Sport: Two-Buck Series

After the second game of the World Series last week, a wag remarked that it looked like a Two-Buck Series. Heroes of the first two games were two Bucks: Detroit’s Buck Newsom and Cincinnati’s Bucky Walters.

In the opener, held at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field, Buck Newsom was selected as the starting pitcher against Paul Derringer. Derringer is probably the smartest pitcher in baseball. But Buck Newsom, also known as Old Bo-Bo and The Old Showboat, was not alarmed. A cocky, 32-year-old righthander who had roamed the major leagues for ten years but had never wound up on a pennant-winning team, Newsom had told the baseball world before the season started that he would pitch Detroit into winning this year’s American League pennant.

Last week Old Bo-Bo brought his Pa, his Ma and his three sisters up from Hartsville, S. C. to watch him play in his first World Series. Father Newsom had never seen a World Series game, had only once in his 68 years been in a big-league ball park. With characteristic aplomb, Old Showboat predicted that he would win two World Series games. “Yeah, I’ll outpitch Derringer,” he drawled.

Sure as shootin’, he did. Before Derringer was well into the second inning, Tiger bats began to find him—one, two, three, four, five runs—and the Reds’ pitching ace was on his way to the showers. Old Bo-Bo put on a humdinger of a show for his folks, held the Reds to two runs, won the game, 7-to-2. It was the greatest day of his life. But the excitement was too much for his father. That night he died of a heart attack.

Next day, while poor Old Bo-Bo was mourning at his father’s bier, Cincinnati’s Bucky Walters stole the World Series show. After starting off almost as shakily as Derringer had, he rallied in time’s nick, held the roaring Tigers to three hits, chalked up a 5 to 3 victory. It was the first World Series game a National League team had won since 1937. One masked hero of the game was rusty Jimmy Wilson, the Red coach, pinch-catching in place of crippled Ernie Lombardi.

The Tigers took the third game, but Derringer returned in the fourth to make good, evened the series at two-all. Then Buck Newsom pitched again. While his teammates routed four Red pitchers, Big Buck allowed only three hits, shut out Cincinnati, 8-to-0. In the locker room after the game, Old Bo-Bo’s stiff upper lip let go. “I pitched that game for my dad,” he blubbered.

One more Detroit victory would do it. But Bucky Walters, pitching for the Reds next day, craftily tied the Tigers’ paws, 4-to-0. Whether the Tigers or the Reds won the seventh and last game, baseball fans were sure to remember the two Bucks of this year’s World Series.