Vic Aldridge threw a complete game and the Pirates pounded out 15 hits in a 6-2 win over first-place New York in the first game of a four-game set at Forbes Field. The win left the Pirates percentage points ahead of Brooklyn for second place, five and a half games behind the Giants.
Aldridge held the hard-hitting Giants to eight hits, seven of them singles. He held New York in check throughout the game except for the top of the fourth. The Giants’ standout young first baseman, Bill Terry, led off with a double and came around on a ground out and a sacrifice fly. The next two batters reached on a single and a walk, and catcher Hank Gowdy singled in a run. Aldridge retired his mound opponent, Virgil Barnes, to end the inning.
By then, the Pirates already had all the runs they’d need. They missed a big chance in the bottom of the first inning, though, thanks to an unusual triple play. Max Carey started the inning with a walk and went to third on a double by Johnny Rawlings. Kiki Cuyler bounced to short and the Giants caught Carey in a rundown between third and home. After he was tagged out, Rawlings was caught trying to get to third. Cuyler then got caught in a rundown between first and second, involving Terry and right fielder Ross Youngs. Terry tagged Cuyler out, making it the second triple play in a Pirates game this year.
The Bucs took the lead just the same in the bottom of the second. Glenn Wright beat out an infield hit with two out and Boots Grantham belted his second home run of the season to right. In the third, the Pirates made it 3-0 when Carey singled, Cuyler singled him to third and Clyde Barnhart hit a fly ball to shallow center. The speedy Carey managed to beat Billy Southworth’s throw home.
After the Giants cut the lead to 3-2, the Pirates added single insurance runs in each inning from the fifth through the seventh. Cuyler drove in Carey with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. In the sixth, Grantham singled and “Oil” Smith doubled him home. The final run came off Jack Bentley, who’d replaced Barnes, in the seventh. Pie Traynor and Wright both singled, and Grantham hit the Bucs’ third sacrifice fly of the game.
The only tough spot for Aldridge after the Giants scored in the fourth came in the seventh. A two-out walk put two on, but Aldridge got Youngs on a popup.
The win improved Aldridge’s record to 4-3. Cuyler had three hits and Grantham drove in three runs.
