Jack Harper Allows Only Four Hits and Strikes out 10 En Route to a 2-0 Victory
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1915 Greensboro Patriots, “Three Days in August” ©DiamondsintheDusk.com 1915 was not a particularly good year for baseball in the North Carolina mill town of Greensboro as its’ team spends most of the summer mired in last place of the six-team North Carolina (D) League. But over a hot and humid three-day span in middle of August, the Patriots complete a series sweep of the visiting Raleigh Capitals with three nine-inning shutouts. The last-place Patriots do not allow a Raleigh hitter to reach third base dur- ing the series with only seven Capitals making it as far as second. The three games take a total of only 4:01 to play and Greensboro pitchers strikeout 28 batters en route to the sweep. In Thursday’s series opener, Greensboro’s star left-hander Carl Ray gets the record-setting weekend off on the right foot, fanning 15 Capitals en route to the third no-hit game of his career in a 9-0 win. In Friday’s second game, the Patriots’ John Harper does his best to emulate Ray, allowing only four hits and striking out 10 batters in a 2-0 shutout that takes all of 1:30 to play. In Saturday’s series’ finale, Greensboro’s Guy McWhorter allows only two singles and a double and fans three Raleigh batsman in another 2-0 contest that takes all of 73 minutes to complete. Wednesday, August 11 - The Day Prior Greensboro gives starter Carl Ray an early 8-3 lead against the home- standing Charlotte Hornets before the game is rained out in the bottom of the third inning. Raleigh, behind a one-hit complete game shutout by future major leaguer Rube Parnham, beats the Dur- ham Bulls 7-0, before 500 spectators. Meanwhile all is not well in Greensboro … With Greensboro’s poor showing to date - 12-18 (in the second half of the season) and in last-place seven games behind the front-running Asheville Tourists - attendance has been disappointing, prompt- ing rumors that the team may soon fold. Prior to a town meeting scheduled for that evening to discuss the future of the team, Mayor Thomas J. Murphy says, “I am not much of a fan myself, but I think it would be a disgrace for this city to surrender its franchise in the North Carolina League this late in the season,” says Murphy. “It is up to the real Patriots of the city to get busy and attend the meeting in the courthouse this evening and show their determination and grit to keep Greensboro in the League.” Thursday, August 12 - The Fun Begins The Greensboro Daily News reports that either Carl Ray or John Harper, who has been vacationing the past three days, will start the first game of the three- game series to be played at Greensboro’s Cone Athletic Park. Earl Mack’s Capitals reside in second place in the North Carolina League with an 18-14 mark and two games behind first-place Asheville. Mack, the son of Phila- delphia Athletics owner/manager Connie Mack, is a 25-year-old first baseman in his third year as manager of the Capitals. Greensboro, despite six wins in its last 10 games, is still mired in last place, seven games back with a 12-18 mark. Rowe Leaves Only a couple of hours prior to that after- noon’s game, Greensboro players receive a surprise when William “Reddy” Rowe tenders his resignation as the team’s man- ager. Rowe is “discouraged” by his team’s recent play after “a most favorable start.” The team’s Board of Directors act quickly, replacing Rowe with 27-year- old rightfielder and future NFL player Frank “Puny” Nesser, who stands 6-1 and weighs 245 pounds. Greensboro 9, Raleigh 0 Greensboro ace left hander Carl Ray hurls his third no-hitter in as many sea- sons, striking out 15 and walking five as the Patriots, unfazed by the uncertainty of the team’s future in Greensboro and the unexpected change in managers, capture the series’ opener with a 9-0 victory before 400 fans, including “one lonely Capital rooter” who made his way down from the state capital. Four Patriots have two hits in the contest against 21-year-old Raleigh right hander Murphy Currie (who will pitch in six games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1916). Nesser bats third and goes 2-for-5 while Ray allows only two balls to be hit to the outfield. Around the North Carolina League Charlotte pounds Asheville pitcher Joe Gringas, who earlier in the season pitched for the Federal League’s Kansas City Packers, for 19 hits en route to a 16-0 win. Durham edges Winston-Salem 4-3 on Warren Butts’ 10th inning RBI single. The league loses two of younger stars when Asheville sells pitcher Gary For- tune (22-10) to the National League’s Pittsburgh Pirates for $3,000, and Win- ston-Salem’s “fast” center fielder Turner Barber (.323, 5 HRs) leaves the team for the Washington Senators of the American League. Friday August 13 - The Rubber Game The Patriots make in two in a row over the Capitals and the soap opera contin- ues in the Gate Gity as the following headline appears on page of the Greens- boro Daily News: “ANOTHER VACATION IS CAUSED BY PETITIONS” Sport Writer Leaves Again and Allows Greatest Team in State to Win Following a petition signed by two Greensboro players - shortstop Buck Howard and catcher Jack Haddock - the Daily News’ sporting edi- tor announces that he is going on vacation and will assign another writer to cover the team. Howard and Haddock complain that the newspapers’ coverage of the team has been too negative and that Greensboro’s “fanabelles” would attend more games if more attention were given to their good looks. Greensboro 2, Raleigh 0 In a quickly-played game requiring only 90 minutes from first pitch to last, Greensboro right hander Jack Harper allows only four hits and strikes out 10 en route to a 2-0 victory. In pick- ing up one of his six wins (against 15 losses) on the season, Harper allows only three runners to advance as far as second base in the whitewash- ing. The Patriots, held to five hits by Raleigh’s Francisco “The Cuban Curver” Munoz, make two first-inning runs, scored by Howard and Nesser, on an RBI single by third baseman Robert Schuyler, stand up in a tightly played affair. Munoz starts the season with Asheville and is 5-2 with two shutouts when he is released on May 26. Picked up by Raleigh within a couple of days, Munoz finishes the season 17-14 with 195 strikeouts in 278 innings. Around the North Carolina League Winston-Salem right fielder George Moorefield goes 4-for-6 as the Twins total 19 hits and down homestanding Durham 17-7. Future major leagu- er Hob Hiller goes deep for the Bulls. Charlotte hands first-place Asheville a 4-3 setback, besting Tourist ace Gary Fortune in 12 innings. In local news, the West End and Groometown teams will meet in the first game of a three game series at Teague Field. Six players named Groomes will suit up for the Groometown team. Saturday, August 14 - Bring out the brooms As a reward for starting his managerial career of the Patriots with back-to-back wins, 27-year-old Frank Nesser is accorded is own “Frank Nesser Day.” Prior to his at bat in the first inning, the game is stopped and Timothy C. Ward, a tevel- ing salesmen and ardent Patriot supporter, presents Nesser with a “handsome” travel bag by appreciative fans and tells him in a short speech that “We hope you will be back next year.” The Columbus, Ohio, native promptly pops out to shortstop and not heeding Ward’s wish, will play the 1916 season down the road with the arch-rival Win- ston-Salem Twins. Greensboro 2, Raleigh 0 In another quickly played and well-pitched game, Greensboro right hander Guy Mc- Whorter limits Raleigh to a double and a pair of singles and strikes out three as the Patriots complete the three-game sweep with a 2-0 victory. Haddock and Schuyler have RBI singles for the Patriots. Only two Capitals reach second base before 1,000 ectastic fans at Cone Athletic Park. The Daily News also reports that some “keen- eyed” fans notice that the Patriots’ uni- forms have been “freshly laundered.” McWhorter, like Ray and Harper before him, is near-prefect in his performance, allowing only three balls to be hit to the outfield and walking nary a batter. Around the North Carolina League Charlotte completes its’ three-game sweep of league-leading Asheville, thumping 27-game winner Doc Ferris for 14 hits in a 7-3 triumph. The Durham Bulls move into second-place with a 6-2 win over Winston-Salem. Monday, August 16 (The Aftermath) The Greensboro Daily News reports that the Patriots had set various North Carolina League and “national” records ... Greens- boro pitchers post three-straight com- plete game shutouts, striking out 28 while allowing only seven hits and six walks ... only 18 Capitals reach base in the three games, with seven making it as far as second and none advancing to third. The total time to play the three game series was four hours and one minute. CAST OF CHARACTERS Carl Ray Jackson, Ray goes 6 2/3 innings, allow- A hard-throwing ing seven runs on six hits, four walks, left hander, Carl two hit batsman and no strikeouts.