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VERN STEPHENS |
THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN
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Vern Stephens' two HRs help topple the Yankees
April 23, 1949 ... The
Red Sox slugged their way past the Yankees before 31,367 fans at
Fenway Park. It started off as a 1 to 0 game when Vern Stephens hit
his first home run of the year in the second inning. But two hours
and 45 minutes later, the Red Sox bats awakened with a vengeance and outlasted
the Yankees, 11 to 8. Stephens had made but one hit in his previous 13 times at
bat, until he broke out with two home runs. His second home run came in the
fourth inning with three aboard to overcome a Yankee nightmare in the top of the
inning.
Starting pitcher Chuck Stobbs had been driven out of the game in a murderous
assault after pitching three hitless innings. But in the fourth, doubles by Phil
Rizzuto, Johnny Lindell and Billy Johnson, along with singles by Tommy Henrich
and Hank Bauer started off the inning. Dave Ferriss was brought in and before
the inning was over the Yankees had scored six times, giving them a 6-2 lead.
But in the bottom of the fourth, after Walt Dropo and grounded out, Birdie
Tebbetts followed with a soft grounder to Phil Rizzuto, who threw it low to Jack
Phillips at first and into the Red Sox dugout. Ferriss came up next and slapped
a double to right center to score Tebbetts. Dom DiMaggio flew to center for what
should have been the third out before Johnny Pesky and Ted Williams drew walks
to load the bases.
Stephens was quickly sent into a two strike hole and almost went after a wide
curve, but starter Fred Sanford's next pitch was slammed over the net, in left
field, for a grand slam homer putting the Red Sox up 7 to 6. Casey Stengel took
Sanford out of the game and brought in Frank Hiller who went the rest of the
way.
Hiller suffered his lumps in the fifth inning. Yogi Berra had homered with
Billy Johnson on base to put the Yankees up 8 to7. Hiller struck out Sam Mele
before giving up a double to Dropo. Tebbetts then lined a single to right, to
tie up the game at 8 to 8.
After Hiller walked Williams and Stephens in the eighth, Doerr doubled off
the left-field wall, scoring Williams and putting the Red Sox ahead. Mele, the
only Sox player to have gone hitless up to that point, lined a triple to right
that scored Stephens and Doerr to put the Red Sox up 11 to 8.
Ellis Kinder had come in to relieve Ferriss in the sixth inning and pitched
shutout ball the rest of the way. His only trouble came in the eighth when the
Yankees got three singles but failed to score because of a smart pickoff play by
Tebbetts.
Ted Williams took a backseat to the slugging and Stephens, but a couple of
his throws saved what might have ultimately ended in a defeat for the Sox. In
the fourth inning when the Yankees scored six runs it could of been more. With
Charley Silveira on second, pitcher Fred Sanford lined a single to left.
Williams picked up the ball in short left and threw Silveira out as he rounded
third and came home.
Williams also flagged down Jack Phillips in the fifth when he tried to get an
extra base on his line drive down the left-field line. Ferriss had been touched
for a couple of runs until Williams' second assist of the day. |
