The majors saw just four games scheduled and played on July 7, 1920. The Athletics hosted the Red Sox for a double header. Philadelphia pitched two shutouts, the second a 1-0 win for the low scoring game of the day. The Cubs beat the Cardinals in St. Louis 8-5 for the only high scoring contest of the day.
Doc Lavan of the Cardinals did his best to stop the loss, and earns best offensive game of the day honors. He goes three for five with a double and a triple, scoring twice and driving in two runs. The 1920 season would prove to be Lavan’s best. He was generally a weak hitter but a decent defender at shortstop. He posted a 2.9 rWAR in 1920, the second and last time he would be over two.
On the pitching side, Dave Keefe of the Athletics tossed the best pitched game of the day. In the game one shutout, he allowed just two hits and two walks. He kept his fielders in the game, striking out just one batter for a game score of 82. Keefe had a short major league career, but later in life would have a long career in the game as a traveling secretary.
The big news of the day involved Babe Ruth and a car accident in Wawa, Pennsylvania. According to the story, Ruth, Ruth’s wife, and Yankees coach Charlie O’Leary rolled upside down in a ditch after Ruth swerved to avoid a head-on collision. All three were pinned under the car, but as the car was open air, Ruth was able to lift it to get the other two out, then they held the car as Ruth escaped. There is another account of the story that says Ruth’s wife and the coach were thrown from the car, and Ruth crawled out from under the wreckage. Ruth hurt his knee, but none were seriously injured.
Another bit touts the upcoming games at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn between the Bacharach Giants of Atlantic City and the Lincoln Giants of New York. We would describe these as Negro League teams*, but the article calls them semi-pro, colored teams. The main attractions are the pitchers, Cyclone Joe Williams and Cannon Ball Dick Reading. People who took the advice of the New York Tribune to attend saw two of the greats. Joe Williams (also known as Smokey Joe) is considered among the greatest Negro League pitchers. Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Reading did not have the long career of Williams, but was considered the hardest thrower in the history of the Negro Leagues and authored multiple no-hitters.
*We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding the of Negro Leagues in 2020, but organized baseball for this banned group of Americans goes back many years.
The contenders for the AL pennant saw no action on this day. In the NL, the Pirates win over the Phillies combined with the Cubs victory over the Cardinals tightened the race for third place. St. Louis drops to 3 1/2 game behind the Reds and three games behind Brooklyn, with Chicago and Pittsburgh now 4 1/2 game out in the five team race.
Here are the league leaders through July 7.