100 years ago in Spokane: Indians win league pennant, but victory clouded by accusation

From our archives, 100 years ago

The Spokane Indians blasted through the competition to win the Northwestern League baseball pennant, with a stellar record of 79 wins and 48 losses. The Indians finished 11 games ahead of second-place Butte.

Yet the jubilation over the easy pennant victory was tempered somewhat by charges laid against Spokane third baseman Frank Giugni by the Butte manager (and former major league star) Joe McGinnity.

During an earlier series between the two teams, Giugni was playing for Butte. However, Spokane manager Nick Williams wanted to acquire Giugni and asked McGinnity if he could have him at the beginning of the series. McGinnity refused to make the move until the end of the series. In the last game of the series, Giugni went up to hit for Butte with the bases loaded. He struck out.

McGinnity charged that Giugni had deliberately “lain down” in favor of the team he would soon join. In fact, McGinnity charged that the Spokane manager had talked Giugni into it. Williams and Giugni each reacted with outrage. Giugni said he did not strike out intentionally, nor did Williams ask him to. Williams called the charge “contemptible.”

“By making such a charge not only does McGinnity cast a black eye upon the game by which he is making his bread and butter, thereby cutting his own throat, but he also cast a personal insult upon Frank Giugni, myself and also upon the Spokane baseball public, who pay their money to see a ball game played on the square,” Williams said.