Damon Runyon
Washington Herald/October 16, 1917
“The fatal fourth.”
Dedication. “Heine; this is AW-All for you.”
Heine A Sprinter
Now a close-up of Heine Zimmerman, the pride of the Bronx.
Let the film flicker!
The plot moves this way:
Heine Zimmerman thought he could outrun Eddie Collins.
Giants Lose Title.
Now a close-up of the figures 4 to 2, the score by which the New York Giants lost the championship of the baseball world to the Chicago White Sox, pennant winners in the American League.
Now a panoramic view, entitled Horrid Silence, depicting that sector of the Polo Grounds back of third base, where all this season the loyal citizenry of the Bronx have congregated, booming their baseball battle cry for the favorite son of the region beyond the Harlem.
“Heine, this is ALL for you!”
A Real Anderson
Finally, an interior scene: The living-room of the Goatery of baseball, showing a number of gentlemen of familiar aspect—all members of this club. Here cut-in close-ups of John Anderson and Fred Merkle and Fred Snodgrass, watching the door in attitude of expectancy; a committee on reception
Heine this is ALL for you.
Well, it has been a tough era for Teutonic thought, one way and another.
Von Kluck thought he was going to eat a dinner in Paris. The Kaiser thought he could lick the world. Heine Zimmerman thought he could outrun Eddie Collins. It has certainly been tough.
Fans Given Laugh.
Heine’s thought bubbled in his brain today until he had chased Eddie Collins across the plate with what proved to be one of the winning runs in the sixth and last game of the world series of 1917, while 33,000 fans lay back in their seats and gasped, like landed trout, in astonishment.
The balloting for chief goat of the series ended right there.
The Heine Zimmerman was unanimously elected. “Heine” called out one voice from the silence back of third, as the inning ended, “this is AW-ALL for you!” But even the brave Bronxonians were too stunned to give the old answering whoop.
Robertson Makes Muff
As a matter of fact, Heine is not entitled to all the blame for the loss of the game today, but he will probably get all of it. There was a muff in the fatal fourth by Davy Robertson, slugging star of the series, which punctured some good pitching by Rube Benton, John J. McGraw’s left-handed “Ace in the hole.”
But when all is said and done, Heine would persist in thinking he could outrun Eddie Collins.
Heine put Eddie on second at the opening of the fatal fourth, the inning of big events in this series, with a wild throw to Holke, after retrieving a roller from Eddie’s bat.
Up came “Shoeless Joe” Jackson who took what the boys call a “toe hold.”
Jackson Hits Fly
Benton amassed an account of two strikes and two balls against Joe, and then he knocked a high fly to right.
It was not a long fly, but it was a tall leisurely fly, and it was all in the Southern Confederacy. It was hit by a South Carolinian off a North Carolinian and it was awaited by a Virginian. The ball rose higher than a rebel yell, but when it fell it dropped lower than the New Orleans delta.
Robertson awaited quite a spell before it fell into his glove, and cuddled there an instant. Then it leaked out upon the green sward, or grass. Eddie Collins galloped fiercely to third. Shoeless Joe, who had practically abandoned hope of getting anywhere at all, halted at first.
Happy Felsch hit an easy roller to Benton, and the round shouldered “Rube” gathered up the ball, and calmly took a look around.
Collins Is Caught
He saw that Eddie Collins was well removed from third. So he trotted over that way and “caged” Eddie. The latter, thinking he was a sure out, began running up and down the base line, ducking extinction as long as possible to give Jackson and Felsch a chance to move up. Finally, when he was headed back toward third, Benton tossed the ball to Zimmerman. Then it was that Heine began thinking he could outrun Eddie. Edward is known as one of the fastest things afoot in the large leagues. Still, a daschund might think he could outrun a rabbit if one hopped up right under its muzzle.
Heine took out after Eddie, holding the ball firmly in his hands. Eddie took out for the plate. “Wa’al Bill” Rariden straddled the base line near home, his hands outstretched for Heine’s throw.
“Wa’al” he called to Heine “well throw ‘er hy’ar!”
“Get out of the way” bawled Heine. “I’ve got him!”
(Source: Chronicling America, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1917-10-16/ed-1/seq-1/)
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