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BILL VOISELLE |
BOSTON BRAVES
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SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
Bill Voiselle wins his own game
July 29, 1948 ... Bill
Voiselle batted and pitched the Braves to a 2 to 1 triumph over the
Pirates before a Ladies Day gathering of 23,129. As a result, he kept
the Braves 5 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers. He pounded out his fifth
hit of the season in the second inning, to provide his own winning
margin for his 11th triumph of the year. His pitching in the clutch
was terrific and it overshadowed his stick work, even though his base hit won
the game. He pitched one-hit ball over the last five innings but was in hot
water because of his wildness. Three times during the final stages of the game,
he walked the Pirates leadoff hitter. Twice he disposed of Ralph Kiner, the
major league leader in home runs, when a circuit smash would have won the game
for the Pirates.
Mel Queen was the victim of Voiselle's great pitching. He yielded a run in
the first inning on a double by Tommy Holmes and well stroked line drives by Al
Dark as well as one by Earl Torgeson. That gave the Braves a 1 to 0 lead.
Clint Conaster drew a walk to start the second inning and the next four
batters hit safely, but instead of a big inning for the Braves they only scored
one run. Conaster tried to score on Bill Salkeld's double to right, but he held
up long enough around third-base, to be erased at the plate on a great throw by
Dixie Walker. A single by Connie Ryan sent Salkeld to third and he scored when
Voiselle stroked a slow roller over second base against a drawn-in infield.
Voiselle got his hit off Kirby Higbe, who came in to relieve Queen. Holmes
followed with another single to load the bases, but Higbe retired the next two
batters to keep the Pirates in the game.
The Pirates got their only run in the third inning and made it the hard way.
Ed Bockman doubled to open the inning and took third on Dixie Walker's base hit.
He scored on Kiner's single. A sacrifice and an intentional pass filled the
bases for the Pirates, but Voiselle got Murtaugh and Rojek to end the threat.
By beating the Pirates of the first time in five tries this year, Voiselle
now has the record of beating every club in the league at least once. He has
gotten the Giants and the Cubs three times. The Braves now have a four-game
winning streak as the result of sweeping the Pirates and winning the finale in
St. Louis. |
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