Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (May 17th)

Thursday, May 17th – Two independent teams face off, as the Brooklyn Royal Giants visit The Hilldale Club at Hilldale Park.

Here are the starting lineups:

Brooklyn Royal Giants
1. Country Brown, RF
2. Tom Finley, SS
3. Charlie “Chino” Smith, 2B
4. Robert Hudspeth, 1B
5. Paul Arnold, LF
6. George Fiall, 3B
7. Tex Burnett, C
8. Irvin Brooks, CF
9. Willis Flournoy, P

Hilldale Club
1. Frank Warfield, 2B
2. Jake Stephens, SS
3. Oscar Charleston, CF
4. Biz Mackey, C
5. Walter Cannady, 1B
6. Clint Thomas, LF
7. Judy Johnson, 3B
8. Otto Briggs, RF
9. Daltie Cooper, P

Lefty Willis Flournoy, who started his ‘major league’ career with Hilldale in 1919 goes against 25-year-old Darltie Cooper, who was 16-7 for the 1927 Harrisburg Giants.

In the bottom of the first, Frank Warfield and Jake Stephens both single to left field. Oscar Charleston grounds to SS Tom Finley, who forces Stephens at second. Biz Mackey hits a long fly to center field, scoring Warfield. Walter Cannady grounds to 3B George Fiall, who throws wildly past 1B Robert Hudspeth, with Charleston hustling around to score. Clint Thomas follows with a single to right field, with Cannady going to third. Judy Johnson doubles into right-center, scoring both Cannady and Thomas. 4-0 Hilldale after one.

To the top of the second, where Robert Hudspeth makes an out, then Paul Arnold triples to left-center. George Fiall then walks, but Tex Burnett hits a short fly to CF Charleston, with Arnold holding at third, and Irvin Brooks strikes out, killing the potential rally.

In the top of the third, P Flournoy hits a long fly to the right field scoreboard, where RF Otto Briggs makes the catch. Country Brown grounds out to 1B Cannady. Tom Finley singles to right with two out, then Charlie Smith is hit by Cooper. Tempers flared between Smith and Cooper. Hudspeth singles to left, scoring Finley. Cooper then plunks Arnold, loading the bases. Cooper’s control issues continue as he walks Fiall, forcing in Smith. Burnett hits a hard grounder past 3B Judy Johnson, scoring Hudspeth. Cooper gets Brooks to fly out, ending the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Charleston walks. Mackey hits a line drive that is caught by SS Finley. Cannady then grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. 4-3 Hilldale after three innings.

On to the 6th, where Cooper hits Fiall, and Burnett sacrifices him to 2nd. The veteran Brooks then hits a home run over the deep center field fence. In the bottom of the inning, Mackey makes the first out, then Cannady walks. Thomas hits a single to right, sending Cannady to third. Johnson hits a long fly to center that Brooks catches, but Cannady tags up and scores on the play. Briggs smashes the ball off of P Flournoy’s shins, with the ball bounding into foul territory on the 3rd base side. As 3B Fiall retrieves it, Thomas tries to go all the way from first to third, but P Flournoy is able to limp over and take the throw from Fiall, tagging out Thomas. The score is now 5 all after 6 innings.

In the Brooklyn 7th, Charlie Smith doubles, and Fiall singles him home, breaking the tie and putting the Royal Giants ahead 6-5.

In the top of the 8th, Brooks singles, but is forced at 2nd on Flournoy’s attempted sac bunt. Country Brown then singles to left, and Finley follows with a double, scoring Flournoy. Charlie Smith then unloads a 3 run home run against the pitcher who plunked him earlier. Hudspeth flies out, but Arnold gets his second triple of the game. Fiall fans to end the inning. Charleston leads off the bottom of the inning with a walk, Mackey forces Charleston at second on a grounder to short. Cannady singles hard into center, with Charleston stopping at second. Thomas hits a long fly to center, advancing both runners. Johnson triples, driving in two. Briggs walks, and Darltie Cooper comes up as the potential tying run. He’s allowed to bat for himself, and he grounds softly back to the pitcher, killing the rally. 10-7 Brooklyn after eight.

To the bottom of the 9th, where Warfield leads off with a single. 33-year-old backup catcher Joe Lewis pinch-hitting for light-hitting short stop Jake Stephens, flares a single into center, Warfield moving to third base. Two on, no one out, and Oscar Charleston is up as the potential tying run. Charleston launches a high drive deep past the centerfield flagpole, where Brooks races back, jumps, and spears the ball for the out. Warfield tags up and scores. Mackey singles to left, moving Lewis to 3rd. Cannady now up as the potential winning run. P Flournoy remains in the game. Cannady hits a long drive to left-center, Brooks again sprints across the outfield, making the catch, with Lewis tagging up and scoring. Clint Thomas, the last hope for Hilldale, hits ANOTHER fly ball to center field, and once again Brooks races for the fence, and hauls in the horsehide for the final out of the game. Brooklyn defeats Hilldale 10-9.

NOTES: Charlie Smith is 2-4, with a double, a home run, a HBP, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Judy Johnson goes 2 for 3, with a double, a triple, and 5 RBIs. Hilldale has 4 sacrifice flies in the game. Willis Flournoy faces 42 batters, giving up 9 runs (6 earned). Darltie Cooper faces 45 batters, giving up 10 earned runs.

No other games scheduled.

Hilldale Park