We have met the four main cogs of the Red Sox rotation of 1912, “Smokey” Joe Wood, Hugh Bedient, “Buck” O’Brien and Ray Collins. There was a fifth man in the mix and his name was Charley Hall.
Now before we get into that, we need to understand a couple of things about pitching. Today pitching is done with a five man starting rotation which means that a starting pitcher will pitch every sixth game. There are 7th inning specialists, 8th inning specialists and then of course the closer. That 9th inning shutdown guy who comes into the game in the ninth inning when his team is ahead by one, two or three runs.
In 1912 there was a four man starting rotation so they pitched every fifth game. The job of the starter was to pitch a complete game and every starter would, at various times throughout the season, appear in relief.
Carlos Luis “Charley” Hall, earned the nickname “Sea Lion” because he was said to have a voice like a walrus. He pitched in the major leagues in nine different seasons. Five of them were with the Red Sox and his best one was Fenway Park’s inaugural season of 1912. Filling the slot in the rotation left by the injured Ray Collins, it was “Charley” who was the winning pitcher in the first game ever played at Fenway Park. Relieving “Buck” O’Brien in the eighth, he was the beneficiary of the Red Sox 11 inning win. He went 15-8 on the year and pitched twice in the 1912 World Series.
Pitching 8 innings of relief in an 11-4 World Series loss, Hall gained a sliver of immortality as he is the only relief pitcher in World Series history to get three hits in a game, going 3 for 3.
His last game in the bigs was in 1918 with the Tigers but he pitched in the minor leagues through the 1925 season. He totaled 18 seasons of minor league ball winning 285 games. Among them were five no-hitters, one which he lost in 12 innings.
Following his baseball career he went home to Ventura California where he became a police officer. He passed away in 1943 at the at the age of 59, his place in Fenway Park history secure as a member of Fenway Parks first ever World Champions, the 1912 Boston Red Sox.
Charley Hall, arms folded over the A in Arlington, with the Red Sox in Hot Springs Arkansas in the spring of 1912.
And so it was at this time in Fenway Park history, 1912 and 13, Charley’s time.
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Hello and welcome, my name is Raymond Sinibaldi. A retired history teacher, after 26 years in the classroom, a baseball fan for three score and five, I have authored 13 books. Eight about baseball and her glorious history; most recently Yankees in the Hall of Fame and Dodgers in the Hall of Fame. An aficionado of the Kennedy Administration, I have written four books in that realm and also co-authored a book of motivational stories for coaches. The first, The Babe in Red Stockings which was co-authored with Kerry Keene and David Hickey and released in 1997. It is a chronicle of Babe's days with the Red Sox. We also penned a screenplay about Babe's Red Sox days so if any of you are Hollywood inclined or would like to represent us in forwarding that effort feel free to contact me. In 2012 we three amigos published Images of Fenway Park in honor of the 100th birthday of Fenway Park. That led to the creation of this blog. The following year, 2013 came my first solo venture, Spring Training in Bradenton and Sarasota. This is a pictorial history of spring training in those two Florida cities. The spring of 2014 brought forth the 1967 Red Sox, The Impossible Dream Season. The title speaks for itself, and it also is a pictorial history. Many of the photos in this book were never published before. The spring of 2015 brought 1975 Red Sox, American League Champions. Another pictorial effort, this will be about the Red Sox championship season of 1975 and the World Series that restored baseball in America. The spring of 2016 brought 61 Motivational Stories for Every Coach of Every Sport. My first JFK effort was in 2017 with John F Kennedy in New England, which was followed by JFK From Florida to the Moon (2019) and JFK At Rest in Arlington (2020). Jackie's Newport came about in 2019 and in 2023 came both Yankees in the Hall of Fame and Dodgers in the Hall of Fame. I was fortunate enough to consult with sculptor Franc Talarico on the “Jimmy Fund” statue of Ted Williams which stands outside both Fenway Park and Jet Blue Park Fenway South, in Fort Myers Florida. That story is contained in the near 300 posts which are contained herein. Throughout the years this blog has morphed from an exclusive Red Sox focus, to a broader baseball perspective to a blog about life, with baseball a large portion of it. This year, 2024, I have reactivated this blog which lay dormant for quite some time. Welcome aboard, pass the word and feel free to contact me about anything you read or ideas you may have for a topic. Email me at fenwaypark100@gmail.com.
Now before we get into that, we need to understand a couple of things about pitching. Today pitching is done with a five man starting rotation which means that a starting pitcher will pitch every sixth game. There are 7th inning specialists, 8th inning specialists and then of course the closer. That 9th inning shutdown guy who comes into the game in the ninth inning when his team is ahead by one, two or three runs. 
Charley Hall, arms folded over the A in Arlington, with the Red Sox in Hot Springs Arkansas in the spring of 1912. 
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