It does not get any better than this, Josh Gibson vs. Satchel Paige!
The famous Homestead Grays have won many a victory through the years but none with more delight and satisfaction than that of last night when they came from far behind to pound out a 5 to 4, 11 inning triumph over highly touted LeRoy “Satchel” Paige and Kansas City Monarchs at Forbes Field.
In their first game under the new Pirate lights, the Grays and Monarchs afforded some 11,500 fans a contest featured by superb pitching, opportune hitting and sensational fielding. It was a cherished victory for the Grays over “Bean-pole” Paige, whose every movement is like “Dizzy” Dean in his prime. On two other occasions this season, Paige held the Grays well in check.
Las night the lean Paige was finally solved. He whiffed eight, including Josh Gibson, hard-hitting Gray catcher twice in a row, but was nicked for twelve safeties. His slab work was surpassed by Southpaw Roy Partlow in his third appearance against Paige this season. Partlow yielded eight of the Monarchs’ nine hits during the nine and two-third innings he toiled until a leg injury forced him to retire with the score tied 4 to 4. He was relieved by Ray Brown, veteran right-hander, who was credited with the victory.
Paige batted in the Monarchs first two runs. In the third inning, Lefty Barney Serrell slammed the ball to extreme left for a triple. After Jess Williams walked, Paige’s high bounder over Howard Easterling’s head enabled Serrell to cross. Again in the fifth, Jess Williams tripled to the right center gate and he trotted over on Paige’s drive which bounded off Partlow’s glove to Chester Williams, who tossed out the Monarch pitcher.
The 4 to 0 advantage seemed to give Paige plenty to grin about since at this stage he held the Grays scoreless on five scattered blows. Then came the big eighth. After Dave Whatley was out, Jerry Benjamin singled for his second hit and scored on Easterling’s double which bounded off the top of the right field fence. Gibson fanned for the second straight time, but Easterling scored as Jud Wilson reached first on Serrell’s error. Sammy Bankhead’s drive hit the left center field fence on the first bounce for a triple, scoring Wilson. Manager Vic Harris singled sharply past third to score Bankhead with the tying 4 to 4 marker.
The game’s fielding gem retired the Monarchs in the tenth when Vic Harris leaped high for a glove-hand catch of Frank Duncan’s fly against the scoreboard with Ted Strong on second. After Chester Williams was retired to open the eleventh for the Grays, Brown singled to center. He was sacrificed by Whatley and then Benjamin’s third single to right scored Brown for the winning run.
Pittsburgh Press
