NEHF BRILLIANT IN CRUCIAL GIANTS WIN
Bucs' Lead Cut to 1/2 Game

NEW YORK, September 25 (AP) - On a day seemingly better suited for football, Artie Nehf dazzled the Pittsburgh Pirates to the tune of a two-hit shutout in New York's 3-0 victory.  The Giants took two of three in the final head-to-head meeting of the year and closed to within one-half game of first place.

Nehf's shutout was his third of the year, tying him for the league lead in that category.  It was the third time this season that a Giants pitcher tossed a two-hitter.  Virgil Barnes turned the trick twice earlier this season.

The game, played in a crisp hour and 37 minutes, was a pitcher's duel in every respect, with a total of seven hits and three walks.  Nehf's mound counterpart, Wilbur Cooper (20-13), retired the first 14 batters he faced and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

The Pirates had their lone good scoring chance in the second inning.  Glen Wright led off the frame with a double and moved to third on Pie Traynor's fly out to deep right.  New York manager John McGraw, sensing a low-scoring contest and knowing the importance of the game, brought his infield in.  The move paid off when Nehf (17-3) induced Rabbit Maranville to tap weakly to Freddie Lindstrom at third.  Wright had to hold as Lindstrom gunned Maranville down at first.  Charlie Grimm then bounced out to Bill Terry at first and that ended the one and only Pittsburgh scoring threat of the afternoon.  The Pirates never got another runner past second base.

Cooper, meanwhile, was plowing through the Giants order with ease, retiring everyone until walking Hack Wilson with two outs in the fifth before retiring Travis Jackson on a roller to short.

The double shutout was finally pierced in the home half of the sixth inning.  Hank Gowdy broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff double to right-center.  Nehf fanned, but Lindstrom slapped a single between short and third, with Gowdy advancing 90 feet.  Cooper was hoping to force a ground ball from Ross Youngs but the Giants right fielder foiled him by driving a fly to deep center.  Max Carey ran down the ball for the second out, but it was long enough to allow Gowdy to score without a play, putting New York on top 1-0.

The Giants picked up some insurance in the seventh.  With one out Terry laced a double into the right field corner and Hack Wilson followed with a long home run, his 16th of the season, to straight away left field, making it 3-0. 

The ninth was ever so slightly nervous for New York.  Eddie Moore led off with a walk but was immediately erased on a 6-4-3 double play.  Just when Giants fans began to relax, Kiki Cuyler laced his team's second hit of the afternoon, a clean single to center.  A passed ball advanced Cuyler to second.  With the tying run on deck, Nehf rose to the occasion and retired Wright on a roller to George Kelly at second.

After the game the Giants confirmed that both Heinie Groh and Frankie Frisch were done for the regular season.  The Pirates' Cuyler had missed the second game of the series for undisclosed reasons but appeared completely healthy in this contest.

New York will finish the season with three games against Philadelphia--at the Polo Grounds on Saturday and Sunday and at Shibe Park on Monday.  The Pirates have six games remaining--five against Chicago; the first three at Forbes Field including a Friday doubleheader and a Saturday single game; and two at Wrigley Field on Sunday and Monday) and the season's finale at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

9/25/1924, Pit24-NYN24, Polo Grounds
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1924 Pirates           0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  2  0     4  0
1924 Giants            0  0  0  0  0  1  2  0  x     3  5  1     3  1
 
Pirates              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Moore             rf  3  0  0  0  .311    Lindstrom         3b  4  0  2  0  .253
Carey             cf  4  0  0  0  .338    Youngs            rf  3  0  0  1  .346
Cuyler            lf  4  0  1  0  .362    Kelly             2b  4  0  0  0  .305
Wright            ss  4  0  1  0  .278    Meusel            lf  3  0  0  0  .282
Traynor           3b  3  0  0  0  .277    Terry             1b  3  1  1  0  .224
Maranville        2b  3  0  0  0  .279    Wilson            cf  2  1  1  2  .321
Grimm             1b  3  0  0  0  .301     O'Connell        cf  0  0  0  0  .279
Schmidt           c   2  0  0  0  .218    Jackson           ss  3  0  0  0  .300
 Barnhart         ph  0  0  0  0  .292    Gowdy             c   3  1  1  0  .355
 Gooch            c   0  0  0  0  .262     Snyder           c   0  0  0  0  .325
Cooper            p   2  0  0  0  .355    Nehf              p   3  0  0  0  .292
 Mueller          ph  1  0  0  0  .356                         28  3  5  3
 Kremer           p   0  0  0  0  .139
                     29  0  2  0
 
Pirates                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Cooper           L 20-14         7.0  4  3  3  1  5  90  59  3.45
Kremer                           1.0  1  0  0  0  0  12   6  2.83
                                 8.0  5  3  3  1  5 102  65
 
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Nehf             W 17-4          9.0  2  0  0  2  2 114  75  2.90
                                 9.0  2  0  0  2  2 114  75
 
Pit: Barnhart batted for Schmidt in the 8th
     Mueller batted for Cooper in the 8th
     Gooch inserted at c in the 8th
NYN: O'Connell inserted at cf in the 9th
     Snyder inserted at c in the 9th
 
E-Youngs. 2B-Wright(28), Terry(9), Gowdy(12). HR-Wilson(16). RBI-Youngs(65),
Wilson 2(89). SB-Lindstrom(3). K-Moore, Cuyler, Lindstrom, Terry 2, Wilson,
Nehf. BB-Moore, Barnhart, Wilson. SH-Youngs. PB-Snyder.
GWRBI: Youngs
Temperature: 47, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: in from right at 7 MPH.
Attendance: 13,990
Game Time: 1:37