Game 14

May 2, 1911
Athletics 1, New York 2

After dispatching the Yankees in the first game of the series, the A's go down in a tight game at Hilltop Park that lasted a brisk hour and thirty-five minutes.

Chief Bender surrendered two runs to the opposition in his third straight start since opening the season back on April 12th. And much like that first game, his teammates were only able to put one lonely run on the board against the New York pitching to match his efforts. Which is not to say they didn't have opportunities; the A's stranded 8 on the basepaths against spitballer Russ Ford.

Otis Johnson was the hero of the game for New York, going 3-for-3 with two triples and scoring the winning run after in the 8th. Johnson's career comprised just 71 games during the 1911 season, so it's safe to assume that coming up big against the champs was one of the highlights of his short career.

The A's fall to 6-8, and after briefly enjoying a three-way tie for fourth, are back in the second division in 6th place. They're 7.5 games behind the Tigers, who are off to an incendiary start at 15-2. As of today, the team has both scored and allowed 63 runs, so we're now sitting at a Pythagorean record of .500 and on a decidedly upward trend despite today's proceedings. They'll finish up at Hilltop Park tomorrow before heading down to Washington for a three-game series.

[Today's Source: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9404EEDA1439E333A25750C0A9639C946096D6CF]