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PHIL MASI |
BOSTON BRAVES
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SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
The Braves come from behind, led by Phil Masi
July 16, 1948 ... The
Braves got off the deck and mopped up the Cubs, 12 to 10, for their
sixth consecutive victory before 21,168 Ladies Day fans at Wrigley
Field in Chicago. With the Pittsburgh Pirates rained out of their
game, the Braves boosted their lead to 6 1/2 games in the National
League. Phil Masi led the Braves to their greatest comeback of the
season. Three times during the afternoon the Braves came from behind to pull
this one out of the fire and each time Masi was the spark. It looked lost in the
first inning when the Cubs could do no wrong and the Braves couldn't do anything
right. The Cubbies chased Vern Bickford and Red Barrett, piling up a six run
lead.
But the Braves, led by Masi, came back to win the game for Bobby Hogue, who
threw three-hit shutout baseball over the final five innings. It was his fifth
win against a single loss.
Nobody was on base and two men were out when Masi came up in the second
inning to face Russ Meyer, a sturdy right-hander, who figured to breezed through
with a six run lead. Phil poked a single in the center and that was the rallying
call for the Braves. Connie Ryan drew a walk and Clyde Shoun lined a drive down
the left-field line to bring Masi home. That was only the beginning as Tommy
Holmes doubled to right for two more runs. Alvin Dark singled Holmes across and
the boys came back to even when Earl Torgeson lined a home run into the
right-field corner of the bleachers, to knot count at 6 to 6.
The Cubs went back out in front 8 to 6 in the bottom of the second on a home
run by Andy Pafko, a double by Bill Nicholson and Bob Scheffing's single. But
the Braves continued to hit in the third. Masi opened with a walk, Ryan drew
another pass and Shoun sacrificed them over. Holmes brought Masi home with a
single, and as Dark forced Holmes at second, Ryan scored. The speedy Dark blew
home on Torgy's double to left, giving the Braves a 9 to 8 lead.
But that was wiped out in the fourth inning when Scheffing stroked a two-run
home run, that cleared the screen in the back of the left-field wall, giving the
Cubs the lead back, this time 10 to 9. It remained that way until the seventh
inning when Bob McCall fell apart after three good relief innings for Chicago.
With one out, Masi hit a towering drive off the screen in left for a game-tying
home run. McCall then walked Ryan and Doyle Lade took the mound. Lade could have
gotten out of the inning but an error by Roy Smalley helped send home the two
runs that won the game. Hogue sacrifice Ryan to second and the Cubs passed
Holmes on purpose to set up a doubleplay. Dark then hit a soft grounder to
Smalley, who allowed the ball to go through him, allowing Ryan and Holmes to
walk home with the winning runs.
The Braves six-game winning streak is the third time they have done that this
season. They haven't lost again in seven starts at Wrigley Field, winning six
and tying one. It also put their season record against the Cubs at 11-1. |
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