. But he got Milan and Foster to fly out. Wood allowed a double to Frank LaPorte with 1 out in the top of the 6th, but he didn't score.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th, Johnson finally buckled, allowing doubles to Speaker and Duffy Lewis, to make it 1-0 Boston. In the 8th, Foster singled and stole 2nd with 1 out, but couldn't score. LaPorte led off the top of the 9th with a single, and was bunted over to 2nd by Frank Moran. But Wood struck McBride and Ainsmith out to end it. Final score: Red Sox 1, Senators 0.

Wood finished the season 34-5, with an ERA of 1.91, and a WHIP of 1.015. He would win 3 games in the World Series, including the deciding Game 8 over the Giants. (Yes, Game 8.) But in the next year's Spring Training, he hurt his thumb, and was never the same. He was 81-43 before the injury, 36-14 after it. He switched to the outfield, became a good hitter, and stayed in the major leagues until 1922, before becoming the longtime head coach at Yale University.

Johnson finished the season 33-12, with a 1.39 ERA. The next season turned out to be his best: 36-7, 1.14 (still the lowest in the American League for a full season), and a WHIP that doesn't seem possible, 0.780. He finally won a World Series in 1924, and retired with an AL record 417 wins, a record 113 shutouts, and a since-broken career record of 3,508 strikeouts. He was 1 of the 1st 5 players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, he didn't get to enjoy it as long as he should have: He died of a brain tumor in 1946, only 59 years old. Wood lived until 1985, at 95.

*

September 6, 1912 was a Friday. These other baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Highlanders lost to the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-2 at Hilltop Park in Upper Manhattan. Two errors by Hal Chase in the top of the 9th inning cost the game for the team that would become the Yankees the next year. Chase must have had a bet going.

* The New York Giants swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0 and 9-8 at National League Park (later Baker Bowl) in Philadelphia. Jeff Tesreau pitched a no-hitter in the opener, coming within 2 walks of a perfect game. For all the hype that Wood and Johnson got on the day, neither man had the day's best pitching performance.

The nightcap wouldn't be so simple. It was 3-0 Giants after 4 innings, 6-3 Phillies after 6, and 8-6 Giants going to the bottom of the 8th. The Phils made it 8-7 in the bottom of the 8th, and Christy Mathewson had to come in to relieve. The Giants scored a run in the top of the 9th, but the Phils could only come back with 1 in the bottom half, and lost.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Boston Braves, 2-1 at Washington Park in Brooklyn. This would be the last month that the Dodgers used it. The next April, Ebbets Field opened.

* The Cleveland Naps beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Joe Benz made a bad throw on Joe Birmingham's bunt, opening the door for 3 Cleveland runs in the top of the 11th inning. Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, the manager and 2nd baseman for whom the team was named, went 1-for-4 with a walk. So did Shoeless Joe Jackson. The Naps became the Cleveland Indians in 1915, and the Cleveland Guardians in 2022.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2 at the new Navin Field in Detroit. Ty Cobb went 1-for-3 with 3 stolen bases. The ballpark would be renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938, and Tiger Stadium in 1961.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-5 at the new Redland Field in Cincinnati. It was renamed Crosley Field in 1934. It closed in 1970, whereas, of its fellow 1912 debutants, Tiger Stadium closed in 1999, and Fenway Park is still open.

* And the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-0 at Robison Field in St. Louis. Wilbur Cooper allowed 9 hits, but kept the shutout. Honus Wagner went 1-for-5.