|
BOSTON BRAVES
...
SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
The Braves
lose a doubleheader
and first place
August 29, 1948 ... For
the first time since June 13th, the Braves left the ballpark without
leading the National League pennant race. They dropped a doubleheader
to Pittsburgh at Forbes Field by scores of 6 to 1 and 5 to 2 and lost
their league leadership to the Brooklyn Dodgers, who swept a twin
bill from the Cardinals and lead the Braves by .003 percentage
points. The hitters were impotent against the pitching of Bob Chesnes
and Vic Lombardi.
Chesnes pitched shutout ball for eight innings in the first game, but finally
fell to the power of Jeff Heath in the ninth, for the lone Braves run. Bob
Elliott was only great player to reach third base until he hit a long triple to
right-center that scored Earl Torgeson. Chesnes won his sixth consecutive game
and 11th of the season against three defeats.
Warren Spahn was hit quite easily. He pitched eight innings and the nine hits
made against him, were doubles and one was a triple by Danny Murtaugh. The
Pirates got their first run on spot in the opening inning on a double by Stan
Rojek and Dixie Walker single to left. They added one run in the fifth, two in
the sixth and two in the seventh.
The Braves recovered from the first game until the seventh inning in the
second game. Bill Voiselle was nursing a 2 to 1 lead and five solid hits sent
four runs across the plate with the Pirates up 5-2.
In the sixth inning, Clint Conaster had a great chance to get Voiselle a good
lead. Mike McCormick had singled to open the inning and Bob Elliott walked. Both
men were sacrificed along by Frank McCormick, but Conaster swung futilely at one
of Lombardi's curves and hit a foul pop up that was caught behind the plate.
Phil Masi then hit a hard ground ball down to third base for the final out.
The Braves got their two runs in the first inning after two were out. Mike
McCormick singled to left and Elliott hit one to right. They both came across
plate a moment later on Frank McCormick's line double off the right-field wall. |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg)
.jpg)