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HARRY BRECHEEN |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 2 ...
A POWERFUL RED SOX TEAM FAILS
IN THE WORLD SERIES ...
1946 WORLD SERIES, GAME #2
Harry Brecheen shuts out the Red Sox
October 7, 1946 ... Harry Brecheen embarrassed the Red Sox to no end, in beating them 3 to 0. He is another southpaw pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals,
in this unexpected dogfight for the 1946 World Series. The Red Sox batters will head back to Boston with visions of his twisting curveballs dancing through their heads.
Brecheen allowed four hits, all of which were singles. Only two Sox baserunners were able to see second base. He tied Ted Williams into knots, delighting the 35,000 fans who came out to Sportsman's Park, in anticipation that he would square up the series.
Mickey Harris, the Red Sox left-hander, hurled his own good game for the Sox. He pitched well enough to win under ordinary circumstances. The Cardinals got only six hits off him until he was hoisted in the eighth-inning for a pinch-hitter.
But Brecheen was not out there on his own. His catcher, Del Rice carried a big stick. It was Rice who led off the third inning with a line drive double to left field. Williams gave chase down the wall toward the foul line, but the ball bounced into the stands. The Red Sox anticipated a
sacrifice bunt from Brecheen, but he hit away and sent one over Bobby Doerr's had into right field. Tom McBride came in with a rush, saw he couldn't possibly pick it off, and paused attempting to take it on the bounce, as it skidded and hit him on the shin, allowing Rice to scramble home
with the first run.
In the fifth inning Brecheen and Rice got together one more time, to foil the Red Sox. Harris had Rice down to strikes and he tried to slip a fastball by him, that Rice sprayed into center field for a single. This time Brecheen really did bunt. He sent a hopper down the third-base line that
Mike Higgins charged, picked up, turned and threw to Johnny Pesky for the force at second base. But the ball was high and wide to the right, and Pesky had to pursue it into center field as a runners moved up to second and third.
Centerfielder, Terry Moore came up and smashed a ground ball directly at Doerr. At the last second, the ball took off over his head, and there was Rice heading home from third base. Brecheen also scored when Stan Musial hit a ground ball to Doerr, who picked it up and fired to Pesky, forcing
Moore at second, but missed the double-play opportunity at first base.
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JOE CRONIN |
That made it 3 to 0 and now it was up to Brecheen. He was breaking off curveballs as if they were dropping off the lip of the grandstand roof. He had the wind blowing directly behind him from center field and had too much of everything going. Harry Brecheen's nickname is "The Cat" because of
his fielding ability, and the Red Sox batters, respecting that, knew that bunting on him was not a good option.
He scattered three hits until the ninth-inning when Dom DiMaggio led off by beating out a high hopper to Whitey Kurowski at third base. Brecheen then marched right through Ted Williams, Rudy York and Doerr like they were even there. He pitched magnificently against the Red Sox powerhouse
every time at bat. Williams couldn't get him. Brecheen made 14 pitches to Ted Williams today. Ten of them were strikes and three were good for a strikeout in the fourth inning. One time Ted swung so furiously at the ball, that the bat left his hands, almost beheading Johnny Pesky and the Red
Sox dugout.
The Red Sox left St. Louis still in a confident mood and feel they will win the World Series back in Boston. Williams seemed far from disconsolate over his poor showing in the two games in St. Louis. On this day they were just beat by a good pitcher, who pitched a great game.
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