NIGHT BASEBALL & JACKIE ROBINSON ...
The Sox come from behind to stop the Yankees

August 8, 1947 ... In a ball game that at times was as amateur as a high school game, to being as brilliant as a top major league game, the Red Sox outlasted, out-gamed and outslugged the New York Yankees, by a score of 9 to 6 before the second largest gathering of fans to witness a night game at Fenway Park this year, with 34,711 showing up. The surging Red Sox came from behind in a precipitous eighth inning which had the home fans a thrill. Down 6 to 5, they smashed two singles and two home runs off Joe Page who had been locals popping out during the previous two innings of his relief work.

Outhit 14 to 10, the Sox matched the Yanks, who are playing without Joe DiMaggio, with a 22 total base hit output. Sam Mele, Jake Jones and Bobby Doerr all homered, while Sam Dente fit in with a triple and Doerr with a double. Mickey Harris came in in the seventh inning and pitched superb ball for the final three, allowing only two hits and striking out a pair, including the hot hitting Tommy Henrich and George McQuinn.

The Yankees started off with a vengeance as Snuffy Stirnweiss doubled off the deep dead center field wall and moved to third on Henrich's infield out, scoring on Yogi Berra's line shot over the drawn in infield. McQuinn brought in Berra with a double off the Yankee bullpen, to give the Yankees a quick 2 to 0 lead.

The Sox came back in their bottom half of the inning as Sam Mele was forced to stop at second on Johnny Pesky's bloop single to right on which Henrich cleverly faked a catch. DiMaggio's sacrifice and Williams was walked intentionally to fill the bases. Doerr beat out a double play ball on his ground ball to Rizzuto, forcing Williams as Mele scored, making it 2 to 1.

After two were down in the third inning, DiMaggio and Williams walked and Bobby Doerr slapped one of Vic Raschi's pitches into the left field screen for his 11th home run of the season, and bringing his RBI total to 70. This gave the Red Sox a 4 to 2 lead.

In the top of the fifth inning Henrich belted his 14th home run into the right-field stands to open the inning. Al Clark then doubled off the left-field wall and McQuinn smashed one of Tex Hughson's serves back through the middle into center field. Clark fell down rounding third base and had to return to the bag. Harry Dorish now came in to replace Hughson and at this juncture Billy Johnson hit one down to third baseman Sam Dente, who thinking there was two outs, didn't check the runner and threw the ball to first, allowing Clark to score the tying run.

In the sixth inning the Yankees took a liking to Harry Dorish's stuff picking up a pair of runs. The Red Sox got Vic Raschi out of there for the first time this year in the bottom of the inning with Page taking over. Doerr led off with a double off the left-field wall and Jones walked. Birdie Tebbetts laid down a bunt and Yogi Berra made a great play just missing Doerr at third, to load the bases. Dente hit a ground ball down to Rizzuto, who tried to force Jones at second, but was late making the throw, allowing Doerr the score and making the score 6 to 5 in favor of the Yankees.

Now came the eighth-inning and the Sox took a page out of last year scrapbook. Jake Jones sent his 10th home run on a line drive into left field screen to tie the game at 6 to 6. Birdie Tebbetts singled to right and reached third when Berra threw Dente's sacrifice bunt into center field. However a great throw by the retrieving Henrich, cut down Dente at second base.

Joe Cronin then allowed Mickey Harris to bat for himself and surprised all when he hit Page's first pitch between third and short for a single, scoring Tebbetts with the go-ahead run. Harris walked home ahead of Mele, who belted a Page fastball over the left field screen onto Lansdowne Street.

Tex Hughson, although hit soundly by the Yankees, showed flashes of brilliant pitching in the second and third and fourth innings. However his major fault seemed to be in slipping a fat pitch to McQuinn on his first serve. McQuinn doubled and singled in his first two at-bats.

There were good plays in bad. Henrich showed why he is such a valuable all-around player when he scooted in to take Berra's overthrow on Dente's sacrifice in the eighth and fielded the ball perfectly to rub Sam out at second base. But the Yankees resembled schoolboys in their attempt to sacrifice one another along. Raschi and Stirnweiss both popped out while trying to bunt.