White Stockings, 157; Bluff Citys, 1 -- June 15, 2020

Chicago Tribune, 15-May-1870

I was searching for something else and came across this game report.

SPORTING MATTERS.

The White Stockings versus the

Bluff Citys of Memphis.

Score -- White Stockings,

157; Bluff Citys, 1.

BASE BALL.

Special Despatch to The Chicago Tribune.

THE WHITE STOCKINGS VS. THE BLUFF CITYS, OF

MEMPHIS.

Memphis, Tenn., May 13. -- Still another immense achievement has been added to the record of the White Stockings, of Chicago, their victory over the Bluff City Club, of Memphis, to-day, totally casting in the shade anything the nine has ever done, Individually or collectively. The score at the close of the ninth Inning stood -- White Stockings, 157; Bluff Citys, 1. The Chicago boys arrived in this city at hall-past 8 this morning, after a long, hot, dusty, tedious ride by rail from New Orleans, and proceeded direct to the Overton House where a suite of elegant rooms were allotted to them. Not one of the party was feeling well, the change of water since leaving home having began to show its effect in producing bowel complaint. However, a few hours’ rest, a wholesome dinner, and above all plentiful doses of the brandy and Jamaica ginger, with which Tom Foley goes largely provided for such emergencies, sufficed to bring about a better physical condition all around. Hodes and McAtee were yet quite lame, and Craver got excused from catching behind, by reason of the game-fingers on each hand. Consequently a good game was not anticipated, and sorely there was no lack of excuses for an inferior one. The result seems to suggest that a healthy condition of bowels and limbs is not an indispensable prerequisite to great efficiency on the ball field.

THE BLUFF CITY CLUB

is the champion club of Tennessee, having held and maintained that distinction for three years against all comers, and they are conceded to be a much stronger nine than the Green Stockings, whom the Cincinnati Club defeated the other day by a score of 100 to 2. The batting order and positions of the Bluffs are as follows: Rapp, left field; Burke, first base; Winters, second; Motley, right field; Levy, catcher; Dukes, short; Garvin, centre; Watson, third; and Reynolds, pitcher.

THE GAME.

At five minutes past 3 o’clock game was called and the Bluffs were sent to the bat. Mr. J. M. Hill, of Memphis, acted as umpire.

FIRST INNING.

Bluffs -- Rapp hit a short bounder, and was retired by Myerle to McAtee. Burke fouled out by King, who was catching behind; and Winters struck a foul which King got on the bound. No run.

Chicago -- The White Stockings took the bat in hand with a will, and by tbe end of the inning had accustomed themselves to Reynolds’ pitching, scoring seven runs. Wood fouled out by Levy. Pinkham was retired on a well-stopped grounder by Winters to Burke, and Hodes hit a foul which Levy gathered handsomely on the bound, King being left on third.

SECOND INNING.

Bluffs -- Motley sent a high fly to right field, and it was cared for by Cuthbert. Levy’s grounder was sent by Wood to McAtee. Dukes struck three times and got his first on a passed ball delivered badly by Myerle. Dukes was caught napping at first by Myerle to McAtee, and was cornered between first and second by McAtee and Wood. No runs.

Chicago -- From first to last twenty-seven runs were scored by the White Stockings, who were batting safely and long. McAtec came to grief on a foul bound, finely run for and secured, by Levy, and Myerle met the same fate. Cuthbert’s hot scraper was well stopped by Watson and sent to Burke.

THIRD INNING.

Bluffs -- Garvin gained first on a safe hit between first and second. Watson’s liner was well caught by Wood, who qulckly dropped the ball for the sake of tne double play, Garvin thus being forced from first, but failed to touch him as he ran to second. Walson reaching first. Reynolds hit safely to right field, and got first, bringing Garvin home for a tally, and Watson to third. Cheers for the first run by tbe Bluffs. Watson was forced off second by Rapp’S three strikes, and was got by McAtee to Pinkham, and Rapp by Kings to McAtee, Burke popped up a short fly, which Pinkham captured. Side out, and one run. Reynolds left on third.

Chicago -- This time fourteen runs were scored, and nearly all on good safe hits. Wood was sent back by Winters to Burke, as was also Cuthbert, both on easy grounders, and McAtee preserved the continuation of outs by hitting a foul, which Levy got on the bound.

FOURTH INNING.

Bluffs -- Winters’ high fly was finely taken on the run by Craver in the centre field, and Motley’s perpendicular twister settled securely into McAtee's hands. Levy struck a bounder, which Pinkham reached for and got nicely, and sent to McAtee. No runs.

Chicago -- The style of pitching was suddenly changed by Reynolds from swift to very slow, and before the Chicago strikers had got used to it, the side was out, and a whitewash had been suffered. Treacy was put out by Winters to Burke, and Craver got to second on a high fly muffed by Garvin. Reynolds’ bounder was stopped by Winters, and well put to Burke, and Pinkham’s foul was taken on the bound by Levy. Craver left on third.

FIFTH INNING.

Bluffs -- Dukes’ fly to short centre was well run for and reached by Craver, but dropped, and the striker got to first, going thence to third on a passed ball. He attempted to reach home on Garvin's short bounder, but Pinkham got it nicely, sent to Myerle, at third, and Dukes was cornered, Garvin getting first. He then reached second on an overthrow by Pinkham to McAtee. Watson fouled out by King. Reynolds’ grounder was muffed by Wood, and he got first, Garvin to third. Kapp struck ont to King, leaving Garvin at third and Reynolds at second.

Chicago -- King sends a terrific one to the extreme left field, and made a home run on the hit. Hodes’ high fly was well taken by Garvin. Wood’s easy grounder was muffled by Burke, and he got first. Cuthbert mistook a fair for a foul stroke, neglected to run, and a double play was made to second, nipping Wood, who had thought the hit foul, and then to first for Cuthbert. Side out and one run.

SIXTH INNING.

Bluffs -- Burke’s grounder was cared for by Wood to McAtee. Winters sent a liner too hot for Wood to hold out. He recovered quickly and got his man by a fine throw to McAtee. Motley struck three times and got his first on a bad stop by McAtee from Craver, who was catching behind. Levy sent a high one to short centre field, and King took a beautiful running catch. Side out and no runs. Motley left on third.

Chicago -- The White Stockings had now got the best of Reynolds’ slow pitching and batted at a tremendous rate, scoring the remarkable number of thirty-five runs In the inning. The hitting was long and safe, and before the side was out the fielders were actually too tired to return balls in season to prevent any number first, second and third base hits. Myerle made a home run. Pinkham was unlucky, hitting two fouls for Burke to capture, and Craver fouled out by the catcher.

SEVENTH INNING.

Bluffs -- Dukes got his first on a safe liner out of Hodes' reach. Garvin struck out to King, now behind the bat again. Watson’s foul tip lodged firmly between King’s stubby fingers. Reynolds sent a hot one between short and. third, and got second on the hit, Dukes going to third, where he was left, and Reynolds at second, when Rapp struck out to King. No runs.

Chicago -- The batting continued as furious as ever, and the luckless fielders of the outs were more tired than before. Treacy scored a home run. King’s hlgh-fly was finely taken on the run by Winters. Plnkham’s foul was got on the bound by Levy, and Pinkham was again retired on a short grounder to the first base line, which Burke ran for and sent to Winters, who had occupied the base, Myerle was left on third. Thirty-four runs tallied.

EIGHTH INNING.

Bluffs -- Here it was short, sharp and decisive. Burke’s high fly was neatly taken by Hodes. Winters popped up a twister, which Pinkham secured, and Motley was retired after three strikes by King to McAtee. No runs.

Chicago -- Once more the White Stockings terribly punished the outfielders, and batted sixteen runs before they would let up. Treacy got in another home run by his splendid running, being aided this time by a failure to find the ball, which had been knocked so far that the out fielder lost track of it. Hodes was forced by Wood from first, and was secured at second by Levy to Winters. Pinkham’s short fly was taken by Burke, and Hodes’ foul fly was held by Watson, who had gone behind to catch.

NINTH INNING.

Bluffs -- Levy’s hot grounder was splendidly stopped by Wood and sent to McAtee. Dukes fouled out by Craver behind the bat. Garvin got his first on a safe liner to centre field, and was left at second, when Watson was retired on three strikes by Craver to McAtee. No runs.

CHICAGO.

It was getting late, and the cars were whistling, and the White Stockings batted at everything within reach. They were successful to the extent of twenty-three tallies, in the course of which Tracy secured ten and Wood one home run. Pendham’s fly was beaten by Burke. King’s easy grounder was stopped by Winters, and sent to Burke, and Wood tripped a foul fly to Sevy’s hands, thus ending the game with one hundred and fifty-seven runs tallied.

REMARKS.

The fact that one hundred and nineteen first base bits were made, and one hundred and eighty-one total bases on hits, will demonstrate the quality of the batting, which was far superior to anything the nine has ever done. It also proves that while the pitching was comparatively easy to hit, the immense number of runs scored was not to any considerable extent due to the inferior fielding of the Bluff City Club, whose catching in the field was fair, bat who were completely tired out by chasing balls out of reach and fielding them in. The ground was favorable to heavy batting, from the fact that it declined abruptly beyond the second and third base lines, but this advantage was to some extent counteracted by the up-hill running from second to third, and thence home. The Bluff City boys were completely thunderstruck at the tremendous hitting of the White Stockings, having never seen anything like it before. Knowing themselves to be much superior to the Green Stockings, and believing that the Chicago nine could not be better than the Red Stockings, the Bluffs confidently counted upon a better relative score than the Greens had against the Reds, and their friends had bet heavily on making from five to ten runs. On this account a heavy pressure was brought to bear, at the close of the seventh inning, to induce the White Stockings to allow them to score just two runs more and then call the game, as it was growing late, but Tom Foley and Jimmy Wood, valuing the victory of the club far beyond the pecuniary interest of outsiders, stubbornly refused to let up an atom, and ordered the boys to go on with their "rat killing," which they did most effectually.

OFF FOR HOME.

We start for home to-morrow, intending to play in Kankakee on Monday next, and to reach Chicago the same night.