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BILL VOISELLE |
BOSTON BRAVES
...
SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
Bill Voiselle wins both games of the doubleheader
June 17, 1948 ... The
Braves staged two come-backs to sweep a doubleheader from the Cubs
and move in front for the scramble for the National League pennant,
by one half game. Big Bill Voiselle was the winner of both games, the
first by a 7 to 6 score and the second by an 8 to 7 score. Voiselle
was unable to finish any of the seven previous starts and relegated to the
bullpen. He came in and pitched one run ball for 7 2/3 innings in the first game
and worked one frame of the second game, to earn his seventh victory of the
year. He became the first National League pitcher to win seven this season.
The Cubs knocked out Warren Spahn in the second inning of the first game and
built up a good lead. The Braves were five runs down after the second inning,
when they staged the first of two remarkable comebacks. A three run sixth
inning, with the Braves down 6 to 4, sparked by an unexpected double down the
right-field line by Sibbi Sisti, and climaxed by Earl Torgeson's liner to right,
won the first game. Bob Elliott was credited with driving home the winning run
when he sent a hot shot down to shortstop Gene Mauch. Mauch came up with the
ball cleanly, but as secondbaseman Hank Schenz was making the force at second,
Torgeson knocked into him just enough to slow up the toss the first. Elliott was
safe and Eddie Stanky scored the winning run.
The Braves scored first in the second game and the Cubs tied it up in the
second inning. Two unearned runs were recorded by the Braves in the fourth and
they were answered by the Cubs in their half of the fifth. The Cubs finally got
to Vern Bickford in the seventh inning when they chalked up four runs.
Going into the eighth-inning, leading 4 to 3, Cubs starter Johnny Schmitz
gave up four singles in succession. Jess Dobernic came in to pitch and faced
Eddie Stanky, who sliced one just fair over the first-base bag. With the bases
loaded, Tommy Holmes' fly to short right field scored Sisti with the tying run.
Mike McCormick opened up the winning ninth-inning with a base hit. Jim
Russell laid down a sacrifice bunt and Dobernic decided to go for the force at
second, but the throw was late. Phil Masi sacrificed McCormick over to third and
Russell to second. Sisti was given an intentional pass to load the bases and
Bill Salkeld came up as a pinch-hitter. The game came to an conclusion when
Dobernic walked Salkeld and McCormick came home with the winning run. |
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