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THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 2 ...
A POWERFUL RED SOX TEAM FAILS
IN THE WORLD SERIES ...
The Sox sluggers play "small ball" to win this one
July 13, 1946 ... The Red Sox sluggers turned bunters during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. The Sox scored four runs in that inning to
come from behind, for a 5-4 triumph that swept the current series from the Detroit Tigers, and made it 13 out of 15 for the season. The win also put the Red Sox nine full games ahead of the Yankees.
Dizzy Trout, making his third effort of the year to stop the Red Sox, had it really going until the eighth-inning. He not only held the Sox to three singles, but he belted a double off Mickey Harris to give himself a 2-1 lead in the second inning. In addition to some spectacular support from
Don DiMaggio, Harris eventually required relief from Bob Klinger on the way to his 12th win of the year.
Lee Culberson started the eighth-inning by doubling off the wall and then Johnny Pesky laid down a bunt to Trout. With a good chance to nail Culby at third, Dizzy fired behind both Culberson and thirdbaseman George Kell. When leftfielder Jimmy Outlaw finally retrieved the ball, Culby had
scored and Pesky was on second. DiMaggio grounded out moving Pesky to third, and Ted Williams was immediately
walked and given first base intentionally. Bobby Doerr then laid down a bunt with Pesky coming down the line, that Trout and his catcher Bob Swift couldn't decide who should make the play.
Neither picked up the ball, which came to rest one inch fair. The play gave Bobby his 74th RBI and tied him with Williams for the league lead. Ted accounted for the first Red Sox run in the sixth inning with an infield out to give him his 74th RBI.
Williams and Doerr both advanced on Rudy York's ground ball to George Kell. Rip Russell pounded a slow high bounder is second baseman Jimmy Bloodworth, whose throw broke through Hank Greenberg at first base, allowing two more runs to score. That made the score 5 to 2.
But Harris, who had been scrambling throughout the game was not out of trouble. Kell and Evers both singled to open the ninth inning, bringing Bob Klinger into the game. Greenberg then doubled to left-center scoring Kell and put Evers on third. Pat Mullin hit an easy fly ball to Williams for
the first out that kept Evers at third. Jimmy Outlaw then drew a walk to put the winning run on first base, loading the bases. Eddie Mayo batted for Bloodworth and lifted an easy fly ball to Dom in center field, and Doc Cramer then hit an easy pop up behind first base that Rudy York gathered
in, for the final out.
Dizzy Trout unloaded an "eephus" pitch on Ted for a ball in the first inning, and then decided not to use it anymore. That's now nine straight wins over the Tigers. |
