THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN ...
Goodman and Zarilla lead to Sox past the Tigers

September 13, 1949 ... The Red Sox came back for their last home stay of the season and accumulated 16 hits to defeat the Detroit Tigers by score 7 to 4. The Yankees were rained out of their doubleheader with the Browns, so they still trailed the New Yorkers by 2 1/2 games.

They had to win without Bobby Doerr, who was forced to rest a sore left me and the terrific one-two punch of Ted Williams and Vern Stephens just accumulated a lone single. Doerr made every effort to get back into the lineup, but his power wasn't needed in this game, as Al Zarilla moved into the second baseman's position in the batting order, behind Stephens and carried away the slugging honors for the day.

Billy Goodman had four singles and Johnny Pesky and Birdie Tebbetts each had three. But Zarilla, who has been moving right along, doubled in the first inning to clear the bases. And in the seventh he gave the Red Sox another insurance run, after he tripled and scored on Goodman's fourth hit of the game.

To prove that manager Joe McCarthy as no intention of following a particular pitching order the rest of the season, he called in Mel Parnell in the seventh inning to relieve starting pitcher Jack Kramer. Kramer had pitched well and was given the win when the Red Sox bounced back in the sixth inning to overcome a 4 to 3 lead which the Tigers had taken in their half of the inning.

Detroit started the game against Kramer with singles by George Kell and Pat Mullin, followed by a walk to Hoot Evers to load the bases. Aaron Robinson singled to right to score Kell and Mullin, moving Evers to second base. He scored when Donnie Kolloway lined a single to center and before you knew it, the Tigers were up 3 to 0.

Art Houtteman was on the mound for the Tigers and it all the blinded the Red Sox recently in Detroit. He still had good stuff, but he was a little wild and the Sox smacked him when he was forced to come in with good pitches. Dom DiMaggio pushed a bunt past Houtteman to open the Sox half of the first inning. He was forced by Pesky but Williams singled to right, sending Pesky over to third. Stephens was walked and Zarilla got the count to three in three, before walloping a double to the Red Sox bullpen that cleared the bases. A perfect relay cut him down as he attempted to stretch it into a triple.

Houtteman and Kramer then settled down to a pitching duel for the next four innings. The Sox had the best chance to score during that period, when they had men on second and third in the fourth inning with two out, but DiMaggio flew out to end the threat.

A walk and two singles, with nobody out in the sixth, had Kramer on the ropes. Kolloway lofted a fly ball out to Williams that scored Vic Wertz from third base to put the Tigers in the lead 4 to 3. Kramer forced Berry and Houtteman to ground out and got out of that jam.

Goodman lined a single after Zarilla had gone out in the Red Sox half of the sixth and Lew Stringer doubled down the left-field line. The ball shot by Kell just inside the third-base bag. Birdie Tebbetts was next and promptly singled to center to score Goodman, moving Stringer over to third. Tom Wright came in to pinch-hit for Kramer and hit a fly ball far enough to center to score Stringer and give the Red Sox a 5 to 4 lead. Zarilla's triple and Goodman's base hit gave in the sixth run in the seventh inning.

In the eighth Red Sox added another run on a walk to Tebbetts a sacrifice by Parnell, who had come in to pitch in the top of the inning, and a base hit to center by Pesky, that scored Tebbetts with the seventh Boston run.

Parnell had gotten into a jam in the seventh inning when Kell got a base hit and he walked Mullin. Fortunately he got Vic Wertz to ground into a doubleplay and got out of the inning, when Berry hit a pop fly ball to Goodman.