Washington DC Baseball

[GeoPoto]

(Val: I don't have an answer to your question. I believe, the "rules" for identifying "winning" pitchers evolved over many decades beginning with Chadwick in the 19th century and were still evolving in 1924. The "rules" for saves also evolved beginning in 1959 and were mostly settled by 1975. An answer may be that the identification of a winning pitcher was at the judgement of the official scorer; the save was "awarded" by historians sometime after 1959.)

These first two games were hotly, and evenly, contested. For the Nats, there was no time to bask in the day's victory. The cities of New York and Washington were in close enough proximity that the third game could be played the very next day at New York's Polo Grounds.

Roger Peckinpaugh suffered a charley horse on his game-winning hit and would have to be replaced. Harris would have liked to substitute Tommy Taylor for Bluege at third, moving Bluege to short. Taylor, however, was wearing a splint on his throwing hand, due to an injury he attributed to a fall down some steps. It was believed the real story was that he'd belted someone in the head on the night the Nats had sewn up the pennant in Boston. Instead of using Taylor, Harris had made the decision to start Peckinpaugh, who was in so much pain that he had to come out in the third inning. Harris then had to station the broad-shouldered Ralph Miller, an inferior fielder, at third. Miller had played in the field in only three games during the regular season, and these at second base.

Firpo Marberry, who'd gotten the last out the previous day, got the call from Harris. "Handsome Hugh" McQuillan, the Giants' perennial third starter, would be his mound opponent. Things did not go well for Marberry, as he yielded five hits, two walks, and three runs in the first three innings. Only one of the runs was earned. In the second, Bill Terry opened with a single. After fanning Hack Wilson, Marberry was victimized as a result of Peckinpaugh's absence. Travis Jackson hit the ball on the ground to new shortstop Bluege, whose relay to second to force Terry was dropped by Harris, who was charged with an error.

Instead of being out of the inning, Marberry was looking at men at first and second with still just one out. Hank Gowdy was the next batter. Gowdy was a World War I veteran who had, in June 1917, become the first big-leaguer to enter military service. He enlisted voluntarily, saw combat action in the trenches, and returned from the war highly decorated. Gowdy promptly delivered a sharp base hit that brought in Bill Terry. The Nationals ran Gowdy down between first and second for a second out, so there was a chance yet to get out with limited damage. Marberry next unleashed a wild pitch, and a second unearned run, which he had played a large part in bringing upon himself. The Giants scored a third run off Marberry in the third on a pair of singles and a Wilson double-play groundout, and it was 3-0 in favor of the Giants.

Altrock and Schacht warm up the crowd before Game 3 of the 1924 World Series:

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1679304229