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JIM RUSSELL |
BOSTON BRAVES
...
SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
Jim Russell's
slam propels the Braves past Brooklyn
July 8, 1948 ... Jim
Russell knocked out his ninth home run of the year, with the bases
loaded, into left-field pavilion at Ebbets Field, breaking up an
eighth inning 2 to 2 tie. It clinched a 7 to 4 victory for the Braves
over the Dodgers. Eddie Stanky, the Braves secondbaseman, badly
sprained his ankle in the third inning during a collision with Brooklyn
thirdbaseman, Bruce Edwards. It was feared at first and Stanky might have broken
the ankle, but x-rays failed to show any structural damage. It is not certain
how long Stanky might be sidelined.
The Braves had hit starter Joe Hatten safely only six times in seven innings.
But in the eighth-inning the Brooklyn starter's control faltered after two
Braves had been retired. He then walked both Mike McCormick and Bob Elliott.
Frank McCormick, who had previously driven in two runs, with his second inning
home run and sixth inning double, with Al Dark on base, slashed a hard one down
to Billy Cox at third, that he could not handle. That loaded up the bases for
Russell and his explosion occurred on a three and one count. Russell had hit
only two singles in the eighth previous games.
The injury to Stanky occurred after he had singled and raced to third when
George Shuba allow the ball to get by him in left field. Dark rapped one sharply
back to Hatten, who whipped the ball to Edwards and third. Stanky, who had run
down the line toward home, went back to the bag sliding. Both players were piled
up on the tag play and Edwards got up limping from a deep Spike wound on his
right shin. Stanky however did not move as he slid in hard and felt something
snap in his right ankle. He was carried to the locker room on a stretcher and
the Brooklyn club doctor declared that he had suffered a sprained ankle with the
possibility of a fracture. He was then sent to the hospital for an x-ray that
revealed no damage. He returned back to Boston with the team tonight.
Bobby Hogue, who had done a great job as a reliever in Philadelphia, was
Billy Southworth's choice to start. But he was hit for four of the Dodgers' nine
hits in the game and retired during the third inning, in which the Dodgers
scored two runs, to assume a 2 to 1 lead.
Clyde Shoun, Hogue's successor was credited with a victory and he pitched
effective ball until the ninth-inning. The Dodgers came up with two runs,
accumulated on an opening single by Pee Wee Reese and successive doubles by
Jackie Robinson and Gene Hermanski.
In the first two innings the only player on the Braves to get a hit beyond
the infield was Frank McCormick. His second homer of the year was an arching fly
into the left-field stands. The Dodgers however lost no time to tie the score as
Edward' hard single popped past Russell for two bases. He took third on
Campanella's fly and scored on Furillo's single.
Alvin Dark continued his hitting streak to 20 successive games, with 32 hits
in his last 78 at-bats. |
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