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TEX HUGHSON |
BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE
CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
The Sox blow a
big lead but battle back to win
August 5, 1948
... Tex Hughson came in and pitched a great
game, in relief of Joe Dobson and Dave Ferriss, to gain his second
win of the year as the Red Sox enjoyed an 8 to 7 triumph over the
troublesome St. Louis Browns in the series finale. The win kept them
in the thick of the American League pennant race, one game behind.
Hughson retired nine men in order after replacing Dave Ferriss in the seventh
inning and was credited with the win. Joe Dobson started for the Red Sox, but
was removed in favor of Ferriss during a five run fifth inning by the Browns.
Dobson, who seemed headed for his 14th win with a 6 to 0 early lead, ran into
difficulty with control, after Vern Stephens' two successive errors put him in
the hole during the fifth inning. Ferriss gave up two of St. Louis' six hits in
his 2 1/3 innings, but Hughson looked like the Tex of old, as only one hit made
it out of the infield against him.
The Red Sox again got away to a great start, as Browns' pitcher Joe Fannin
walked both Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky to start the game. Ted Williams
singled to right to score DiMaggio and send Pesky to third, where he scored on
Vern Stephens sacrifice fly to deep right. Singles by Birdie Tebbetts and
DiMaggio followed another base on balls and an error that gave the Red Sox four
more runs in the fourth and sent Fannin to the showers.
But in the St. Louis half of the fourth they got one run back that the Red
Sox countered for in the fifth, when Bobby Doerr, who had walked, raced all the
way home on Stan Spence's double down the left-field foul line, that made the
score 7 to 1.
Stephens made two successive bobbles after one was out in the sixth, and
instead of being out of the inning, Dobson found himself with two men on base.
He then lost his control and walked three straight men to force in two runs.
With the bases loaded, Hank Arft slug a long drive to left field, that got by
Ted as he limped back slowly, that went for a bases clearing double. That
finished Dobson and Ferris came in to retire the next two men. Then the Browns
tied it up in the sixth when Ferriss walked the first batter and gave up two
successive hits. Stephens lined a single that scored Pesky with the winning run
in the eighth, redeeming him for the two errors that provided the impetus for
the Browns big fifth inning.
The Sox, in winning their second of three games, banged out 10 hits off three
Browns pitchers. Ted Williams, who was forced to leave the game in the sixth
inning because of his aching leg, led the attack with three straight hits. |
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