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BOSTON RED SOX
...
THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
The Sox can't hold the lead in either game
of a doubleheader in Detroit
September 19, 1948 ... The
Red Sox threw the American League pennant race into a mad scramble,
even wilder then it is been thus far, by dropping two games to the
Detroit Tigers by scores of 4 to 3 and 8 to 6. Dick Wakefield hit a
couple of home runs that left the Red Sox only one half game ahead
of the Cleveland Indians and one full game ahead of the Yankees. If
this turns out to be the day the Sox blew the American League pennant, it will be
remembered because they got off to a flying start in each game and couldn't
hold the lead. Dick Wakefield came in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of
the first game and belted a two-run home run to put the Tigers in the lead. Ted
Williams tied it up the next inning with a two-out home run to send the game
into overtime. But then in the twelfth inning, with two men on base, pitcher
Stubby Overmire came up with his first hit of the season, which turned out to be
a walkoff game winner.
Manager Joe McCarthy called on Ellis Kinder to start the first game and his
teammates gave him a two run lead after four innings. The Sox jumped on Virgil
Trucks for a run in the third inning, when Dom DiMaggio hit a double, Johnny
Pesky singled, and Vern Stephens scored DiMaggio with a sacrifice fly. Billy
Goodman, Birdie Tebbetts and DiMaggio hit singles that resulted in another run in
the fourth.
The Tigers got one run back in the fifth off Kinder and then in the eighth
tied up the game. A pass given to Freddie Hutchinson preceded Wakefield's drive
into the right-field upper deck that put the Tigers ahead 3 to 2. Dizzy Trout
came in to pitch for Trucks the next inning and couldn't hold the lead, when he
served Ted a pitch that he belted 425 feet into the lower deck in right-center
field for his twenty-fourth home run of the year, and sending the game into
extra innings. The Sox blew a golden chance in the tenth inning when Wally Moses
opened with a triple, but no one could bring him in.
The winning run came off the usually reliable Earl Johnson. Paul Campbell,
who replaced George Vico in the first inning, started the 12th with a single off
Billy Goodman's glove. Johnson then rubbed out Bob Swift and fanned Eddie Mayo.
Then it was Johnny Lippon who gave the Tigers a new life, when he blooped a single in
the centerfield. So with men at first and second and two outs Overmire, who came
in to snuff out the Sox rally in a twelfth, had to hit for himself because
manager Steve O'Neill had run out of pinch-hitters. Overmire hadn't gotten a hit
all season. Johnson got the count to two and two count on him when Stubby lunged
for an outside pitch that he lined into right field for a base hit. Campbell was
on the move and was flagged around by third-base coach Billy Sweeney. Wally
Moses took the ball on the first bounce and fired at the plate. But out of
nowhere appeared Johnson, about 10 feet in front of Birdie Tebbetts, who
screamed at him to let it go, but Johnson didn't hear him and caught the throw
as Campbell scored the winning run. There was no reason in the world for him to
stop the throw because once he had it, he could do anything with it except throw
it into the stands in disgust.
Jack Kramer got a three run lead in the opening inning to protect,
unsuccessfully, in the second game. DiMaggio opened with a single off Art
Houtteman and then stole second base. He went to third when catcher Joe Ginsberg's throw
went into centerfield. Pesky scored him on a ground ball out and then Williams
was walked. Stephens singled Ted over to second base and he scored on Bobby
Doerr's base hit. Stephens moved over to third and he scored on a sacrifice fly
by Stan Spence.
The Tigers got one run back in the second on singles by Jimmy
Outlaw, Joe Ginsberg and Lipon. They then shelled Kramer off the mound in the
fourth. Four hits and a wild throw by Pesky sent Jack to the showers in favor of
Dave Ferriss. Ted tried to help out by making a leaping catch that robbed Lipon
of a home run but Kramer couldn't stand the prosperity. Ferriss gave up a hit to
Pat Mullin and the Tigers counted five runs for the inning, going out in front 6
to 3.
Kramer got off the hook in the fifth when the Sox tied it up. Stephen singled
and Doerr walked before Spence rifled his eleventh homer into the right-field
stands.
Wakefield came up in the seventh inning with the score knotted at 6 to 6. He
took a Dave Ferriss pitch out of the park to put the Tigers ahead. Then Ferriss
hit two batters and walked another before Lou Kretlow slammed a single to center
to score Outlaw with an insurance run.
To make things worse Bobby Doerr aggravated the thigh injury that kept them
out for three weeks. It happened when he made his first error in seventy-five
games and it is believed he will be out for the rest of the season. His
replacement, Billy Hitchcock also has a sore leg and it's not sure how long he
will be out. Billy Goodman can also play second base, but if he moves over
there, the weak hitting Jake Jones would have to play first. Therefore the Red
Sox purchased Lou Stringer from the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast league.
Stringer had been managing the team after Jimmy Dykes retired. He should join
the Sox here tomorrow.
In St. Louis the Yankees split a doubleheader with the Browns. After dropping
the opener 8 to 6, the Yankees took the night cap 9 to 6 with Joe DiMaggio
setting the pace, driving in four runs with two home runs.
The surging Cleveland Indians moved in the second place with 5 to 3 and 2 to
0 victories over the Athletics. A pair of home runs by manager Lou Boudreau
clinched the night cap for the Indians after Larry Doby slammed a two run ninth
inning homer in the opener. |
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