 |
|
TED WILLIAMS
SCORES AS
VERN STEPHENS LOOKS ON |
THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN
...
Ted's two HRS gives him
his highest career total
September 18, 1949
... Ted Williams slammed out two home runs and
drove in six runs, keeping the Red Sox on the heels of the Yankees,
as they smashed the Chicago White Sox by an 11 to 5 score. Ted's
homers helped Ellis Kinder coast home to his 11th successive win and
his 21st of the season. A six runs second inning explosion, after two
were out, ended any semblance of a ballgame.
As he eclipsed his best previous home run and RBI totals for one season, Ted
had one of his best days of the year. His first inning two run homer landed in
an exit in the right-field corner grandstand, for his 39th home run.
Ellis Kinder continued his phenomenal success picking up his 19th consecutive
start without a loss, and winning his 17th in a row. It wasn't his best
performance, as he was cuffed for nine hits and five runs, but the White Sox
didn't score off him until the game was almost over.
Dom DiMaggio started the assault on Randy Gumpert in the bottom of the first
inning with a double to right. After Johnny Pesky flied out, Williams slugged
the first of his two home runs. Vern Stephens kept pace momentarily with Ted in
the home run and RBI derby, driving one high into the left-field net for his
39th of the year that re-tied him with Ted. It was his 150th RBI and left him
one ahead of Williams at the time.
Gumpert had a chance to escape unscored upon in the second inning. He started
off by striking out Lou Stringer, but then he walked Birdie Tebbetts. After he
struck out Kinder for the second out, he picked off Tebbetts. But in the ensuing
chase, Birdie scampered back to first safely on a poor throw by secondbaseman
Cass Michaels. Then the roof fell in. DiMaggio singled and Pesky walked to fill
the bases. Williams drilled a single through the open shortstop slot, to drive
home Tebbetts and DiMaggio.
Ed Kleiman took over the pitching duties and walked Vern Stephens. Both Al
Zarilla and Billy Goodman doubled in three more runs. The red-hot Lou Stringer
lined a single to left, but Johnny Ostrowski threw out Billy Goodman at the
plate.
In the fourth inning, Howie Judson, who had taken over in the previous
inning, walked Pesky before he gave up a Fenway type home run to Ted Williams.
Ted hit a line drive off the screen on the right-field foul pole for a two run
homer, his 40th and 153rd RBIs.
Down 11 to 0, the White Sox finally broke through against Kinder in the
sixth. Singles by Willie Higdon and Gus Zernial preceded a double by Luke
Appling. A sacrifice fly by George Metkovich brought in the second run of the
inning. Then Johnny Ostrowski lined a home run into the screen to give Chicago
their fourth run. They scored their fifth in the eighth-inning on singles by
Zernial, Appling and Michaels. |
