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THE TED
WILLIAMS ERA COMES
TO A DRAMATIC END ...
Vic Wertz and Rip Repulski
blast grandslam HRs
May 10, 1960
... In his first at bat as a member of the Red Sox, Rip
Repulski pinch-hit a grandslam home run that gave his new team a 9 to
7 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Repulski came up in the last of the eight inning with the score tied,
the bases loaded and one man out, He hit the second pitch from Don
Ferrarese high into the net over the scoreboard and put the Sox ahead
9 to 5. Repulski's homer climaxed a dramatic inning after the Red Sox
blew a 5-0 lead.
Vic Wertz's grandslam in the first inning catapulted the Sox off to a
great start of the game. Don Buddin, Pete Runnels and Frank Malzone
all got base hits in the first inning and Wertz followed with a long
home run deep into the right field grandstand.
In the third inning two singles by Wertz and Gene Stephens and Lu
Clinton's sacrifice fly brought in the Red Sox fifth run.
Then in the fourth inning, Chicago got to starting pitcher Jerry
Casale. Roy Sievers homered, Sherm Lollar was hit by a pitch, and Al
Smith went deep with another homer, making the score 5-3. After Joe
Hicks slammed a pinch-hit double, Sullivan came in for Casale and
struck out Luis Aparicio. Frank Baumann took the mound for Chicago
and held the Red Sox hitless until the eighth.
In the meantime, the White Sox scored an unearned run in the fifth
and another run in the sixth on a single, a walk, a ground out and a
base hit by Nellie Fox to tie the game.
Then in the eight inning, with the score tied at 5 to 5, Bobby
Thomson opened with a single to left. After Gene Stephens flew out,
Lu Clinton smashed a line drive off the wall with one out for two
bases, moving Thomson to third. Ted Williams came into pinch hit and,
as expected, drew an intentional pass. Gary Geiger was sent out to
pinch hit for the Sullivan, but the White Sox brought in
Ferrarese, a lefty, to pitch to Geiger. So Bill Jurges decided to
have the right-handed hitter, Repulski, hit instead. Repulski hit the
second pitch on a line, clearing the wall by six feet.
But Chicago rallied in the ninth inning. Down 9 to 5, they scored two
runs on Minnie Minoso's single and Lollar's two-run homer off Mike
Fornieles with one down. Fornieles then walked Earl Torgeson and
Smith followed with a double off the wall. Tom Sturdivant was called
upon to shut things down and he did so by getting a pop up and the
striking out Ted Kluszewski to end the game. |
