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JIMMIE
FOXX |
Jimmie
Foxx's ninth inning walk-off homer
finishes a wild ride at Fenway
June 2, 1940 ... The Red Sox split a doubleheader with the
Chicago White Sox, losing the first game 6 to 0, but winning the
second in a dog-fight, by a score of 10 to 8. The Red Sox could not
hit Ted Lyons in the first game and the White Sox got enough runs in
the first inning to cinch the game. The nightcap was something else
again. It was an up-and-down battle all the way, and was anyone's until the
ninth-inning, when with the score tied at eight to eight, Jimmie Foxx came
through with his 13th home run of the season, with one on, which dissolved the
tie for a Red Sox walkoff win.
Each side had used four pitchers and Jim Bagby, who pitched to only one
batter, was the winner. Bagby came in to relieve Emerson Dickman with the score
tied at 8 to 8, the bases full, and two outs in the ninth-inning. He struck out
Moose Solters to end the threat. Ed Smith came in for the White Sox in the
ninth-inning and was nicked for a single by Ted Williams and Foxx's homer losing
the game for the White Sox.
Bill Kennedy started the adventure off against Denny Galehouse with a double
and was sacrificed to second in the first inning. He scored on a double to left
by Mike Kreevich to give the White Sox a quick lead.
The Red Sox developed three runs in their half of the first inning, on a base
on balls to Doc Cramer, who scored on a double by Ted Williams. Ted next scored
on a single by Jimmy Foxx. Joe Cronin followed with another single and Foxx
scored on a double to left by Bobby Doerr. Jim Tabor walked to fill the bases
but Gene Desautels hit into a doubleplay to end the inning, 3-1.
The White Sox got another run in the third inning on a single and a triple by
Mike Kreevich. In the top of the fourth they added two runs to take a 4 to 3
lead. That sent Denny Galehouse to the showers.
In the Red Sox half of the fifth inning Lou Finney blasted a home run into
the right-field bleachers that tied up the game. Then in the top of the sixth
inning, Eric McNair's two run home run off Jack Wilson gave the White Sox the
lead back, by a 6 to 4 score.
Moving to the bottom of the seventh-inning, Finney came through again with a
double after Dom DiMaggio had drawn a walk. Dom scored and the White Sox lead
was cut to one run, 6 to 5.
The White Sox got that run back in the eighth, on two singles and a sacrifice
fly by Bob Kennedy. In the bottom half of the eighth, now losing 7 to 5, Bobby
Doerr slugged a home run over the left-field wall. Joe Cronin was on base,
having drawn a walk and the score was tied again at 7 to 7. Johnny Peacock came
in to pinch-hit for Desautels later in the inning and singled to right. He was
sacrificed to second and scored on Finney's line drive single to center, giving
the Red Sox the lead again, 8 to 7.
In the top of the ninth, with Emerson Dickman pitching for the Red Sox, Taffy
Wright and Luke Appling both singled. Larry Rosenthal bounded a single up the middle and it was good enough to score Wright from third base with the
tying run, 8 to 8.
Finally, in the Sox half of the ninth-inning, Ted Williams led off with a
single to center. Jimmie Foxx followed with a fly ball that hit the centerfield
flagpole and glanced at an angle over the left-field wall, for a walkoff 10 to 8
victory.
Lou Finney was the hitting star of the day however with a home run a double
and a single. |
