ON THIS DATE (July 21, 1946) ... While the Red Sox were twice sinking the Browns by scores of 5 to 0 and 7 to 4, Ted Williams was making seven excessive
hits, four of which rounded out coveted cycle of a single, a double, a triple and a home run, which was his 27th of the season in the second game. It was the first time that Ted as ever turn the cycle, made seven straight hits, or collected seven safeties in a doubleheader.
Ted flied out lazily to Walt Judnich in short center, for his first time up against Tex Shirley in the opener. He then singled off Shirley, singled off left Stan Ferens and doubled off Ellis Kinder. In the second game the Kid socked his homer into the far end of the right field grandstand
extension, to provide the first Sox run in the second inning of the nightcap. Cliff Fannin was the starter and destined to suffer his first major league loss in three starts.
In the next inning Ted tripled off the St. Louis bullpen wall, with the ball caroming off Judnich's shins to give Ted an extra base after it bounded off the barrier. Ted completed the decimation of Fannin with a run producing single into center during the four run uprising in the fifth
inning. Williams was the first batter to face lefty Sam Zolak in the seventh and he rounded out his cycle by doubling down the first base line into right field.
Ted came up again against Zolak in the eighth-inning and demonstrated that he used human after all. He looked at three straight strikes to end the inning. Still his seven for nine boosted his batting average twelve points to .365 as he regained the American League lead by eight points over
Mickey Vernon, who only went 4 for 8 in his days work. |