Curt Welch

​In a relatively recent publication, Lowell Reidenbaugh of the Sporting News described the winning play of the 1886 World Series: "The deciding run was scored in the tenth inning of the final game by Curt Welch. Newspaper accounts of the day reported that Welch scored on a wild pitch. [Modern] history has recorded the play as a steal of home."

The uncertainty surrounding the winning run apparently stems from an account given by Charles Comiskey. In a 1919 biography, Gustav Axelson included Comiskey's recollection of the decisive run. Comiskey stated that Welch was running on the pitch, drew a pitchout, and crossed home safely on a "$15,000 Slide" that gave St. Louis the entire gate receipts of the winner-take-all World Series. Later, Arlie Latham related a similar version of Welch's "steal" to author Robert Smith, who included it in his landmark 1947 work Baseball and other books he wrote on the history of the sport. Together, Axelson and Smith ensured that the former Browns' narrative of the "$15,000 Slide" passed into baseball folklore.

One contemporary newspaper report seems to corroborate part of the description offered by Comiskey and Latham. According to the Chicago News, as soon as third baseman Burns "gave Kelly a signal to catch Welch at third," the Chicago catcher responded by calling a pitchout. A mishap transpired, though, between the Chicago batterymates: "Kelly played away from the plate...but Clarkson put a ball over the plate which Kelly just touched with his fingers and bounded away to the grandstand, while Welch came in with the winning run."

Other nineteenth-century newspapers said nothing about a steal, but instead debated whether Welch scored on a wild pitch or a passed ball. While the Chicago Tribune considered the play a passed ball on the part of Kelly, three St. Louis publications-the Republican, Globe-Democrat, and Sporting News-claimed Clarkson had been guilty of a wild pitch. The Post-Dispatch tried to settle the question by simply asking Kelly. The Chicago catcher seemed willing to accept responsibility ("I would say it was a passed ball"), yet he also emphasized how difficult it was to catch this particular pitch: "I signaled Clarkson for a low ball on one side, and when it came it was high up on the other. It struck my hand as I tried to get it...Clarkson told me that it slipped from his hands."

One might suspect that Comiskey and Latham embellished their tales of the play when they later recalled it, some thirty-three and sixty-one years after Welch scored. But it would be a very smug act on the part of present-day historians to state definitively that they understood an event better than two eyewitnesses. Without photographic evidence of any sort, we must rely on the various first-hand accounts to recreate what may have happened on the "$15,000 Slide." Except for the reminiscences of Comiskey and Latham, no primary sources indicate that Welch was running with the pitch or ever slid across the plate. Still, Comiskey's detailed analysis of the play cannot be altogether dismissed as mere baseball mythology. In fact, the Comiskey/Latham explanation meshes well in some aspects with some of the contemporary newspaper reports. For example, the two old Browns agreed with the Chicago News' assertion that Kelly called for a pitchout. On Clarkson's first pitch to Bushong, Welch danced down the third-base line, straying so far from the bag that Kelly "could have nailed him easily" with a throw. Seeing this, Burns and Kelly cooked up a scheme to trap the reckless Browns' runner in the snare of a pitchout. Meanwhile, Comiskey, stationed at the third-base coaching box, encouraged Welch to take another long lead. This strategy distressed Clarkson, and it would have enabled Welch to get a great start for home on any grounder hit by Bushong.

As the scene actually unfolded, the first of these advantages came into play. Clarkson, aware of Welch's capability to steal home, certainly seemed to ponder the prospect. While Welch scampered down the third-base line, the Globe-Democrat observed the disturbing effect this exerted upon the Chicago pitcher: "Clarkson, who is usually so cool, was visibly nervous. He rolled and twisted the ball around in his hands several times before he got in position to pitch it." A distracted pitcher, under such circumstances, might balk in a run, uncork a wild pitch, or even miss his catcher's signal for a pitchout. It appears plausible that Clarkson simply missed the pitchout signal and later, rather than admitting his mental mistake to Kelly, presented instead the physical alibi of a pitch that "slipped from his hands." So at the same moment Kelly moved away from the plate in expectation of a low outside pitchout that would allow him to make a quick throw to third, Clarkson let go a high inside fastball designed to jam Bushong and force a futile infield pop-up. Kelly barely managed to reach back and get his fingers on the ball, but he could not prevent it from rolling all the way to the grandstand as Welch scored the winning run.

The only question left to resolve is precisely what Welch did once the pitch was released. It is possible to surmise that Welch instantly recognized the miscommunication between the Chicago batterymates, and as soon as the ball left Clarkson's hand, galloped ahead thinking he could reach home before Kelly ever got the errant pitch. However, Ed Sheridan, reporting in both the Republican and the Sporting News, strongly suggested otherwise with his brief notation: "Welch trotted home." This same comment also indicates that, in all probability, Welch did not slide home.

King Kelly

At the game between the two St. Louis clubs last Sunday [the day after game six], an immense floral tribute was presented to the champions. Mike Kelly was one of the spectators at the game, and he consented to make the presentation. Here is his speech: "Ladies and Gentlemen-it is my honor on this occasion to present to your champion club this floral tribute. They have earned it. They have beaten our club-the Chicago club-fairly (great applause), and they have beat us on the rattle. (More applause.) I can say that you have treated us well here, and we hope to meet you again in the future." (Cheers.)
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-Boston Daily Globe, October 28, 1886

The St. Louis Browns have proven themselves, this year, the best ball club in the country. They won the championship of St. Louis, hands down, from the strong local League team; won the championship of the American Association for the second successive time very easily, with a margin of about a dozen games, and then topped all by rather easily defeating the supposed-to-be invincible Chicago Club, champions of the National League, in a series of games for the championship of the world and gate receipts aggregating $14,000. It is seldom, indeed, that so much glory falls to a club in a single season. Indeed, in all these particulars the record of this team of live young players has never been equalled. Carping critics may decry their achievement and pick and find fault as much as they please, and envious rivals may theorize and analyse, but the great record of the club stands out in bold relief before the public eye, and nothing injudicious friends and jealous enemies may say or do can wipe it out. Nothing succeeds like success, as has been amply demonstrated by this club for the last two years. The team stands pre-eminent for evenly-balanced strength, accurate, machine-like fielding, unequalled base-running and very fair batting ability.
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-Sporting Life, November 3, 1886

It would be a hard task for a Chicago man to attempt to regard with any degree of good humor the performances of the Chicago Base Ball Club at St. Louis yesterday. Admitting that base ball is a business conducted for pecuniary profit, there still can be no palliation for the offense of brazenly giving away a game as the game was given away...in St. Louis.

For half a century Phineas T. Barnum has been before the American public, fairly coining money on his reputation as a humbug; but the cleverness of his humbuggery has been the secret of his success. People do not object to being humbugged-nay, we think that they rather like it-but the humbug must be shrewd and plausible or it becomes at once simple intolerable.

The base-ball series in Chicago was cleverly worked; the public felt that it was being humbugged, but the hippodrome was so artistically played that there really was no inclination to cry out against it. In St. Louis, however, the pins have been set up awkwardly and the wires have been worked bunglingly...

We have a higher opinion of the forbearance of the St. Louis public than we have had before. We presume to say that if such a shameless farce had been attempted here in Chicago the conspirators and coconspirators would have been hooted off the field. That the whole business is understood in this city is evident in the common talk upon the streets and in the tone of proceedings at the pool-rooms last night.
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-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1886 [originally published in the Chicago News]

The scenes down-town and around the pool rooms, yesterday, have not been equaled for a long time. There was a very general idea and fear of a hippodrome, but it did not prevent crowds from assembling to get the bulletined result of the game as it progressed, and it seemed at the same time to increase instead of diminish the interest. The biggest jam and of the wildest enthusiasts of the season was seen around the Globe-Democrat office, even for distances from where the bulletin boards could not be seen. The pool-rooms were the same way, hundreds standing patiently all afternoon, though able only to hear the cheers and shouts of those near the boards, and form an idea of the game from those demonstrations. The Chicagos certainly had the call in the betting, with odds of $10 to $8. The Browns' friends wanted to sail in and take the money offering, but in the general idea of a hippodrome it was Chicago day, and the betting was limited, and became worse and worse as the Chicagos made one run, then a second and then a third. John Donovan at that time offered $100 to $10 on the Chicagos, having a large amount already on the Browns, but though it was estimated there were 1,000 men in his rooms the bet went begging until Bob Golsau took it. Then he made another of $50 to $10 and $25 to $5, but the crowd was all of one way of thinking, and there were not many takers of such bets. When the Browns piled up three runs in the eighth and tied the score the faith of their friends in the honesty of the game returned, and a number of bets were made at $10 to $7 in favor of the home club. Then the bulletins favored Chicago's probability of making runs, and the betting moved up to even money, and a number of bets were made at Donovan's, Wiseman's and other places. At that time the scene around the Globe-Democrat was one that will not soon be forgotten. Men and boys, silk hats and common ones, mingled together, yelled together, and, in fact, went crazy together, and during the playing of the ninth and tenth innings it was impossible to get through the crowd. The shouts when the winning run was scored in the tenth was deafening.
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-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1886

The vanquished Chicago nine quietly and unostentasiously took their departure from the Union Depot last evening. There was an immense crowd of Saturday night travelers, but none of them knew that the windy city nine from Michigan Lake was about to make its retreat. There was no flag or proud banner to announce their presence, not the sound of a fife or drum to tell where the breezy crew could be found. They refused an escort, preferring to straggle by ones and twos in the disguise of dudish attire into a Pullman, rather than attract humiliating attention from the busy throng. So quietly did they take passage that no one but the conductor knew who they were. There was no bluster in their midst, and they made a mournful-looking crowd, that reminded one more than anything else of a delegation of undertakers who had performed the last sad offices for a friend. The name of Chicago was not spoken, and the defeated ball-players who came from there looked sad at the thought of having to return. All the gush and sentiment usually displayed by them was suppressed, and they were silent. A Texan, who was escorting the Mexican Band to the State Fair at Dallas, discovered them and insisted on giving them a few lively beats of the drum, but St. Louis hospitality prevailed, and the crestfallen crowd was allowed to leave without any demonstration to emphasize their idea of fallen pride.
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-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1886

After the game last evening President Von der Ahe sent a note to President Spaulding, suggesting that an exhibition game between the Browns and Chicagos be played in Cincinnati next Tuesday. This was Mr. Spaulding's reply:

Friend Von der Ahe: We must decline with our compliments. We know when we have had enough. Yours truly, A.G. Spaulding.

P.S. Anson joins me in the above message.

The gate receipts of the six games are as follows: In Chicago-Monday, $2,002; Tuesday, $2,831.75; Wednesday, $1,720.50.

In St. Louis-Thursday, $2,481.65; Friday, $2,384.20; Saturday, $2,500. Total, $13, 920.10.

One-half of this amount divided among twelve players gives each member of the team $580. The other half, $6,960, goes to Mr. Von der Ahe after all his expenses and the umpires' salaries have been deducted. Total attendance, 40,000.

In the six games played the Browns have scored 38 runs, made 49 hits, with a total of 79 bases, and are credited with 19 errors. The Chicagos made 28 runs, 36 hits, with a total of 56 bases and 27 errors. It will be seen that the Browns outplayed them all around.
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-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1886

The afternoon was dark and cloudy, and every moment it looked like rain. The threatening weather, however, did not keep the people away, and long before the time of calling the game every available seat was taken. The tops of the grand stand were utilized and a couple of thousand were content to stand back of the right foul line along the fence. By turn-stile count the attendance was 11,500. About 2:15 o'clock Mr. H. Clay Sexton and President Von Der Ahe appeared on the field. The Browns were stopped in their practice and called to the plate. Mr. Sexton, in a brief speech, presented Bushong with a handsome silver tea set, a gift from the members of the Merchants' Exchange. The set was manufactured by the E. Jaccard Jewelry Company. Mr. Sexton also assured the audience that the game was to be for blood, and that it was not a hippodrome. Grace Pierce was chosen umpire. He favored the Chicagos every time it was possible for him to do so. It was precisely 2:18 o'clock when time was called. The Chicagos were first at bat. Caruthers' work in the opening innings was anything but encouraging. He was batted much harder than the score shows. The outfielders were kept busy, and they did their work well. It was just the opposite with Clarkson.

He appeared to be in his best form and the Browns could not touch his deceptive balls. The side was retired on flies. Gore's went to O'Neil. Kelly's to Caruthers and Anson's to Foutz. For the Browns, Latham went out from pitcher to first. Caruthers struck and Bushong got his base on balls, but Gleason left him by striking out. In the second inning the Chicagos scored their first run. Pfeffer brought it in. He also scored the Chicagos' other two runs-a remarkable feature of the game. He made a safe hit to right and stole down to second, while Bushong's only passed ball let him go to third. Caruthers successfully struck out the next two men-Williamson and Burns-but Ryan made a single to left and Pfeffer came in. Dalrymple's liner to Welch retired the side. Comiskey, for the home club, went out at first on his grounder to Williamson, Welch struck out and Foutz knocked a fly to right. It looked to be safe, but Ryan made a run after it and caught it in fine style.

In the third, Gore went all the way to third base on Latham's wild throw of his grounder to first, after Caruthers had made a remarkable catch of a foul fly from Clarkson's bat. Kelly knocked a grounder to third, and Gore started to come in, but Latham's good throw to Bushong cut him off by several feet. The Browns were again retired in order. Pfeffer scored his second run in the fourth. He was the first batter, and almost the very first ball that Caruthers pitched to him he knocked into the right-field seats, and made the circuit of the bases before Foutz could recover the ball. In this same inning the Chicagos had two men left on bases, and only unfortunate batting prevented them from scoring runs. Williamson went out on a fly to Foutz and Burns made a drive to left for a single. Ryan knocked a liner to O'Neil, and Dalrymple batted the ball so slowly in the direction of second that he got his base before the ball could be handled quick enough to throw him out. A wild pitch advanced him to second and sent Burns to third. Clarkson's fly to Welch, however, left them both. Once more the Browns went out in order, Caruthers, O'Neil and Gleason coming to the bat.

The Chicagos were put out quickly, and on easy plays in the fifth. Gore and Anson went out from second to first, and Kelly from third to first. For the Browns, Welch went out from short to first, Welch struck out and Foutz's fly to right was captured by Ryan. The Chicagos' last run was made in the sixth. Pfeffer again scoring it. He knocked an easy grounder to second, which Robinson should have stopped without any trouble but he let it roll through him. Foutz backed up Robinson, and when the ball came to him he let it get by him. These two bad errors enabled Pfeffer to go all the way around to third and Williamson's fly to Foutz brought him in. Burns and Ryan, the next two men, were retired on easy flies. Robinson and Latham both struck out for the Browns and Bushong knocked the ball to Pfeffer, who easily threw him out. The Chicagos were retired in order in the seventh. Caruthers, the first batsman for the Browns, struck out. O'Neil then came to the bat and made the first hit, and was retired at third in the manner mentioned above. Gleason was thrown out at first on a bunt to Clarkson, although he came very near making his base. The Chicagos could now do nothing with Caruthers' pitching and went quickly. It was here, though, that the Browns made their three runs and tied the score. Comiskey made a good beginning by knocking the leather safely to right for a single. Welch made a safe hit to third, sending Comiskey made a good beginning by knocking the leather safely to right for a single. Welch made a safe hit to third, sending Comiskey to second. The latter went to third on a passed ball and scored on Foutz's sacrifice fly to center. Robinson went out on a fly to Anson, and Bushong got his base on balls. Latham now came to bat. Two strikes had been called on him when he lifted the ball to extreme left for three bases, sending Welch and Bushong home. Caruthers out from Burns to first left Latham on third.

Williamson opened the ninth for the Chicagos by striking out, but Burns followed with a two-bagger. The latter went to third on a sacrifice by Ryan, but Dalrymple left him by striking out. O'Neil was the first batter for the Browns and he sent the ball sailing to the right. It looked to be good for two bases, but Ryan jumped for it and made one of the most remarkable catches ever seen on the grounds. Gleason went out on a foul to Kelly and Comiskey from third to first. The tenth inning was commenced. Clarkson struck out and both Gore and Kelly knocked flies to left field. Welch was the first batsman for the Browns. He took a position pretty close to the plate and Clarkson hit him with the ball. Welch took first, Anson protested and a wrangle ensued. The umpire finally called Welch back, claiming that he tried to get hit with the ball. To the great delight of the audience, however, Welch knocked the first ball that was pitched to him for a single to center field. Foutz was the next man to handle the stick. He batted a grounder back of the pitcher, between short and first. Williamson made a run for it and fumbled it. Foutz, of course, got safe on the error, and Welch went to second. Robinson advanced both men on his sacrifice from short to first. With a man on second and another on third and only one out, the chances were good for a run. Bushong came to the bat, but he did not get an opportunity to hit the ball. Clarkson, who is usually so cool, was visibly nervous. He rolled and twisted the ball around in his hands several times before he got in position to pitch it. He finally delivered it, but it was far over Kelly's head. The latter made no effort to get it, and like the other member of the team, stood in a half dazed manner and watched Welch come in with the deciding run. The Chicagos packed up their bats and got off the grounds as quickly as possible.
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-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1886

The St. Louis Browns are champions of the world at the national game of base ball for another year at least. That was decided at Sportsman's Park yesterday afternoon by their great victory over the Chicagos in the sixth game of the world's championship series. No one-not even the most devoted friends and admirers of the Chicagos-can dispute their right to the title, or can say that it was won in anything but a fair, square and honest manner. The struggle was not such a hard one for the Browns, after all. Taking everything into consideration, they won the battle with comparative ease. Their victory, however, was not due to any luck, but was only secured by playing a superior game of ball. Their hard, steady and all-pull-together style of playing landed them on top on more than one occasion when defeat seemed inevitable. The Chicagos are an excellent team of ball players, but, as has already been mentioned, they are out of their class when they face the Browns in a contest, as has been plainly shown in the six games played between them. The Browns have made more runs, more hits, more total bases, less errors, have presented stronger batteries, and outplayed the Chicagos all around. It does not require any more facts to convince people which is the better club. Since the initial game was played in Chicago last Monday, there have been a number of people shouting hippodrome and claiming that the Chicagos would win the series without any trouble; that they were merely toying with the Browns; that they were merely working things to increase the gate receipts, but yesterday's play dispelled all suspicion.

The contest between the two clubs yesterday afternoon was the most exciting and most brilliantly played game ever seen in St. Louis, or any other city, in the history of the national sport. It was the hardest battle of all the six games, and it was not decided until a wild pitch allowed Welch to cross the plate with the winning run in the tenth inning. The Chicagos started out to play in a manner that meant business and it looked like defeat for the Browns. The home club never once gave up, though, and with the score standing 3 to 0 against them at the end of the seventh inning they played just as hard and steady as they did at the opening of the game. For six straight innings they went to the bat and six straight times they were retired without a hit, much less a run, or anything that looked like one. Bushong got his base in the first inning, but never advanced from the bag. In the seventh inning O'Neil made the first hit of the game for the Browns. He drove the ball far up in the air and out in the field beyond all reach of the fielders for three bases. But Jim in his effort to make third in safety, ran over the bag. The ball was fielded quickly and returned to Burns and as O'Neil went over the base, he was touched by the ball and put out. This terrible luck did not dishearten the Browns but they kept striving to get a run. In the seventh they tied the score and Latham assisted no little in doing it. With one run in, two men on the bases, two men out and two strikes and three balls called on Latham, the latter lifted the sphere to the left field over Dalrymple's head for three bases, sending in the two men.

The demonstrations on the part of the spectators when the score was tied was such that has never been equaled at any game of base ball before. The immense crowd seemed to go crazy. They yelled and cheered until they grew hoarse. Men and boys shook hands and embraced each other, turned summersaults on the grand-stand and in the field, and many actually wept tears of joy. The air was full of hats, handkerchiefs and umbrellas, and it was nearly five minutes before the crowd could be quieted sufficiently to go on with the game. It was a sight that will never be forgotten by those who were present. But the scene in the tenth inning when the winning run was scored and the Browns had secured the championship is almost beyond description. As soon as Welch had crossed the plate and the 10,000 people who filled the grand-stands and stood in rows ten or twelve deep in a circle around the field, more than half of them made a grand rush for the players, yelling and making all manner of noises and demonstrations. As soon as they would run up against a man in the Browns' uniform they would throw him upon their backs and carry him off the field. The entire nine were taken to the dressing-room in this manner. At various places in and around the park a crowd would congregate, and when some one would propose three cheers for the championship, they would be given with a will. Everybody was happy and everybody wanted to shake hands with everybody else. A crowd numbering perhaps 3,000 lingered around the park until after the members of the club had dressed. Wherever one of them was seen, a big crowd immediately circled around and cheer him heartily. It was long after dark before Sportsman's Park and vicinity had settled down to its usually quiet state. It is not likely that such scenes of enthusiasm will be seen again at St. Louis base ball parks for a long time to come.
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-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1886