"As for Iredell," went on McRae, "he hasn't his equal in playing short and in covering second as the pivot for a double play. And n.o.body has played the infield as Curry does since I've been manager of the team."

"It would certainly break the Giants all up to lose the three of them,"

agreed Joe. "But we haven't lost them yet. Remember that the game isn't over till the last man is out in the ninth inning."

"I know that. You've helped me win two fights this year, Joe, one for the championship of the league and the other for the championship of the world. Now I'm counting on you to help me win a third, perhaps the hardest of them all."

"Put 'er there, Mac," said Joe, extending his hand. "Shake--I'm with you till the cows come home."

"Of course, they'll be willing to put up big money, Joe. You know that already."

"It doesn't make a particle of difference, Mac, how much money they put up," returned the crack pitcher warmly. "There isn't enough cash in the U. S. treasury to tempt me."

"I know that, Joe. And I only wish that I could be as certain of the rest of the players."

"Well, of course, I can't speak for the others. But you can be sure that I'll use my influence on the right side every time. Some of them may weaken and break away, but I doubt very much if they'll be any of your main-stays. If I were you, Mac, I wouldn't let this worry me too much."

"Yes, I know it's getting on my nerves, Joe, because, you see, it means so much to me. But having you on my side has braced me up a good deal," went on the manager.

They shook hands warmly, and McRae, evidently encouraged and braced by the talk with his star pitcher, made his way back to his own immediate party.

The teams were slated to play in Salt Lake City and in Ogden. In both places they "cleaned up" easily, and it was not until a few days later when they reached the slope that they encountered opposition that made them exert themselves to win.

At Bakersfield, with Jim in the box, the game went to eleven innings before it was finally placed to the credit of the Giants by a score of three to two. The 'Frisco team also put up a stiff fight for eight innings, but were overwhelmed by a storm of hits which rained from Giant bats in the ninth.

The game with Oakland was the last on the schedule before the teams left for the Orient, and an enormous crowd was in attendance.

Joe was in the box for the All-American team. He was in fine form, and held the home team down easily until the fifth inning, but the Oaklands also, undaunted by the reputation of their adversaries, and under the guidance of a manager who had formerly been a famous first baseman of the Chicago team, were also out to win if possible, and with first-cla.s.s pitching and supported by errorless fielding, they held their redoubtable opponents on even terms.

At the end of the fifth, neither team had scored, although the Giants had threatened to do so on two separate occasions. A singular condition developed in the sixth. It was the Giants' turn at bat and Curry had reached first on a clean single to right. A neat sacrifice by Joe advanced him to second. A minute later he stole third, sliding feet first into the bag and narrowly escaping the ball in the third baseman's hand.

With only one out and Larry coming to the bat, the prospects for a run were bright.

Larry let the first go by, but swung at the second, which was coming straight to the plate. His savage lunge caught the ball on the underside, and it went soaring through the air to a tremendous height.

Both the second and third baseman started for the ball. It looked as though neither would be able to reach it, and Curry ran half-way down the line between third and home, awaiting the result. If the ball were caught he figured that he would easily have time to get back to third. If it were dropped, he could make home and score.

The third baseman got under the descending ball, but it was coming from such a height that it was difficult to judge. It slipped through his fingers, but instead of falling to the ground, went plump into the pocket of his baseball shirt.

He tugged desperately to get it out, at the same time running toward Curry, who danced about on the line between third and home in an agony of indecision. Was the ball caught or not? If it were, he would have to return to third. If it were not, he must make a break for home.

The teams were all shouting now, while the crowd went into convulsions.

The third baseman reached Curry and grabbed him with one hand, while with the other he frantically tried to get the ball from his pocket and clap it on him. But the ball stuck, and in the mixup both players fell to the ground and rolled over and over.

Larry, in the meanwhile, was tearing round the bases, but he himself wasn't sure whether he was really out or whether he ought to strike for home. He reached third and pulled up there, still in the throes of doubt.

He could have easily gone on past the struggling combatants, but in that case, if Curry were finally declared not out, Larry would also be out for having pa.s.sed him and got home first.

On the other hand, if Curry should finally escape and get back to third, one of them would still be out because he was occupying the bag to which his comrade was ent.i.tled. He did not really know whether he was running for exercise or to score a run.

It was the funniest mixup that even the veteran players had ever seen on a ball field, and as for the crowd they were wild with joy.

The third baseman, finding that Curry was about to get away from him and unable to get the ball out of his pocket, finally threw his arms about him and hugged him close in the wild hope that some part of the protruding ball would touch his prisoner's person and thus put him out.

The sight of those burly gladiators, locked in a fond embrace, threatened the sanity of the onlookers, but the farce was ended when Curry finally wriggled out from the anaconda grasp of his opponent and took a chance for the plate.

Then there was a hot debate, as the umpire, himself laughing until the tears ran down his face, tried to solve the situation. Had Curry been touched by the ball, or had he not? Had the ball been caught or not?

Players on both sides tugged at him as they debated the matter _pro_ and _con_.

"I don't know what that umpire's name is," grinned Jim to Joe, who was weak with laughter, "but I know what it ought to be."

"What?" asked Joe.

"Solomon," chuckled Jim.

CHAPTER XV

THE BEWILDERED UMPIRE

But whatever the umpire's name might have been, he only resembled Solomon in one respect. He was inclined to compromise and cut the play in two, giving one part to the major leaguers and the other to the Oakland team.

He was not to blame for being bewildered, for the baseball magnates who had framed the rules had never contemplated the special case of a player catching the ball in his pocket.

Between the opposing claims he pulled out his book and scanned it carefully but with no result.

"It's easy enough," rasped McRae. "He tried to catch a ball and m.u.f.fed it.

It goes for a hit and Curry scores."

"Not on your life," barked Everett, the manager of the Oakland team. "He got the ball and it never touched the ground."

"Got it," sneered McRae. "This is baseball, not pool. He can't pocket the ball."

There was a laugh at this, and Mackay, the third baseman, looked a little sheepish. The baited umpire suggested that the whole play be called off and that Curry go back to third while Larry resumed his place at the bat.

Larry set up a howl at this, as he saw his perfectly good three-baser go glimmering.

"Oh, hire a hall," snapped Everett. "Even if the umpire decides against the catch it was only an error and you ought to have been out anyway."

"You can't crawl out of it that way," said McRae to the umpire. "A play is a play and you've got to settle it one way or the other, even if you settle it wrong."

The umpire hesitated, wiped his brow and finally decided that the ball was caught. That put Larry out, and he retreated, growling, to the bench, while Everett grinned his satisfaction.

"That's all right, Ump," said the latter. "But how about Curry? Mackay put the ball on him all right and that makes three out."

"Say, what do you want, the earth?" queried McRae. "He didn't put the ball on him. He didn't have the ball to put. It was in his pocket all the time."