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MIKE McCORMICK |
BOSTON BRAVES
...
SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
The Cardinals
take the series
August
1, 1948 ... The
Braves lost the series finale against St. Louis, 9 to 6, making four
errors, running like schoolboys, and with pitching who threw up
nothing but batting practice. The performance enabled the Cardinals
to take the series, two games to one, and reduced the Braves lead to
five games. There were visions of another four-run come back in the
last inning but for only a moment. The Tribe chased pitcher Howie Pollet in the
ninth, but relief pitcher, Ted Wilks, came in and put out the fire.
The Braves had given starter Nelson Potter a two run lead in the third
inning. Potter pitched brilliantly for four rounds, but he fell apart as well as
did his defense, in the fifth, when they allowed the Cardinals four runs, three
of them unearned, giving them a lead, they never relinquished.
Potter allowed two earned runs in the sixth, when Ron Northey lofted his
fifth home run of the year into the visiting bullpen with Enos Slaughter on
base. The Cardinals made it 8 to 2 in the eighth against Clyde Shoun. They
scored one earned run and then Shoun let the second across with two errors on
one play.
But the Braves had a couple of shots to get back in the game. They got three
runs in the eighth with one out. Alvin Dark singled and scored on Mike
McCormick's double. It was Mike's fourth hit of a perfect afternoon for him. A
double by Bob Elliott brought him home and Bob scored on a single from Clint
Conaster, making it 8 to 5.
Marty Marion's double and Stan Musial's base hit got one back for St. Louis
in the ninth. Bobby Sturgeon then opened the Braves half of the ninth with a
smashing double to left-center. With one out, Tommy Holmes then singled to left
to move Sturgeon over to third. The fans got excited because Pollett had
staggered through the eighth and now was being hit in the ninth. He had been
knocked for 13 hits and was in trouble. So manager Eddie Dyer brought in Wilks
from the bullpen, and he froze out the final Braves. Dark flew out to Terry
Moore to score Sturgeon and then Earl Torgeson fouled out to end the game.
Potter hasn't walked a man in his last 25 1/3 innings. Clint Conaster has hit
safely in six straight games since the Braves opened their homestand. He
connected twice and was robbed from another by Slaughter. Not only did Mike
McCormick go four for four but he made a great running catch of a line drive in
the ninth-inning. To top his day, he drove in three runs. |
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