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Show "GREATEST" BASEBALL CATCH Bill Lange Made It While Playing with Chicagos, and It Saved Him a Heavy Fine. The greatest individual feat ever performed was one by which Bill Lange, now retired, saved a game for Chicago and $200 for himself in Washington Wash-ington in 1895. There is an odd story connected with the play. Lange had missed a train in Boston two days before, failed to reach New York in time to play there, and Anson had fined him $100. Thereupon he missed a train to Washington, and arrived on the grounds after the teams had practiced prac-ticed and just in time to play, and for that Anson fined him another $100. The game that afternoon went 11 innings, Chicago scoring one run in the eleventh. There were two men out and a runner on the bases, when "Kip" Selbach, then one of the hardest hard-est batters, smote the ball a terrific blow and sent it flying over Lange's head toward the center field fence. The hit seemed a sure home run, but Lange, a man weighing 225 pounds, turned, and, without looking, sprinted sprint-ed desperately straight out toward the fence, racing with the flying halL At the last instant as the ball was going go-ing over his head, Lange leaped, stuck up both hands, turned a somersault, and crashed against the fence. The boards splintered, one entire panel crashed outward, and out of the wreckage wreck-age crawled Lange, holding the ball in his hand, and the crowd went mad. Lange came limping in, with the crowd standing on seats and shouting, and said to Anson: "Fines go, Cap?" "Nope," said Anson, and the catch had saved the big fielder $200. |