BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 3
A SUBWAY SERIES DISAPPEARS ...
The Sox explode for another big inning
to stomp the Yankees

September 9, 1948 ... The Red Sox continued to have a big inning in every game recently and today they scored eight runs in the third inning, overcoming a three run deficit, to flatten the New York Yankees, 9 to 4, for their ninth consecutive win. The victory left them 3 1/2 games ahead in the battle for the American League.

The eight runs in the third inning turned the tables on the Yankees for the seventh consecutive time at Fenway Park this season. It eased the way for Ellis Kinder, the Sox sturdy right-hander, who pitched one of his best games of the year.

Once more the Red Sox spotted New York three runs before they went to work on Bob Porterfield, who was brought up from Newark last month. It wasn't Kinder's fault that the Sox entered the last half of the third inning three runs down. Errors had provided the visitors with two runs, but Ellis stayed in there despite some sloppy support. He hung on during a trying sixth inning when the Yankees filled the bases with none out and wound up the game by retiring the last nine batters in order.

The first Red Sox gift came in the opening inning. Tommy Henrich hit a high drive to center that Dom DiMaggio misjudged. At first he broke toward the plate and then had to go back for the ball, getting it in his glove for a second before it popped out for a triple. Kinder struck out Hank Bauer and it looked like he was out of the inning when Joe DiMaggio rolled one down to Johnny Pesky at third. Pesky, however, hurried the throw and it went into the dirt in front of Billy Goodman, who was able to grab it on the bounce, but too late to nail DiMaggio, with Henrich scoring.

In the second inning, Billy Hitchcock fumbled a ground ball from Bobby Brown, who scored on Gus Niarhos' line drive into the corner in right for a triple. The Yanks scored again in the third when Henrich singled to right on a three and two pitch. He raced to third on Joe DiMaggio's single to center and when Yogi Berra flew out to Williams, Henrich scored.

The Red Sox had been put down for two innings by Porterfield and now were down 3 to 0. Porterfield retired Hitchcock on a pop out and then lost his control and started handing the game back to the Sox. He passed Kinder and then Dom on four pitches. He then walked Pesky after going down 3 and 2. The bases were loaded for Ted, who sent a sizzling grounder just out of Henrich's reach, into right field for a single, that brought home two runs. Porterfield then threw a fat pitch to Vern Stephens who drilled a single to left that scored Pesky with the tying run.

Now Porterfield had a face the veteran Wally Moses, who blasted a fastball into left-center field for a double that scored Williams and sent Stephens over to third. Yankees manager Bucky Harris decided he had seen enough of Porterfield and inserted Tommy Byrne, who didn't want any part of the Red Sox. He walked Billy Goodman to load the bases and then pitched three balls to Birdie Tebbetts. That was enough for Harris to bring in Ed Lopat, one of his ace starting pitchers. Lopat completed the pass to Tebbetts as Stephens walked over the plate with the fourth run. But that wasn't all because Billy Hitchcock busted a single to center to score Moses and Goodman. After Kinder sacrificed him to second, Lopat gave Dom an intentional walk and then uncorked a wild pitch that scored Tebbetts. Pesky ended the fireworks by hitting an easy ground ball to Stirnweiss and the Sox were up 8 to 3.

Kinder was having an excellent afternoon. He got into one jam in the sixth inning when Brown opened by rolling one to Hitchcock who threw low to Goodman at first. A clean single to center by Phil Rizzuto moved Brown over to second. Then Niarhos surprised everyone by bunting and beating it out to load the bases with nobody out. Kinder didn't get rattled however and fanned Lopat on a sharp breaking curve. That brought up Stirnweiss and Kinder broke off another curve. Stirnweiss tried to check his swing but wasn't quick enough because the ball hit the bat and lined back to the mound. Kinder grabbed the ball just before it hit the ground and fired to Pesky at third for a doubleplay.

The Sox got another run in the sixth when Pesky doubled down the left-field line and Williams hit a hot grass cutter toward Rizzuto at short. Phil was stationed toward second base and was only able to knock the ball down, as it rolled away from him. Pesky was waived around third toward home and Rizzuto recovered, firing the ball to the plate, but not in time to beat Johnny, who beat the throw with a fadeaway slide. The Yankees picked up their last run in the seventh to make the final score 9 to 4.

Bobby Doerr aggravated the torn ligament in his left thigh when he was used as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and rolled into a doubleplay. As he started toward first, Bobby felt it snap again. He stopped and didn't run to first and now will be on the bench for an undetermined amount of time. Fortunately however, Billy Hitchcock has done a great job as his stand in. He has 15 hits in 35 times at bat, for a .429 average, since coming in to replace Doerr.

The Cleveland Indians kept pace with the Red Sox by defeating the Detroit Tigers 3 to 2 in 13 innings. Eddie Robinson lined a single to center with two aboard, for the walkoff victory. It was the Indians third consecutive win and kept them 4 1/2 games behind the Red Sox and one game behind the Yankees.