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JACK KRAMER |
BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE
CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
Jack Kramer
holds the Yankees in check
June 30, 1948 ... Jack
Kramer, in by far his most effective performance of the year,
considering the opposition and the pressure, put down the Yankees
with seven scattered hits to rack up a 7 to 3 decision before 31,615
fans at Yankee Stadium. He outlasted Vic Raschi and a pair of
relievers, to pin the Yankees' first setback after nine straight
wins, and keep the Red Sox in a contending position for the American
League pennant. On a very humid night, Kramer became better as he
went along, striking out three Yankees, including a pair of pinch hitters in the
ninth inning, when he was tagged for his third and final run. He was aided on
offense by the sturdy efforts of Vern Stephens, who belted his 14th Homer the
year, and a single that knocked in five runs. Ted Williams went one for five and
continued his consecutive game hitting streak, now at 16 games. A double steal
pulled off by Birdie Tebbetts and Wally Moses was another highlight of the game.
Both Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky were on base all day to support Kramer,
who weathered a bad start, when wildness saw him give back a 2 to 0 Red Sox lead
in the first inning. The importance of this performance can be underlined in the
fact that Kramer had not gone the distance against a first division club all
year. He threw 135 pitches under the summer burning sun, but in striking out the
Yankees in the ninth, he showed more aggressiveness than in any previous outing.
He did not walk a man over the last six innings, giving up only three hits and
facing just 21 batters.
The Red Sox scored their two runs in the first inning when, with DiMaggio and
Pesky on base, and Stephens, down two strikes, lined a single to center to score
them both. But the lead was short-lived for the Yankees took advantage of
Kramer's wildness to knot the score. Kramer loaded the bases on two walks and a
Yogi Berra single. Then Bill Johnson delivered a two run single into left to tie
up the game. After that Kramer put down Johnny Lindell on strikes.
The Red Sox took the lead again in the third inning when Pesky dropped in a
Texas league single to short left and Ted Williams singled on the first pitch he
saw, off the right-field wall to send Johnny to third. Pesky scored on a
sacrifice fly by Stephens.
The Sox added two more runs in the sixth when Stephens belted his 14th homer
into the left-field stands for his 60th RBI of the year. Wally Moses walked and
then stole second and Tebbetts hit one that didn't get by Phil Rizzuto, who made
a marvelous backhanded stop, to hold Moses at third. Tebbetts then stole second
with Kramer at the plate and Raschi spun around and threw to Stirnweiss. As he
did this Moses broke for the plate and slid in and ahead of Stirnweiss' throw to
make the score 5 to 2.
The Red Sox got two more in the seventh and the Yankees got one more in the
ninth as Kramer was getting tired in the 82° humidity. He gave up a double to
Billy Johnson and then called on his reserves to strike out Lindell. Stirnweiss
however singled to center to score the third Yankees run and Kramer then struck
out pinch hitters Cliff Mapes and Steve Souchock to end the game. |
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