Taken on Blennerhassett Island, the photo shows the 1905 Parkersburg Nationals baseball club. Several of those pictured played in the 1906 game described here. (Photo from the collection of Bob Enoch)

PARKERSBURG LOST TO THE BROOKLYNS

Though the Locals Made a Good Showing – Against the Husky Aggregation from the East – Local Boys had Stage Fright in the Early Innings – But They Soon Braced Up and Played Good Ball.

Eighteen hundred people witnessed the ball game at historic Blennerhassett Island on Sunday afternoon between the Brooklyn Superbas of the National League and the Parkersburg professionals, in which the big boys from the east defeated the local team by a score of 8 to 3, which was quite a surprise to the fans, as it was hardly expected that the Parkersburg players would make as good a showing as they did.

The day was an ideal one, and many went to the island who are not in the habit of attending exhibitions of the national game. In addition to many who came in from various points of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Division to see the game, the steamer Jewell brought down a crowd of a little less than two hundred Mariettians, and the Little Kanawha river packet brought in a crowd of excursionists from Creston and points up the river.

The game was commenced promptly at three o’clock, with Brooklyn at bat and in their half of the first only one man scored. King was the first man up for Parkersburg. His fly was taken in by the second baseman. Beaumont fanned out and Cook made a short drive to the shortstop and was thrown out at first.

In the eighth inning Parkersburg distinguished herself by getting two more runs. Leading off Beaumont got a safety. Cook followed with a two-bagger, while Hastings sacrificed, scoring Beaumont. Huber sacrificed and Cook made an effort to score but was caught at the home plate. Hastings scored on a passed ball by Ritter, while Knight went out on a fly to center and Tucker was put out at first.

It is not often that an amateur team is compelled to play ten men when it faces a professional team, but such was the case on Sunday, as one of the Brooklyn players, who was not in the line-up, was hid behind the crowd back of center field, and fielded two or three long drives that were made by Parkersburg. This trick worked for about half the game before it was discovered.

Parkersburg on the whole, did some good ball playing, and had their batting eye with them, securing ten safe hits off of Holmes, the Brooklyn pitcher. Bules, who pitched for Parkersburg, was no easy mark for the easterners, and had the honor of striking Lumley out, who is one of the best hitters in the big League.

Brooklyn might have put up a harder game, but they were not letting many chances get away from them and the game in every particular was much more interesting than was the game when Parkersburg played the Cincinnati Reds.

The line-up for Parkersburg was – King, 3rd; Beaumont, cf; Hastings, 1st; Huber, ss; Knight, 2nd; Tucker, lf; Shields, cf; Bules, pitcher. Both teams had 10 hits. Unfortunately, the locals committed 7 errors to Brooklyn’s 2.

Excerpts from The Parkersburg Sentinel,

July 20, 1908

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Tidbits of the game — The name “Brooklyn Superbas” was a nickname (one of many) that fans and sportswriters used to describe the team. The name Superbas was often used from 1899 to 1910. Their official name was Brooklyn Base Ball Club.

Round trip admission to the game was 60c. Boats left the island every 10 minutes.

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Bob Enoch is president of the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society. If you have comments or questions about Look Back items, please contact him at: roberteenoch@gmail.com, or by mail at WCHPS, PO Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102.