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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN
...
The Sox create mayhem at Fenway Park, 21-2
June 24, 1949 ... The
Red Sox racked up 21 runs and knocked out 25 hits, scoring in every
inning, as Ellis Kinder limited the St. Louis Browns to two runs and
five hits, before 6722 fans at Fenway Park.
Ted Williams knocked in seven runs with a pair of home runs and a single. One
of the home runs was an absolute bomb into the dead centerfield seats, about 15
rows up. Ted now has 19 home runs and 77 RBIs. Billy Goodman had five straight
hits, Dom DiMaggio had four, and Johnny Pesky and Vern Stephens each had three.
Every member of the Red Sox team at least had one.
The Browns started off the scoring and the Red Sox again fell behind in the
first inning, when Whitey Platt lined a home run over the left-field wall to put
them up 1 to 0. But in the bottom of the first inning Joe Ostrowski, the Browns
starter, gave up a single to DiMaggio and a double to Pesky, before Ted Williams
hit his smash into the centerfield bleachers.
The Browns, down 3 to 1, got one back when Kinder gave a home run ball up to
Andy Anderson in the top of the third inning. After that it was all Red Sox.
In the third Goodman singled, Al Zarilla singled and Birdie Tebbetts singled
to score Goodman. Kinder lined one to left that scored Zarilla, 5 to 2.
In the fourth, Pesky singled and Williams was walked. Al Papai took over the
pitching duties for the Browns and gave up a single to Vern Stephens that scored
Pesky, walked Bobby Doerr, gave up a single to Goodman that scored Williams and
Stephens, before getting Zarilla to ground out and score Doerr. DiMaggio doubled
off the wall in left to score Goodman in the five-run inning, making it 10 to 2.
With Ray Shore now on the mound for St. Louis, the Red Sox got busy again in
the fifth. Shore gave up a single to Stephens and walked Doerr. Goodman singled
to left to score Stephens and then Zarilla was walked to load the bases. Doerr
scored on a sacrifice fly by Tebbetts. Shore walked Kinder to again load the
bases and Goodman scored on DiMaggio's ground ball force out. Pesky worked a
walk, to load the bases once again and Shore walked Williams to score Zarilla
with the fourth run of that inning, 14 to 2.
In the sixth, with one out Goodman doubled to right-center and scored on
Zarilla's single up the middle. Tebbetts singled and after Kinder struck out,
DiMaggio lined one into left that scored Zarilla for two runs in the inning, 16
to 2.
In the seventh, Ted connected for his second home run of the game into the
bullpen, for the 17th run. Then in the eighth Kinder and DiMaggio singled and
Shore, who was left in to take the workload, gave up a walk to Pesky the load
the bases once again. Williams lined a single to right that scored Kinder and
DiMaggio and then stole second base while pesky stole home on the double steal,
as Stephens struck out. Doerr scored Williams with a single off the wall for the
21st run of the game.
Joe McCarthy was asked why his bench players were not given a chance to play
in the game and replied that the game is not won or lost until the last out is
made and he was going to stay with his regulars. |
