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Led by Joe Harris ... the
Red Sox hustle for April 26, 1923 ... The Red Sox won a ballgame against the Yankees where they out-played them in the field, outhit them at the plate and punched them out at the finish. On their first day at Fenway Park, Joe Harris and George Burns, the two men who led the team in batting last season, were an important factor in putting the Sox into the win column. Before the game the usual opening day ceremonies took place with military features added. Governor Cox and Mayor Curley, along with the mayors and selectmen of nearby cities and towns enjoyed the game, while distinguished officers of the Army and Navy occupied boxes in the grandstand. A company of Marines from the Charlestown Navy Yard gave an exhibition and escorted the civil and military officers, along with members of both clubs to the flagpole in center for the raising of the colors. Jimmy Coughlin's 101st veterans band played throughout the afternoon. Everything went off like clockwork, even to the way the game was one in the ninth-inning. The big crowd was on hand to see Babe Ruth hit a home run, but was disappointed, as Red Sox starter Howard Ehmke had him in his hip pocket and would not give him anything he could knock over the fence. The Babe came near getting one, but ended up with a high fly ball that John Collins caught near the right-field barrier. He did however get two base hits in his three chances at bat. Frank Chance, the new manager of the club, was constantly on the coaching lines and kept his men on the move. He acted promptly in the ninth-inning when the Yankees started a rally against Ehmke. They had what looked like the tying and winning runs on base with only one out and Babe coming to bat. He quickly took Ehmke out-of-the-box and sent in Lefty O'Doul to face the left-handed home run king. Babe brought in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to short right field, but O'Doul stopped Wally Pipp by striking him out. Although he pitched to only two batters O'Doul got the win, while Joe Bush, who followed Waite Hoyt and Carl Mays, took the loss. With the score knotted at 4 to 4 in the bottom of the ninth, the game ended quickly when Harris got his third hit of the day, a line drive double past Wally Pipp at first base. Then Burns hit a line drive that shortstop Mike McNally blocked, but could not recover it in time to prevent pinch runner Mike Menosky from galloping home to win the ballgame. The Yankees scored a run in the first inning. After Whitey Witt and Joe Dugan were disposed of, Babe came to bat and the crowd started yelling for a home run. Ehmke worked him with slow pitches, which he could not seem to get over the plate and finally walked Ruth. Babe immediately stole second and scored when Pipp bounced a hot ball off Howie Shanks' knee for a base hit. Bob Meusel followed with another single, but Wally Schang was tossed out at first by Ehmke. Then the Red Sox made two runs in their half of the first. Nemo Leibold was safe on a high throw to first by Everett Scott and went to third on Collins' singled to right, scoring on a single to center by Harris. Burns struck out but Norm McMillan dropped a bloop hit into center on which Collins scored. The Sox increased their lead by scoring one more in the fourth on doubles by Shanks and Val Picinich. Another run was scored in the fifth inning on a base on balls to Harris and a single to right by Burns, that allowed Harris to score from first. The Yankees connected with Ehmke for only two singles from the first inning until the sixth and then, down 4-1, put over a run on a single by Meusel, another by Aaron Ward, and the failure of the Red Sox to complete a doubleplay on Scott's grounder to Chick Fewster. Elmer Smith went to bat for Hoyt in the sixth inning, but a fly ball to Harris was the best he could do. The Yankees worked the game into a tie, however by scoring two runs in the ninth. Everett Scott led off with a base hit and Harvey Hendrick batted for Mays and struck out. Witt jammed one safely into left field and Joe Dugan hit a sizzling grounder through Fewster, that scored Hinkey Haynes, who had been put in to run for Scott, and letting Witt make third. With both the winning and tying runs on base and Ruth coming up, it took Frank Chance only an instant to decide to pull out Ehmke and bring in O'Doul. He could not afford to pass Babe and had to pitch to him. The best the big guy could do was hit a fly to short right field. It looked for a moment as if Collins had lost the ball in the sun, but he finally caught it and Witt scored the tying run after the catch. Pipp was struck out and the Red Sox went on to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. |
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