After the Americans won Game 5 11-2 to cut Pittsburg's lead to three games to two, Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss wanted to postpone Game 6, scheduled for Friday, Octo­ber 8, to the next day. He had multiple reasons for wanting the extra day. He told Boston manager Jimmy Collins that playing the game on Saturday instead of Friday would in­crease attendance by at least 6,000.

But Collins suspected the main reason Dreyfuss wanted the postponement was to ena­ble Deacon Phillippe to start Game 6 after pitching–and winning–Games 1, 3, and 4 over a six day period. So he told the Pirates owner that postponing "might mean more money, but money does not alone actuate us. ... We are conceding nothing."

Pittsburg player-manager Fred Clarke had no choice but to start sore-armed Sam Lee­ver in Game 6. Although hurting, Leever, who led the National League in ERA and shut­outs, told his manager that he could pitch. Sam had pitched well in Game 2 but lost 3-0 to Bill Dinneen, who was Boston's choice in Game 6. The rumor spread that Leever bet $200 at even odds that the Pirates would win. If they did, they could wrap up the best-of-nine series the next day at home without having to return to Boston for Games 8 and 9.

11,556 came to the ballpark, including the boisterous Boston Royal Rooters, who paraded to the park behind a band after spending the morning looking for bets on the game. The Pirate fans tore pieces of paper and scorecards into tiny pieces to create confetti that blew across the field and landed on the caps and shoulders of the Americans. The atmosphere resembled a football game with singing, cheers, and band music.

Grimacing as he pitched, Leever set down Boston for two innings. Then he got two easy outs to start the third before three singles, a walk, and an error produced three runs to cut the lead in half.

The visitors' advantage reached 6-0 before the Pirates finally got to Dinneen for three in the 7th. But Bill got the final out to leave the bases loaded.

Collins had Norwood Gibson warming up after the seventh with the intention of chang­ing pitchers. But Dinneen successfully begged his manager to leave him in. He rewarded Collins' faith in him by retiring the side in order in the 8th.

Leever gamely lasted the entire nine innings, giving up 10 hits and six runs, two of which were unearned.

When Ginger Beaumont led off the bottom of the 9th with a single–his fourth hit of the game–Pirate fans "setup a howling that would do credit to any army of Indians." Clarke came to the plate and "swung viciously." The line drive seemed headed up the middle to center field, but SS Fred Parent raced toward second and speared the ball an inch off the ground. He quickly fired to first to double up Beaumont, who was speeding toward second. The stunned Pirate fans slumped into their seats. Tommy Leach fouled out to end the game and even the series.