Damon Runyon
Star Tribune/March 3, 1912
They ring the municipal fire bell here on festal occasions, as well as for conflagrations and to uniform the populace as to the time of day. The civic slogan is hung at the summit of a high tower, whence it disseminates clanging sound to all quarters of the community. At four o’clock the other afternoon it was tolled with wild abandon, for at that hour Wilbur Robinson, of Baltimore, Md,. hit a single to left field in the first regular baseball game of the training season, and as Bert Maxwell followed him with a double the local authorities, in hurried meeting assembled, decided to notify the citizens of Marlin, so that all might hasten to Emerson Park and see Robby rounding third.
As the scene of the Robinson feat is a little less than a mile from the heart of the business center, hundreds reached the spot in time to witness the impressive finish of the famous Maryland Democrat.
McGraw divided the recruits into two teams, one led by himself and the other by Harry McCormick, the former regular outfielder of the Giants. The McGraw team won in six innings, the score being 4 to 3. Jack Johnston, Hank Groh and Artie Bues were the stars of the occasion, with Artie Shafer not far behind.
McGraw Holds On to Best Players
McGraw short-changed McCormick in the division of the players. He gave Harry the following team and batting order: Stork, shortstop; Harry Devore, left field; McCormick, right field; Luby, first base; Paulet, catcher; Thompson, second base; Dupree, third base; Eddie Brannick, center field; Munsell and Ferrell, pitchers. Dupree is a Marlin youth, who led the Marlin City league in batting last season, according to various authorities.
McGraw filled his line-up, with Sam Crane, official scorer, as follows: Groh, shortstop; Johnston, right field; Shafer, second base; Bues, third base; Burns, left field; Jacobson, center field; McGraw, first base; Robinson, catcher, and Tesreau and Maxwell, pitchers.
At that, McGraw nearly crossed himself, as he failed to reckon with Munsell, the Texas leaguer, who worked out a couple of weeks before he reported, and who began smoking the ball through with curves and kinks sticking out at all angles from the seams. The McGraw delegation could hardly see his slants, let alone hit them, and he shut them out without a hit in three innings. Meantime, the McCormick crew poked big Jeff Tesreau for three hits and as many runs in the trio of innings he performed.
Arlie Latham was the umpire, and McGraw got aboard him shortly after the game started. After Muncell quit, Ferrel, a big right-hander from the Carolina association, went in with a large, round delivery which proved very pleasing to the manager’s team, and they batted in four runs in short order.
McCormick’s Team Scores Twice In First
In the first inning Stock hit safely and Harry Devore walked.Stock stole third and scored on McCormick’s out. Luby singled, Devore taking third and scoring on a double steal. In the fourth Bues’ error gave Thompson, the Pittsburg amateur, a life. Dupree, the pride of Marlin, dropped a single in front of Jacobson and Thompson moved along. Eddie Brannick, assistant secretary, attempted a stupendous bunt and popped a soft fly to Artie Shafer, who stepped on first and hung a double play on Dupree, unassisted. Munsell cracked out a single and Thompson tallied.
With two out in the fifth Wilber Robinson fell against the ball for a single and rolled to third on Maxwell’s double, the Southern leaguer having relieved Tesreau in the box. Hank headed and cleaned up, but went out himself trying to make third.
In the sixth inning the fleet Jack Johnston cut loose a triple. Artie Bues singled and stole second, Johnston tallying and tieing the count. Bues went to third on Stock’s error and scored on Jacobson ‘s out, Stock to Luby.
There you have the unvarnished statement of the first game. McGraw was up when the winning run came over, and he kept the game going until he had batted and scored, but the final summing up was 4 to 3.
The Archive 