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JOHNNY RIGNEY |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 2 ...
A POWERFUL RED SOX TEAM FAILS
IN THE WORLD SERIES ...
Rigney sets down the Red Sox in Chicago
July 23, 1946 ... The Red Sox opened up their road trip by bowing before Johnny Rigney and the Chicago White Sox, 7-1 at Comiskey Park. The Sox were handed their seventh setback in nine starts during night games.
The ballgame was over in the first inning when Bill Zuber failed to last the first inning, suffering his first defeat in four officials starts. Thurman Tucker whacked the first serve for an inside-the-park home run. A Luke Appling double, a single, three walks and a wild pitch where the
bases of five White Sox runs, which brought Broadway Charlie Wagner running in. Wagner entered the game with one out and the bases loaded. He forced across the fourth run by walking Mike Tresh and allowed the fifth run on a squeeze play by Rigney.
After that first inning Wagner was immense, allowing just one hit in the remaining five innings he worked. That one was a double by Appling in the fifth inning.
Those five tallies were more than sufficient for Rigney. He set the Sox back to the bench, allowing them only five hits. Successive singles by Rudy York and Glenn Russell, followed by Hal Wagner's sacrifice fly, averted a shutout in the seventh inning. Rigney held Ted Williams hitless after
the Kid had belted safely in 10 straight games. He did however give Ted his 100th walk of the year intentionally, with two out in the first inning after Johnny Pesky had doubled.
British Open champion Sam Snead was at the game and spent a few minutes laughing with Ted Williams. The two were arguing over which of their expected of sports was the more difficult.
Just before tonight's game, the Red Sox announced that they had purchased Wally Moses from the White Sox. Moses was informed of the trade when he arrived at the White Sox clubhouse. He visited the Red Sox bench before tonight's game but did not dress. |
