We’re back in Hilldale today for Game 4 of our simulation of the 1924 Negro League World Series. Kansas City will be sending Cliff Bell to the mound to try to stake his team to a 3-1 advantage in this best-of-nine series, while Hilldale will try to tie things up with Rube Curry.
The Monarchs got off to a fast start against Curry in the top of the first, stringing together four consecutive hits for a two-spot off the Hilldales. Newt Allen led things off with a base hit up the middle. Lemuel Hawkins followed with a booming double into the right field corner, sending Allen around to third. Heavy Johnson – no word on his reaction to that nickname – followed with a base hit to right, scoring both Allen and Hawkins. Hurley McNair followed with a base hit up the middle, but Johnson was nailed trying to come all the way to third on the play. Following that, Dobie Moore popped up and Newt Joseph lined out to the second baseman.
The Hilldales cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first. Otto Briggs led off by drawing a walk. After Frank Warfield hit a fly ball to right and Biz Mackey grounded out to second, Louis Santop brought in the run with a sharp single to right.
The Monarchs added two more runs to their lead in the top of the second. Dink Mothell (once again, no word on his reaction to that nickname) led things off with a base hit to right. Catcher Frank Duncan followed with a base hit up the middle, sending Dink around to third. Pitcher Cliff Bell sacrificed Duncan to second. Newt Allen scored the Monarchs’ third run with a base hit to left. After that, Rube Curry’s control completely left the building, as he walked Lemuel Hawkins, Heavy Johnson and Hurley McNair, bringing in the Monarchs’ fourth run.
The Monarch added a fifth run in the top of the third. Newt Joseph got things off to a strong start with a slashing triple down the left field line. Dink then sacrificed him in for the Monarchs’ fifth run of the game.
The Monarchs scored again in the top of the fourth. With one out, Lemuel Hawkins hit a ball that was almost a replay of Newt Joseph’s at-bat from the previous inning, going straight down the left field line and rattling around in the corner until Hawkins was standing on third. Heavy Johnson struck out, but the Monarchs then scored the run on Hurley McNair’s base hit to left and Dobie Moore’s single up the middle.
Hilldale drew a little closer in the bottom of the fourth. Louis Santop started things off with a base hit up the middle. Clint Thomas lined out to right and Judy Johnson then grounded out to left. George Johnson then scored the run with a sharp base hit to right.
Hilldale pulled a bit closer in the bottom of the sixth. Biz Mackey led off with a double into the right-center field gap. Bell got Louis Santop on strikes and Clint Thomas on a ground ball to right, but Hall of Famer Judy Johnson then scored the run with a base hit to right.
Clint Bell got two quick outs in the bottom of the eighth – Frank Warfield on a fly ball to right and Biz Mackey on a line drive speared by second baseman Newt Allen. But then, things went sideways. Hall of Famer Louis Santop got a hanging breaking ball in the middle of the plate and crushed it, hitting a long home run to right-center. Clint Thomas was next, and Bell’s breaking ball hadn’t gotten better. Hanging curve ball, boom, done – home run to dead center, and suddenly the game is 6-5.
But the HIlldales were spending a wee bit too much time dreaming of tying the game and not enough time taking care of business. Newt Joseph led off the top of the ninth with a double to left center. Joseph went to third on Dink Mothell’s ground ball. Frank Duncan scored him with a fielder’s choice. Pitcher Curtis Bell singled to right, advancing Duncan to second. Newt Allen forced Bell at second, as Duncan came around to third. Lemuel Hawkins scored the Monarchs’ eighth run, reaching first on a one-base error by Hall of Famer Judy Johnson. Heavy Johnson then scored the Monarchs’ ninth and tenth runs with a triple into the right field corner.
Hilldale went quietly in the bottom of the ninth. George Johnson hit a routine fly ball to right. George Carr followed with a fly ball to center. Pinch hitter Sleepy Lewis tried to keep things going, but ended the ball game with a ground ball to short.
With four games down, the Monarchs have taken a three-games-to-one lead.
Image courtesy of Pixabay by BruceEmmerling (no changes).