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GRIFFITH STADIUM |
BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE
CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
The Sox come
close and
split with the Senators
August 15, 1948
... The Washington Senators defeated the Red
Sox, 5 to 4 in the first game of the doubleheader, and almost came
from behind to do it again in the nightcap. The Sox managed to hold
onto the second game and win it 8 to 7. The third-place Red Sox lost
a full game both the Indians and the A's, each of whom split a
doubleheader. They now sit 2 1/2 games behind the Indians. Ray
Scarborough, was given the win in the first game, the result of a three-run
rally in the ninth-inning by Washington. A last-ditch Sox ninth-inning rally
fell one run short. With one out, Dom DiMaggio doubled and Johnny Pesky beat out
an infield bunt down the third. On the play thirdbaseman Eddie Joost threw the
ball into right field, allowing DiMaggio to score and Pesky to go to second.
That brought in Forrest Thompson to pitch with Ted Williams coming up. Ted
walloped the first pitch he saw into right field for his 20th home run, scoring
Pesky and putting the Sox within a run. After Vern Stephens popped out, Bobby
Doerr reached on a ground ball that Al Kozar couldn't handle, and Stan Spence
walked. Jake Jones, who was replacing the ailing Billy Goodman, had a chance to
be a hero and worked the count to three into, on the new pitcher Tom Ferrick.
After whistling a line drive just outside the left-field foul line, he took a
called third strike to end the game. The loss went to Jack Kramer, his fourth of
the season. It marked the end of his consecutive victory streak at 11 games.
The second game win was given to Mickey Harris, his second in two days and
fifth of the season. He relieved starter Ellis Kinder in the fourth inning and
needed relief help himself from Joe Dobson before the wild eyed contest was
concluded. Walt Masterson's generosity with free passes played a big role in the
Sox run making and also resulted in him being charged with his 10th loss.
After dropping the opening game, the Sox started off as if they were going to
chase Masterson out of the game. DiMaggio led off with a single and Masterson
walked four of the next five batters and forced in two runs. Matt Batts knocked
a clean single to right after that, to score two more, giving the Sox a 4 to 0
lead.
Kinder couldn't hold the advantage, as the Senators with two runs in their
half of the first, one run in the second and another in the fourth drove him to
the showers. Harris, making his second relief appearance in two days, retired
eleven men in order over the next 3 2/3 innings. Spence knocked his ninth home
run over the right-field fence, with Williams and Stephens aboard in the fifth
inning, to gave Harris a somewhat comfortable three run lead.
But then suddenly the Senators began hitting him all over the field. Mickey
Vernon doubled to left with one out and Wooten scored him with a triple to
left-center after two were away, in the eighth. Then, when Al Evans slammed a
triple to the deepest point in center field, that might've been an
inside-the-park home run for a faster runner, the frantic Joe McCarthy called in
his ace, Joe Dobson, to try and hold the 7 to 6 lead.
Dobson was able to get out of the inning and fortunately for him, the Sox
picked up another run in the ninth on a walk in two hits. Then Carden
Gillenwater tripled with one out in the ninth and scored on Tom McBride's
single, before Dobson was able to fan Mark Christman to win the game.
The Sox took three of four from Washington and gave them a record of 11-9 on
the road trip. Two more errorless games for Bobby Doerr brought his streak up to
56 games. |
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