After two losses with lots of regrets to close out the series in Detroit, the White Sox had a chance to lick their wounds by licking the woeful Philadelphia Athletics at Comiskey Park.
Instead, the A’s handed the White Sox a third consecutive loss for the first time in more than two months, and fan favorite Ping Bodie had a big hand in it, delivering a two-run double in the eighth that gave the A’s a 4-0 lead, and looked even more important when the White Sox answered with their only two runs in the bottom of the inning.
The Chicago Tribune’s James Crusinberry provided Bodie’s backstory while summing up his contributions:
Ping played ball all afternoon with the same spirit he displayed in hitting his two bagger. One wouldn’t have been surprised that he flapped his arms and crowed after hitting that decisive punch. It gave him as much satisfaction as he feels when handed his pay check. Ping thinks himself he ought to be on the White Sox yet, and because they turned him back to the minors he proposes to beat them out of the pennant simply to get revenge.
Bodie was then thrown out trying to steal third, after which he gave it back to fans who were giving it to him. From the Chicago Examiner:
When Bodie was thrown out trying to steal third the fans started to “boo” him. Ping’s come back was, “Well, the score is 4 to 0.” It was at that time.
The White Sox had trouble finding that kind of hit against Elmer Myers, partially because small ball got in the way. It started that way, at least, according to Cruisinberry:
The Sox had a fine opening in the first inning, when Leibold led off with a single. A sacrifice, a walk, another sacrifice and another walk followed, but no one had a punch. [Chick] Gandil finished it by fanning with the bases filled.
The second sacrifice was from Joe Jackson, who “didn’t feel he was good for a hit” according to Irving Vaughan of the Examiner. Vaughan then describes the sixth:
The South Siders started the sixth as though they meant to do business but it developed that they were merely kidding the attending fans. [Buck] Weaver started with a single, and [Eddie] Collins came through with another. Jackson was ordered to bunt, and he did so, but in such a way that Myers was able to throw to third and force Weaver.
After another fielder’s choice at second, the Sox stole their way into runners at second and third, but Gandil struck out again.
It also ended that way, per the Tribune’s notes:
Myers began the ninth as if he intended to walk a whole lot of people, but after he had passed [Swede] Risberg and [Ray] Schalk Eddie Murphy went up and bunted the first ball, which broke up the parade.
Leibold then fouled out behind third base and Weaver lined out to end the game. Bunting: bad then, worse now.
Record: 47-27 | Box score