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BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE
CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
DREAM SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
ONLY
A PLAYOFF GAME AWAY ...
The Indians win a see-saw
battle in the 11th inning
July 31, 1948
... A pair of hits in the 11th inning,
manufactured the run that gave the Cleveland Indians a 10 to 9
victory over the Red Sox in a thriller at the big Stadium in
Cleveland. Veteran Joe Gordon was the one who struck the winning
blow. He singled over Bobby Doerr's head to score rookie catcher Joe
Tipton, with a tally that decided the game, one where the lead
changed hands numerous times, was tied twice and required 3 1/2 hours
to play. This dingdong battle, which kept the crowd in an uproar
from start to finish, saw 27 hits, 14 by the Sox and 13 by the Indians. Home
runs were hit by Vern Stephens for the Red Sox and Ken Keltner and Jim Hegan for
the Indians. 31 players, 18 of them Indians, saw action before it was over. Each
club used four pitchers with Steve Gromek picking up the win and Mel Parnell
getting tagged with the loss.
Joe Dobson and Bob Feller were the starting pitchers. Feller held a 2 to 1
advantage going into the sixth and it was apparent he couldn't finish. He was
continually behind the batters and finally blew up when he yielded three hits, a
walk, and hit Dobson on the right wrist, with the bases loaded. That forced in
the tying run and Dom DiMaggio sent him to the showers with a two run double to
left, giving the Sox a 4 to 2 lead.
After giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in the first inning, Dobson
faced only 12 men over the next three innings, yielding only a single base hit.
But in the Indians half of the sixth, he gave up the two runs that tied the
game, 4 to 4. In the Boston seventh, Ted Williams was walked and Vern Stephens
lined a double to left-center that put Ted on third. Bobby Doerr was
intentionally walked and then Ed Kleiman, who had relieved Feller, walked Stan
Spence bringing in Williams with the go-ahead 5 to 4 run.
Earl Johnson came in to relieve Dobson, who would been lifted for a
pinch-hitter the previous inning, and he gave up a single to Lou Boudreau. Then
Jim Hegan put the Indians back out in front with a home run, making it 6 to 5.
In the Red Sox eighth, Kleiman started off by walking DiMaggio and gave up a
single to Johnny Pesky, bringing in Russ Christopher, who gave up the lead on a
three run homer to Vern Stephens, 8 to 6, Red Sox. But with one away in
Cleveland's half of the inning, Dom DiMaggio misjudged a line drive from Dale
Mitchell, that went over his head to the fence for a triple. Ken Keltner stepped
to the plate, having stroked his 24th homer of the year off starter Joe Dobson,
previously. Facing Earl Johnson, he lashed a hot grounder down the third-base
line which took a funny hop over Pesky's head, into left field, allowing
Mitchell to score, making it 8 to 7, Indians.
In the ninth-inning, a perfect squeeze bunt by DiMaggio, scored Billy Goodman
to again give the Red Sox a two run margin, 9 to 7. Unfortunately the Sox
pitchers were unable to hold the lead. Manager Lou Boudreau sent out three
straight pinch hitters in the bottom of the ninth. Thurman Tucker doubled and
Hal Peck reached on a walk from Earl Caldwell, who had been brought in to pitch
for the Sox. That was it for Caldwell and Joe McCarthy decided to bring in Mel
Parnell, who got the third pinch-hitter, Johnny Berardino, but Allie Clarke
brought home Tucker with a single and sent Peck to third. Dale Mitchell then hit
a slow bounder to Bobby Doerr and that brought Peck home with the tying run.
And so it went into extra innings tied up at 9 to 9 setting up the walkoff
win for Cleveland. Tipton, who would replaced Jim Hegan behind the plate, opened
up with a single to center and was sacrificed to second by Gromek. After Dale
Mitchell flied out, Ken Keltner was purposely walked to bring up Joe Gordon. The
previous time this situation happened, Parnell struck out Gordon to end a
ninth-inning rally, but this time the veteran whacked the game-winning single
into right-center.
It was a big victory for the Indians, as it not only ended the Red Sox string
of eight straight victories over them, but put them back in the thick of the
pennant race, only two games behind the Sox. For Boston it was costly because
with Philadelphia winning in Detroit, their lead was sliced to have to game over
the A's. |
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