The Opelika-Auburn News from Opelika, Alabama • 13

THE OPELIKA AUBURN NEWS Sunday May 15 1177 Paga Pitched Baseball's Most Unusual Perfect Game Ernie Shore Still 'Walking Tall' At 86 PHYSICALLY SPEAKING Ernie Shore is only a shell of the man who on June 23 1917 pitched perhaps the most unusual perfect game in the history of major league baseball Shore now 86 years old lives in Winston Salem NC where he and his wife Lucille have made their home for the past 43 years Ernie is a native of the more rural area of orsyth County NC (His cousin by marriage Irene Shore is an employe of The Opelika Auburn News and one of his staunchest fans) In his pitching prime the man who roomed with the legendary Babe Ruth on three different American League clubs was 6 foot 44 and weighed a muscular 205 pounds He suffered a stroke about two years ago also broke some ribs and now is down to about 165 Yet Ernie Shore has lost none of his alertness nor enthusiasm He speaks without any indication of the years that have weighted him down and he loves to reminisce about baseball He vividly recalls that warm summer afternoon in Boston when he beat Washington 4 0 and was credited with a perfect game although he face the first man who came to the plate Ruth started on the mound for the Red Sox but was removed from the game by umpire Brick Owens after issuing a walk to Ray Morgan the leadoff man for Washington Without even warming up Ernie took place and Morgan promptly was retired attempting to steal second base rom that point on Ernie faced only 26 batters with none of them reaching base That was one of the milestones of a baseball career that included tenures with the Baltimore Orioles Red Sox and New York Yankees Ernie who was credited with 67 major league victories said that one of the games he recalls with SRI Pou1 Cox Ernie was in the Navy serving his country when Ruth shut out the Chicago Cubs 6 0 in the opening game The Babe also pitched seven and one third innings and was credited with the victory in the third game That was a historic year in which the major leagues were ordered to suspend their seasons by Labor Day because of the work or fight order of General Crowder the provost marshal However the two championship clubs were given special dispensation to play the World Series after the early September holiday Started Career In Baltimore ERNIE SHORE had signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles right out of Guilford College and spent a year in the minor leagues with Greensboro NC He had been with Baltimore for about a month when the Orioles sold him and Ruth both pitchers at the time to Boston in 1914 Ernie spent four years with the Red Sox and won 20 games in 1915 He was doing military duty during the 1918 season but was traded to the Yankees in 1919 in a deal that also Involved Duffy Lewis and Dutch Leonard Ruth went to the Yankees in 1920 and the two men renewed their close friendship Ernie had hurt his arm while pitching against the Cleveland Indians in 1917 and he was with the Yankees for only two seasons "Things were never the same for me after he recalled "and I finished my career with San rancisco of the Pacific Coast League" It was after Ernie had hung up his spikes that Ruth because most prolific home run hitter and established a record that lasted until Hank Aaron broke the magical 714 barrier The Babe end his fabulous career until 1935 when at the age of 40 he spent a nothing season with the Boston Braves of the National League He quit in May of that year after hitting six homers three in one game and batting 181 "I didn't see Babe much after I left baseball" Ernie revealed "I saw him play In the World Series several times and I was in New York the day he died" While Babe Ruth was carving his niche in baseball Ernie Shore the father of three children doing badly in another endeavor Ernie was nine times elected and served as sheriff of his home county of orsyth NC for 34 years Although he became known as a Tall" type of sheriff Ernie says he seldom packed a pistol "About the only time I carried one was when I was after a desperado" he said with a chuckle "and that very often" "Babe roommate" has received numerous honors both in baseball and law enforcement including being named to the North Carolina Hall of ame The beautiful Winston Salem ball park which houses a Class A farm club of the Red Sox also was named for him At 86 Ernie realizes that he is in the twilight of the biggest game of all life itself But you will fail to find self pity in this man Baseball and life in general has been good to him and he will continue to "walk to the end TMA OPELIKA AUBURN NEWS SPORTS Most Complete Coverage Of War Eagle Sports lorida Is One Up lorida Is closest to the SEC baseball champion ship See Page fondness came against Detroit in 1915 when he won by a 1 0 score in 12 innings The Red Sox went on to capture the American League flag in a furious race with the Tigers winning 101 games to 100 for Detroit like to remember that game because it helped us win the pennant" Ernie said "And proud of the fact that we won the World Series twice while I was in Boston During the two series I pitched in four games and won three of them" Ruth Mostly Spectator IN THE 1915 WORLD SERIES the Red Sox managed by Bill Carrigan easily defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one Grover Cleveland Alexander considered by some baseball people the greatest pitcher of all time outdueled Shore 3 1 in the opener of that Series but the Red Sox came back to win four straight games by one run three in a row by 2 1 and the finale 5 4 Alexander later writing about that Series had nothing but good things to say about Ernie Shore In regards to the first game he said I must admit in fairness that Shore had very hard luck and the breaks went badly against him We were fortunate to win by a 3 1 Ernie came back to beat the Phillies 2 1 in the fifth and deciding game which prompted Alexander to remark: "It was Ernie Shore who won that one for Boston It is an interesting note that he gave us seven hits in this game which he won compared to the five hits he gave us in the first game which he In that T5 showdown for baseball supremacy Ernie pitched 17 innings and allowed only four runs which gave him an ERA of 212 There were a couple of interesting firsts in that World Series The third game the first in Boston was played in newly constructed Braves ield and set an attendance record of 42300 Also for the first time in the history of great fall classic the President of the United States came up from Washington to attend a Series game Woodrow Wilson was present at the second contest played in Philadelphia and set a precedent by tossing out the first ball George oster won two games for the Red Sox in that Series and hit 500 Eating his heart out on the Boston bench was George Herman Ruth young southpaw hurler who was the American League leader in games won and lost that season with 18 victories and six defeats This was before the Babe revolutinized the four ply industry and his only appearance in teh Series came when he pinch hit for Shore in the first game Shore Star Of 1916 Series DESPITE THE ACT that its star hitter Hall of amer Tris Speaker was out of the lineup with an injury Boston also won the 1916 World Series by beating Brooklyn in five games It would not be exaggerating to say EG Shore was the hero for the Red Sox In the first game Ernie mastered the Dodgers 6 5 although he needed relief help from Carl Mays who is probably best remembered for accidentally killing a batter with a pitched ball Ruth was the winning pitcher in the second game when the Sox edged the Dodgers 2 1 Ernie once again won the fifth and deciding game hurling the Sox to a 4 1 decision In 174 innings he allowed six runs only three of which were earned striking out nine and walking four It might be recalled by baseball historians that Boston won the World Series again in 1918 a year when many of the stars were off fighting a war All Those Vols Just Too Much BY JIMMY GRIMES TUSCALOOSA "You just beat said Mel Rosen Thus the Auburn track coach summed up the situation as the Tennessee Vols edged out Tigers 168 148 in the Southeastern conference track championship in Tuscaloosa Saturday It was the 14th consecutive SEC championship for the Vols Alabama was third with 84 points got maybe a better team for national continued Rosen "but in a meet like this those third fourth and fifth places count a lot "WE NEEDED HELP from other teams I tell the boys they count on help from other teams but I found myself hoping those other teams would help Like in the pole vault We have anyone to place so we were hoping maybe Alabama would take first and third As it happened Tennessee got first and second and 20 points we get "Tennessee is Tennessee is said exu berant Stan Huntaman the Tennessee coach "The more things change the more they stay the same "This was year to get us if they are going to We have had a good recruiting year and most everyone on this team will be back DEINITE LY has a better team for NCAA competition They win the NCAA but they will definitely score some Harvey Glance claimed the Com trophy for high point man with 324 points The Olympic gold medal winner won individual first places in the 100 meters the 200 the long jump and an anchor leg of the victorious 440 relay team Tony Easley who brought the com Trophy home to Auburn last year also fared well His only first place was in the triple jump but he was second in the long jump and the 100 He also led off the 440 relay Willie Smith was first in the 400 and third in the 200 and James Walker took the 110 and 400 hurdle cham pionships John Lewter was the only member of "fabulous five" not to win an individual championship Big John ran on the 440 relay placed thlt in the 110 high hurdles and sixth in the 400 intermediates (See TRACK Page 4) Mi Shra 11 i i vSfe i I 1 I II 4 9 zgoMfwMl fl III 'A Wi ill CLEARING Auburn sophomore James Walker eyes the next hurdle as he leaves John Johnson behind during 110 meter hurdles finals at the Southeastern Conference Track Championships in Tuscaloosa Walker only a sophomore won the event with a time of 139and later added a victory in the 400 meter intermediate hurdles with a time of 4958 an SEC record However efforts and those of his teammates lift the Tigers past the Vols of Tennessee who won their 14th consecutive SEC outdoor title as Auburn finished second Photo by Johnny Lawrence AHS alls At Brink Of inals MOBILE An incredi ble pitching performance by Johnny Adams of BC Rain and a 12 hit attack by the Raiders in the second game Saturday was enough to eliminate Auburn from the state semi final play offs at Trimmier Park The Raiders advanced to the finals of the playoffs with a 10 2 victory in the deciding game after Au burn had tied the series at 1 1 with a 5 2 victory in the first game Adams came on in relief of Eddie Hendricks in the third inning Hendricks had walked Pat Mullins and Burt Lauderdale to open the inning Adams came in to Eric Lindbeck to load the bases but then retired the next 13 batters he faced one of which was a sacrifice fly by Reid Roney to score Millins Randy McClanahan got the only Auburn hit of the second game when he beat out an infield hit with one out in the seventh Inning to break Adams streak at 13 Auburn scored a run in the top of the first when Lauderdale reached on an error and moved to third on two wild pitches A sacrifice fly by Lindbeck scored him The Raiders scored three runs in the fourth three in the fifth and two in the sixth Skip Jones turned in a sparkling performance in the opener allowing just three hits in the first six innings He suffered out a Rain rally which saw the bases loaded in the seventh The Tigers got a run in the first inning when Lindbeck lined a two out single and scored on a single by Jones and an error on the Rain left field er Auburn got four runs in Harvey Glance Is High And Tired relay BY JIMMY GRIMES TUSCALOOSA Harvey Glance won the Commis trophy for the most points scored in the SEC track championships Sat urday but he feel much like talking about it after the meet Glance was lying on a table exhausted after running in he last event the mile NEVER run the mile relay gasped Glance it was a bad time to start after all the running already done Glance ran a total of 810 meters in all his events Saturday Not such a big deal for a distance runner but a long way for a sprinter ellow sprinter Willie Smith beat out Glance for most yards sprinted with 1110 in the 400 440 relay mile relay and 200 Glance was in the 100 the 200 the 440 relay and the mile relay put Harvey into the mile relay cause I had to do something said coach Mel Rosen thought his being there might help the other THE STRATAGEM did work as Auburn came in last All the members of the team had run in other events They were Glance Smith James Walker and John Lewter "I want to hurt any of them but a team built around AU and a few people said Rosen got to double the fourth when Jones opened with a walk and scored on a triple by Roney with home out In opening game of the series Mike Hattaway provided the power for Rain with a two run homer and a two run single Smiths Loses To Childersburg CHILDERSBURG It was a bad day for Panthers The Smiths Station baseball team suffered its first defeat of the season in the first game of a double header with Childersburg Saturday and then lost the nightcap to be knocked out of running for the 3 A state crown In the semifinal series Smiths won the first game of the three game series riday 2 1 However they lost Sa turday afternoon 8 5 and Saturday night 12 5 ft i Ski SN.