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MEL PARNELL, JOE DOBSON
& JACK KRAMER |
BOSTON RED SOX
...
THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A
SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
Joe Dobson
wins a clutch game in Philly
September 3, 1948 ... Joe
Dobson kept the Red Sox on top of the American League with a great
pressure pitching job, shutting out the Philadelphia Athletics, 2 to
0, at Shibe Park. In winning his 15th game of the year, Dobson threw
a four hitter, but needed to be perfect. The Yankees had taken a
doubleheader to move into a practical tie for first place. Joe
DiMaggio went on a batting rampage, blasting three home runs and
driving in seven to lead the Yanks to a 6 to 2 and 5 to 2 triumph
over the Washington Senators. A setback would put the Red Sox back in
second place. In order to get the win, Dobson had battle, Carl
Scheib, the brilliant young pitcher of the A's, who permitted only six hits. The
first Sox run was unearned, but Birdie Tebbetts hit a home run in the
eighth-inning to justify the Red Sox victory.
That first run came in the first inning when Dom DiMaggio opened the game by
beating out a bunt down the third-base line. He moved to second as Johnny Pesky
grounded out and Ted Williams followed with a strikeout. Vern Stephens came up
next and hit a ground ball down to shortstop, Heinie Majeski for what should've
been the third out. DiMaggio, going from second to third tried to distract
Majeski from getting the ground ball cleanly. Majeski picked it up in for a
second and hesitated before he threw to first. It was a good choice, but his
throw went into right field, allowing DiMaggio to score easily.
Dobson spent the next few innings trying to defend that vital run. In the
fifth inning, with the Philly fans whistling and howling, Dobson got himself
into trouble. It was a tremendous performance in keeping the Athletics from
scoring. Majeski grounded a single into right field to start and then Sam
Chapman bounced on double off the scoreboard in right-center. Because there was
none out, Majeski was held up at third. Elmer Valo came to the plate next and
swung at the first pitch which rolled a bit to the right of the mound. Dobson
leaped over and grabbed the ball, tossing out Valo as the runners held their
base. Buddy Rosar was intentionally passed to load up the bases and Dobson got
into a hole by throwing two balls to the next batter Pete Suder. Suder missed
the next two pitches and the count went up to three and two. The payoff pitch
resulted in a pop out to Vern Stephens. Up came Scheib next, a good hitter for
pitcher, so Dobson had a pitch with care. Once more he got to a three and two
count on the batter and after fouling off one pitch, Scheib hit an easy line
drive out to DiMaggio for the final out.
After tha,t the A's got only one hit, a fluke double by Buddy Rosar with two
outs in the seventh. It bounced off Stephens' mitt into short center for two
bases. Dobson retired the next seven men in order to preserve his slim lead and
keep the Sox in first place. It was his fifth shutout of the year. |
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