ON THIS DATE (August 28, 1950) ... The Red Sox scored one of the most amazing triumphs of their career before 28,328 at Fenway Park, overcoming an 11-run deficit to whip Cleveland 15-14. It was almost unbelievable. The Sox were in arrears 12-1 against Bob Lemon, the
winningest pitcher of the major leagues, as they came up in the fourth inning. Then, they exploded for eight runs. They won in the eighth inning by clipping Bob Feller for four runs with a Walt Dropo triple and Zeke Zarilla homer climaxing the comeback.
After they batted in the third,
the Indians had a 10-run lead for Lemon, the 20-game winner. Even
though the Sox scored once in the third on a pass to Buddy Rosar and
a triple by Dom DiMaggio it didn’t mean much. The Indians came back
with two runs in the fourth to assume a 12-1 advantage.
If ever a club got off the deck battered, bloody but unbeaten it was the Sox in the fourth. They routed Lemon, who had beaten them four straight, with an eight-run assault. Batting leader Billy Goodman delivered the key clout, a three-run double off the
left field fence. Seven hits and two walks enabled the Sox to get back in business.
Feller was handed a two-run advantage in the Indian eighth on boots by
Clyde Vollmer and Johnny Pesky. The way Feller had been going for two innings the two runs seemed sufficient. But not to the Red Sox. Pesky inaugurated the winning drive with a single to
center, the first hit off Feller. Goodman pulled one down the right field line for a double as Pesky checked in at third.
Clyde Vollmer almost tied the game. He lined a tremendous drive to right field. Bob Kennedy lost it in the sun, but miraculously stuck up
his gloved hand and the ball landed in it. Pesky scored after the catch. Fanned in the seventh,
Walt Dropo didn’t waste any time in the eighth. He cracked a triple to the 420-foot mark in center to bring Goodman across with the tying run. This ended Feller’s stay. Steve Gromek was next.
Doerr socked a towering fly in medium center and Dropo sprinted home to give the Sox a 14-13 lead.
Al Zarilla hit his seventh homer into the right field grandstand for an insurance run which turned into the payoff dividend, for Cleveland scored once in the ninth.
