But to-day from the start, it was evident that he was not himself. His speed was there and the curves, but control was lacking.
"Wild as a hawk," muttered McRae, as the first Denver man trotted down to base on balls.
"Can't seem to locate the plate at all," grunted Robbie.
"He'll pull himself together all right," remarked Brennan, hopefully.
But the prophecy proved false, and the next two men up waited him out and were also rewarded with passes. The bases were full without a hit having been made, and the crowds in the stand were roaring like mad.
Brennan from the coaching lines at first waved to Fraser and the latter, drawing off his glove, walked disgustedly to the bench.
"What's the matter with you to-day?" queried McRae. "You seemed to think the plate was up in the grandstand."
"Couldn't get the hang of it, somehow," Fraser excused himself. "Just my off day, I guess."
Hamilton succeeded him in the box, and from the way he started out it seemed as though he were going to redeem the poor work of his predecessor. He struck out the first man on three pitched balls, made the second send up a towering foul that Mylert caught after a long run, and the major leaguers began to breathe more freely.
"Guess he'll pull out of the hole all right," remarked Robbie.
But for the next batter, Hamilton, grown perhaps a trifle too confident, put one over in the groove, and the batter banged out a tremendous three-bagger to right field. Curry made a gallant try for it but could not quite reach.
Three runs came over the plate, while the panting batsman slid to third. The crowd in the stands went wild then, and Thorpe, the manager of the local team, grinned in a mocking way at Brennan.
"Is this interesting enough?" he drawled, referring to Brennan's patronizing offer to lend him a player.
"Just a bit of luck," growled Brennan. "A few inches more and Curry would have got his hooks on the ball. Beside, the game's young yet. We've got the class and that's bound to tell."
Hamilton, whose blood was up, put on more steam, and the third player went out on an infield fly. But the damage had been done, and those three runs at the very start loomed up as a serious handicap.
"And all of them on passes," groaned Robbie. "Too bad we didn't put Hamilton in right at the start."