THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
The All Star Game Break

July 12, 1948 ...  No game scheduled ... Ted Williams joined his teammates on the American League All Star squad because the fans voted him on the team and he feels the fans should be respected.  He wants to play but doesn't know if he will be able to.  He will join Bobby Doerr, Vern Stephens and Joe Dobson making the trip to St. Louis. 

None of the Red Sox nor Braves players are scheduled to start the game.  Joe Dobson, who replaced Bob Feller, will not be the American League starter, but Johnny Sain could start for the National League.

July 13, 1948 ...  The All Star Game ... For the 11th time in 15 games, the American League All-Stars beat the National League, 5-2, before a crowd of 34,000 fans in Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The American League has now won three All-Star games in succession.

Ted Williams hurt every time he took a breath, Joe DiMaggio favored in inflamed knee, and Hal Newhowser had a sore shoulder. Manager Bucky Harris tossed in a lot of low magnitude stars for a team that was griping about the attitude of the absent Bob Feller. The National League was primed and ready, and had their best pitcher well-rested.

Although Boston players figured prominently, none did so as dramatically as Johnny Sain, the leading Braves pitcher. He relieved Johnny Schmitz, the Cubs southpaw and losing pitcher, in the fourth inning. He retired five men in succession before giving away to a pinch-hitter, striking out three men in row on 13 pitches in the fifth inning, two of them being Vern Stephens and Bobby Doerr of the Red Sox. Before the game it was learned that Sain had signed a new contract with the Braves before the game. He was therefore in the mood to be sensational.

No Boston player was in either starting lineup, but once the managers began substitution they were conspicuous. Eddie Stanky could not play because of the ankle and Ted Williams was only available to pinch-hit which he did in the sixth. Ewell Blackwell was so careful, that he walked the Red Sox slugger on five pitch balls. Williams later said he was glad he didn't have to take a swing.

Although Bobby Doerr went hitless, Vern Stephens singled cleanly in their roles as substitutes. Sox catcher Birdie Tebbetts, who played from the fourth inning on, was somewhat more prominent. He not only caught Vic Raschi of the Yankees and Joe Coleman of the Athletics through six scoreless innings, but he walked and scored during the winning three-run rally in the fourth.

All Red Sox players, not on the All-Star team took practice for two hours in their intensive midday drill Fenway Park under coaches Del Baker and Larry Woodall. Baker assigned half a dozen pitchers to the hour and a quarter batting drill, including Mel Parnell, Dave Ferriss, Ellis Kinder , Mickey Harris, Denny Galehouse, rookie Mike Palm and even Johnny Pesky.

With Bobby Doerr and Vern Stephens in St. Louis, Larry Woodall was hitting grounders to Pesky at third, Billy Hitchcock at short, Jake Jones at second and Billy Goodman at first. Woodall kept the boys moving for an hour and then called it a day.