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ELLIS KINDER |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 2 ...
A POWERFUL RED SOX TEAM FAILS
IN THE WORLD SERIES ...
The Red Sox lose the game in the ninth inning
September 19, 1946 ... The Red Sox missed a golden opportunity to notch their 100th win. A three-run rally against Cliff Fannin the top of the ninth-inning, overcame a 4 to 2 lead by the Browns. Bob Klinger was sent out
to hold the lead in bottom of the ninth-inning, but the Brown scored a bunch of runs before anyone was out.
Earl Johnson had no luck in the first inning. The Browns loaded the bases and then got a run as a result of a dinky Texas leaguer. The Brown scored again when Witte knocked Bagby for a double, to start the inning in the sixth. Christman produce one run and was followed immediately by another
went Pellagrini booted a short hopper into center field.
With the count 3-2, Babe Martin poked a double into the right-field corner. Klinger then walked the next two batters and the curtain came down, when Mark Christman delivered his third single of the night, a clean smash to left that produced two runs and a walk off 6 to 5 win.
The Sox could do nothing against Ellis Kinder, while the Browns established a first inning two run lead at the expense of Earl Johnson. Later they increased their lead to 4 to 0, but the Sox cut the lead in half in the eighth inning, when George Metkovich, who had fanned three times, blasted
a home run after Don Gutteridge had walked.
With the Sox now down only 4 to 2, the ninth inning raised the Sox hopes. Against Fannin, Lee Culberson walked and reached second base when Vern Stephens fumbled Eddie Pellagrini's double-play ground ball. Then the bases were filled when Eddie McGah's short pop up dropped safely in center
field. With one out Gutteridge flied out to left, scoring Culberson. Fannin then hit Metkovich two again load the bases. Wally Moses delivered both Pellagrini and McGah with a sparkling single to right. That was three runs and a 5 to 4 lead.
The Red Sox were out hit 10 to 7, but it was a three errors that really hurt. Kinder, recently out of the service, pitch brilliantly for seven innings. The Sox made only four hits, and he struck out 10. But he could not finish and appeared tired when he walked Gutteridge in the eighth and
then served three straight balls to Metkovich. After Metkovich slammed his home run, Sam Zoldak came into pitch but also went to the showers when Moses singled. |
