The Baseball Triple Double

BOSTON - Sept 4, 1924
The Sports Time Traveler™ has been following the American League pennant race in 1924 all season. It’s a thrilling battle between the defending World Series champion New York Yankees, led by Babe Ruth and the never before contending Washington Senators led by Walter “The Big Train” Johnson.
Up to this point, I’ve been ignoring the National League pennant race because the New York Giants, winners of 3 straight pennants, had been dominating the senior circuit.
Just one week ago, Giants appeared to be in command of the NL. Here were the standings on the morning of August 29, 1924:
7 games behind the Giants were the Brooklyn Dodgers in 3rd place. The Dodgers, even though they had won their last 2 games and 13 of 17, seemed to be non-contenders. Just 3 weeks earlier the Dodgers had been 13 full games behind the Giants.
On August 29th the Brooklyn Dodgers opened a 3 game set against the Giants at Ebbets Field.
In the first game, on August 29th, 22,000 fans watched the Dodgers’ Dazzy Vance improve his record to 23 - 4, by holding the Giants to a single run. The Dodgers scored 3 in the 8th to come from behind and win the game 3 - 1.
The next day the Dodgers were down 3 - 1 in the 7th. They scored 5 runs in the 8th and went on to beat the Giants 8 - 5 to capture the 2nd game of the series.
On August 30th, the Dodgers got out in front 3 - 0 and held on for a 3 - 2 win. The Dodgers had swept the defending NL champs and extended their winning streak to 5. What’s more they were now just 4 games back, after having been 13 games back just 3 weeks earlier.
Next up for the Dodgers was an easier opponent but a much tougher task. The Dodgers had to travel to Philadelphia. The Phillies were in 7th place with a record of just 49 - 75. But the schedule called for 3 consecutive doubleheaders.
The first doubleheader took place on September 1st in the old Baker Bowl. 25,000 fans came out on Labor Day to witness the doubleheader.
The Dodgers took the first game easily 7 - 3.
The second game was a close battle through 8 innings with the Dodgers clinging to a 4 - 3 lead. Then in the top of the 9th the Dodgers star slugger, Zach Wheat, batting .374 on the year, came up with a runner on base. Here’s how the Philadelphia Inquirer described the action:
Wheat hit a ball clear out of Baker Bowl for his 9th homer of the year and it sealed a 6 - 3 Dodgers victory.
Back again the next day for the 2nd doubleheader, the Dodgers seemed assured of another win with their ace, Dazzy Vance, back on the mound. Vance had won 11 straight games. But Dazzy must have been dazed by what happened. He was battered for 5 hits and 4 runs and was knocked out of the game in the 1st inning.
The Dodgers fell behind 7 - 1 after 2 innings. But they battled back and tied it at 9 and the game went into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th the Dodgers scored 3 times and won the game 12 - 9.
In the 2nd game, Zach Wheat’s 10th home run of the year put the Dodgers in front in the top of the 5th and when the game was called due to rain the Dodgers had the win by a 4 - 3 score.
Yesterday, September 3rd, the two teams were back yet again for another doubleheader - the third in 3 days.
In the first game, the Phillies went ahead 6 - 4 after 6 innings. But the Dodgers clawed back tying the game in the 8th when the Phillies Jimmy Ring walked in a run. It was his 11th walk of the game.
Then in the 9th Andy High’s double provided the go ahead run and the Dodgers escaped with a 7 - 6 win. Going the distance for the Dodgers was starting pitcher Burleigh Grimes who won his 20th of the season.
The 2nd game was a rout. The Dodgers went up 5 - 0 after 2 innings and Dodgers’ pitcher Bill Doak threw a 2 hit shutout to win his 10th game of the season. The Dodgers won it by a final score of 7 - 0.
With the wins yesterday, the Brooklyn Dodgers had pulled off a rare feat - a triple double.
The Dodgers had won 3 consecutive doubleheaders in three straight days.
I don’t know if this has ever been done before or since.
Here’s how it was written up in today’s New York Daily News on September 4, 1924:
Another doubleheader!
Believe it or not! The Dodgers had to take the train last night from Philly to Boston where today they play yet one more doubleheader against the last place Braves.
Dodgers’ star Zach Wheat, who had 7 RBIs in the doubleheader yesterday, had this to say, in one of the Brooklyn newspapers, about this incredible stretch of games - 11 in 6 days:
Going into today’s contests the Dodgers, thanks to 11 straight wins and 25 of their past 30 are now just 1.5 games behind the Giants in the National League pennant race with 22 games remaining.
Here are the standings in both leagues as of this morning, September 4, 1924:
The Sports Time Traveler™ will continue following both the 1924 American and National League pennant races.
POSTCRIPT
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