JIMMY PIERSALL (FEAR STRIKES OUT) ...
Johnny Lipon ends a back and
forth ball game
July 20, 1952 ... Johnny
Lipon made the Red Sox look good when he smashed out a 12th inning
single to break a deadlock and give his team an 8 to 7 victory over
the Indians. He punched a sharp grounder over the second base bag,
which scored Hoot Evers with the winning run.
Twice Cleveland had come from behind to go ahead, and twice the Red
Sox tied the score. Then in the top of the 12th inning, the Indians
had two runners on base, but had a run cut off by a close play at the
plate.
But in the bottom of the inning, Evers reached on a base hit. Dick
Gernert grounded out and Sammy White drew a walk. Reserve outfielder
Archie Wilson was called out on strikes and Mel Parnell was called on
to pinch hit and was walked. With the bases now loaded, Lipon rifled
the second pitch he saw along the edge of the mound and just out of
the reach of shortstop Johnnie Berardino, as Evers scooted for home
with the game winner.
The Sox picked up one run in the first inning when Lipon walked and
was doubled home by George Kell. The Indians tied the score in the
fourth as Al Rosen doubled and came home on Harry Simpson's single.
The Sox went ahead 3-1, in the bottom of that inning, as Evers
singled and Gernert belted his seventh home run of the year into the
left field screen.
The Indians came back to score twice in the sixth inning and tie the
game. Rosen opened with another double and scored on Dale Mitchell's
single. Simpson singled and Mitchell scored when catcher Jim Hegan
grounded safely through the infield.
Cleveland added two more runs in the eighth inning. Larry Dobv and
Simpson both drew walks and scored on Hegan's double. In the bottom
of the inning, Evers belted his sixth homer over the left field wall,
that cut the Indian lead to one run, 5 to 4.
The Indians picked up another run in the ninth inning as Bill Glynn
was doubled home by Doby. But the Sox were able to tie the game at
6-6. Sammy White reaching on an error, pinch-hitter Willard Nixon
drove a double off the wall and was run for by Gus Niarhos. Lipon's
sacrifice fly scored White and Faye Throneberry's base hit brought
Niarhos home with the tying run.
In the tenth inning the Indians went out front on a base hit by Hegan
and a double by Bobby Avila. Again the Sox came back however. Evers
reached on a bobbled grounder by firstbaseman, Glynn and a base hit
by White.
Then in the 12th inning, pinch hitter Joe Tipton was walked by Dizzy
Trout, who had come in to pitch in the tenth inning. Pinch runner Bob
Lemon, made it to third on Glynn's single, but got thrown out at the
plate on Avila's bouncer back to Trout. |