Al (Aloysius) Travers. Who did Travers strike out in the game of May 18, 1912?

1 ANSWERS

1. Ali Abdullah
   

   Hi, One possible problem in your locating this tidbit in Tiger history is that strikeouts were not kept as an official stat for batters until 1913, the year after this infamous Ty Cobb Teammates Sympathy Strike Game...despite the fact that bases on balls were for years beforehand. I've always thought that shortstop Jack Barry was Father Al's lone strikeout victim. I will have to dig deeply into the bowels of my research library to verify that...and I haven't read up on that game in at least 20 years. I will post an update in case Barry, the Pride Of Holy Cross, has been unfairly defamed. As you know, Ty Cobb was suspended "indefinitely" for going into the stands and attacking a fan who had been crippled in a work-related accident to his hands. The fan had been yelling churlish things that apparently were such that "no man should have to bear" them. Cobb's Southern ancestry gives you a hint. His heretofore unsympathetic teammates did not agree with his suspension, as to a man, they supported Cobb's actions...and demanded that the suspension be revoked...fan access controlled...or they would not play another game. The Tigers struck. Hoping to avoid the automatic $5,000 fine for a forfeit, Frank Navin and Hughie Jennings rounded up a local college group and ran them out onto the field along with a couple of elderly coaches. The 24-2 game ranks as maybe the worst in major league history. But the entertainment value of the surrounding storyline has lived on. By the next game, Cobb convinced his teammates to go out and play, since they were all facing lifetime bans from A.L. prexy Ban Johnson. Cobb was allowed back into the lineup about a week later

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