Remembering The Polo Grounds & New York Giants: (1907) An Angry Mob Wants To "Kill the Ump" At the Polo Grounds

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May 21,1907: It was a classic match up for the day, the NY Giants star Christy Mathewson would go against Chicago Cubs ace, Three Finger Brown at the Polo Grounds.

The Giants had a one game lead over the Cubs for 1st place in the National League. These were the Cubs of Tinkers to Evers to Chance, World Champions & the last Cub team to win a World Series (1908). They were bitter rivals of the NY Giants.


The game turned out to be quite a pitchers duel. Giants catcher Roger Bresnahan, (who just last month became the first catcher to ever wear shin guards) would make two errors that would cost his team the game. The Giants 3-2 loss was Christy Mathewsons first of the year, but more importantly it put Chicago in a 1st place tie.
The crowd back in those days were very unruly. This is still back in a time where baseball was just becoming a gentlemans game, there was alot of drinking & fighting still going on.

The umpires of the game Hank O'Day and Bob Emslie had made a controversial call on the errors. They get mobbed by the Polo Grounds crowd and require police protection for their safety.

The NY crowd is egged on more by Giants manager John McGraw, who himself, will be thrown out of the game and seven others in 1907.

The next day AL ump Billy Evans needed a police escort after McGraws old pal Hughie Jennings incites a riot. Jennings who was the Detroit Tiger manager will be suspended for his actions.

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