Long before the Phillies and Cubs played a wild one in Wrigley Field, it was another Philadelphia baseball team that came out on top of a high-scoring outburst. Today marks the 80th anniversary of one of baseball’s wildest games, in which the Philadelphia Athletics topped the Cleveland Indians 18-17 in 18 innings.
July 10, 1932: Shortstop Johnny Burnett of the Indians sets a major league record with nine hits, but his club loses, 18–17, in 18 innings to the Athletics at League Park in Cleveland. The two teams combine for a big league record 58 hits. With Sunday baseball illegal in Philadelphia, the Indians interrupt a swing through the East, and the A’s a long home stand, to travel to Cleveland for one game on a Sunday for what figures to be a large gate. To save on train fare, Athletics manager Connie Mack brings only two pitchers. He lifts starter Lew Krausse after the first inning, and reliever Eddie Rommel has to go 17 innings and allows 14 runs and 29 hits. To make matters worse, Rommel also pitched batting practice. Burnett sets the record with seven singles and two doubles. No one else has more than seven hits in a big league game. Burnett will finish his nine-year big league career with 521 hits and a .284 batting average.
Thanks to the wonders provided by Google, you can read the original game story in black and white.
HT: Page-A-Day Calendar, The Hardball Times
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