September 7, 1908: "The Big Train" arrives. Walter Johnson completes what remains one of the greatest pitching performances of all time.
He had debuted the season before, and had quickly established himself as a great pitcher, with maybe the best fastball of his generation. But this was truly outstanding:
September 4, 1908: The Washington Senators beat the New York Highlanders, 4-0 on a Friday afternoon at Hilltop Park in Upper Manhattan. Johnson, only 20 years old, allows 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4. He outpitched Jack Chesbro, and even went 1-for-3 as a hitter.
Four years earlier, Chesbro had been, along with Rube Waddell of the Philadelphia Athletics, 1 of the top 2 pitchers in the American League. Since then, though, he had been unquestionably surpassed by Waddell, Ed Walsh of the Chicago White Sox, Addie Joss of the Cleveland Naps, and now Johnson.
By itself, it wasn't an exception performance, in spite of the prestige that came from beating Chesbro. But there was more, the next day:
September 5, 1908: The Senators beat the Highlanders, 6-0 on a Saturday afternoon. Johnson went the distance for the 2nd straight day, allowing 4 hits and no walks, striking out 3. In contrast, Highlander starter Rube Manning didn't get out of the 1st inning. Joe Lake took over and went the rest of the way, but he wasn't a lot better.
Oh, yes: Johnson got another hit, going 1-for-4.
September 6, 1908: It was a Sunday, and playing professional sports was still illegal in the State of New York. So Johnson didn't pitch for a 3rd straight day, let alone pitch a shutout.
But the next day:
September 7, 1908: It was a Monday, Labor Day, and the Senators swept a doubleheader from the Highlanders. In the opener, the Senators won, 4-0. On just one day's rest, Johnson went the distance, allowing 2 hits and no walks, striking out 5. Again, he outpitched Chesbro. And, again, he got a hit, going 1-for-2 with an RBI. They won the nightcap, 9-3. Tom Hughes went the distance for the Senators.
So: 4 days, 1 pitcher, 3 wins, 27 innings, no runs, 14 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts, and 3-for-9 with an RBI. A pretty good 4-day holiday weekend. And he was still 2 months short of his 21st birthday.
To be totally fair, the New York Highlanders were a terrible team in 1908. They went 51-103, and those 103 losses remain the most in franchise history. They finished 8th and last in the American League, 39 1/2 games behind the Pennant-winning Detroit Tigers. In 1913, the Highlanders officially took up the name many people were already calling them: The New York Yankees.
On the other hand, the Senators weren't a whole lot better. They finished 7th, 67-85, 22 1/2 games out of 1st. On Friday, they only got 5 hits, 1 fewer than the Highlanders. They did considerably better over the last 3 games.
In his career, Johnson would 417 games, the most in American League history, and 2nd all-time behind the 511 of Cy Young. Of those 417 wins, 113, an all-time record, were by shutout.
Brian Cashman would not have known what to do with Walter Johnson -- any more than American League hitters did for 20 years. He was 1 of the 1st 5 players, and 1 of the 1st 2 pitchers, elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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September 7, 1908 was a Monday. These other games, all doubleheaders, were played that Labor Day:
* There was a split at the Polo Grounds. The New York Giants won the 1st game, 5-0. George "Hooks" Wiltse allowed 9 hits, but kept the shutout, beating Bill Foxen. The Philadelphia Phillies won the 2nd game, 5-1. Frank Corriden beat Doc Crandall.
* The Brooklyn Superbas got swept by the Boston Doves, 1-0 in both games, at Washington Park in Brooklyn. In the 1st game, Jim Pastorius allowed just 1 hit, but fell to 3-17 on the season, losing to Bill Chappelle, who pitched a 4-hit shutout. In the 2nd game, Vive Lindaman pitched a 6-hit shutout, to beat Harry McIntire. The Superbas became the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1911, and the Doves became the Boston Braves in 1912.
* The Boston Red Sox swept the Philadelphia Athletics, 6-1 and 3-2 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston. Fred Burchell beat Eddie Plank, and Frank Arellanes beat Chief Bender.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates swept the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-7 and 7-1 at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh. Sam Leever beat Arthur "Bugs" Raymond, and Vic Willis beat Fred Beebe. Honus Wagner went 6-for-9 with a home run, a stolen base, and 5 RBIs.
* The Cleveland Naps beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-0 ant 5-2 at League Park in Cleveland. In the 1st game, Addie Joss pitched a 2-hit shutout to beat Ed Walsh. In the 2nd game, Charlie Chech beat Frank Smith. The Cleveland team was named for its manager, 2nd baseman and best hitter, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, who, over the 2 games, went 3-for-8 with 4 RBIs. The team became the Cleveland Indians in 1915, and the Cleveland Guardians in 2022.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Browns, 4-3 and 9-3 at Bennett Park in Detroit. George Winter beat Jack Powell, and George Mullin beat Harry Howell. Over the 2 games, Ty Cobb went 4-for-8 with a stolen base and 2 RBIs.
* And there was a split at the West Side Grounds in Chicago. The Cincinnati Reds won the 1st game, 6-0. Jean Dubuc pitched a 2-hit shutout, beating Charles "Chick Fraser." The Chicago Cubs won the 2nd game, 4-0. Andy Coakley pitched a 4-hit shutout, beating Bob Spade.
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