Game 1
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The series with Omaha was intended to be four games, on May 25 - May 28; a three game series with Kansas City Blues was scheduled for May 29 and a double header on May 30 (Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day). Attendance at the Whites games was poor, so Chrin Von der Ahe arranged to move the three game against the Blues to Kansas City, where the attendance (and payout) would be better. Then he arranged to move the game against Omaha set for May 28 to the morning of May 27, setting up an impromptu double header. The Whites only had two pitchers - Nyce and Staley - and Nyce pitched the previous day, so a local amateur was brought in to pitch the first game. He appears in the box scores as 'Hughes', but several out-of-town papers identify him as Joe Murphy, sports writer for the Globe Democrat and prominent local amateur sprinter and pitcher. Murphy pitched in the major leagues in 1886 and 1887 under his own name, but was under increasing criticism about his amateur status after his pitching in the professional leagues. This was likely the reason he pitched under a false name. Murphy pitched well early on, and the Whites jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings. But Omaha began to hit as the game wore on, scoring one in the sixth and two in the seventh. In then ninth, an error by Herr allowed Omaha to tie the game. Another error by Herr gave Omaha a walk-off win the eleventh. Hughes struck out nine in the hard-luck loss.
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Newspaper articles
St. Louis Globe Democrat |
St. Louis Republican |
Omaha Daily Herald |
Omaha Daily Bee |
Omaha World Herald |
Sporting Life |
St. Paul Globe |