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Nov. 13 in Oakland, Calif.: White Sox 5, Giants 2
The White Sox and Giants arrived in the Bay Area for a four-day break from traveling, but not from games. In fact, they had five games on the slate -- one in Oakland on this day, followed by two in San Francisco, then a doubleheader split between the two cities on Nov. 16.
About 4,000 fans showed up at Oaks Park, and they were personally familiar with some of the players from their Pacific Coast League stints. For instance, Buck Weaver played a year with the San Francisco Seals in 1911, and he was given a warm welcome.
John McGraw, on the other hand, was given the heave-ho from Bill Klem for the first time on the tour, which was surprising. The death of his mother-in-law during the Texas leg of their trip had muted his emotions, but they were on full display today.
G.W. Axelson's account as it read in the Dallas Morning News said McGraw manufactured the argument himself -- walking circles around Klem, pointing a finger close to his eye, and "other breaches of decorum." The San Francisco Examiner said McGraw complained the batter after he thought Tris Speaker should have been rung up on a called strike three (he took a base after getting plunked on ball four). James J. Elfers relays that account in "The Tour To End All Tours":
Mr. McGraw was very angry. He walked up to Umpire Klem and told him a number of things which the American League [sic] umpire had not even suspected. Klem could only retort, "Out of the game you go Mr. McGraw."
Then McGraw turned loose. If it had been a world's series he could not have been more vehement. Everything he didn't say about Klem is not included in the McGraw vocabulary. All Klem could do was point to the clubhouse in center field.
He also ejected Mike Donlin, who joined the argument. As they departed the field, Klem, who boisterously announced every player's introduction at home plate, also loudly proclaimed the coaching replacements at third base and first base.
That HBP to Speaker was worth debating, though, as it put runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh. The next batter, Sam Crawford, hit a long flyball to right field, and Jim Thorpe dropped it, allowing two runs to score. Hal Chase followed with an RBI triple and scored on a grounder, stretching a 1-0 lead to 5-0, and all after the ejection. While the Sox got back in the win column with a 5-2 victory, Charles Comiskey's train and entourage rolled into the Bay Area, ready to join the players on the rest of the tour..