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VERN STEPHENS |
BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE
CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
Brian Stephens
wins his own game for the Browns
June 25, 1948 ... The
Browns and the Red Sox were deadlocked at six runs apiece and there
were three St. Louis runners on base, with two men down in the last
of the eighth. Pitcher Brian Stephens strolled to the plate instead
of a pinch-hitter. And he came through in the clutch against relief
hurler Denny Galehouse, and on his first pitch, lacing a line double
to left-center, 410 feet from the plate, that brought home three St.
Louis runs for a 9 to 6 Brown's victory. It was the first hit that
Stephens had made this season, and it was a costly one for the Red
Sox. Twice the Red Sox had gotten the lead and twice the Brownies
had surged from behind to tie the score. In the first inning the Red Sox had
jumped out a 2 to 1 lead when Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky walked, later
scoring on an infield single by Vern Stephens. The the Sox then got three more
runs in the third inning when, with DiMaggio and Stan Spence on base, Vern
Stephens lashed one of Brian Stephens' pitches on a line into left-field stands
for a home run and a 5 to 1 lead. It was Vern Stephens 13th home run of the
year.
The Browns came back in the bottom of the fourth to tie it up. Les Moss
banged out a three run homer off starting pitcher Mel Parnell and then Chuck
Stevens tripled to center to score Sam Dente, who had walked previous to him.
Vern Stephens, who would already knocked in five runs, scored the sixth run
himself. In the sixth inning he walked and reached second on a wild throw to
first. He scored on a single to center by Birdie Tebbetts to give the Sox a 6 to
5 lead. But the Browns came back yet again in their half of the sixth to tie it
up on a single, an error by Ted Williams in left field, a bunt and an outfield
fly. And so the game tied up at 6 to 6 went into the bottom of the eighth-inning
where young Mister Stephens of the Browns won his own ballgame. |
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