BOSTON BRAVES ...
SPAHN & SAIN and PRAY FOR RAIN ...
 WORLD SERIES, GAME #3
Gene Bearden blanks the Braves hitters

October 8, 1948 ... Gene Bearden, who pitched the Cleveland Indians into the World Series, today put his club within two games of winning it. Four days after he put down the Red Sox in the American League showdown, he blinded the Boston Braves with a dipping knuckleball at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. He shut the Braves out, 2 to 0, before 70,306 Cleveland fans, giving his team a 2 to 1 edge in the series.

The sturdy rookie, a wounded Navy veteran of the Pacific, has an aluminum plate in his skull and aluminum pins in his right knee for his mementos of the second world war. Bearden was a one-man show, shutting out the Braves on 85 pitches and he scored the first run for his team. He got two of the five Indians hits, his first being a double in the third inning, and the other knocking out his rival, Vern Bickford, in the fourth inning.

The Braves equaled the Indians hit production but only got theirs one at a time, while the Indians bunched theirs together. The Indians kept the Braves from scoring and one of the reasons was Bearden forcing them to hit into doubleplays.

Cleveland's first run was scored because of the inability of the Braves to complete a doubleplay. With one gone in the third inning, Bearden slashed the hardest drive of the day into the right-field corner. Tommy Holmes started back for it, but then had to stop and play the carom off the short outfield fence. Bearden stopped at second and then Bickford walked Dale Mitchell. On Bickford's second pitch, Larry Doby hit a routine doubleplay ball to Eddie Stanky who tossed it over to Dark, who was over ended by Mitchell in breaking up the play. Dark's throw was high and wide to Frank McCormick on first base, sailing untouched into the Cleveland dugout. Bearden walked home and Doby was awarded second base.

In the fourth inning, Bickford drove a nail into his own team's coffin when he walked Ken Keltner to start the inning. He struck out Walt Judnich, and then Eddie Robinson rifled his first pitch into left field. Keltner held up at second, but didn't stay there long when Jim Hegan, swung on the first pitch he saw, and drove it into center to score his teammate. Bearden went after Bickford's first pitch also and slugged it into left field. Robinson was held up at third and Southworth came out of the Braves dugout, waving in Bill Voiselle from the bullpen. Voiselle disposed of Dale Mitchell on a foul pop up to Bob Elliott and then Larry Doby grounded out to first base to end the inning.

Voiselle pitched shutout ball after that but the Braves could not crack Bearden. The Braves didn't cash in on their few opportunities against him. It was still scoreless when the Braves came to bat in the third inning and Eddie Stanky rifled a single to right. He moved to second on Bickford's sacrifice, but then Bearden got Holmes to bounce one back to him, and Dark to hit a line drive to right-center field that Judnich was able to haul down.

In the sixth inning with two outs, Dark hit a double that bounced off the concrete wall, a foot or so from being a home run. Mike McCormick lofted a fly into short left center that caused Doby to come running in and shortstop Lou Boudreau to backup. Then Joe Gordon came out of nowhere from second base to grab it for the out.

The Braves had few scoring chances as Ken Keltner started one doubleplay and Bearden started another. Eddie Stanky was the only Braves player to reach third base during the whole game. Bearden struck out four and registered six putouts with his glove.