“Old Honus Wagner in his best days never made such a clout,” joined in Jim. “Joe, old boy, you’ve saved the game.”
“It isn’t over yet,” cautioned Joe smilingly; “but if you keep up the same brand of pitching you’ve been showing us, they won’t have a Chinaman’s chance.”
The next two batters were easy outs and the Giants’ half was over. The Pittsburghs came in for their last chance, determined to do or die. It was exasperating for them to have the game snatched from them when they were just about to put it on their side of the ledger. But Jim put out the first one on a puny fly and sent the last two back to the bench by the strike-out route—and the game was over.
In their first clash with the redoubtable Pittsburghs, the Giants had won by six to five!
[CHAPTER XIII]
A BREAK IN THE LUCK
It was a highly elated crowd of Giants that chattered away excitedly in the clubhouse after the finish of the game. Jim and Joe came in for the major share of the honors, the first because of his superb pitching and the latter for the glorious home run that had clinched the victory.
“Some pitching, Barclay,” said Hughson, clapping Jim on the shoulder. “Do you realize that only thirty-two batters faced you and that eleven of them went out on strikes? That’s what I call twirling.”
“It’ll take some of the chestiness out of these Pirates,” laughed Larry. “They thought we were going to be as easy meat for them as the rest of the teams. And, begorra, it looked as though we would from the way the game started.”