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JOHNNY PESKY |
THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN
...
The Sox
slaughter the
Browns again
June 25, 1949 ... With
8953 fans at Fenway Park, the Red Sox demolished the Browns again,
this time by a 13 to 2 score. Mel Parnell was the recipient of the
second offensive explosion in two days, picking up his 10th win and
pitching his 13th full game. He is now the American league leader in
complete games. The game was basically over in the third inning
when the Sox scored seven runs off Bill Kennedy. Every Red Sox batter knocked in
at least one run. Al Zarilla slammed his sixth home run, a double and a single,
while Johnny Pesky collected four hits and Billy Goodman and Birdie Tebbetts had
three apiece.
A dozen Red Sox batted in that third inning. Dom DiMaggio and Pesky both
singled to start and Ted Williams drew a walk to load the bases. Vern Stephens'
single brought in a pair of runners and then it followed in rapid succession.
Bobby Doerr doubled to left off-the-wall, Billy Goodman singled to right, a
double by Zarilla, a single by Tebbetts and a run-scoring fly ball by Parnell,
accounted for seven runs.
In the fifth inning Tebbetts singled to left, moved over to third after two
ground ball outs and scored on Pesky's single to center. An error by Whitey
Platt, playing his first game at first base in the sixth inning let Goodman
reach first and he scored ahead of Zarilla's home run into the right-field
bleachers.
After tripling in the seventh inning, Pesky scored on Williams out at first
with the pitcher, Al Papai making a fine play. Singles by Goodman, Zarilla and
Tebbetts chased him in the eighth-inning and brought in Joe Ostrowski to pitch
for the Browns. He granted the final two Red Sox runs on successive infield
outs.
The Brown scored their pair of runs in the sixth on a single by Papai, a
double by Johnny Sullivan and a pair of infield outs. Young Al Naples, a junior
at Georgetown University, played in his first game for the Browns and looked
good. He got a double to right, in his first appearance at the plate in the
majors and handled himself well at shortstop.
Parnell scattered nine hits, walked only one, and struck out three with 95
pitches. He has now beaten every team in the league except the Indians. |
