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JEFF HEATH HOMERS |
BOSTON BRAVES
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SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
The Braves can't close the door quite yet
September 25, 1948 ... The
Braves dropped a 3 to 2 decision to the New York Giants and despite
the setback, the Braves moved nearer to the pennant as the Cardinals
lost to the Cubs. If the Tribe can win just one of their remaining
seven games, they will clinched the title and if Brooklyn or St.
Louis lose a game, it will also give Boston the flag. The Braves
twice filled the bases in the late innings with nobody away, and yet couldn't
score. The Braves found the Giants' Sheldon Jones tough to hit. As a matter of
fact, with the bat he drove in two runs, in addition to holding the Braves
hitters in check. Johnny Sain pitched a better than average ballgame, but two of
the Giants' runs were unearned and he was removed for a pinch-hitter in the
seventh inning. He thus saw his successive completed game string come to an end
at nine and his successive victories stopped at six. Sloppy play and a bit a
sleepy baserunning also contributed to the Braves defeat.
Jones won his 16th game and his third over the Braves without a loss. He
finished the ballgame in spite of being hit on his pitching elbow by Jeff
Heath's line drive in the ninth.
The Giants scored in the first inning as Jack Lohrke opened with a double
inside the left-field chalk mark and he scored on Sid Gordon's hard single to
left. Bob Elliott fumbled Bobby Thomson's ground ball to open the second inning
and he scored when Jones doubled to right.
Heath grabbed one of Jones' fastballs in the fourth inning and slammed a
tremendous drive into the visitors bullpen for his 19th home run of the year.
But the Giants came back in the sixth inning, aided by a Boston misplay. With
one out, Thomson doubled to left and reached third when Sibbi Sisti dropped
Heath's throw. He scored when Jones sent a high hopper over second base. Buddy
Kerr, who had walked and stolen second, tried to score on the play, but was
tagged out by Phil Masi.
In the seventh inning and down 3 to 1, the Braves got the fans standing up
and cheering. Mike McCormick and Masi had successive singles to start. Then
Sisti beat out a beautiful bunt to load the bases. Ray Sanders came in to bat
for Sain and sent a skipping grounder to left of second. Kerr made a great
one-handed grab, stepping on the bag to get Sisti and fired to first to get the
double-play. McCormick scored the Braves' second run, as Masi scampered over to
third with the potential tying run. Jones then let loose with a wild pitch that
went sailing over catcher Sam Yvars' head and Masi took off for the plate. Jones
rushed in to grab the throw back from his catcher and umpire Al Barlick waived
Masi out.
Then came the ninth-inning and Elliott slammed a single to center to open.
Heath then smashed a line drive off the right elbow of Jones, bouncing through
the open shortstop hole for a hit. Mike McCormick, who went four for four in the
game, dropped down a clean bunt down the third-base line and beat Jones' throw
to first to fill the bases. Finally, Masi sent a routine grounder close to the
third-base bag, that Sid Gordon was able to grab, step on the base and then
flipped the ball home in time to retire Elliott at the plate to complete a
doubleplay.
Doubleplays twice wiped out the Braves scoring chances and big innings. The
Braves made some great plays in the field too. Tommy Holmes jumped up against
the right-field fence to pull down to Johnny Mize potential hoe run line drive.
Sisti made a spectacular backhanded catch behind second base off Kerr to get him
at first. Then in the eighth-inning, with Willard Marshall on first, Jeff Heath
grabbed Bobby Thomson's fly ball and made a long throw that took Sisti to the
infield side of second. But Sibbi whirled and darted around the bag to tag
Marshall on the shoulder for another doubleplay. |
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