THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN ...
Vern Stephens hits two more homers for a win

April 27, 1949 ... The big bat of Vern Stephens answered the call again and some decent relief pitching was provided by Earl Johnson, as the Red Sox defeated the Athletics, 10 to 6, at Fenway Park. Stephens matched last Saturday's performance by driving in five runs with a pair of long homers, one of which cleared the net in left field against the wind.

But Johnson, pitching in relief of Ellis Kinder, held an almost equal role in the game. He came in in the fourth inning and held Philadelphia to just four hits. He loaded the bases in the ninth but got out of trouble to complete five into third innings of shutout ball.

In contrast, for Athletics' hurlers all suffered from wildness, handing the Red Sox 11 base on balls. Ted Williams got three of them, but that's not unusual, being Connie Mack's usual strategy to stop the slugger.

After receiving a 3 to 0 lead on Stephens' third home run of the year in the first, with Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky on base, Kinder was either off the mark or hanging high pitches over the plate. He got through the second inning although he hit Taffy Wright with a pitch and was in the hole for a couple of batters.

In the third the Athletics scored three times when Kinder led off the inning by giving a double to Pete Suder. Carl Scheib followed with a ground ball by Pesky that sent Suder to third. He scored the first Philadelphia run, when Eddie Joost grounded into a doubleplay. Wright came up after Kinder had walked both Elmer Valo and Ferris Fain, and slugged one down the right-field line that hit the foul pole and caromed into the seats for a home run and the A's were up 4 to 3.

Two singles and a double by Joost gave Phillies two more runs in the fourth and that was it for Kinder. Johnson came in and got two more outs to end the threat, but the A's were up 6 to 3.

In the bottom of the fourth with one out, Tebbetts drew a walk and then, after Johnson struck out, DiMaggio also drew a base on balls. Pesky drilled a liner to right that scored Tebbetts and when DiMaggio attempted to score, he was thrown out and crashed into the home plate umpire Art Passarella. His right arm struck the umpire over the right ear and knocked him out. After he was revived, play continued in the top of the fifth inning.

Scheib gave up another home run to Stephens with Ted Williams on board, that tied up the game at 6 to 6. Bobby Doerr almost hit another home run, but the ball landed high off the centerfield wall for a double. Charlie Harris was then brought into the game to relieve Scheib and got the two outs to end the fifth inning.

In the sixth, two singles by Stephens and Doerr, and a walk to Williams broke the tie. Sam Mele hit a ball to deep left-center that scored Stephens with the second run of the inning, giving the Red Sox an 8 to 6 lead.

In the seventh, the Athletics brought in Clem Hausmann and he fared no better than his predecessors. With a man on first he walked Johnson and DiMaggio, and then threw a wild pitch in the dirt that scored one run. A ground ball out by Pesky scored the 10th Red Sox run.

Johnson gave up two singles in the eighth and had the bases loaded in the ninth, but got out of trouble each time, to preserve the 10 to 6 win.