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JOHNNY PESKY GREETED AT
HOME BY TED WILLIAMS |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 2 ...
A POWERFUL RED SOX TEAM FAILS
IN THE WORLD SERIES ...
Johnny Pesky's homer wins it for the Sox
April 20, 1946 ... Johnny Pesky emerged as the hero of the gigantic proceedings that attended the victorious home opening of the Red Sox at frosty Fenway Park. The Sox ran their winning streak fourth straight games
in overcoming the Philadelphia Athletics by a score of 2 to 1. A's pitcher Dick Fowler came within two hits of matching the no-hit masterpiece he hurled on September 9th, last fall, just 20 days after he been discharged from the Canadian Army.
The fact that Johnny Pesky had scored a run in the first inning by racing all the way home from second base on an infield force play, had been almost forgotten by the time that Rudy York ended Fowler's dream of a no-hit repetition with a single after two were out in the sixth inning. Also,
virtually out of mind was the fact that Tex Hughson, despite giving up six hits in the first three innings, did a great job of clutch pitching in his own right.
So the score stood 1-1, when the Sox collected their second and final hit after one was out in the last of the eighth-inning. The throngs roared as the top of the Sox batting order was coming up and that meant that the one and only Ted Williams would get another chance to win the game.
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TEX HUGHSON |
Dom DiMaggio took a disputed called third strike for the first out, and up came Pesky. The gathering howled for Johnny to get on, because they felt that Williams would drive Johnny across, or get another walk to move him into scoring position. Pesky tried to comply. He attempted to bunt
Fowler's first two pitches and sent them both foul. He then took a ball and waited for Fowler's next pitch. Fowler tried a retired Johnny with his best Sunday curve, but Johnny, being the type of ballplayer who was always swinging, met it perfectly, and from the instant it left his bat, you
know, it was headed for the right field grandstand extension. The only fear was that the northwest wind might carry it foul. But the drive, held the line and passed over they had of the speedy right fielder, Hal Peck, landing in the second or third row of the right field grandstand.
Hughson was untouchable in the ninth, striking out two to get the victory. |
