NIGHT BASEBALL & JACKIE ROBINSON ...
Ted Williams' two home runs tie it
up in the 9th and win it in the 11th

April 19, 1947 ... Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Joe Coleman, of Arlington MA, stopped the Red Sox cold for eight innings today at Shibe Park. On the verge of winning his first major league game, Coleman served a home run ball to Ted Williams with one aboard in the ninth. He gave up three hits, including Dom DiMaggio's two run single in the 10th, to leave the Red Sox undefeated after four games. The Red Sox won the game 4 to 2 in 10 innings.

The Red Sox enabled Harry Dorish to win his second big-league game within four days. Until this week the kid from Pennsylvania had never seen a big league baseball game. Today he became the first major-league pitcher to win two games this spring.

For eight innings Coleman blinded the Red Sox. He had given up three hits. Two were by Ted, and single and a double, and the third was a drag bunt by Johnny Pesky.

The Athletics presented Coleman with two runs in the first eight innings. The first was against Tex Hughson in the opening inning. It was the product of a Ferris Fain double and Sam Chapman's single. In the eighth-inning Philadelphia made it 2 to 0 on a single and Chapman's double.

Coleman was three hits away from a shutout in the ninth, when Johnny Pesky hit a breaking curve off the handle and it dropped into short center field for a base hit. DiMaggio then drilled a hot grounder to Fain who did well to knock it down. He recovered in time to nail Dominic at first, but had he fielded cleanly it would've been a doubleplay. Ted Williams, representing the tying run, came up to the plate and the A's when into their shift with five men in the direction of right-field. Coleman delivered a knee-high fastball on which Ted smashed over everyone's head, on to 20th Street. The second it left the bat everyone in the ballpark knew the score was tied.

After Dorish retired the Athletics in the 10th inning, Sam Mele ripped a long triple to the light tower in right-center at the 400 foot marker. Hal Wagner followed with a walk and Coleman fanned Dorish. He erased Frank Shofner on a short pop up and then he grew wild. He walked Pesky to fill the bases and DiMaggio broke it up with a line drive single to right-center, bringing home both Mele and Wagner with the go-ahead runs.

Dorish started the 10th by throwing four straight balls to pinch-hitter Don Richmond and then two more balls to Eddie Joost. Joe Cronin had Earl Johnson and Johnny Murphy warming up in the bullpen, but Harry didn't need any relief. He went on to strikeout Joost and then George Binks hit a whistling line drive over second. Johnny Pesky raced far to his left and came up with the ball, tossing it over to Bobby Doerr for the force at second. Doerr made the pivot and fired to Rudy York for the game ending double play.

Tex Hughson pitched well. He allowed two harmless hits after the first inning, but was removed for a pinch-hitter when the Red Sox were trailing 1-0.