|
Bobby Doerr's walk-off homer
ends a long one
July 11, 1940
... Bobby Doerr came up in the 13th inning and
blasted one of Johnny Rigney's fastballs well up into the left-field
screen, giving the Red Sox a thrill filled 3 to 2 walk-off triumph
over the White Sox. It was that type of contest, complete with
spectacular fielding plays and tight pitching, plus a brisk east
wind, which had thwarted all but one of several previous home run
efforts on both sides. The strongest hint that it might go long
into the evening came in the last half of the 12th inning, when the Red Sox
loaded the bases with one out, and still failed to score. Tommy Carey had opened
the inning with a double to right-center and was bunted over to third by Doc
Cramer. White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes then ordered both Jimmie Foxx and Ted
Williams to be purposely passed and filled the bases. His strategy worked when
Lou Finney bounced a ball to the indrawn infield toward secondbaseman Skeeter
Webb. Webb threw home to force Carey and then Jim Tabor ended the inning with a
ground ball to Bob Kennedy, who stepped on third.
Rigney had hurled the entire game for the White Sox and allowed seven hits
all told. The Red Sox had used a trio pitchers with Emerson Dickman getting
credit for the win. Herb Hash went the regulation nine innings before giving way
to a pinch-hitter. Joe Heving then set down the White Sox in order through the
10th and 11th, before Joe Cronin came up as a pinch-hitter in the 11th, only to
be called out on strikes with Tabor or on second base after a walk and a steal.
The Red Sox had scored two runs in regulation in the third inning without
making a hit. Johnny Peacock started the inning with a walk and was bunted to
second. But the ball was thrown too late to get him and both runners were safe.
Carey also bunted and Joe Kuhel not only threw late to third-base, but the ball
bounded away toward the stands. Johnny Peacock scored all the way from second
and Hash reached third with Carey making it down to second. Hash came in to
score when Cramer lined deep to centerfield, before both Foxx and Williams
struck out to end the inning.
The White Sox got one of those back in the fourth when Kuhel lined a home run
into the right-field grandstand. Chicago finally tied it up in the eighth after
two were out. Taffy Wright sliced a double off the left-field wall and Luke
Appling rescued him with a single to centerfield. After many excellent defensive
plays on both sides, the game reached the bottom of the 13th inning when Bobby
Doerr came to bat. |
