THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN ...
Kinder wins his 20th on Ted's home run

September 14, 1949 ... Ellis Kinder became a 20 game winner for the first time in his major league career on Ted Williams sixth inning home run to left-field. His six hit pitching and the Williams wallop off Hal Newhowser, gave the Red Sox a 1 to 0 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

The 10th straight win for Kinder kept the Red Sox momentum going, even though they fell 3 games behind the Yankees, who swept a doubleheader from the St. Louis Browns. In doing so the Yankees picked up one half game on the rest of the day's winners.

It was a stirring pitcher's duel and kept 13,196 customers sitting on the edge of their seats all through the thriller. The home run by Ted Williams was his 38th home run of the year and his 145th RBI. The drive was a high fly to the right of the scoreboard in left field.

Doubleplays ruined the scoring chances for both clubs. The Red Sox pulled off four of them, three after the Tigers had led off the inning with a hit. The Tigers made three of their own, but they were more on the spectacular side.

Ellis Kinder has been the hottest pitcher in baseball during the past three months. This was his 18th straight start without a defeat. He has completed 16 games in those victories, and had help in his other two decisions. His only loss during his phenomenal run came during a relief job to the Browns, after he had compiled a six-game winning streak. This was his fifth shutout this year.

Hal Newhowser pitched one of his best games ever, only to succumb to Ted's home run and better pitching by Kinder. He yielded only four hits to the Red Sox during his seven innings, but he walked five men, two more than his opponent, over a nine inning stretch. Although he didn't have any offensive support at the plate, the defensive work of his teammates was unbeatable.

With Birdie Tebbetts on third and Johnny Pesky on first in the third inning, Williams had his first chance to crack the game open. Ted slammed a line drive into short right field with two outs, only to see Vic Wertz race in and make a shoestring catch.

In the fourth inning, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with one out. Vern Stephens had drawn a walk and Al Zarilla had sliced a single to left. Billy Goodman laid down a perfect bunt to advance them to second and third. Newhowser intentionally walked Lew Stringer to load the bases. Tebbetts came a fraction of an inch from breaking up the scoreless game when he sent a hard grounder that seemed destined for centerfield, a bit to the right of the second base bag. Neil Berry raced over and backhanded the ball and with the same motion flipped the ball to Johnny Lipon to force Stringer. Lipon's pivot throw erased Tebbetts for a beautiful doubleplay.

A Pesky line drive in the fifth inning with Dom DiMaggio on second and only one out, also ended up in a doubleplay. The ball went straight at Lipon and Dom was an easy victim.

DiMaggio and Zarilla made some spectacular running catches in the outfield. Dom took potential hits away from Don Kolloway, the best one being in the ninth-inning, when he went into right-center on an extra base bid. Zarilla followed this with another terrific catch on Pat Mullin, when he took with a leap in front of the gate into the Sox bullpen as the ball was heading in for a home run.

Ted stroked his game-winning home run to start the sixth inning. He was down two strikes and two balls. On the fifth pitch, Williams cut under a low outside pitch and it went to the opposite field over the wall. That was the ballgame.