(there are Spoilers) Unusual murder mystery involving the National League St Louis Cardinels baseball team who's star player seem to be targeted by an unseen assassin in order to keep the team from winning the league pennant.
It's when Cardinel owner manager Pop Clark, David Landau, bought Texas League pitching ace Larry Kelly, Robert Young, for a cool $25,000 that the team started to move up the ladder from the cellar to first place. With the St.Louis mobsters headed by big boss Joe Karnes, Henry C. Gordon, betting heavily against the Cardinels to win he pennant they try to get Kelly to throw an important game against the Cincinnati Reds by leaving an envelope of $10,000.00 in his hotel room. To prove that he's not involved with the Karnes Mob Kelly not only beats the Reds but pitches a no-hitter against them!
With Kelly not going alone with the mob he's later injured when the taxi he's in has it's tire blown out, with a high-powered rifle, causing it to overturn and Kelly put out action for two weeks. With the Cardinals still holding on to first place despite their star pitcher Larry Kelly being on the disabled list three of the top Cardinels players end up dead, with their deaths taking place in the ballpark, under the most suspicious circumstances: Gunshot strangulation and poisoning.
***SPOILERS*** With the pennant now just a game away the Cardinals bring in Kelly to pitch the final game of the season also against the Reds more to get the killer out in the open, with Kelly as bait, then to win the game! In fact it's Kelly himself who catches the killer, while on the mound, by bopping him on the head with a fastball as he tried to sneak a time-bomb into his warm-up jacket! It's then that the real deal or truth comes out to who this assassin is and even more important whom he's working for! ***MAJOR SPOILER*** The person who's been trying to get the team off Joe Clarks hands since spring training by keeping it in last place in order for Joe to be forced to hand it over to him.
P.S Over the top and hysterical final sequence by the killer when he's finally exposed and captured by the police and Cardinel players. This guy gave the performance of his life that should have easily earned him hands down the Academy Award for best actor in 1934 over Cark Gable's performance in the movie "It Happened One Night"! Even though he was in the film "Death on the Diamond" in a supporting role!
It's when Cardinel owner manager Pop Clark, David Landau, bought Texas League pitching ace Larry Kelly, Robert Young, for a cool $25,000 that the team started to move up the ladder from the cellar to first place. With the St.Louis mobsters headed by big boss Joe Karnes, Henry C. Gordon, betting heavily against the Cardinels to win he pennant they try to get Kelly to throw an important game against the Cincinnati Reds by leaving an envelope of $10,000.00 in his hotel room. To prove that he's not involved with the Karnes Mob Kelly not only beats the Reds but pitches a no-hitter against them!
With Kelly not going alone with the mob he's later injured when the taxi he's in has it's tire blown out, with a high-powered rifle, causing it to overturn and Kelly put out action for two weeks. With the Cardinals still holding on to first place despite their star pitcher Larry Kelly being on the disabled list three of the top Cardinels players end up dead, with their deaths taking place in the ballpark, under the most suspicious circumstances: Gunshot strangulation and poisoning.
***SPOILERS*** With the pennant now just a game away the Cardinals bring in Kelly to pitch the final game of the season also against the Reds more to get the killer out in the open, with Kelly as bait, then to win the game! In fact it's Kelly himself who catches the killer, while on the mound, by bopping him on the head with a fastball as he tried to sneak a time-bomb into his warm-up jacket! It's then that the real deal or truth comes out to who this assassin is and even more important whom he's working for! ***MAJOR SPOILER*** The person who's been trying to get the team off Joe Clarks hands since spring training by keeping it in last place in order for Joe to be forced to hand it over to him.
P.S Over the top and hysterical final sequence by the killer when he's finally exposed and captured by the police and Cardinel players. This guy gave the performance of his life that should have easily earned him hands down the Academy Award for best actor in 1934 over Cark Gable's performance in the movie "It Happened One Night"! Even though he was in the film "Death on the Diamond" in a supporting role!