Today, the Baseball Commemorative Half Dollar Coin remembers when the Washington Nationals pitcher, Tom Hughes, won the game with the St. Louis Browns with his own home run on August 3, 1906.
From the Washington, DC, newspaper, the Evening Star of the following day:
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Special to the Star.
St. Louis, MO., August 4.
After waiting nine innings for his club to give him a winning run yesterday afternoon Tom Hughes grew weary and put the ball up in the left field bleachers in the first half of the tenth.
Then he trotted around the bases smiling and cracking Jokes with the Brownies, jokes which the St. Louis players failed to appreciate under the circumstances.
Next Hughes got himself in a hole in the second half of the inning only to pull himself out again in brilliant fashion.
It was a pitching battle between Hughes and Glade, and both were given brilliant support.
Stanley has not been doing well since the Nationals came to St. Louis and Manager Stahl made a change in his line-up this afternoon.
Altizer taking Stanley’s place in right field and Nill going to short. Whether it was the change or not Washington played a game that was in direct contrast to the one of the previous day.
The fielding of the team was sharp and sure and the plays with which the Browns put the Nationals up in the air on Thursday were broken up with ease.
As a result St. Louis was made to look cheap on the bases.
It was a closely fought battle right from the start.
In the opening inning both Hughes and Glade were unsteady for a few minutes but settled down and pulled themselves out of the tight holes.
Nill and Altizer walked for the Nationals, Jones splitting them with a fan, and both advanced on Cross’ grounder to O’Brien.
Anderson hit to Wallace and went out at first.
Niles and Hemphill walked in the second half, Tom Jones and Stone making outs between, and steals put the first two named on second and third before Wallace hit to Nill and expired at first.
Broke Up Squeeze Play.
Anderson singled in the fourth and stole second only to have Stahl fan and Schlafly pop a foul to Niles.
Hughes broke up an attempted squeeze, playing in fine style in the second half of the inning.
Hemphill had walked, advanced on Wallace’s grounder to Cross and O’Brien had singled him to third, Pete stealing second himself.
Kohler was the man relied upon to hit the ball as Hemphill dashed for the plate, but Hughes fooled him so badly he did not even touch leather, Hemphill proving an easy victim.
Kohler fouled out to Wakefield.
Again in the seventh there was some excitement.
One down Stahl beat out a bund and Schlafly was safe on a fumble by Niles.
Wakefield lined to Stone and Hughes hit to Wallace and forced Schlafly.
Wallace got a walk in the second half and then stole second before O’Brien walked.
Wallace made a dash for third and was out by a block on Wakefield’s fine throw.
Koehler banned as O’Brien stole second.
O’Connor singled through Cross, O’Brien taking third.
O’Brien was caught off third by a short throw by Hughes on an attempted double steal.
Washington kept on hammering at the door in the eighth and ninth, while the Browns were doing nothing.
In the eighth Jones singled and stole second, then went to third on Altizer’s out from O’Brien to Tom Jones.
Cross drove a fly to Stone. With Anderson down on strikes in the ninth Stahl and Schlafly singled.
Wakefield hit a vicious bounder toward third which Niles was lucky to knock down.
He tagged Stahl out going for third, and got Wakefield at first by a quick throw.
Hughes opened up the tenth with his lone run drive into the left field bleachers and Nill followed with a double to center.
Jones lined to Glade and Nill was caught off second for a double play.
Altizer died on a good throw by O’Connor to first.
Hartzell and O’Connor were easy outs in the second half, but Rickey, batting for Glade, drove cut a single, and Niles also got a hit.
When Hughes heaved wide to the plate and both runners advanced a base matters began to look serious.
Hughes kept after Tom Jones and made him send up an easy fly to Anderson for the final out.
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Notes of the Game.
Patten will oppose Powell in the final game of the series, and Stahl is confident he will pull out with an even break, despite a bad start.
Hughes and O’Connor furnished a lot of amusement to the spectators today. Every time there was a dispute as to a ball or strike, the pair exploded and had a lengthy argument.
Stahl fell while going past second in the ninth inning on Schlafly’s drive, and as a result he did not reach third.
Had he done so that double play would not have been possible and the game would probably have ended in the ninth inning.
Hughes pitched a great game.
He was full of confidence, even when the Browns had men on base, and laughed and joked even in the tenth inning when St. Louis had men on second and third and but a hit needed to win.
In that inning he coolly informed Rickey on third that he would never see the plate, a prediction which proved true.
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The Baseball Commemorative Half Dollar Coin shows with an image of Tom Hughes, circa 1912.
