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Show DAVIS SWIPED FIRST Peculiar Stunt, Puzzling to Many, Actually Pulled Off. Players and Fans Amazed When Captain Cap-tain Started From Second to First Nothing to Stop Player Running Run-ning Backward. Harry Davis, the famous old star of Ihe Athletics, and in his time one of the best first basement in the business, was born in Philadelphia forty-three, years ago. The veteran has many claims to remembrance, one of which; is that he is the only man who ever stole first. That peculiar incident has puzzled many fans, but it was actually pulled off. It was in the old days when Dave Fultz. now- presideut of the Baseball Players' fraternity, v in playing in the outer garden for the Mack bunch. In this particular contest con-test Davis was perched on first and Fultz was on third. Harry stole second sec-ond in the hope that the throw would give Fultz a chance to race home. The! pellet was sent to the catcher in time to head off Fultz. who barely managed to get back to third, but Davis made second. Captain Harry wanted that run. and he was bound to have it, so when the next ball was pitched he chased back to first, stealing that bag; to the amazement of players and fans. Of course a big howl went up, but the umpire could find nothing in the rules to prohibit a player from running backward if he wanted to. Having swiped the initial bag, Harry then took another opportunity to try to steal second, and while the throw was made in an endeavor to head him off Fultz chased home with the coveted run. Davis commenced his big-league career ca-reer 20 years ago, In 1S90, when he s-s-AN:-- :-::";A:SA;'i.:A5:!:::;A::: Jt: '; ''.'; ; Harry Davis. was signed by the Giants, having previously pre-viously played with Providence and Puwtucket. New York soon turned him over to Pittsburgh, where he remained re-mained until 1S0S. After a short experience ex-perience with Louisville, Davis quit the game and went to work for a railway rail-way company. When Connie Mack Invaded Philadelphia in 1901 he called Davis from his retirement and made him captain and first baseman of the Athletics. He remained with Connie until 1912, when he had a brief experience expe-rience as pilot of the Cleveland club, but soon returned to the Athletics. |
