BILLY GOODMAN

BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
The Sox on the short end of a great game

June 2, 1948 ... A crowd of 34,303 turned out to give the Red Sox a vote of confidence tonight and saw the best Fenway Park game played here this season. But they were not rewarded with what they came to see, that being a Red Sox victory. The St. Louis Browns, powered by Fred Sanford's seven hit pitching, won the series opener by a 3 to 1 score.

It was a beautiful pitching duel between Sanford, who now has beaten the Red Sox for the second time, and lefty Mel Parnell. The game was studded with fielding gems, but the one error by Sox firstbaseman Billy Goodman, proved to be costly. It touched off the uprising that gave the visitors two runs in the fifth inning.

Thirdbaseman Bob Dillinger gave it to the Red Sox with both barrels. He drove in the first two runs and came up with the fielding play in the eighth, that choked off a Red Sox threat. There were men on first and third at the time and he grabbed a hot smash and forced the runner out at second that pulled Sanford out of trouble.

The Browns jumped on an opening in the fifth inning when Paul Lehner's ground ball went through Goodman. Sam Dente then singled to center to put Lehner on second. Up next, Sanford slapped Parnell's first pitch off Hitchcock's glove for a single. Williams fielded the ball quickly and held Lehner on third-base, but Dillinger's sharp single between short and third drove home both runs.

The Sox scored in the first inning on Dom DiMaggio's double, an infield out and a fly ball by Wally Moses to right. Les Moss in a home run into the screen to give the Browns and insurance run in the ninth-inning.

The Red Sox made several threats that were shut off by sharp fielding by St. Louis. With two out in the eighth, and the score 2 to 1, Sanford was careful with Williams and ended up walking him. Wally Moses then lined a single right and Ted legged it around to third base. Vern Stephens walked into a three and one pitch and drilled a line smash that appeared headed for the hole between short and third, but Dillinger stuck his glove into the dirt and came up with the ball, and then was able to force Moses at second.

In the ninth-inning, the Red Sox made the St. Louis bullpen get up once again. Bobby Doerr made a great bid with a surprise bunt, but the alert catcher, Les Moss made a brilliant play and the nailed him at first by a whisker. Johnny Pesky then came up to pinch-hit for Billy Hitchcock and singled to left. Stan Spence replaced Birdie Tebbetts at the plate and the strategy was sound. He smashed one out to right within feet of producing a tie game, but Al Zarilla was able to race over and haul it down. Jake Jones then came up for Parnell, but a Sanford curveball struck him out on the fourth pitch for the win.

The Red Sox only scored only four runs with Parnell on the mound in the last 31 innings. Parnell walked nine and the Sox slim lefty threw 117 pitches.