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JOE CRONIN |
The Red Sox rally in the
ninth to nip the Browns
July 28, 1937 ... The Red Sox presented the Browns
with the ball game in the top of the ninth inning, but then put on a
dramatic finish, to nip the guests from St. Louis, 5 to 4.
Joe Cronin and Eric McNair produced a pair of clutch hits and Bobo
Newsome chalked up his sixth win in his eight starts since joining
the team. It was Bobo's neglect in touching first base that enabled
the Browns to get ahead 4 to 3 in the ninth inning.
The Browns scored the first run of the game in the third inning.
Harlond Clift's homer in the fourth, put them up 2-0. Jimmie Foxx
matched that with his 25th homer over the left field wall in the
sixth.
In the seventh the Sox took the lead. Gene Desautels opened with a
single, but fell asleep on Newsom's bunt and was forced out at
second. Buster Mills busted a pitch into right field that bounced
around enough to let him get into third base with a triple that
scored Newsom. Cronin caught the Browns infielders laying back and
executed a perfect squeeze play that put the Sox ahead, 3 to 2, when
Mills raced home.
Then in the ninth, Bill
Knickerbocker singled to start. After Rollie Hemsley grounded out,
Knickerbocker took second, scoring on Gerard Lipscomb's single over
second, to tie the game. Harry Davis then hit a hot grounder toward
Foxx at first base. Jimmie did good to trap the ball after a crazy
hop and tossed the ball to Newsom, who was covering first. Bobo
failed to touch the bag however before Davis got there and after
starting to argue the call with first base umpire Charley Johnstone,
he forgot about Lipscomb, who had run over to third and took off for
home. Bobo finally realized what was going on and threw home. But it
was too late, and St. Louis took the lead.
Dom Dallessandro pinch hit for Bobo in the bottom half of the ninth
and started the Sox comeback. He opened with a base hit, but Buster
Mills forced him at second on an unsuccessful sac bunt. Ben Chapman
flied out before Cronin took Oral Hildebrand's first pitch for a
double to right center that scored Mills with the tying run.
The Browns decided to pass Jimmie Foxx and Mike Higgins. That brought
up McNair who hadn't hit the ball out of the infield all day. He
missed the first pitch, but tagged the second one, It shot over third
base into the left field corner as Cronin raced home with the winning
run, 5 to 4. |
