This Day in Baseball - Rebels Scrap with Yankees, Doders, Tigers, Ump Show

Jordan Harrison

The only piece of Biscuits news we have is from former Montgomery reliever Jordan Harrison, who told me he is likely to hang up his cleats before baseball returns.

Harry is a free agent and has plans on seeking a new gig in medical supplies.

As a lefty reliever, Jordan spent four seasons with Montgomery and went to the playoffs each year.

Harry is a great guy and always took the time to talk, never shying from tough questions. We wish Jordan Harrison all the best going forward!

APRIL 8 1898 

Jimmy Ryan with Montgomery 1908

Chicago Orphans face Montgomery in exhibition game, winning 4-3.

Future Montgomery manager Jimmy Ryan is on the Chicago roster, as is a young Clark Griffith.

1890's view of Market Street, now Dexter Ave

APRIL 8 1899 
Montgomery hosts the touring Bloomer Girls team for an exhibition game. A large crowd turned out but the final score was not reported.

APRIL 8 1903 
Montgomery hosts Detroit in the last of three exhibition games this year. The Tigers win but the Pretzels avoid the shutout, final score 7-1.

Second baseman Carlton Molesworth of Montgomery had a tough day, outfielder Ike Durret ran over him chasing a fly ball and on another play he stepped in a hole and fell, both miscues costing the team runs.

APRIL 8 1929
Brooklyn Dodgers face the Montgomery Lions in exhibition game, Dodgers win 5-0.

APRIL 8 1938
Local Montgomery team ties Phils in exhibition game. The Philadelphia Phillies, parent club for Montgomery, faced the Montgomery Bombers at Cramton Bowl. The locals gave the big league club a solid effort, resulting in a 5-5 tie and a note of encouragement from that days typsetter.

APRIL 8 1948 
New York vs Montgomery in an exhibition game and its a good one.

"The World Champion Yankees got all the competition they could handle" was how sportswriter Max Mosely described the extra inning contest between Yankees and Rebels.

A star studded Yankees lineup included DiMaggio, Berra, Rizutto, Heinrich backed starting pitcher Tommy Byrne.

The Rebels lineup is a nobody-studded order of players like Art Rebel and Mack MacWhorter.

The scrappy Rebels matched the powerful Yanks with four runs each in the first two frames, then both sides dug in. Each team allowed just one run in the last seven innings and the tie game went into extra innings.

In the eleventh inning Yogi Berra drove in Bobby Brown and then scored himself on Johnny Lindel's two-RBI double. It took multiple extra innings to down the Rebels but New York won it, 8-5.

Joltin Joe DiMaggio had three hits in the game. DiMaggio, Berra, Keller and other Yankees spent a long time signing autographs for fans after the game.
 But nobody brought a camera to the game? Sheesh!

APRIL 8 1950
The Detroit Tigers defeat Montgomery in an exhibition game 12-1.

George Kell of the Tigers had a pair of hits in four trips, Pat Mullin was the batting star for Detroit with three doubles and a single. The Rebels considered themselves victorious by scoring a single run to avoid being shut out.


THE BIGGER STORY
The game between the Tigers and Rebels had a memorable moment for the home plate umpire, who likely never forgot his experience in Montgomery.

Indeed the event was noted in the Montgomery Advertiser and even included a photo. On the front page...

Umpire Splits Pants makes front page!