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JIMMIE
FOXX |
Jimmie Foxx leads a comeback
win
and a doubleheader sweep from the Indians
August 23, 1938
... With the twilight fast descending over Fenway
Park, Jimmie Foxx blasted a home run that as far as the 18,500 fans
were concerned, will go down as one of the most dramatic moments of
the year. In brief, his home run manufactured, with two outs and the
bases loaded in the ninth-inning of the second game of a doubleheader
with the Cleveland Indians, gave the Red Sox a 14 to 12 victory in
one of the most exciting games played at Fenway Park. The win
enabled the Red Sox to take a stranglehold on second place, which they snatched
from the Cleveland Indians with a 13 to 3 drubbing in the opening game of the 5
1/2 hour twin bill. The Red Sox as a whole, and Foxx along with Joe Cronin in
particular, pulled a triumph out of what looked like a certain defeat, in a
series of one of the wildest climaxes ever seen.
Cronin and Foxx batted in 11 of the 14 runs between them in a frenzied
finish, which saw the Sox trailing 6 to 0 as early as the second inning. Most of
the excitement touched off by these two and the beginning of quite a finish that
would be hard to match, did not get under way until the last half of the
eighth-inning.
The Sox entered that inning trailing 10 to 6. They had cut down an early
deficit mainly through home runs by both Cronin and Foxx, until they were behind
only 7 to 5 at one point. But some shaky defense set them back four runs, again
with only two innings left to go. They had driven Denny Galehouse, Cleveland's
starting pitcher from the game, but now are having trouble with Johnny
Humphries, who would come back after having being shelled in the opening game.
Suddenly, with two outs in the last of the eighth, Johnny Peacock was on base
as a result of opening the inning with a base hit. Pinch-hitter Eric McNair and
Doc Cramer followed with easy outs. Then Joe Vosmik lined a single into center
and Foxx promptly followed by splattering a double against the left-field wall.
Only one run was able to score and it was 10 to 7.
Up came Cronin, who had made four hits in the opening game. He had a two run
homer and a single to his credit already in this one. He leaned on Humphries'
first pitch and sent it sailing high into the left-field fishnet. That tied the
game at 10 all just like that. But the fun was only starting. Willis Hudlin
replace Humphries on the mound and Mike Higgins greeted him with a single, but
Leo Nonnenkamp popped out to end the inning.
Al Baker had been warming up in the Red Sox bullpen and Jack Wilson rushed
out there to warm up also. Wilson came in in the ninth as the fourth Red Sox
pitcher of the game. He set down Jeff Heath and Earl Averill without a ball
being hit out of the infield. Hal Trosky walked on a three and two pitch and out
came Ken Keltner, the Indians rookie thirdbaseman. Wilson threw a one and one
pitch that was too good and Keltner lost no time in banging it over the
left-field wall for his 22nd home run of the season. That left the score at 12
to 10 and the Sox come back seemed lost.
Then Bobby Doerr opened the last of the ninth by taking a walk. Peacock
forced him at second and Ben Chapman came up to hit for Wilson. Chappy singled
to center and there was some new hope. That increased as Cramer beat out a slow
roller to Webb to load the bases. The excitement died almost as suddenly, when
Joe Vosmik popped-up for the second out.
Foxx ambled up to the plate for a dying gasp. He had already had a great day,
but the odds were against him. He leaned on Hudlin's first pitch and everyone
knew from the sound what was going to happen. The ball cleared the left-field
wall by only a few feet and Jimmie trotted around the bases wearing the biggest
grin you ever saw. The crowd was going wild as the people were jumping up in the
air and hugging each other.
Suffice it to say for the opening game the Sox hit Indians pitchers for 21
hits, their second highest total of the season and bunched 14 of these blows for
11 of their own runs in the first three innings. Fritz Ostermueller breezed to
his second straight complete game and seventh win of the season with a nice nine
hit performance.
Jim Bagby started the second game for the Red Sox but didn't have his stuff.
He gave up five hits and a walk, along with a booted ball by Mike Higgins, who
was the first game hero with five hits. That gave the Indians four runs. Archie
McKain came in for Bagby in the second inning and gave up two more runs. From
that point on Emerson Dickman carried on for the Red Sox, yielding out four more
runs. |
