Fun read here.

In 1908, the last year the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, the team’s path to the National League pennant led through the New York Giants. A dominant franchise at the time, the Giants held in their pitching rotation Christy Mathewson, one of the greatest pitchers ever to play baseball, who only three years earlier had pitched three complete-game shutouts in the 1905 World Series. In Mathewson’s memoir, Pitching in a Pinch, published in 1912 with the help of sportswriter John Wheeler, he recalls two pivotal 1908 games between the Giants and the Cubs—among the wildest and most memorable ever played—which set the Cubs on their journey to their second World Series title in as many years.

But Schulte doubled, and Kling scored, leaving men on second and third bases. Still we had a Mongolian’s chance with them only one run ahead of us.

I'd never come across "a Mongolian's chance" before reading it in this piece. I assume it means something like "a puncher's chance" (unlikely to happen, but not impossible). I googled the phrase and the only other examples that came up were from newspaper articles in 1919 and 1925, on baseball. Would be interested to learn the provenance of this idiom. Anyone know?

a chinaman's chance

politely

Posted by bagchucker on 12/27/2020 9:59:00 PM (view original):


a chinaman's chance

politely

I'm guessing you are right and I wondered about that as well, but that seems not in keeping with what Mathewson is saying. He says ' ... with them only one run ahead of us.' Given the phase you reference means little to no chance that doesn't seem to match with 'only one run ahead' maybe though the meaning of the phase was understood differently in that time. I dunno, but it sure was a fun piece to read!

"Pitching in a Pinch" audio book is available on youtube if anyone is interested. I listened to it a few months back. It's very enjoyable.

Posted by milest on 12/29/2020 2:37:00 PM (view original):
"Pitching in a Pinch" audio book is available on youtube if anyone is interested. I listened to it a few months back. It's very enjoyable.

I am definitely going to look this up, thank you for mentioning it. Using 1913 Christy Mathewson in my first open league, I'm taking a keen interest in him.