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ON THIS DATE (July 26, 1951)
... Clyde Vollmer hit three home runs as he
powered the Red Sox into a virtual first-place tie for the American
League lead. The big right-hander produced six runs as the Red Sox
outscored Chicago by a score of 13-10, to the delight of 21,679 fans
at Fenway Park. Vollmer's third home run came with two aboard in the
sixth inning and erased a 10-10 tie. The victory was credited to
Ellis Kinder, who pitched three brilliant innings in relief, enabling
the Sox to climb within two percentage points of the Yankees who lost
to Cleveland 9 to 4. Vollmer's power party overshadowed the deeds
of the other hitters, in one of the heaviest assaults on the left-field wall the
season. Both teams rapped out a total of 31 base hits. Chicago's Eddie Robinson
contributed a three run homer in the first inning, Ted Williams poked one over
the wall in the second, and Dom DiMaggio slammed a two run job in the fifth.
Vollmer slugged each of his home runs off different pitchers. His first one
came off Luis Almoa in the first inning, clearing the wall and the net. His
second one came at the expense of Randy Gumpert and barely made it over. The
third one was slammed off Harry Dorish and went all the way down Lansdowne
Street.
Clyde didn't get to bat the fifth time and therefore didn't get a shot at a
fourth home run, a record held by six major league players. Bobby Doerr turned
the trick of three home runs last year, and was the last Red Sox player to do
so.
The first two innings lasted one solid hour, and at the end of the time the
score was even at 7 to 7, thanks to Williams' game-tying homer in the end of the
second. It stayed even until the fifth, when Vollmer knocked out his second home
run. DiMaggio followed him, with one aboard, and gave Boston a 10 to 7 lead.
In the sixth inning, the White Sox caught up to Chuck Stobbs to tie the score
at 10 to 10. At that point Kinder came in and struck out Phil Masi to end the
inning.
In the Red Sox half of the inning, Doerr doubled off the top of the
left-field wall and Billy Goodman walked. That was followed by Vollmer's third
home run of the contest, his 18th of the season, giving the Red Sox a 13 to 10
victory.
Over the final three innings, Kinder gave up only two hits and struck out
five, in posting his seventh win against only one loss. Nearly lost in the
headlines was DiMaggio's perfect day at the plate. In addition to his home run,
he had four singles in five trips. |
