THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 4
FALLING SHORT AT THE END AGAIN ...
Ted Williams supplies the come-back power
and Ellis Kinder shuts off the lights

September 21, 1949 ... Ted Williams hit his towering 41st home run in the seventh inning to give the Red Sox a lucrative 9 to 6 win at Fenway Park. The Red Sox got help from the White Sox, who rallied to beat the Yankees and cut their lead to just two games.

The scrappiness and confidence of the Red Sox was very apparent in this game. Two times they came from behind to go ahead of the Indians.

This hard way triumph gave Ellis Kinder his 22nd win of the year, not to mention his 12th in succession and the 19th consecutive victory for the Red Sox at Fenway Park. No team has won a game at Fenway Park since August 10th. Kinder pitched two-hit shutout ball over the final three innings in a relief role, to help the Red Sox gain a full game when the Yankees.

Jack Kramer started for the Red Sox and when he left the game in the fifth inning, it looked like he would be charged with a loss. The Indians scored in the second on a single by Bob Kennedy, a pass to Jim Hegan, and a single by Mike Garcia, the Indians pitcher. The run was equalized in the second inning on a double by Bobby Doerr, a long fly ball out by Al Zarilla, that moved Doerr over to third and a ground ball by Billy Goodman that scored him.

It was a pitcher's duel until the fifth inning, when both Garcia and Kramer were taken out of the game. Garcia started Kramer on his way to the showers, when he singled in the top of the fifth inning. Dale Mitchell also got a base hit and both players were sacrificed along by manager Lou Boudreau. Mickey Vernon singled Garcia across and Larry Doby flied deep enough to Dom DiMaggio to score Mitchell. Easter lined a double to right-center that scored Vernon. Manager Joe McCarthy had seen enough and brought in Walt Masterson, who got Kennedy to ground out.

Down 4 to 1, the Red Sox saw that eight runs had been posted by the Yankees in their half of the third inning. But they stormed back and gave Garcia a taste of his own medicine. With one out Birdie Tebbetts singled to left and pinch-hitter Tom Wright lined a double to left-center. Dom DiMaggio walked to load the bases. Garcia threw three balls to Johnny Pesky and immediately was replaced by Bob Feller. Feller completed Pesky's free pass to score Tebbetts. Williams lofted a deep fly ball to Easter in right field that brought home Wright after the catch. DiMaggio went to third and Pesky went to second on the play, coming home with the tying and go-ahead runs, when Vern Stephens lined a single to left.

Al Zarilla put the Sox up by two in the sixth inning when he sent his 10th home run of the year into the first row the bleachers behind the Red Sox bullpen. Chuck Stobbs, who had come in to pitch in the sixth inning was chased in the seventh. The Indians cut the Sox lead to one on two walks and a double. Now Kinder came in from the bullpen to try and put out the fire.

With runners on second and third, Kinder intentionally walked Kennedy the load the bases. He got Johnny Berardino out on a terrific smash to right-center that Zarilla grabbed on the dead run. Al had no chance to get Larry Doby, who scored from third after the catch, and the game was tied at six apiece.

Thurman Tucker came up to pinch-hit for Hegan and Kinder got him swinging. Early Wynn pinch hit and slapped the ball to Bobby Doerr's right. Doerr raced over and backhanded it, throwing out Wynn by a whisker for the final out.

So with the score tied at 6 to 6, Steve Gromek came into pitch. Williams greeted him with a deep home run that was hit just out of the reach of Luke Easter, into the Red Sox bullpen to put the Sox back on top. Stephens doubled to left and Bobby Doerr sacrificed Stephens over to third. He scored on Billy Goodman single down the left-field line, for an 8 to 6 insurance run.

The Sox put it in the freezer in the eighth-inning. After Stephens had singled, Bobby Doerr lined a triple to the gap in right-center for the Red Sox ninth run.