1901 Game Reports British Columbia     

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

The City of Vancouver had two senior amateur teams in 1901, the Vancouvers, which had most of the elite players, and the Burrards

(May 18)   Vancouver sent across five runs in the their first turn at bat and never looked back Saturday in handing Nanaimo a 12-2 spanking. Winning pitcher Lester Harvie, held Nanaimo to nine hits and helped the offense scoring three times for the winners although he was the lone batter in the Vancouver lineup not to get at least one hit. Pickering led Vancouver with a pair of doubles. Nanaimo hurt its chances by sloppy play in the field making nine errors, six on the left side of the infield, four by R.Ashman at third.

J.Greenwell (L) and T.Aitken
Harvie (W) and Mackie

(May 24)   With a 20-hit offensive, Vancouver crushed Victoria 11-1 Friday at Oak Bay Park at Victoria. The home squad, which made 11 errors, was never in the game as the visitors plated a pair in the top of the first inning and cruised to the triumph. Sam Wickwire led the attack with five hits and Billy Holmes had four. Pero added two doubles and a single and Eaton collected three one-baggers. Lester Harvie hurled a seven-hitter with nine strikeouts for the pitching win and helped at the plate with a double and single.

Harvie (W) and Mackie
Holness (L) and Barnswell

(June 1)  Victoria pulled an upset Saturday, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to top the University of Washington Huskies 4-3 in ten innings. Playing a home, Victoria plated a pair in the eight then got one in the ninth to tie.

(June 8)   New Westminster was too much for the visitors from Victoria Saturday as the home nine scored an easy 9-4 triumph behind the solid pitching of Donnelly. Westminster broke up a tight game with two runs in the fifth and another four in the sixth.

Lenfesty (L) and Barnswell
Donnelly (W) and McRae

(June 8)  Vancouver trounced Whatcom, Washington, 17-5 Saturday before a crowd of 1,200 at the Powell Street Grounds.  Again, Lester Harvie twirled a solid game for the home nine holding the Americans to six hits and racking up eight strikeouts. Errors were plentiful, four by Vancouver and nine by Whatcom. Third baseman Pero and catcher Mackie led the winners each with three hits.

Smith (L), Sears and Pym
Harvie (W) and Mackie

(June 15)   

The Vancouver baseball nine kept up its record by winning from Seattle, in one of the poorest exhibitions of baseball ever seen in this city ... Two thousand people turned out to see the Seattle baseball team play Vancouver on the Powell Street grounds on Saturday afternoon. The crowd was so great that many in the grand stand were compelled to stand during the entire match. It was a thoroughly representative gathering. There were ministers of the gospel, doctors, lawyers, members of parliament, maidens of 16 summers, old maids, small boys and girls and infants in arms. The excitement as the game proceeded was intense, in fact at times the enthusiasm of the crowd knew no bounds. The people stood up in the grand stand, waved hats, and cheered like mad. The ladies were equally as interested as the men, the fair sex being represented by about 400. (Vancouver Daily World, 17 June, 1901)

In a wild one, with 31 runs, 32 hits and 17 errors, Vancouver managed to escape with a 16-15 victory. Sam Wickwire and Billy Pickering, hitting one-two in the lineup, each smacked four hits and crossed the plate three times. Centre fielder Billy Holmes had a most unusual day, going 0-for-5, but scoring three times and being assigned five of the eleven Vancouver errors. The home side fell behind in the early going before responding with six runs in the sixth frame and three in the seventh to top the visitors.  In spite of all the fireworks, the game was completed in one hour and 45 minutes. Lester Harvie survived 16 hits in going all the way on the mound for Vancouver. Centre fielder Sheet was the major force for Seattle with four hits and three runs.

Mahon (L), Egan (8) and Walton
Harvie (W) and Mackie

(June 22)   At the Queen's Park diamond at New Westminster Saturday, Nanaimo shaded the home club 6-5 building up a 6-3 lead and holding off a late charge by the locals.  Jack Greenwell yielded 12 hits, but went the distance to record the pitching win over Jim Donnelly who surrendered ten hits. Donnelly fanned seven, Greenwell just two.

Greenwell (W) and xxx
Donnelly (L) and xxx

(June 22)   Everett jumped into a 5-0 lead after just three innings en route to a 7-5 win over Vancouver Saturday at Everett. The home team survived 11 errors to escape with the triumph. Law, subbing for star hurler Fred Schock, held the Canadians to nine hits. Lester Harvie took the loss, giving up eight safeties.

Harvie (L) and Eaton
Law (W) and Frey

(June 22)   Sumas, Washington, came away a tad shell shocked after a visit to Vancouver to play the Burrards. The final score, Burrards 29, Sumas 4. Forrest and Walter O'Brien combined to hold the visitors to six hits while the home club began with an eight-run first inning and scored in every inning, but one, the rest of the way. A newspaper report said it was the first time the Burrards had played together.

Love (L), xxx, xxx and Post
Forrest (W), O'Brien (5) and Watson

(June 29)   Vancouver claimed the British Columbia baseball championship Saturday after crushing New Westminster 12-5. The game was settled in the opening frame as Vancouver exploded for six runs and held an 11-1 advantage until the seventh when the visitors had a big four-run inning. The winners punched out a dozen hits, three by second sacker Billy Pickering and two apiece by Pero, Thayer and Walter MillerBriggs and Graham each collected three safeties for the losers. Losing pitcher Jim Donnelly cracked a double and triple. Les Harvie gave up ten hits in going the route for the pitching win. Centre fielder Billy Holmes, who made five errors in a game two weeks ago, received sustained applause after making a sensational catch with the bases loaded to end an inning.

Donnelly (L), Fowler (8) and McIntyre
Harvie (W) and Mackie

(July 1)   Vancouver spotted New Westminster four runs in the first inning but responded with six of their own in the second and went on to dump the visitors 11-5 in a Monday contest before a crowd of more than 1,000 at the Powell Street grounds.  Lester Harvie went the route for the win.  Catcher Mackie wa struck on the ear by a pitch in the seventh stanza and needed to be carried to the dressing room.

Campbell (L) and xxx
Harvie (W) and Mackie, Eaton (7)

(July 6)    Victoria topped the Tacoma Greys in Saturday's match at Oak Bay. While the paper neglected to mention the score, it did highlight Doc Haynes performance at the plate. He smacked a single, double and triple to lead the Victoria attack. Catcher Schwengers added two doubles and a single, Widdowson landed a two-bagger and Harrison, Holness and Copeland each collected a pair of singles. Holness went the distance on the mound for the pitching triumph.

Hallewell (L) and Hodge
Holness (W) and Schwengers

(July 12)    After falling behind 4-0 after two innings, Vancouver roared back Friday at the Powell Street grounds to wallop Nanaimo 16-8.

xxx (L) and xxx
Harvie (W) and xxx

(July 12)   Burrards demolished Cumberland 23-3 at the Point Friday to win the Orangemen's Trophy. Walter O'Brien held the visitors to six hits and fanned ten and was a major force in an offense which produced a pair of seven-run innings in scoring in every stanza.

xxx, xxx and xxx
O'Brien (W) and Watson

(July 13)   Filling in on short notice for the Tacoma Greys, the Burrards seemed ill prepared to take on a team the calibre of the Vancouvers. In spite of the lop-sided, 9-0 win for Vancouver on Saturday, the large crowd expressed appreciation for the Burrards' efforts.  Lester Harvie fired the shutout besting O'Brien who had pitched a full game on Friday.

O'Brien (L) and Watson
Harvie (W) and Mackie

(July 20)   Fred Schock, the Everett speed-ball hurler, blanked Vancouver for eight innings Saturday, allowing just four hits overall as the Americans notched an 8-4 victory before 2,000 fans, the largest crowd to witness a game in the city's history. Lester Harvie, on the mound for Vancouver, also had a shutout for six frames before Everett broke the spell with two in the seventh, another pair in the eight and four in the ninth. Down 8-0, Vancouver rallied in the ninth. Pickering drew a walk to lead off the stanza and Pero followed with a two-bagger. Broadhurst loaded the bases when hit by a pitch.  Jensing cleared the sacks with a three-bagger and came around to score on a passed ball. Still with none out, Mackie reached on an error. But Reid, Walter Miller and Harvie went out in order to end the contest. Thornton and Murdock each cracked three hits for the winners.

Schock (W) and Pringle
Harvie (L) and Mackie

(July 20)   At New Westminster Saturday, the Burrards and the home team played to a 4-4, five-inning draw.  Burrards were fortunate to have gained the tie as three of their star players, including ace starter Walter O'Brien, were injured. O'Brien injured his thumb trying for a hot liner and is expected to be out of the lineup for some weeks.

xxx and xxx
xxx and xxx

(July 23)  In a six-inning contest Tuesday, the powerful nine from Everett upended New Westminster 11-6, in spite of homers by Briggs and Jensing of the locals. Jensing was one of three Vancouver players imported for the occasion.  Everett scored in just two innings with six runs in the first and five more in the third. They pounded out 15 hits to eight for the home squad.

Lanes (W) and Ballantyne
Donnelly (L) and Mackie

(July 24)   The summary of the game in the Vancouver Daily World made it clear the home squad had been awful

... the Vancouver team ... gave a most woeful exhibition of baseball, and the visitors simply played rag with them ... Hundreds left the grand stand before the game had finished disgusted with the kindergarten work of the locals.

Everett, Washington, broke a 1-1 tie with 12 runs in the fifth inning to bury the locals 16-5 in a comedy of errors. Pero made four of them. Fred Schock had an easy time in going the route on the mound for the Americans.

Schock (W) and xxx
Harvie (L) and xxx

(August 3)   It was anything but a defensive struggle Saturday as Agassiz and Harrison Hot Springs met in a baseball match at Harrison. The visitors from Agassiz, with new sweaters with the letter "A" stitched over the crest, eked out a 33-25 victory.

(August 6)   The Seattle nine, composed of a mixture of professionals from Washington state, went down before Vancouver 6-1 at the Powell Street grounds Tuesday afternoon.  The 1901 rules were played in which the first two fouls constitute a strike. The double umpire system was also used. Lester Harvie was in command all the way and racked up eight strikeouts. He gave up a run in the first inning then pitched shutout ball the rest of the way. Campbell, who pitches for Washington University, took the loss. Newcomer Rudd Thielman was the batting star for the winners with a home run, triple and two doubles.

Campbell (L) and McMames
Harvie (W) and Mackie

(August 10)   Lester Harvie fired another gem Saturday as Vancouver walloped Tacoma 12-1 before a throng of 2,300 at the Powell Street grounds. Harvie allowed just five hits and one free pass while the home squad collected 11 hits off a pair of Tacoma hurlers. Rudd Thielman, Billy Pickering, Jensing and Broadhurst each had a pair of hits for the winners.

Verlane (L), Connelly and McRae
Harvie (W) and Mackie

(August 15)   Nanaimo defeated the Centralias 17 to 11 Thursday afternoon. Walter O'Brien handled the mound work for the winners.

xxx and xxx
O'Brien (W) and xxx

(August 16)   Vancouver gave up a run to Centralia in the top of the first inning then scored 14 unanswered markers to trounce the Washington nine 14-1.

Rudd (L), Edwards and Ruff
Donnelly (W) and Mackie

(August 17)   After losing 14-1 on Friday, the Centralias of Washington played a much stronger game on Saturday but still fell 7-3 to Vancouver which held a slim 4-3 lead until the 8th when they added three insurance runs. Reid singled and advanced on Rudd Thielman's safety. Jensing sent both home with a long three-bagger and walked home for the third marker of the frame on a blow from BroadhurstEdwards belted a home run for Centralia. The Americans out-hit the Canadians 9 to 6 but Vancouver played errorless ball while the Washington nine booted the ball four times. The game was completed in just 58 minutes.

Shriver (L) and Ruff
Harvie (W) and Mackie

(August 30)  Trailing 5-4, Vancouver rallied for two runs in the eighth inning Friday to edged Everett, Washington 6-5 in play at the Powell Street grounds. In 30 games this summer, Everett has lost just twice, both times to Vancouver. In the eighth Walter Miller reached on an error and advanced to second on a passed ball. With one out Rudd Thielman's long drive send Miller to third. Billy Pickering was thrown out at first but Jensing ripped one past Lebeaux at shortstop to plate both runners. Everett got two men aboard with just one out in the ninth but a double play ended the game.

Law (L) and Ballantyne
Harvie, Donnelly (W) (8) and Mackie

(August 31)  Jim Donnelly held Everett, Washington, to six hits allowing just two unearned runs as Vancouver again topped the Americans, this time 9-2. Donnelly walked three and fanned ten. The home squad collected eight hits off Clemens, three by first sacker Walter Miller. One of them went for two-bases. Billy Pickering had a pair including a triple.

Clements (L) and Pringle
Donnelly (W) and Mackie

(September 14)   The Burrard and Vancouver teams chose sides on Saturday afternoon to provide an interesting exhibition of baseball ending in a 12-10 win for Vancouver. One of the features of the game was the appearance in the pitcher's box of first baseman Walter Miller, he of the corkscrew curve.

Broadhurst, Jensing, Miller and xxx
Donnelly, Mackie and xxx