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MEL PARNELL |
BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE
CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
Mel Parnell is
almost perfect against the Senators
August 13, 1948
... The Red Sox, behind the brilliant pitching
of Mel Parnell, beat the Washington Senators, 6 to 2, in the opener
of a four-game series at Griffith Stadium. Parnell, in chalking up
his ninth win of the year, pitched seven innings of hitless ball, as
he led the Red Sox to their third straight triumph and their second
win in six games here this season. The southpaw had only one bad
inning, as he limited the Senators to just four hits and two runs. That was in
the seventh inning, when they bunched together three base hits for their first
run, after being blanked without a hit for 6 1/3 innings.
In the meantime, the Sox touched Early Wynn for 10 hits, with Dom DiMaggio,
Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr leading the attack, with two hits each. It was
Wynn's 13th loss of the year and his third to the Red Sox.
For 2 2/3 innings it looked as if both pitchers were in an airtight pitching
duel. Wynn had retired nine men in order, but Parnell got the game's first hit
to center. DiMaggio followed with a double to left and Parnell raced all the way
home from first to give the Red Sox a 1 to 0 lead. Parnell also figured in the
fourth inning rally. Doerr led off with a single and Stan Spence doubled him to
third. Billy Goodman scored Doerr with a sacrifice fly to deep center, sending
Spence to third. After Matt Batts had been purposely walked, to load the bases
and face Parnell, Mel flied out to left, deep enough for Spence to race in with
the third Boston run.
Vern Stephens drove in his 99th RBI with a 405 foot fly ball to centerfield
in the fifth that scored Pesky. Both Pesky and Williams had led off the inning
with singles.. The Sox shortstop also had a hand in the fifth run of the game in
the seventh inning, when catcher Al Evans hit him in the back as he was trying
to beat out a ball to first. The wild throw enabled Pesky, who had singled to
race in from second base.
The final run, in the eighth-inning, was also helped along by a wild throw
from Wynn, as he threw the ball, on Batts' sacrifice bunt, away, after Billy
Goodman singled to center. Goodman ended up on third-base and a perfect squeeze
bunt by DiMaggio, brought him home.
Parnell in the meantime was rolling along easily, with only three men
reaching base on walks during the first six innings. Nobody was able to reach
third base, but with one away in the seventh Mark Christman lined a base hit
into centerfield for a double. Junior Wooten scored him with a single to center
and Al Evans scored Wooton with a double to right.
The Senators had a brief rally in the ninth as Parnell walked Wooten with one
out. He was moved to second on a ground ball and then Evans singled to left
moving the runner over to third. It ended with Wynn grounding out to Vern
Stephens.
The win gave the Red Sox and even season split between the two teams in 10
games. |
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