Buck Herzog was the first batter to collect a dozen hits in one Fall Classic (Original MLB). The mark, set in 1912, would last 52 years. Along the way, it did get equaled. The most hits ever in a World Series of any kind is Judy Johnson with fifteen in the 1924 Negro League World Series (Which ran on and off from 1924-1948). Bobby Richardson, Lou Brock and Marty Barrett had thirteen hits each in 1964, 1968 and 1986 in MLB's original World Series (1903- current).
Herzog, of the New York Giants, had to face Smokey Joe Wood and the Boston Red Sox in that '12 World Series. Although the Giants had reached the Fall Classic the previous year (And make it three straight appearances in 1913), this had to feel like an even stiffer opposition. Philadelphia had beat them in six games in 1911, but every game (Safe the last one) was close.
Boston came in with 105 wins against just 47 losses. They had three twenty-game winners in addition to Wood (34-5). Buck O'Brien and Hugh Benient won exactly twenty. It seemed like New York would need to have more than just catcher Jack Myers (Team leading .358 batting average), second basemen Larry Doyle (.330) and first basemen Fred Merkle (.309) going for them if they were to do as well as they had the previous Fall Classic. It really didn't seem like Buck Herzog, the third basemen, would help. He'd hit just .263 that year. And while the Giants certainly had the pitching in Christy Mathewson and Rube Marquard (Plus rookie Jeff Tesreau), they were up against a team that had batted a combined .277 that year (Second in the American League)
The first game appeared to be mismatch as Smokey Joe Wood took the ball for Boston. But, New York's Jeff Tesreau stayed with him, showing no sign of nerves. Pitching for the home team at the Polo Grounds, Tesreau took a 2-0 lead into the sixth. Boston woke up and scored once that inning, and three more times in the seventh. The game seemed over. However, in the ninth, Buck Herzog made it clear that the home team would not go quietly into the night.
Wood got one out, but then Fred Merkle singled. A double play could end the game, but Buck Herzog had no intention of doing that. He sent one to right that dropped in for a single. The tying run was on. Jack Myers followed with the third straight single. A run scored but not two, as Harry Hooper got to the ball quickly in right. Herzog was told to hold at third by his manager (Who was overseeing things at that bag, too).
It seemed, like in any event, that the Giants might send it to extras as the Boston pitcher appeared to be tiring. However, Wood struck out both Art Fletcher and Doc Crandall to end the ballgame.
The second game was at Boston's Fenway Park. It ended in a tie, but it's not as if there wasn't some extracurricular activities. Buck Herzog certainly had a game to remember. He helped the Giants overcome an early 3-0 (The Red Sox got to Christy Mathewson) deficit. A fourth inning sacrifice fly by the New York third basemen made it a one-run game.
But Boston added a run, and were ahead 4-2 after seven innings. Herzog helped again, playing a part in a three-run uprising in the top of the eighth. The big moment for Buck came after New York had scored a run, and knocked out Boston starting pitcher Ray Collins. Charlie Hall came on in relief for the Red Sox. He got Fred Merkle to pop up in foul territory for the second out. There were runners on second and third. It appeared as though the threat was extinguished as Hall induced Herzog to, like Merkle, get under it and send it high into foul territory. Red Sox catcher Bill Carrigan ran after the ball to the bleachers, and reached over the railing for it. The ball merely clanged off his mitt.
Given the reprieve, Herzog hit a ground-rule double to left (The Green Monster was not there yet at Fenway), scoring two runs. New York had their first lead off the ballgame. It did not last, as the home team clawed back to square this affair at five in the bottom of the inning.
The game continued on into extra innings, and New York took the lead in the top of the tenth. Then, Buck Herzog became part of controversy. Tris Speaker, the star Boston centre fielder, came up with one out in the bottom of the inning. The Red Sox were down to just two more outs. Speaker hit one to centre, then motored around the bases. As he got to third, Herzog deliberately got into his way. But Speaker recovered from the contact, and continued on home, scoring when catcher Art Wilson dropped the relay.
Tris Speaker was not happy, and headed towards Herzog. The two had to be separated. Speaker then yelled at John McGraw, and again, a potential fight had to be broken up. The Giants escaped the inning without further damage, even though the Sox got the winning run to third.
The game was halted due to darkness, but there was no rest between the first five games in this series. The very next day, the third contest was played. Buck Herzog may have only gotten one hit in it, but it sure helped. In the top of the second, he'd driven home the game's first run with a sacrifice fly. Then, in the top of the fifth, he started a rally by hitting a leadoff double. Art Fletcher scored Herzog with a double. Though Boston got one run back in the bottom of the ninth (And had they tied it, Herzog would have looked bad as he was caught stealing in the top of the inning), it was New York that made this series dead even by coming out on top, 2-1. Each team now had a win and a[n unusual] tie.
This seemed to only get the Red Sox to up their game. The next two games were won by them, 3-1 and 2-1. But down 3-1 in the series, the Giants woke up.
Playing game five at home, it took New York just one inning to put the contest away. It was Herzog that really showed the Giants the way. His double made it 3-0. With Jack Myers on first and Buck Herzog on third, the home team pulled of a double steal to make it 4-0. And the Giants weren't done. Art Fletcher drove home Myers. Boston tallied two meaningless runs in the top of the second, which only made the final score a tad closer, 5-2.
Though the series shifted back to Fenway for game six, the momentum didn't swing to Boston. New York put up a "6" in the top of the first, fueled by six singles and a double. Buck Herzog could only hit into a fielder's choice, but scored the fourth run of the inning.
The game itself was even more one-sided that the previous contest. New York won 11-4, routing Smokey Joe Wood and giving the brilliant rookie Jeff Tesreau the easy win. Buck Herzog added a single in the third. In the top of the ninth, Buck walked and scored the final run of the ballgame.
So, including the tie in the second contest, this thing was heading to a winner-take-all game eight. It was a game that the Giants seemed destined to win.
Buck tried to help the cause. Again, the Giants scored first. And when Herzog batted in the top of the fourth, he looked for some insurance for the great Christy Mathewson, who was holding the Red Sox in check. Buck hit a ground-rule double to left (At this point, he was leading all players with four two-baggers in the Fall Classic), and then was sacrificed to third. Just a flyball would have made it 2-0 for New York. But Boston pitcher Hugh Bedient got Art Fletcher to pop out. Two away. Mathewson, pitching so well, wasn't going to be lifted for a pinch hitter. And Matty had been swinging the hot bat, having hit .264 himself in the regular season. In this game, fate was not kind to the hurler's bat. He'd given it a ride to centre in the second, stranding runners on second and third. Here, in the fourth, Christy got it to short right, where Harry Hooper caught it.
Herzog and the Giants appeared to catch a break in the top of the sixth. With one out, Buck hit a grounder to short. Heinie Wagner (Not related to Honus), threw the ball low to player-manger (And first basemen) Jake Stahl. Stahl reached down and grabbed the ball, holding it for the out.
Boston tied it in the seventh. And then Smokey Joe Wood took over the pitching chores for the Red Sox. Herzog singled off Wood with two away in the top of the eight, but was ultimately stranded. The game went into extras, and Herzog watched as Red Murray tied him for the lead in doubles with his fourth. When Fred Merkle singled, New York had the lead. Buck Herzog looked to keep the rally going. Wood struck him out.
Herzog and his teammates were just three outs away from a World Championship. It was a tough inning for the Giants. Fred Snodgrass made an error, then a great catch. Two more outs and Buck would be part of a bit celebration. Christy Mathewson issued a walk to Steve Yerkes, then got Tris Speaker to pop up into foul territory. This should have been the second out, but a miscommunication led to the ball not being caught. Now with a new lease on life, Speaker singled. Not only did it tie the game, it sent Yerkes to third. Duffy Lewis was walked intentionally, loading the bases. Larry Gardner then won the game and World Series for the Boston Red Sox by hitting a sacrifice fly to right.
It was a heartbreaking way for the New York Giants to lose it. They'd experience more heartbreak in 1913. For now, they had to settle for their second pennant. Buck Herzog had given it his all for New York. Not only did he have a dozen hits, but also hit .400. Buck also topped 'em all in runs scored with six and tie in runs batted in with five. It's a shame that the 1912 World Series is best remembered for Fred Snodgrass' error in the eighth game. The Giants had fought back admirably from 3-1 down and even beaten the great Smokey Joe Wood just to force a deciding contest. That, and Herzog's strong performance in the Fall Classic, should also be remembered.
References
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Nemec, et al. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008.
Ritter, Lawrence S. The Glory of Their Times (Enlarged Edition). Harper Perennial, 2010.
Schechter, Gabriel. “Buck Herzog.” Society For American Baseball Research, SABR, 4 Jan. 2012, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/buck-herzog/. 07 Mar. 2022.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 07 Mar. 2022.
Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 07 Mar. 2022.
Vaccaro, Mike. The First Fall Classic: The Red Sox, the Giants, and the Cast of Players, Pugs, and Politicos Who Reinvented the World Series in 1912. Anchor Books, 2010.
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