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DROPO, NIXON, ZARILLA & KINDER |
THE BEST OFFENSIVE SEASON
IN SOX HISTORY
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The Sox overcome an 11 run deficit
and win again
August 28, 1950 ... For
the second time in as many days, the Red Sox refused to roll over and
play dead. They overcame a 11 run Cleveland lead and stormed back to
a 15-14 win. In doing so, they pulled themselves to within three
games of the league-leading Detroit Tigers.
Bob Lemon appeared headed for his 21st victory with little trouble.
The Indians tied together seven walks, a pair of hits and a hit
batter, and tagged Maury McDermott for five runs in the first two
innings. Then they added five more runs off Jim McDonald before Dick
Littlefield came in to get the side out in the third inning.
Littlefield gave up two more runs in the fourth inning after the Sox
had scored once in their half of the third and were down 12 to 1.
Then the Sox scored eight times in the bottom of the fourth inning as
they blasted Lemon for six singles and two free passes. Lemon gave up
a base hit to Billy Goodman and then walked Clyde Vollmer. Walt
Dropo's single to left scored Goodman and Lemon then walked Bobby
Doerr. Al Zarilla lined a single to right that was good for two runs
and Buddy Rosar's single brought in another. Back-to-back hits by Dom
DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky added another run. With the bases loaded,
Al Benton now took the mound and faced Goodman, up for the second
time. A double off the wall cleared the bases and the Indians' lead
was cut to three runs, 12-9.
Benton lasted until the sixth inning, when the Sox got to him for two
more runs and cut the lead to just one run. Pitcher, Willard Nixon,
reached on a hit and scored on DiMaggio's triple down the right field
line. Ray Boone booted a grounder by Pesky and DiMaggio scored making
the score, 12-11.
Bob Feller came in, struck out the side and kept the Sox quiet until
the eighth inning. Pesky's base hit, Goodman's double, a sac fly by
Clyde Vollmer and Dropo's line triple over Larry Doby's head in
center, drove Feller out of the game and tied-up the game. Steve
Gromek came in gave up a go-ahead sac fly to Doerr. Al Zarilla's
seventh homer of the season, socked well into the right field seats,
put the Sox out front by two runs, 15-13.
Nixon, who had taken over in the fifth inning was found for an
unearned run in the eighth, then with one out, gave up two base hits
in the ninth inning. Ellis Kinder replaced him and got Boone to
ground out, but a run scored. After he struck out pinch hitter, Joe
Gordon, the Sox had recorded their second come-from-behind win in two
days.
Billy Goodman's (.370 BA) three hits increased his lead in the A.L.
Batting race. |
