After a rainout on June 22, 1915, the Yankees and Philadelphia Athletics were set to play a doubleheader the following day at Shibe Park. While the Yankees went into the game over .500 with some hope of doing something in the AL, the A’s were going nowhere fast. They were in last at 21-35, in the midst of a season that would see them win just 43 games.
Looking for some kind of spark, Athletics’ manager Connie Mack gave the ball to Cap Crowell to start the first game of a doubleheader. Crowell had only been signed out of Brown University the month prior and hadn’t appeared in any minor league game prior to his A’s debut.