All,

George Ross pitched for the Giants in 1918 and his career lasted all
of one appearance. On June 27, which happened to be his birthday,
against the Braves, in a game won by New York 10-4, he relieved
starter Red Causey and pitched 2.1 innings.

All of the sources I can find, including the '06 ESPN Encyclopedia,
credit Ross with a game finished and a save. However, all of the
newspaper accounts (NY Times & Boston Globe) clearly describe him
relieving Causey in the third inning after Jim Thorpe had pinch hit
for the pitcher following a rough second inning which left the Giants
behind by a score of 3-1.

Ross threw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief before McGraw replaced him
with Fred Anderson in the fifth. In the top of that inning, New York
had scored 5 runs, making the score 6-3 when Anderson took over.
Anderson finished the game, going 4.2 innings, and was credited with
the victory. As you can see, something doesn't add up.

Ross did not finish the game and clearly did not earn a save. If
anything, he could have gotten the win, but it was understandably
given to Anderson.

I checked with Dave Smith who verified that the daily records show
Ross being relieved by Anderson and Anderson picking up the win.
Therefore, unfortunately for Ross, it appears he should have no save
and that the references are incorrect. There is no apparent error in
the official record, but it looks like the save later credited to Ross
should be deleted. Sorry, George.

Mike Grahek