Rain Washes Out a Seattle Baseball Victory
A downpour saves Portland from defeat in a contentious Sunday league match.
The weather and a pliant umpire decided yesterday's game, and as luck would have it the winning end fell to Portland. Twice play was suspended on account of rain, and after the second wait, it was not resumed. At that time, with Seattle in the lead, Portland had not finished her half of the eighth inning, and the game was called back to the seventh, leaving the score 1 to 0 in the visitors' favor. Notwithstanding the fact that it was a beautiful contest, the game was a most unsatisfactory one, owing to the wrangling that ensued over the interruption by rain. Seattle took advantage of the muddy field and slippery ball to score three times in the eighth, but Portland players engaged in dilatory tactics to stall until the rain forced a stoppage. The league secretary, a Portland partisan, faced accusations of bias, and Umpire Knight was criticized for failing to control the game, leading to a bitter conclusion.
“The ground was muddy and the ball slippery. It was a golden opportunity and Seattle took due advantage of it.”
Early baseball in the Pacific Northwest was famously chaotic, often defined by mud, partisan umpires, and spectators who were prone to rushing the field. The 'wrangling' mentioned here captures the raw, localized intensity of sports before the era of polished, standardized professional leagues.
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