We’re back in Ruppert Stadium today for the climactic seventh game of our series between the 1936 Newark Eagles and the 1936 New York Black Yankees. In a rematch of Game 1, Hall of Famer Leon Day will pitch for the Eagles, and Bill Holland will go the mound for the Black Yankees.
The Eagles struck first in the top of the first inning, posting two runs on center fielder Paul Dixon’s lead-off base hit and Ed Stone’s booming home run over the right field fence.
It wasn’t pretty, as both teams left multiple men in scoring position in the ensuring innings, but the score remained 2-0 until the home half of the sixth. Leon Day’s control temporarily abandoned him, as he issued back-to-back walks to Fats Jenkins and Walter Cannady to lead off the inning. Then, with third baseman George Scales at the plate, Day left a hanging curve out over the plate to third baseman George Scales, and Scales put it over the center field fence, a booming three-run homer.
Burt Johnson pinch hit for Leon Day in the Newark half of the seventh, and Terrible Terry McDuffie came in for the bottom half in relief. He gave up a lead-off base hit to Fats Jenkins, but one out later, retired the Black Yankees on a ground ball double play ball hit by George Scales.
With Newark down to its last three outs in the top of the ninth, New York sent Paul Carter to the mound in hopes of wrapping up the win, and with it, the series. But Hall of Famer Willie Wells quickly nixed that idea, tying the game with a long lead-off home run to right. Newark mounted a serious threat to take the lead, as Fred Spearman came around to third on a base hit and a two-base error by pitcher Paul Carter. In another indication of just how much the game has changed since 1936, New York then brought in Game 6 starter Roosevelt Davis, and he managed to retired Harry Williams on a ground ball.
Both sides went out in order in the bottom of the ninth and the top of tenth. George Scales reached on a one-out base hit for New York in the bottom of the tenth, but McDuffie got Jim Williams to ground into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
After both teams went down in order in the eleventh, the game advanced to the twelfth inning, as Roy Williams took the mound for New York, replacing Roosevelt Davis. He got Duke Markham for Newark on a pop up. Paul Dixon lined a base hit up the middle, but Williams ended the inning, persuading Harry Williams to ground into a 5-4-3 around the horn double play.
With the game continuing, Newark sent Robert Evans back to the mound to try to hold off New York. George Giles led off the inning with a seeing-eye bleeder between first and second that put him on first. Jake Stephens hit a ground ball to first, but with the speedy Giles running, Mule Suttles had no shot at the double play. Fats Jenkins worked Evans through a ten-pitch at bat with Giles on second before Jenkins lined a clean single to right. Giles scored easily with the fourth run for the walk-off, and the series belonged to the New York Black Yankees, four games to three.
Image courtesy of Pixabay by bones64 (no changes).
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