|
 |
|
PETE FOX |
THE SUMMER OF .406 AND "THE STREAK" ...
The Sox overcome a 3 run lead to win in the 12th
April
16, 1941 ... The Red Sox settled down to
business on the second day of the season by winning an extra inning
marathon, 8 to 7, in 12 innings.
Once again it was Cramer who was the thorn in the side of his old team. He
apparently had the hero's role also knocked when he unloaded a bases-loaded
triple into the right-center field alley in the eighth-inning, lifting his team
from a 4 to 3 deficit into a 6 to 4 lead, wrecking Charlie Wagner's bid to go
the full distance.
Walker was pitching against Walt Masterson for Washington and each walked
seven men in their nearly equal terms of work. Masterson allowed the first Red
Sox score on Cronin's home run in the second inning. The Nationals tied it up in
the third on a pair of walks and a single by Buddy Lewis.
Lewis then pumped a home run into the bullpen to give his team a brief 2 to 1
lead in the top of the fifth inning. In the same inning, Cronin came up with his
first defense of gem, when he relayed a throw from Fox to nail Travis trying to
score from first base on Buddy Myers' double.
In the home half of the fifth inning, after two men were out, a Jimmie Foxx
single, Cronin's double and a single by Bobby Doerr but the Sox ahead. They made
it 4 to 2 in the sixth on a scratch hit by Pytlak, Wagner's sacrifice and the
first of three base hits by Pete Fox.
Washington got one back in the seventh on a base hit and a triple by Travis
into the right-field corner. It looked like the Nationals would be a winner when
the eighth-inning was finished, because Jim Tabor allowed Rex Ferrell to reach
first on an infield hit, with a low throw to first. Cronin contributed his
second game saving fielding gem when he took Ben Chapman's roller behind Tabor
at third and threw him out while holding the runner.
The Nationals made it 7 to 4, when they added a run off Tex Hughson in the top
of the ninth on a single to center that Dom bobbled and another single by Rick
Ferrell. So the Sox were trailing in the ninth-inning for the second straight
day.
Alex Carrasquel was doing the pitching for Washington and apparently
successful. However he became too cagey over his prosperity and walked Joe
Cronin, whose previous contributions to the Sox cause during the game had
included his second home run in his many days, a double, a single, and a couple
of game saving plays in the field.
Following the apparently innocent walk to Cronin, Bobby Doerr and Jim Tabor
successfully deposited pitches into the left-field net to tie up the game. Cecil
Travis came up with a fine stop at shortstop to throw out pinch-hitter Sammy
Hale for the third out after Frankie Pytlak had made his way over to third-base
on a walk, and steal and a wild throw by the catcher, Al Evans.
Three innings later, Pete Fox proved to be the hero in the climactic 12th
inning ending. Dom DiMaggio started it off by getting hit with a pitch ball to
start the inning. Then Lou Finney laid down a perfect bunt down the third-base
line, that moved Dom over to second base. He came across the plate gleefully a
few seconds later when Fox rifled a vicious single over the head of Travis when
after one effort to pick up the ball, Doc Cramer realized that the game was
lost. |
