Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 178, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1911 — LAST OF FAMOUS PHILADELPHIA TEAM [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LAST OF FAMOUS PHILADELPHIA TEAM

Larry Lajoie is about the last of the old gang that wore the Philadelphia uniform In Harry Wright’s managerial days. Wright rounded up a great team of hitters for the Philadelphia National league club in the early ’9os. Clements and Cross were .350 hitters. Ed Delehanty, Billy Hamilton and Sam Thompson, the three outfielders, were also .350 sluggers. Bill Douglas, Larry Lajoie, Joe Sullivan and Bill Nash composed the infield. While Billy Hallman was playing second base for the team Lajoie covered first base. Hallman was the weakest hitter o nthe club. The other infielders were all smashing stickers. When Jack Taylor was pitching for the club every man on the team hit over .300.

Clements, the catcher, was a left handed hitter, and could hit the ball a mile. The year Harry Diddlebock managed the Browns for Chris Von der Ahe and Ben Muckenfuss, Theodore Breitenstein almost pitched a uohit game against the hard hitting Phillies. The score was Itoo In the last half of the ninth. Breitenstein started off by walking Billy Hallman. Harry Wright then sent Clements up to bat for “Klondyke Bill” Douglas, who was catching. ' Brietenstein, a left hander, thought Clements, a left handed hitter, would prove easy picking and tossed one over. Clements pickled it, driving the ball over the right fielder’s head. It landed in the shoot-the-chutes pond and the game was over.

Larry Lajoie, Second Baseman for Cleveland.