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VERN STEPHENS |
BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE
CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
The Sox bats
sweep away the Browns
June 4, 1948 ... The
Red Sox provided the best antidote to their position in the
standings, by getting good pitching, hitting and fielding. They twice
dumped the St. Louis Browns by scores of 10 to 4 and 7 to 2 before
Ladies Day crowd of 16,396 at Fenway Park. It was the Sox first
double victory since Labor Day last year against the Yankees. The
Browns reverted very much to the way they had been playing, making several
errors of omission and commission, although they succeeded in getting the only
home runs of the day, both coming off Joe Dobson in the first game. Dobson
however, had two big innings of help from his teammates. The Sox scored four
runs in the third and six in the eighth to give him his sixth win of the year.
And in the first inning of the second game they added four more to start Denny
Galehouse often his first win of the year.
Ted Williams took a backseat, being held to a lone double in the two games,
but he added to his walk total with four free passes, nine all told for the
four-game series with St. Louis. The ex-Brownie, Vern Stephens played his best
games of the year, both in the field and at the bat. Half of his 14 fielding
chances were spectacular, while his four singles were all stung with authority.
He was forced to split hitting honors with Billy Goodman, who is definitely
establishing himself as the team's firstbaseman. The converted outfielder
smashed a pair of line drives in the opener and then drove in a pair of singles
to center in the second game.
Bryan Stephens, the huge Browns right-hander, was leading 1 to 0 going into
the third inning of the opening game, but the Red Sox proceeded to bat around
against him. Billy Hitchcock started off with a double to left and then Birdie
Tebbetts doubled one to deep center. Dobson bunted and the pitcher Stephens
threw the ball to third base even though Tebbetts hadn't moved from second. Bob
Dillinger, the Browns thirdbaseman was surprised and late with his relay to
first. Goodman then doubled to left to score two runs. Vern Stephens knocked in
Goodman after Ted Williams and walked to give the Sox a 4 to 1 lead.
Harry Platt kept the Browns and the game with a homer into left field screen
in the fourth, but ten men came to bat for the Red Sox in the eighth, to make
the score 10 to 2. Les Moss got his fifth homer the year in the ninth-inning, to
bring in Al Zarilla who had singled in front of him.
Sam Zoldak started the second game for the Browns but lasted only an inning,
with all his trouble coming after two men were out. Goodman singled, Vern
Stephens and Bobby Doerr walked, Sam Mele and Billy Hitchcock singled and then
Matt Batts knocked out a double, to give the Red Sox a quick 4 to 0 lead.
In the second inning the Browns got two runs on three hits but the Sox got
another in their half and added single runs in the fourth and seventh innings
for the 7 to 2 sweep of the doubleheader. |
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