AN ARTICLE FROM THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE:OCT.

ONEMOREINNING

 

GREAT SCOTT

 

SOMETHING REMARKABLE HAD JUST ENDED.  AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF GRITTY,  INDESTRUCTABLE  PLAY IN THE FIELD, HIS CONSECUTIVE GAME STREAK WAS OVER. HE HAD BEEN ONE OF THE GREAT FIELDERS OF HIS  DAY.   NO ONE HAD PLAYED MORE GAMES IN A ROW.   THERE HAD BEEN MUSCLE PULLS,  SORE BACKS, CRAMPS,  ILLNESS,  SWOLEN KNEES,  DEATH IN THE FAMILY,  AND STILL HE PLAYED ON.  FOR ALL THOSE YEARS HE HAD BEEN  THERE. NOW IT WAS OVER.

CAL RIPKEN? NO, WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT CAL RIPKEN. WELL, THEN IT HAS TO BE LOU GEHRIG. NO IT’S NOT LOU GEHRIG. WHO THEN?

IT’S EVERETT (DEACON) SCOTT, WHO WHILE PLAYING SHORTSTOP FOR THE RED SOX AND THE YANKEES SET THE RECORD FOR 1,307 CONSECUTIVE GAMES IN THE MAJORS. AT THE TIME IT WAS REMARKABLE. EVEN NOW IT STANDS AS THE THIRD LONGEST STREAK IN THE GAME.

On May 5, 1925 Yankee manager Miller Huggins started a new shortstop in Everett Scott’s place. Sore knees had hampered his range. It was a hard decision to make. Scott had been the American League fielding leader at shortstop for eight consecutive years. In 27 World Series games his fielding average was .980, one of the best ever. That also included 17 double plays.

His record has been obscured by Lou Gehrig and in recent times by Cal Ripken. There are some ironic things attached to Gehrig’s breaking his streak, The man who replaced Scott at short was Paul

“ Pee Wee“ Wanninger. He was a good, reliable infielder and shortly after, Scott ended up playing for the Washington Senators. By 1926 his career was over. One month after Scott left, a very young player by the name of Lou Gehrig came in to pinch hit for Wanninger. The next day he was inserted into the lineup in place of Wally Pipp at first base and that was the beginning of Gehrig’s streak of 2,130

consecutive games.

Scott wasn’t a great player. He was however one of the better players of his day. He was on six pennant winning teams while with both Boston and the Yankees and was part of five World Series. Although his lifetime average is. 247, he did manage to hit .369 in 1920.

Over 16,000 ballplayers have appeared in the Majors. Most of them have been forgotten. That’s true of Everett Scott too.