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BOB ELLIOTT
& TOMMY HOLMES |
BOSTON BRAVES
...
SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
The Braves hit three homers to help Sain
April 30, 1948
... The
Boston Braves demonstrated how legitimate home runs are hit, to
record a fantastic home run day before the New York Giants' 14,425
fans assembled at the Polo Grounds. In the process of hitting three
homers, the Braves presented Johnny Sain with his first victory of
the season. It was a neat 7 to 2 triumph, with five hits being
scattered by Johnny, two of the blows being home runs that robbed him
of a shutout.
Tommy Holmes started the performance by hitting a terrific 375 four drive well
up into the top balcony in left. The second smash was the prize of them all in
that won the ballgame. It was hit by Bob Elliott the third inning with two of
his teammates aboard. Eddie Stanky had walked and took second when Wes Westrum
fired Jim Russell's bunt out into centerfield. Ray Poat, who had wrecked the
Braves opening day curtain raiser last Friday, was on the mound. He worked
carefully to Elliott and on a 3-2 count grooved one down the plate. Elliott put
the wood to it and it resulted in a monstrous 400 foot line drive into the upper
deck of the left-field bleachers. It was still rising when it struck and
splintered a vacant chair.
After this, Jeff Heath caught a fast pitch and deposited almost into the same
spot where Tommy Holmes had hit his. That ended the day for Poat, who was
Heath's former roommate in Cleveland.
The Braves picked up single runs in the fifth and seventh to enable Sain to
coast home to his first victory in three starts. Whitey Lockman hit the first
Giant home run, a high fly that nicked the façade in front of the top stands in
right field. In the ninth Willard Marshall lined a drive that just made the
bottom section of the right field grandstand about 10 feet inside the foul line.
Al Dark had a great day in the field, covering a lot of real estate. He made a
great one-handed stop in the hole off Sid Gordon in the sixth and rubbed him out
with a perfect peg to first. Then he leaped to his left to grab a line drive
from Buddy Kerr in the seventh inning for another dandy. Jim Russell himself,
turned into splendid running catches. One was off Johnny Mize who hit the ball
450 feet to distance centerfield that Russell flagged down while running at full
speed.
The Braves had only hit three home runs in their previous 11 games and the home
run hit by Holmes was his first since last Labor Day. Bob Elliott had a perfect
day with two singles and a couple of walks in addition to his three run homer.
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