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Pete Runnels slugs a homer
in the 10th
that beats the Senators
August 31, 1959
... Pete Runnels, who specializes in line drive base
hits, slammed a homer into the Washington Senators bullpen to give
the Red Sox a 4-3, 10th inning win.
But it was Jackie Jensen, who had the big game for the Sox. He
smashed a two-run homer into the nets in the sixth inning, his 26th
of the season. He also made two outstanding defensive plays in right
field. In the fourth inning, with a man on base, Clint Courtney lined
a ball to his right that Jensen tracked down and then was able to
nail the base runner, trying to get back to first.
The Sox put together their three runs in the fourth inning. Jensen's
homer brought in Runnels, who had singled off Bill Fischer. When
Frank Malzone and Sammy White followed with singles, Hal Griggs took
over for the Nats. Don Buddin's grounder to Consolo brought in
Malzone with the third run of the inning.
The Sox were only able to get one man as far as second base after
that. The Senators meanwhile, kept threatening Bill Monbouquette, the
Sox starter. Billy Consolo scored a run in the first inning when he
opened the game with a single, stole second and scored on Jim Lemon's
line drive single to center. Then in the third Consolo lined a double
off the wall near the flagpole. But he got cut down trying to reach
third on Bob Allison's grounder to Don Buddin.
In the fifth inning the Senators scored their second run. Zoilo
Versalles reached on a error by Buddin and went to third when White
couldn't find Mombo's pitch in the dirt. Faye Throneberry then
doubled off the wall, cutting the score to 3-2.
Then in the seventh inning, down a run, the Senators had baserunners
at the corners. Allison hit a long fly close to the bullpen that
looked like it would allow Lenny Green, the runner at third, to
tag-up and scoring the tying run easily. But Consolo, the runner on
first, also tagged and was nailed at second on Jackie's perfect
throw, before Green was able to cross home.
In the eighth, however, Washington did tie the game. Harmon Killebrew
singled to left and Lemon hit a towering fly that grazed off the
wall, just over Gene Stephens' leap. Killebrew had to go cautiously
and scampered back to second, just beating Geiger's throw of the
rebound. After Mombo struck out Clint Courtney, Killebrew caught
caught trying to steal third. Lemon took second on the throw from
White to Malzone and scored the tying run on a base hit by Roy
Sievers. |
