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TED WILLIAMS |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 2 ...
A POWERFUL RED SOX TEAM FAILS
IN THE WORLD SERIES ...
Ted smashes out of his slump
against the Browns
June 6, 1946 ... The smoldering St. Louis feud with the umpires burst into flames today. Ted Williams homered his way out of his slump in the Nick of time as the Red Sox resumed their advance through the American
League with a 5 to 4 win over the Browns. Those were the highlights of the game at Fenway Park.
Ted Williams who entered this game with only eight hits in his previous 46 trips to the plate inserted his 10th homer, with Johnny Pesky aboard, in the winning seventh inning. Ted also belted a pair of singles, grabbed his 53rd walk and only made one out. Ted's first pitch smash into the
Boston bullpen, dissolved a 2 to 2 deadlock that existed at the time. The only other interesting fact about Ted's hit is that John Miller was the St. Louis pitcher.
Jack Kramer, the St. Louis starter, had been evicted from the game by umpire Hal Weafer in the fourth inning, amid scenes as riotous as ever been witness at Fenway Park. The Browns entered the inning leading 1-0. Hot as a pistol Bobby Doerr lashed his sixth home run to tie it up at one each.
Rudy York followed with a single inside third and while passing Don DiMaggio, Kramer began getting annoyed with chief umpire Art Passarella. Kramer then walked Mike Higgins to load the bases, amid his protests setting up the stage for the big blowup.
Firstbaseman Babe Dahlgren then let an easy roller by Hal Wagner get through his legs. Second baseman Johnny Berardino was backing up Babe and Kramer raced over to cover first. Kramer was camped on the bag when Berardino's throw and Wagner arrived around the same time. Umpire Weafer waived
Wagner's safe. Kramer sprinted at him and the explosion ensued. All the close decisions that had gone against the Browns previously fueled Kramer's flaming temper. He bumped his chest into umpire Weafer, who bumped him right back. After a few not so well chosen words, Jack started for the
runway leading to the clubhouse while manager Luke Sewell and the rest of Browns took over the business of parading Weafer. Just as Kramer reached the first base line he took the ball and threw it over the roof at the scoreboard just to the right of the press box. Kramer, remembering
something else he needed to say, chargeback toward the fray. This time Sewell took charge and ushered him back to the clubhouse.
So the only St. Louis pitcher to beat the Sox this year was out of the game but the Sox were not finished. With Pesky aboard in the seventh, Ted homered and was followed by a double high off-the-wall from Bobby Doerr. York was then intentionally walked and Dom beat out a single to Vern
Stephens. Mike Higgins brought in the final run with a long fly ball.
Down three runs, the Browns threatened in the ninth inning getting two runs back on a Walt Judnich home run into the right field grandstand. The tying run got on base when Al Zarilla beat out an infield hit. Dave Ferriss now took over and struck out Babe Dahlgren and ended the game on a fly
ball to left. |