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BOSTON BRAVES
...
SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
Bill Voiselle wins both games
of the doubleheader
June 20, 1948 ... In
beating the Cincinnati Reds by scores of 5 to 4 and 4 to 1, the
Braves increased their lead in the National League to 1 1/2 games.
Backed by the surprisingly good pitching of both Red Barrett and Vern
Bickford, the Tribe didn't have to stage late inning comebacks. They
took early command in both games and electrified their followers was
some brilliant defense that saved the day. The Braves have now won 14
of their last 17 games, equaling their best winning streak of the
season. Red Barrett was hit with 13 safeties in the opener, but
kept them well scattered until the ninth, when he was relieved by Bobby Hogue,
who got two outs to preserve the one run game. For seven innings Bickford
limited the Reds to just two infield hits. He lost a shutout in the eighth, when
he was hit for a pair of doubles and a single, but Jim Russell got him out of
trouble by making a leaping catch of Hank Sauer's long line drive at the
left-field fence.
The Braves opened the game by scoring a run off Herm Wehmeier, on doubles by
Tommy Holmes and Bob Elliott. They got another run in the third inning on a
walk, a single by Holmes and Earl Torgeson's sacrifice fly. The Reds picked up a
run in the fifth, but the Braves counted for two more in their half of the
inning. Holmes picked up his third hit and jogged home when Torgeson slammed a
long home run into the wind, that landed in the visitors bullpen. That put the
Braves up 4 to 1.
After the Reds got one back in the seventh, Alvin Dark opened up the eighth
with a single. Holmes got his fourth hit of the afternoon, when he topped a ball
down the first base line, that reliever Ken Peterson overran. In his haste, his
throw to first baseman Babe Young was in the dirt and rolled away. Since there
were two outs, Dark was flying around the bases and didn't stop until he slid
into home with the Braves fifth run.
The Reds chased Barrett in the ninth-inning when they staged a comeback.
Barrett gave up a single and a double and then Johnny Wyrostek lined a vicious
line drive to deep center that scored two. That brought in Bobby Hogue who
walked Grady Hatton, but then retired Hank Sauer on a pop out and a groundout to
Eddie Stanky, giving him his second save of the year.
In the second contest, Vern Bickford and Johnny VanderMeer engaged in a
great pitching duel for four innings. But the Braves erupted in the fifth inning
to score three runs that would clinch the game. After a walk to Stanky, Holmes
again singled and both of them advanced on a sacrifice. Bob Elliott got a free
pass to load the bases and Mike McCormick came through in the clutch, as he had
been doing the last three weeks, with a single to left that scored the two
runners. A pass to Jim Russell loaded the bases again and another one to Phil
Masi forced home the third run. That was it for VanderMeer and the Braves got
another run off Walter Cress in the eighth-inning.
In the sixth inning of the second game, the Braves drew three walks, stole
three bases, and made a clean single, but were unable to score a run. Earl
Torgeson was one of the men who stole a base, extending his perfect stolen base
streak to 14 of 14. Tommy Holmes picked up five hits in nine at-bats, raising
his average to .362. |
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