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  "description": "Red Lucas crushed a game-winning triple, Adolfo Luque outpitched Jack Scott, and the Reds stretched their winning streak to six games before more than 30,000 fans at Redland Field. Meanwhile, Billy Evans explained why Lefty Grove finally looked worth Connie Mack’s $100,000 investment.",
  "path": "/red-lucas-lifts-reds-over-giants-as-cincinnati-tightens-grip-on-first-place/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-18T04:25:30.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.diamondghosts.com",
  "tags": [
    "Wally Pipp",
    "Red Lucas",
    "Jack Scott",
    "Frankie Frisch",
    "Edd Roush",
    "Billy Southworth",
    "Rube Bressler",
    "Curt Walker",
    "Al Moore",
    "George Kelly",
    "Les Mann",
    "Frank Snyder",
    "Hughie Critz",
    "Mel Ott",
    "Bubbles Hargrave",
    "Babe Pinelli",
    "Jack Hendricks",
    "Jakie May",
    "Carl Mays",
    "Virgil Barnes",
    "Travis Jackson",
    "Tim McNamara",
    "Casey Stengel",
    "Andy Cohen",
    "Sam Bohne",
    "Connie Mack",
    "Lefty\" Grove",
    "Flint Rhem",
    "25 West 7th St, Cincinnati, OH"
  ],
  "textContent": "Coverage from the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post - May 17, 1926\n\n## In This Edition\n\n  * National League Leaders Ride Through To 3-To-2 Victory\n  * Notes of the Game\n  * Reds Score 40 Runs on 58 Hits While Winning Six Games in Row\n  * Mack Starting to Cash on His Investment\n  * This Is Station Swope\n  * Rhem Captures Another Game\n\n\n\n## **National League Leaders Ride Through To 3-To-2 Victory**\n\n**RED LUCAS** **KNOCK 'EM DIZZY, RED!**\n\n**Lines Out Triple**\n\n**Scoring Babe and Christy in Eighth Inning.**\n\n**Pipp Smacks One For Circuit in Second.**\n\n**Cincinnati Club Makes It Six Games in Row.**\n\n**Luque Beats Jack Scott in Pitching Duel—More Than 30,000 See Giants Go Down To Defeat.**\n\nBy Jack Ryder - Cincinnati Enquirer Monday May 17, 1926\n\nBefore a select gathering of more than 30,000 highly intelligent observers the noble and impressive league leaders continued their winning streak by walloping the once lordly Giants in the third game of the big series at the yard yesterday afternoon.\n\nPerhaps \"walloping\" may seem like a too powerful word, for the score was a close one, 3 to 2, and the contest was not collected and put in the bag until the last half of the eighth round.\n\nBut the home run of Wally Pipp, which accounted for the first Red tally in the second inning, and the mighty triple of Red Lucas, which drove over the winning counters in the illustrious eighth, surely deserve the appellation of wallops. They were two of the most pleasing and effective blows emitted on the local arena this season, and they spelled the doom of Jack Scott, the veteran right-hander, who was once a Red, and a brilliant victory for Adolfo Luque, whose pitching was in his most fascinating style.\n\n### Nerve-Wracking Contest.\n\nThis was one of the most nerve-wracking contests that a big home crowd of the faithful has struggled through during recent weeks. With Luque and Scott on edge and shooting over their best brand of stuff in every round, it was nip and tuck from start to glorious finish.\n\nHere are two of the best right-hand pitchers in the game, both veterans of long standing, untroubled by the rooting of the vast throng which surrounded the playing field on every side, but each calm, cool and collected, delivering the best that he had in the shop in every crisis. It was a tough battle for Scott to lose and would have been an even tougher one for Luque, who slightly outpitched his rival for most of the distance.\n\nThe well-known breaks of the game played a more important part in the scoring than they usually do.\n\n\"Getting the worst of the breaks\" is one of the most frequent alibis in the pastime, in constant use by booters, error makers and fanners. But in this case there were plenty of them. In fact, every run scored in the game was tinctured with a touch of luck. On the strength of their pitching alone, either Luque or Scott might very reasonably have earned a shut-out.\n\nBoth teams fought desperately, the Reds to maintain their lofty position at the top of the standing and the Giants to avert a deeper descent into the dank and dreary confines of the second division. With the exception of a ridiculous muff by Frankie Frisch in the first round and a more excusable boot by Edd Roush in the fifth, neither of which mistakes cost anything, the fielding was fast and accurate, on a par with the able hurling of the two right-handers.\n\nThe first Giant tally came in the opening round and was one of the luckiest ever scored. With one out, Frisch topped one of Luque's fast ones right in front of the plate and the ball bounded so high and took so long to come down into Luque's hands, that the Fordham Flash easily beat it to first base, turning what was almost the same as a strike out into a base hit.\n\nFrisch stole second and then Billy Southworth achieved the acme of fortune when he ticked one right on the end of his bat and flopped a weak and lazy fly just over Emmer's head into short left field. As Rube Bressler rushed in for the ball, it took a sidewise hop and evaded him completely, going for three bases and scoring Frisch. Curt Walker saved further trouble by a wonderful throw to the plate after catching Al Moore's fly ball.\n\n### Redlegs Are Lucky.\n\nThe Reds had a bit of luck to tie the count in the second, when Pipp, first up, dropped a high fly close to the left foul line and the sphere took a high bound into the fringe of spectators which encircled the field and went for a homer under the ground rules.\n\nThe count remained tied up at one and one for the next four rounds with the pitching having all the better of the batting. After the first Luque got the side in order for the next five innings, except in the fifth, when he pulled out of a deep hole. George Kelly shot a single to center and took second on Roush's fumble. Les Mann walked and Eddie Farrell sacrificed, setting the stage for a couple of tallies, but Frank Snyder was purposely passed, and the plan worked admirably, for Scott instantly hit to Hughie Critz for a double play which retired the side.\n\nThe Giants got what looked like a winning break in the seventh. With two gone, Mann walked and stole second, injuring himself in sliding into the bag so that Mel Ott had to run for him. Luque cooled off a bit during the delay and Farrell touched him for a double to left center, which scored the Giants' second and last tally. A wild pitch put the runner on third, but Snyder fouled to Bubbles Hargrave for the last out. Luque got the side in order in the eighth.\n\nAfter Pipp's homer in the second the Reds were quite supine for five innings, and it looked as if Luque was going to lose another one of those games which were enough to spoil his disposition last year, but did not do so.\n\nBut Hargrave started things in the last half of the eighth, and there were two good men on hand to finish them. Bubbles led off with a single, the fourth hit off Scott, and Babe Pinelli ran for him. Christensen batted for Emmer and pulled his customary and valuable stunt, a line single to left. Red Lucas was sent in to bat for Luque, and Manager Jack Hendricks decided to take a chance on fooling the smart New Yorkers. With two on, no one out and a run needed to tie and two to win, the conventional plan was to bunt the runners along.\n\n### Lucas Wallops the Ball.\n\nBut the red-head was too heavy a hitter to waste on a sacrifice. He took a toe-hold, swung hard at one of Scott's best offerings and socked it to deep center. Moore, who had shifted over from left field when Mann was taken out, slightly misjudged the force of the blow, or he might have gobbled it. As it was he failed to go back soon enough, and the pellet rolled to the wall, while Christy followed the Babe over the platter with the winning run. Lucas reached third, with no one out, but failed to score, for the top of the batting order was not operating on this occasion.\n\nIt mattered not, for Jakie May saw to it that another run was unnecessary. The great little finisher stepped up and got the Giants in order in the ninth, with Southworth flying to Roush, Moore grounding to Pinelli at short, and Kelly winding it up with a whiffing bee.\n\nSpring has come and the birds are singing blithely. It is hard to hear them up here on the mountain-top, but the gentle echoes of their sweet warbling reach the ears of those who have scaled the peak, and make those noble climbers very, very happy.\n\n**NOTES OF THE GAME**\n\nThe Giants again this afternoon at the yard. Carl Mays will pitch for the Reds. Virgil Barnes is down to operate for the Easterners. Play called at 3 o'clock.\n\nH. S., Elmwood Place—Manager Jack Hendricks, of the Reds, had brief engagements as an outfielder with the New York and Washington clubs in 1901. Later he played some minor league ball, but has been a bench manager throughout most of his career, which has been highly successful. He managed the Indianapolis club for nine years.\n\nProminent and highly welcome among the visiting contingent of Giants is Eddie Brannick, who is acting as traveling secretary of the New York club, and is kept busy shaking hands with his numerous friends about town. Eddie, since his last visit, has become a happy benedict, which caused some fluttering of tender hearts in this locality when it became known. In spite of his domesticated condition, Mr. Brannick gave a box party at yesterday's game, the members of which were among the most attractive features of the matinee.\n\nThe New York Club lost two athletes yesterday and will add one tomorrow. Travis Jackson, who injured his knee in the last game at St. Louis four days ago, was in such bad shape that he was sent to New York for treatment. He may be out of the line-up for three or four weeks. Tim McNamara was released to the Toledo club and left for that point last night. McNamara, with a fine college record, looked as if he might be a world beater when he joined the Braves three years ago, but he has been unable to make the grade on the main line, though he may go well for Casey Stengel. The newcomer will be Andy Cohen, shortstop of the Waco club, of the Texas League, who was farmed out by the Giants and has been recalled hastily on account of the injury to Jackson. Andy is due to arrive here tomorrow. He is no relation to the eminent Red infielder, Sam Bohne, nee Cohen.\n\nThe paid attendance was just over 30,000, much the largest crowd that the Reds have played to since opening day here, either at home or abroad. Things broke just right for the club, as the Reds had won five straight games and went into first place on Saturday, which made the Sunday contest an irresistible attraction. The stands and field seats were packed to the limit, and there were crowded temporary seats in left field and many standees in right field. The Giants are not gaining much ground on their Western trip, but they seem to be quite a drawing card, even when in the second division. They played to over 40,000 fans in Chicago on the previous Sunday.\n\nManager Hendricks, who had stated positively the night before that he would not change his line-up so long as the team was winning, explained his change of mind in sending Rube Bressler to left field instead of Walter Christensen. \"I did not intend to make this change,\" he said, \"until I saw the crowd on the field out in left and we had agreed that any ball hit into that crowd would be good for a home run. I figured that there was a much better chance for the Rube Bressler to put one in than for Christy, who is a sharp line hitter, while Bressler often drives them far away. That is the reason that I made the change at the last minute.\" It worked out well, for, although Bressler was not hitting much, Christy came through with a neat drive in the eighth and scored the winning run on Red Lucas's long triple to center.\n\nColonel Bill Pipp and Mrs. Pipp came up from the Derby at Churchill Downs and will remain for the rest of the New York series. Naturally they were not in the least disappointed when Wally Pipp put the ball into the left field stands for his homer in the second inning. When Wally was with the Yankees, the New York reporters used to accuse Colonel Bill of being a hoodoo, but he has turned into a mascot since the boy joined the Reds. He is a welcome addition to the assemblage at any time now.\n\nAdolfo Luque finally got a break. He pitched great ball and the team came through for him just in the nick of time. Of course he receives credit for the victory, as the winning runs were in before Jakie May appeared to do his neat little job of finishing.\n\nFrankie Frisch had a lot of luck in the first inning. His tap in front of the plate bounced so high that Frank was at first base before the ball came down into Luque's hands and Adolfo did not even bother to throw it over. Then came Billy Southworth's lucky looping triple to left, which sent in the first run of the game. In the last half of the inning, Frisch got all tangled up on Edd Roush's pop fly, misjudged it and finally dropped it. Perhaps the ball became involved in an air-pocket. Roush got second on the wobble, but did not score, so it was an inexpensive error.\n\nGeorge Kelly has a tremendous reach and is one of the best first basemen in the pastime. But he does persist in pulling his foot off the bag much too often before the ball reaches his glove. Some smart umpire—if any—is going to call the batter safe some time, and then there will be a big hullabaloo on the Giant bench that can be heard as far away as Glendale.\n\nCurt Walker's throw home in the first inning showed what a valuable man Curt is on the defense. After catching Al Moore's fly, he shot the ball on the fly straight into Bubbles Hargrave's hands, cutting off as fast a runner as Billy Southworth by two full steps.\n\nIt was agreed before the game that any ball which left fair ground more than 250 feet from the plate and bounded into the crowd should be a home run. Pipp's homer in the second inning came under this heading. The ball struck close to the left foul line, beyond the 250 mark, and hopped into the midst of the bugs, one of whom grabbed it as if it was a sack of gold. Wally, not having been informed of the ground rule, stopped at second, but was waved in by the umpires. It was a much more sensible ground rule than that which prevailed here under the same conditions on the opening day of the season.\n\n* * *\n\n## REDS SCORE 40 RUNS ON 58 HITS WHILE WINNING SIX GAMES IN ROW\n\nBy TOM SWOPE - Cincinnati Post, Monday May 17, 1926\n\nSix straight games have fallen to the Reds since they last lost a game—the combat of Sunday a week ago to the Phillies, in which Red Lucas took the count, 4 to 1.\n\nThese six straight, laid atop the solid foundation the club had put down before starting its big winning spurt, not only moved the Reds into first place, but kept them there, and they were a game and a half ahead of the second-place Dodgers after winning No. 6 Sunday from the Giants, 3 to 2.\n\nGood pitching, backed by fine fielding and batting with a punch, shoved the Reds over the top.\n\nJust one of the six games the Reds have won since they last were beaten was close at the finish. That was Sunday’s game. In the other five the Reds always won by two or more runs.\n\nCincy's punch has been so good thruout this six-game streak that the Reds have scored 40 runs in them on 58 hits. In the same six games the opposing clubs have made only 18 runs on 46 hits.\n\nFew real opportunities to make runs were wasted by the Reds the past week. That's why they are out in front, with a good chance of remaining there.\n\nSaturday the Giants took a three-run lead in the first inning. The Reds caught up with and passed the Giants in the sixth inning, and then continued scoring rapidly enough to breeze home an easy winner, 11 to 6.\n\nSunday the Giants got a flukey run in the first. The Reds matched this in the second. The Giants took another one-run lead in the seventh. In the eighth the Reds gathered two, and then Jakie May, the A1 finisher of games, retired the Giants in order in the ninth, and approximately 31,000 persons filed out of the park in a happy frame of mind.\n\nFrankie Frisch started the first run of the game around the paths in the first with a tap that bounced so high off the plate he was over first before Adolfo Luque could coax the ball down. Billy Southworth followed with a looping fly over short which took a peculiar hop away from Rube Bressler for a triple, scoring Frisch. Southworth then tried to score on Al Moore's short fly to Edd Roush, whose true peg to the plate made him a dead bird.\n\nWally Pipp matched New York's flukey run with another of the same variety in opening the Reds' second. His hit to left, a legitimate double, bounced into the crowd near the foul line and, after consulting one another and the field captains, the umpires called it a homer.\n\nWith Jack Scott and Dolf Luque both pitching their hearts out the struggle to get another run became very heated and for a while it appeared neither hurler would yield one. In the seventh, however, Luque walked Les Mann with two out and a foul from Eddie Farrell's bat hit Bubbles Hargrave on his throwing arm. Tyson immediately set out for second and beat the crippled catcher's peg. Farrell then drove a double to center and the Giants had the lead.\n\nThe Reds couldn't get a man to first in the seventh, but in the eighth Hargrave opened the attack with a single to left and Babe Pinelli ran for him. Christensen, batting for Emmer, also singled to left. Lucas, batting for Luque, poled one that Moore allowed to go over his head in center for a triple which scored both Pinelli and Christy. The Reds couldn't get Lucas home, altho he reached that bag with none out. However, his run was not needed.\n\n* * *\n\n## MACK STARTING TO CASH ON HIS INVESTMENT\n\nBy Billy Evans Famous American League Umpire. - Cincinnati Post, Monday May 17, 1926\n\nConnie Mack is beginning to cash in on Southpaw \"Lefty\" Grove. This year he is pitching as if worth the $100,000 and a bit more the Athletics paid for him.\n\nSomeone is responsible for a drastic change in his delivery and I might add it is all for the better.\n\nGrove is pitching overhand entirely this year. Last year he shifted to suit his fancy between the sidearm and overhand styles. His greatest trouble was controlling his sidearm ball.\n\nIn all the games I have seen Grove work this year he has used nothing but the overhand style and, as a result, his control has improved at least 50 per cent.\n\nAnother change in Grove's style from that of last year is a near-stop as he reaches the top of his swing, instead of a quick follow thru as formerly used.\n\nThis also appears to have greatly helped his control. That is all he needed, for he has always had plenty of stuff.\n\nGrove should win a lot of ball games for Mack this summer.\n\n* * *\n\n## THIS IS STATION SWOPE\n\nBy Tom Swope -\n\nSo well have the Reds played since they came home to tackle the eastern clubs that their first protracted stay of the season on the old home lot already is a success, even tho it is just two-thirds completed.\n\nThey come home to play 18 games. So far they have played 10 and one was postponed. Of the 10 they have won nine, so the worst they possibly can do is to lose eight and win nine for the series at Redland Field.\n\nWhat may be the hardest part of the home stand still is to come. Uncle Wilbert Robinson and his fast-moving Dodgers from Brooklyn will arrive Wednesday for a series of four games and, next to the Reds, the Dodgers have played the best ball in the league.\n\nThe stay at home will be closed next Sunday with one game with the Pirates, who are beginning to assert their rights as world champions. And meantime two games remain with the Giants, and they may not be easy, either.\n\nSo it appears the Reds are in for a week that will test their ability to the absolute limit.\n\nBEFORE the season started we pointed out that the Reds were not in the best of shape and suggested that they would be fortunate if they got by the first two weeks without having plenty of trouble.\n\n\"After the first two weeks this club should be ready to show much class,\" we said in effect.\n\nIn the first two weeks the Reds won seven games and lost four.\n\nSince then they have won 15 and lost five.\n\nWHEN Walter Christensen and Red Lucas both came thru with hits that won Sunday's game for the Reds they carried on better than pinch hitters have been doing for the club this year, but even so Jack Hendricks has picked substitute batters exceedingly well.\n\nSince the season opened Hendricks has called on 24 pinch hitters. Two of them walked, one reached first on an error and seven hit safely.\n\nWhen a team's pinch hitters can reach first 10 times in 24 attempts they are doing mighty well.\n\n### Rhem Captures Another Game\n\nFlint Rhem, the sensational pitcher of the Cards, turned in another victory Sunday, letting Boston down with two runs, while his teammates gathered 13.\n\nThe Phillies and Cubs mauled seven pitchers, but the Cubs came out on the long end, 10 to 9.\n\nIn the only American League game Detroit won, 6 to 5, over the Boston Red Sox. Altho outhit, the Tigers managed to push a run across in the eleventh inning, after Boston had tied the score with a three-run rally in the ninth.\n\nOther American League games and the Pittsburgh-Brooklyn contest in the older circuit were called on account of rain.\n\n* * *\n\n1926 advertisement for “GOLFO” golf knickers by Frank J. Van Alstine, promoting custom-made Irish linen and mohair golfing attire with quick delivery. 25 West 7th St, Cincinnati, OH",
  "title": "Red Lucas Lifts Reds Over Giants as Cincinnati Tightens Grip on First Place",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-18T04:25:30.856Z"
}