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JOHNNY SAIN & WARREN SPAHN |
BOSTON BRAVES
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SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
Warren Spahn follows up with another win
September 18, 1948 ... The
Braves' march for the National League pennant continued, as the
left-handed half of the Tribe's two man iron pitching staff, Warren
Spahn, pulled out a four hit, 2 to 1 victory over the Pirates at
Braves Field.
Spahn, pitching with only two days rest, won his fifteenth game and allowed
only one hit, an infield hit by Johnny Hopp until the ninth-inning. Pittsburgh
then got three hits before Wally Westlake topped an easy ground back to Spahn
for the final out.
The game was a battle from the beginning, with the Braves winning their fifth
straight and their fourteenth in their last seventeen since losing the two
straight defeats to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Fritz Ostermueller pitched a
great game, with one of the two runs that he allowed, being unearned. The
Pirates kicked around three in the outfield to hurt the team's cause.
Ostermueller, who didn't walk anybody, was the victim of an error by Ralph
Kiner in the third inning. Sibbi Sisti opened the frame with a solid single to
left, but was cut down at second when he over slid the base on Spahn's
sacrifice. Tommy Holmes then pushed a ground single to left and the ball snuck
underneath Kiner's glove and rolled all the way to the fence. Spahn scored and
Holmes pulled into third.
There was no further scoring until Bob Elliott opened the eighth with a line
drive single over the head of Danny Murtaugh. He reached second when Westlake
bobbled the ball, and then Frank McCormick came up and blasted a drive into the
right-center field hole that rolled all the way to the fence, giving him three
bases and scoring Elliott with the Braves second run.
Meanwhile Spahn, worked easily and precisely with his control, improving as
he went along, setting down eighteen batters in order from the third inning
through the eighth-inning. Then Eddie Fitzgerald, batted for Ostermueller in the
ninth and beat out a hit to deep short, that Alvin Dark made a great play on,
far to his right, but could not get the throw to first on time. Stan Rojek hit a
slow grounder down to Sisti at second and Fitzgerald moved up a base. Eddie
Bockman next flew out to Holmes in right and Fitzgerald moved along to third.
Dixie Walker then came up and worked Spahn to a three and two count, singling
over second, to cut the lead down to one run.
The ever dangerous Ralph Kiner, who had been slumping with only two hits in
his previous twenty-six at-bats, strode to the plate wanting to make amends for
his second inning miscue, that was the difference in the game. He went to two
and two after being down two strikes and singled cleanly the left. Next player
to come to the plate was Westlake, who had twenty home runs already this year.
Southworth went out to talk to Spahn, but let him remain in the game. His
pitcher got Westlake to top a harmless roller back to him and it was all over.
Spahn threw a 111, throwing only 59 from the third through the eighth, when
not a visitor reached first base. It was his fourth win in a row and the eighth
in his last ten outings.
Pittsburgh fell to 6 1/2 games off the pace, while the Cardinals lost ground
to the Dodgers, who moved into second place, six games out. A dramatic ninth
inning pinch-hit single by Pete Reiser sent Pee Wee Reese across with the
winning run in a 3 to 2 victory. |
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