Toledo News-Bee, May 17, 1913:

One of the weirdest triple plays ever seen in the American league was staged in the seventh inning of the Nap-Athletic contest Friday at Cleveland. Johnson [sic] opened with a single and took third on Chapman’s double. Olson then drew a single off Barry’s chest. Johnson was sent home by his coacher, Steen, who saw Chapman racing for third. Johnson was run down. Chappie started back to second and found Olson there. Barry tagged Olson and Chapman. Olson was retired, ...

Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 16, 1913:

[Clarence Irwin], who was signed by Manager Connie Mack of the Philadelphia American League club, and who was to report for duty on May 26, was instantly killed today by tripping and falling in front of a Philadelphia and Reading Railroad locomotive near Cresson, Pa. He was employed as a brakeman and was in the act of turning a switch.

Man. The guy was so close to fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Washington Times, May 15, 1913:

Walter Smokeball Johnson is today holder of a new world’s record for holding the foe scoreless in successive innings…When Derrill Pratt pounded a single to right, scoring Gus Williams, who had already doubled to left, the onward march of the fireball flinger was at an end. He had traveled down fifty-six complete innings without allowing the enemy a run, and it will be some time before this record is bettered.

Don Drysdale’s record-breaking streak started 55 years ...

Toledo News-Bee, May 14, 1913:

ST. LOUIS, May 14.—(Special.)—During a ball game here a fly ball dropped within a few feet of a cow. Bossie beat the fielder to the sphere and gulped it down. The runner romped home.

I’ve (fairly hurriedly) scanned the current rulebook and don’t see any applicable rule that would make the ball dead if a cow eats it. Everything I’ve seen either refers to people or inanimate objects coming into contact with the ball. I think that makes this the right call.

Is there ...

Notes about two youngsters who eventually made their way to Cooperstown:

Pittsburgh Press, May 13, 1913:

Bostonians now are calling little Maranville “the Rabbit.” Also they are rising to proclaim that he is one of the very few men in the game who really can “place” a hit, which overcomes his inability to smash the ball quite as hard as some of his larger contemporaries.

Milwaukee Sentinel, May 13, 1913, Page 6:

In Pitcher George Sisler Ann Arbor college claims to have a Ty Cobb and a ...

Washington Times, May 10, 1913:

The United States League will have its formal opening at Union League Park today, when the Brooklyn team meets the Washington team. There will be no admissions charged, Manager Carsey throwing open the gates to the fans and offering the first engagement between the clubs gratis.

The 1913 US League season lasted two days. New York and Newark folded up shop after 100 people showed up to their season opener, and the other six teams gave up after the second game.

Milwaukee Sentinel, May 9, 1913:

While the [Milwaukee-Minneapolis American Association] game was bad enough in itself, the fight between [Brewers manager/third baseman Harry] Clark and [Millers shortstop Dave] Altizer was one of the most disgraceful ever witnessed on a Milwaukee ball field. Sliding into third base in the seventh inning, Altizer deliberately cut Clark down with his spikes, leaping high in the air and planting both feet on Harry’s anatomy. The Brewer leader…jumped onto the runner ...

Toledo News Bee, May 8, 1913:

Although several members of the Naps and Red Sox bore slightly bruised and chipped faces as a confirmation of the report that a free-for-all fight had taken place between both teams following Wednesday’s game, not a player could be found Thursday who would directly admit that a scrap had taken place.
...
It waged for at least 10 minutes. Tris Speaker emerged with three spike marks on his head.
...
Both Manager Birmingham and acting Manager Wagner professed to know ...

Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 7, 1913:

The Philadelphia National League team…protested [the May 5] game with St. Louis, claiming that Umpire Klem “took undue advantage of the rule which provides that the ball must be thrown by the pitcher within 20 seconds after it has been called for by the umpire.
...
Pitcher Seaton had two strikes and one ball on Wingo in the seventh inning and was waiting to receive his signal from the catcher when Klem called the second ball, which later forced Seaton to ...

Toledo News-Bee, May 6, 1913:

PATERSON, N.J., May 6 (Special.)—A home run batted out by a high school boy in a vacant lot won the game for his team in the ninth inning. The ball caromed off the head of Andrew Van Ninwegan, a baker, who was driving past the ball field, and landed on the back of the horse. The horse ran away and the baker, partly stunned by the blow on the head, tumbled off his wagon as it ran into a telegraph pole. The horse continued at a gallop until the wagon was wrecked.

The ...

Pittsburgh Press, May 3, 1913:

Irvin Cobb, the humorous writer, is responsible for the latest wheeze against the poor, brow-beaten Yankees. At the close of yesterday’s game Cobb approached Frank Chance and asked:

“Would you mind if I gave your players a little treat?”

“Not at all, it might cheer them up,” replied Chance, who until then had counted Cobb as one of his friends.

“Then call them all over here,” said Cobb, “and I’ll show them third base.”

ZING. ...Read More...

Toledo News-Bee, May 2, 1913:

Dartmouth lost a shutout victory over Maine because the fire whistle blew. Three infield errors allowed a run, and the errors were caused by the aforesaid whistle.

Bennett, Loudon, and Donahue, Green infielders, are members of the undergraduate fire department. When they heard the whistle announce that the “Fire Fiend” had invaded Hanover they wanted to rush away and help pull the hose cart.

Coach Woods refused to allow them to leave, but their attention was given ...

El Paso Herald, May 1, 1913:

With a man on third and a man on first, it was the custom to start a double lead off the bases. The pitcher, as a rule, would peg to Jake [Beckley] and the runner on third would instantly break for home.
...
This was [Beckley’s] idea: The first time the enemy tried that double steal, he, Jake, instead of lingering round first, would be far up towards second; he would take the ball, let the runner on third do as he liked, send the ball to [Roy] Brashear, who was ...

New York Tribune, April 30, 1913:

Chicago, April 29—The Cincinnati team of the National League, appearing on the field for the first time in baseball history without its red stockings, was defeated by Chicago here to-day, by a score of 7 to 2.
...
Joe Tinker’s men wore the pale stockings of the Chicago White Sox, loaned by Charley Comiskey, with complete outfit of uniforms, gloves, bats and shoes, as the Cincinnati team’s uniforms were accidentally left at St. Louis.

And who forgot to bring the ...

Toledo News-Bee, April 29, 1913:

Coach Branch Rickey is trying to give the [University of] Michigan ball team some inside stuff. “With one out and a man on third, if you get a base on balls run down to first, turn the bag, and start for second. Draw the throw. If you’re out, you’ll score the man. These college catchers won’t get the man at the plate,” he tells them.

The more I read about Rickey, the more I like him. Maybe some of his ideas were unsuccessful, but you can’t say he was unwilling to ...

Pittsburgh Press, April 26, 1913:

History was written into the baseball books today, as a result of the situation developing in the Giant-Phillies game yesterday. A man singled with three on bases, winning the game, but didn’t single, and the game was not won. The crowd swarmed out on the field, thinking the game was over, but…settled down to witness the finish of the game.
...
[Pete] Alexander wound up to shoot the ball over to the pinch hitter. Umpire [Bill] Klem had his back turned ...

Pittsburgh Press, April 25, 1913:

Relatives of Harry Coveleskie [sic]...received a message that he had been badly injured at Chattanooga, Tenn. While warming up preliminary to a game a bat slipped from the hands of another player and struck him on the head, rendering him unconscious.

HEADS UP!

Coveleski was fine. He was back in the big leagues in 1914 and won 20 games each year from 1914-1916.

Toledo News-Bee, April 24, 1913:

Manager McGraw Thursday claimed a world’s record for Christy Mathewson. Big Six pitched but 67 balls in beating Philadelphia Wednesday.
...
Using but 67 pitched balls, Mathewson threw an average of a fraction over two balls to each man.

That’s nothing. Rick Porcello had a 47-pitch start this past Saturday.

Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 23, 1913:

Characterizing organized baseball as “the most audacious and autocratic trust in the country,” Representative Gallagher of Illinois today introduced a resolution for an exhaustive inquiry into the operations of the National Commission…and [which] would also direct the attorney general to investigate the baseball contract system with a view to instituting prosecutions for violation of the Sherman anti-trust law.

And then Representative Gallagher broke out ...

Pittsburgh Press, April 22, 1913:

Hal Chase played his last game at second base for the New Yorks on Friday. When Manager Frank Chance put Chase back on first base in Saturday’s game he had reached the conclusion that Hal could not remain at the keystone bag without further clogging the infield’s machinery. While it is true that Chase originated the idea of covering second base for Chance and that he did his level best to fill the bill, even though he is a left-handed thrower, it soon developed ...

Milwaukee Journal, April 19, 1913:

[Baseball and football] Coach Dennis Grady of Northwestern university today applauded the efforts of Miss Irene Blanchard, dean of women, to stop tango dancing and turkey trotting.

“The exertion an athlete puts in in one evening dancing the new dances is equivalent to the energy he expends in a hard afternoon’s practice on the football field,” said Grady. “It saps his energy.”

1913 was not Lima Time, apparently.

Pittsburgh Press, April 18, 1913:

George Sisler, the twirler who refused to report to the Pirates and who is now on the local team’s ineligible list, twirled a wonderful game for Michigan university [sic] yesterday, beating the Alma college nine 4 to 1, allowing his opponents one hit. In addition to twirling like a big leaguer, Sisler also pounded out two hits, one of which was a triple.

Mark my words: This Sisler kid is going to be a great big leaguer someday.

Washington Times, April 17, 1913:

This is a story of a young man who literally would rather play baseball than eat.
...
[Because he spent eight hours a day working as a plumber, Hugh High] did not have very much time left for ball playing, but he found that by passing up his supper he could get in about an hour’s work on the lots in the baseball months.
...
He still works at the plumbing business in the fall and winter months and holds a union journeyman’s card. They say that he can melt lead ...

Milwaukee Sentinel, April 16, 1913:

Wilbur Good...and Ward Miller...worked a delayed double steal Tuesday and Chicago won the final game of the series from Pittsburgh, 5 to 4.

Miller…stole second, and Good, who was half way home when Miller started, crossed the plate before [Viox], who had fumbled the ball, could get his bearing. There was no chance to catch either runner, and the game was over.

Delayed double steal with two outs in the bottom of the tenth with the reigning batting and home run ...

El Paso Herald, April 15, 1913:

President Ban Johnson, of the American league, has hit upon a new idea for shortening the average ball games. A new ball will be put into play every time a foul is hit, even if it does not go over the fence, or into the stands. Two small boys would be retained to pursue the ball and return it immediately.

And if that doesn’t work, they can reduce the average game length by eliminating Yankees-Red Sox matchups.