JOE DiMAGGIO & TOMMY HENRICH

THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 2 ...
A POWERFUL RED SOX TEAM FAILS
IN THE WORLD SERIES ....
The Sox win one sloppy game
and get blown out in another

August 11, 1946 ... Yankee tempers flared as the Red Sox divided, what turned out to be an afternoon twilight doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. The Sox came from behind and ultimately accepted a 7 to 5 decision in a poorly played opener. Behind Joe Page's two hit pitching, the Yankees put on a hit parade and a 9 to 1 win in the closer that was called after 6 1/2 innings because of darkness.

The Yankees were mad after the way they blew the opening game with their ace Spud Chandler on the mound. They were handed a 3-0 lead in the first inning by Mickey Harris, who walked almost everybody in the ballpark before he walked to the showers himself. Each side used five pitchers, with Chandler becoming a loser and Mace Brown the winner for the Sox. The Yanks made nine singles and the Sox eight in this crazy contest.

Harris had two-out when he went haywire in the first inning. Henrich and DiMaggio's singled, then Mickey gave Charlie Keller a free pass, succeeded by Aaron Robinson, Johnny Lindell and Phil Rizzuto to force across three runs. The Red Sox tied it up in the fourth inning when Chandler walked Rudy York and Bobby Doerr. Glenn Russell scored York with a single to left and took second when Keller bobbled the ball. Hal Wagner promptly lined a single to left-center, bringing in Doerr and Russell with the tying runs.

The Sox went ahead 5 to 3 and Chandler followed Harris to the showers in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Glenn Russell, hit a ground ball to Johnson allowing Dom DiMaggio to score, while Bobby Doerr took out Snuffy Stirnweiss at second to prevent the double-play. Hal Wagner followed with another single that scored Ted Williams.

Yankees got one back in their half of the fifth inning and then the Red Sox scored two more in the sixth. Johnny Pesky beat out a bunt and Dom got a bad hop single by Rizzuto. Ted walked to load the bases and then Yankee pitcher Mel Queen walked both York and Doerr to give the Red Sox two more runs and a 7 to 4 lead.

Joe Dobson, who now was the Sox pitcher, sailed along nicely until the ninth inning when he walked Henrich. He threw two balls to Joe DiMaggio and Earl Johnson came in from the bullpen. Johnson ended up walking Joe D. and Keller beat out a roller on which Johnson was slow to cover first allowing another run to score and make the final 7 to 5.

The second game was only a contest until the third inning. The only Sox run was a lucky one. Lindell missed a diving catch of a Rudy York liner to right and it went for a triple in the second inning. Rudy scored when the ball popped out of Joe Page's hand as he started his pitch to Bobby Doerr. Page was charged with a balk.

The Yankees got that run back on their half of the inning, got another one in the third, two more in the fourth, four in the fifth, and one in the sixth for nine runs. With the Yankees ahead 9 to 1, darkness descended upon Yankee Stadium in the seventh inning and the game was mercifully ended.

When the score was tied at one all, the Yankees aired their feelings in the second game. Tommy Henrich was the first batter in the third inning and Jim Bagby, who started the night cap for the Sox, threw behind him. The pitch struck Henrich's bat and bounded to the screen for a foul strike. Henrich complained to the umpire Charlie Berry who didn't want to hear it, so Tommy pulled the next pitch on a bunt toward first. The ball went directly at Rudy York who handled the play himself. When Henrich ran past first and made his turn he rammed Rudy York and both went down in a heap.

Instantly both squads left the benches and headed for the scene of action. By the time they reached there, umpire Joe Paparella had warded off any possible further engagement between Henrich and York. Only a few parting words between Johnny Pesky and Joe Gordon were exchanged, as the two teams headed back to their positions or on the bench.

In the fourth inning, after the Yankees had gone ahead, 4-1, Bill Johnson was on third and Henrich on first, when a snap peg by Bagby suddenly trapped Henrich off the bag. During the run down, Johnson headed for home where he found Roy Partee waiting for him with the ball. Johnson ran into him like a fullback and Partee retaliated by tagging bill right under his job and knocking the Yankees thirdbaseman to his knees.