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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN
...
The Sox hold on to beat the Athletics
July 9, 1949 ... The
Red Sox staggered to their fifth straight victory as they edged the
Athletics, 7 to 5, at Fenway Park. Tex Hughson retired the last
batter in the ninth-inning and preserved Mel Parnell's 11th victory,
but the Sox southpaw was deprived of his 15th complete-game. What
proved to be the eventual Red Sox winning run came across in the seventh inning
when the bottom of the batting order came through. A Billy Goodman single, Tom
O'Brien's double and Mel Parnell's clean base hit, accounted for the final two
Red Sox runs against relief pitcher Charlie Harris.
O'Brien hit his second home run of the year and Doerr clouted his eighth over
the net in left with Vern Stephens aboard in the third inning. Parnell was wild
and only sound fielding by Doerr in Stephens pulled him through. He gave up 11
hits for a total of 17 bases and walked six batters.
Alex Kellner, who had won his last six in a row yielded four runs on six hits
and walked six in three into third innings.
Hughson came in with Hank Majeski on first, the result of a walk, with two
outs in the ninth. He struck out Donny White to wrap up the Sox fifth straight
win. Parnell had a 7 to 3 lead entering the ninth-inning. He retired the first
two hitters, but gave up a single to Ferris Fain, before Sam Chapman's 11th home
run of the year, just over the wall in left. When Parnell walked Majeski,
Hughson came in from the bullpen.
Elmer Valo doubled and Chapman singled to give Philly a run in the first. The
Sox tied it up in the second on walks to Doerr and O'Brien, followed by a single
by Birdie Tebbetts.
With two outs in the third inning the Red Sox exploded for three runs. With
two outs, Ted Williams doubled off the deep center field wall. Vern Stephens
followed with another double off the left the wall for one run, before Doerr
slapped a home run for two more runs and a 4 to 1 lead.
Base on balls to Chapman and Majeski preceded a single to left by Pete Suder,
that got one back for Philly in the fourth. The Red Sox countered that with
O'Brien's line drive into the net during the fifth inning.
Parnell was saved from trouble on two occasions by snappy doubleplays with
Bobby Doerr engineering both times. The Athletics left 10 runners stranded on
base.
Vern Stephens went one up on Ted Williams in the American League RBI race, 84
to 83 when he doubled home Williams in the third inning. |
