1908 Nashville vs. New Orleans baseball game


The 1908 Nashville vs. New Orleans baseball game dubbed by Grantland Rice "The Greatest Game Ever Played in Dixie" was a 1-0 pitching duel to decide the Southern Association championship in the dead-ball era, on the last day of the season. The Nashville Vols won the game and thus the pennant by.002 percentage points, after finishing the prior season in last place. Both teams had the same number of losses, but the New Orleans Pelicans were in first place with 76 wins to the Vols' second-place 74. Carl Sitton used his spitball to out-pitch Ted Breitenstein for a complete-game, nine-strikeout, four-hit, shutout. According to one account, "By one run, by one point, Nashville has won the Southern League pennant, nosing New Orleans out literally by an eyelash. Saturday's game, which was the deciding one, between Nashville and New Orleans was the greatest exhibition of the national game ever seen in the south and the finish in the league race probably sets a record in baseball history".
Nashville scored in the seventh inning with the bases loaded. With two outs, catcher Ed Hurlburt hit a single. Then Sitton did too. Harry "Deerfoot" Bay bunted perfectly down the third base line, Bay's fondest memory in his long baseball career. Julius Augustus "Doc" Wiseman then drove in the winning run. Sitton was thrown out at home after Hurlburt scored. The time of the game was one hour and forty-two minutes.

Box score

PelicansABRHPOAE
Roy Montgomery, RF400100
George Rohe, 3B400040
Bris Lord, CF400010
Bob Tarleton, 1B4021220
Charles Dexter, SS301331
Joe Rickert, LF301100
Gus Dundon, 2B300220
Harry Matthews, C300400
Ted Breitenstein, P100130

PelicansIPHRBBSOHR
Ted Breitenstein, L8.081130

VolsABRHPOAE
Harry Bay, LF401000
Doc Wiseman, RF302100
Walter East, 2B401130
Pryor McElveen, 3B301310
Johnny Siegle, CF400100
Jake Daubert, 1B4011010
Kid Butler, SS300130
Ed Hurlburt, C311900
Carl Sitton, P301110

VolsIPHRBBSOHR
Carl Sitton, W9.040290