Week 21 is going to get off with a bang due to a full plate of Labor Day doubleheaders, so let's Play Ball!
Monday, September 5, 1949 (Labor Day)
Boston (AL) (H) 11 Washington 3 (GM 1)
Boston second baseman Bobby Doerr hit a three run homerun in the bottom of the first but Washington fought right back and pulled to within 4-3 after the third, and then the Boston offense took over. Vern Stephens hadn't hit a homerun in over three weeks but he belted two (#41, 135) in and the Red Sox ran away with game one. Mel Parnell (20-7) finally got his twentieth win.
Boston (AL) (H) 3 Washington 2 (GM 2)
Washington first baseman Eddie Robinson hit his second and third doubles of the day in game two and the Senators were able to stay close but Bobby Doerr hit his second homerun of the day (#16, 96) in the bottom of the eighth and Boston won again. Ellis Kinder (22-3) picked up the win in relief.
Chicago (AL) 5 Cleveland (H) 1 (GM 1)
Chicago left fielder Gus Zernial hit a two run homerun in the top of the sixth to give the White Sox a 3-1 lead and they never looked back. Randy Gumpert (12-11) got the win over Al Benton (9-4).
Cleveland (H) 9 Chicago (AL) 5 (GM 2)
Chicago led 5-3 after the sixth but then the Cleveland offense awoke and scored four runs in the seventh, the big hit being a two-run double by Bob Kennedy. Bob Lemon (19-9) continued his string of good pitching outings.
Detroit (H) 4 St. Louis (AL) 3 (GM 1)
St. Louis left fielder Paul Lehner hit the first pitch of the game for a homerun to give the Browns a quick lead, but Detroit came back with three (unearned) runs in the first and held on for the game one win. Fred Hutchinson (5-9) went all the way for the win.
Detroit (H) 7 St. Louis (AL) 5 (GM 2)
Detroit starter Art Houtteman (13-7) gave up thirteen hits in game two but got the outs when he needed them and held off St. Louis for a doubleheader sweep. Second baseman Neil Barry went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for the Tigers.
New York (AL) 8 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 3 (GM 1)
New York scored early and often to lead 8-1 after the fourth and Vic Raschi (17-10) took it home from there. Lead-off hitter Phil Rizzuto went 3-for-5 and scored two runs to get the offense moving.
New York (AL) 6 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 2 (GM 2)
New York scored three times in the third to take a 3-1 lead and then added insurance runs late to complete a doubleheader sweep in Philadelphia. Tommy Byrne (12-7) only gave up four hits and went all the way for the win.
Brooklyn (H) 1 Boston (NL) 0 (12) (GM 1)
Warren Spahn (21-6) and Joe Hatten (9-9) slugged it out from the pitcher's mound for twelve innings, with Hatten getting the win when Gil Hodges singled to lead off the bottom of the twelfth, Roy Campanella then placed a perfect hit-and-run single to put runners on the corners. Duke Snider then came to plate to face his worst enemy - any left-handed pitcher - but immediately lined a single to left and the Dodgers had their game one win.
Brooklyn (H) 9 Boston (NL) 3 (GM 2)
Boston finally scored a run in the sixth inning of game two but by then Brooklyn was already up 6-0 and was able to cruise to an easy win in game two. Carl Furillo and Duke Snider both had two RBI's to get the Dodgers off to a fast start and Preacher Roe (15-7) got the win in this one.
Cincinnati 7 Chicago (NL) (H) 6 (GM 1)
Cincinnati scored twice in the top of the first, but the Cubs answered with a four-run third, only to see the Reds answer back with a four-run fourth. The Cubs scored one in the fifth to keep it close, and then tied it in the eighth. Undaunted, Ted Kluszewski singled in the ninth, advanced to second on an infield out, and then scored on a Virgil Stallcup single to put Cincinnati ahead to stay for a game one win.
Chicago (NL) (H) 5 Cincinnati 2 (GM 2)
Chicago got off to an early lead and Johnny Schmitz (13-11) went all the way for the win and the doubleheader split. Mickey Owen hit a two run homerun in the bottom of the eighth to give the Cubs a little cushion before heading into the ninth.
Philadelphia (NL) 2 New York (NL) (H) 1 (GM 1)
Philadelphia starter Ken Heintzelman (13-10) pitched a two-hitter and the only run he allowed come home on a four-base error when Richie Ashburn misplayed a Bill Rigney line drive to center field. Granny Hamner hit two doubles, the first to drive in a run, and the second to put him in position to score the Phillies second run.
Philadelphia (AL) 4 New York (NL) (H) 1 (GM 2)
Like in game one New York got their only run in the sixth inning, this one courtesy of a Bobby Thomson homerun, but Philadelphia starter Russ Meyer (13-6) threw a four-hitter to shut down New York and help the Phillies sweep the doubleheader. Richie Ashburn knocked a two-run double in the eighth to give Meyer a little cushion heading into the ninth.
St. Louis (NL) (H) 12 Pittsburgh 2 (GM 1)
At the completion of the second inning Enos Slaughter had a three run homerun (#14, 101) and a two-run triple and St. Louis led 9-0. Slaughter added a second homerun later in the game for his sixth RBI of the game and George Munger (12-12) kept Pittsburgh off the scoreboard until the seventh and picked up the game one win.
St. Louis (NL) (H) 7 Pittsburgh 6 (GM 2)
Ralph Kiner hit a two run homerun in both the fifth and seventh innings (#45, 134), but Stan Musial hit a two run homerun in both the six and seventh innings (#35, 120) to keep St. Louis in the game. Tommy Glaviano singled home Enos Slaughter in the eighth with the eventual game-winner and the Cardinals had their doubleheader sweep. George Munger (13-12) got his second win of the day for one inning of relief.
Note: Munger actually did start and relieve on this date. The second win was just fortuitous.
Tuesday, September 6, 1949
Brooklyn (H) 7 Boston (NL) 0
Brooklyn starter Don Newcombe (18-6) threw a three-hitter and shutout Boston in front of the home fans. Duke Snider went 2-for-5 with a two-run homerun (#14, 87) and Carl Furillo had a 5-for-5 day with two doubles and two RBI's to spark the offense.
Note: Before the game, the Brooklyn front office announced that third baseman Billy Cox would likely miss the remainder of the season due to an undisclosed injury. The position will be covered by Spider Jorgensen and Eddie Miksis in his absence.
New York (NL) (H) 4 Philadelphia (NL) 1 (GM 1)
 |
| Larry Jansen |
Philadelphia is playing their third doubleheader in three days and they looked little tired today as Larry Jansen (13-12) struck out thirteen Phillies in the win. Hank Thompson hit a two run homerun in the first and New York never looked back. The Phillies only run came on a pinch-hit homerun by infielder Buddy Blattner in the eighth.
New York (NL) (H) 12 Philadelphia (NL) 4 (GM 2)
Bobby Thomson hit a three run homerun (#28, 108) in the first to spark a four-run inning and then when Willard Marshall hit a three run homerun in the second the rout was on. Marshall added a second homerun in the eighth and Sheldon Jones (17-5) picked up the game two win in a laugher.
Pittsburgh (H) 10 Cincinnati 9 (13)
Cincinnati lead 7-0 after the top of the fourth and appeared to be cruising to an easy win, but Pittsburgh managed to cut the lead to 7-6 by the end of the seventh. The Reds added an insurance run in the ninth but Eddie Bockman hit a two run homerun for the Pirates in the bottom of the ninth and it was off to extra innings. Both teams scored in the tenth and then after two scoreless frames, Jack Phillips drove home Ralph Kiner with the game-winner in the bottom of the thirteenth.
Wednesday, September 7, 1949
Chicago (AL) (H) 21 St. Louis (AL) 3
An absolutely brutal game for St. Louis. The Browns committed six errors that led to eleven unearned and Browns pitchers walked eleven Chicago batters. Johnny Ostrowski had the big bat with a 3-for-5 day with two doubles and five RBI's. Bill Wight (14-10) got the win in a laugher.
Boston (AL) 7 New York (AL) (H) 1
The tension is always high when the Red Sox and the Yankees play, even when one team has a 17.5 game lead over the other and today was no different. Ted Williams hit a two-run double in a four-run Boston third and the Red Sox were off and running. Williams added a solo homerun (#48, 159) in the fifth and Jack Kramer (11-5) went all the way for the win. Boston's winning streak has now reached nine games and while New York is technically not eliminated yet, it probably won’t be much longer. Yogi Berra was back behind the plate for the Yankees for the first time in a month.
Boston (NL) 7 Brooklyn (H) 5
Boston super-utility player Sibby Sisti has been playing shortstop for most of the past two weeks whole Al Dark was laid up and Sisti likely had the game of his life today. Sisti hit a grand slam in the third inning to get the Braves an early lead, Sisti's second grand slam in four days. Sisti added an RBI single in the fifth and Boston was cruising towards an easy win. Brooklyn had other ideas and scored four times in the seventh and tied the score with one in the eighth. In the top of the ninth Sisti doubled home two more runs, giving him seven RBI's on a 4-for-5 day.
Pittsburgh (H) 8 Cincinnati 1
Ralph Kiner had two homeruns in game two on Monday and then two more again today (#47, 139) as Pittsburgh walloped Cincinnati. Dino Restelli got things started with a two run homerun in the first, his fourteenth in 66 games, and then Kiner took over. Cliff Chambers (8-8) got the win.
St. Louis (NL) (H) 10 Chicago (NL) 4
St. Louis pounded Chicago once again, this time behind the offensive outburst of right fielder Ron Northey who went 3-for-4 with two homeruns on the day. Howie Pollet (15-8) got the win.
Thursday, September 8, 1949
St. Louis (AL) 2 Chicago (AL) (H) 1
In a pitcher's duel, it was Chicago who scored first when second baseman Cass Michaels hit a solo homerun (#12, 83) in the bottom of the sixth. Bob Kuzava (5-9), making his first appearance in two weeks, didn't allow a St. Louis hit until the seventh, but got into trouble in the eighth and the Browns scored two runs, both on sacrifice flies. Ned Garver (10-15) went all the way for the win.
Detroit (H) 5 Cleveland 1 (GM 1)
Detroit jumped on Cleveland starter Early Wynn (6-8) for four runs in the fourth and Hal Newhouser (18-9) did the rest. Don Kolloway went 3-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a double to spark the offense.
Cleveland 11 Detroit (H) 5 (GM 2) (12)
Cleveland scored four times in the first and led 5-0 after the top of the fourth, but Detroit put up a four-spot in the fourth and then tied the game with an Aaron Robinson homerun in the eighth. The Cleveland bullpen was a little thin so Bob Feller (13-8) was allowed to stay in all the way and after the Indians had scored three times in the twelfth Feller added to the run scoring with a three run homerun.
Philadelphia (AL) (H) 7 Washington 2 (GM 1)
Washington starter Jim Pearce (0-1) made his major league debut and acquitted himself well, having only allowed two runs (one unearned) when he was pulled in the sixth. Unfortunately, the Senators bullpen then poured gasoline on the fire and Philadelphia ended up with a six-run sixth and Alex Kellner (14-9) had what he needed for a game one win. A's third baseman Hank Majeski was back on the field for the first time in over a month.
Washington 14 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 5 (GM 2)
Washington exploded for seven runs in the second inning and cruised to a game two win and a doubleheader split. Dick Weik (2-9) went all the way for the win and went 2-for-5 with two RBI's to help his own cause.
Note: ATMgr had Ray Scarborough as the starting pitcher for Washington but Baseball-Reference.com shows Weik.
Philadelphia (NL) 6 Boston (NL) (H) 4
Boston led 2-1 after the fifth, but Philadelphia tied it in the sixth and in the seventh inning second baseman Mike Goliat hit an unexpected two run homerun to put the Phillies ahead. Dick Sisler added a two run homerun in the eighth and Russ Meyer (14-6) cruised to the win.
New York (NL) 10 Brooklyn (H) 7
New York scored seven times in the second and led 8-0 through the sixth inning, but Brooklyn rallied with two in the seventh and then five in the eighth to make it close. Willard Marshall hit a two run homerun in the ninth, his third of the week, to give the Giants some cushion. Second baseman Hank Thompson went 5-for-5 with a double and a homerun to lead the Giants offense.
Cincinnati 6 Pittsburgh (H) 2
Cincinnati fell behind 2-1 after the fourth but kept up the pressure and came back to win easily. Herm Wehmeier (6-13) had a poor beginning but a strong finish to pick up the win.
St. Louis (NL) (H) 3 Chicago (NL) 2
St. Louis right fielder Ron Northey hit his third homerun in two days against Chicago and Harry Brecheen (20-5) finally got his twentieth win of the season. Bob Rush (6-15) pitched a good game but the Cubs are now 1-16 versus the Cardinals this year, meaning they have five more matches to go.
Friday, September 9, 1949
Boston (AL) 20 New York (AL) (H) 5
Boston already led 5-1 when they scored ten times in the fifth off three different pitchers, including scoring five of those runs when they were walked home. Vern Stephens and Bobby Doerr both scored four runs and Al Zarilla drove in six runs on the day as Ellis Kinder (23-3) picked up another win.
Philadelphia (AL) (H) 4 Washington 2
Philadelphia starter Bobby Shantz (8-3) went all the way to get the win at home versus Washington. Left fielder Elmer Valo went 3-for-4 and scored two runs to lead the offense and Shantz went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
Cleveland 5 St. Louis (AL) (H) 4
Cleveland starter Mike Garcia (14-8) had a bad fourth inning as St. Louis scored four times to take a 4-1 lead, but Garcia bucked down from there and the Indians came back to rally for the win. Shortstop Ray Boone hit a three-run double in the fifth to tie the score and Bob Kennedy, playing third base today, drove in the other two runs.
Brooklyn (H) 13 New York (NL) 4
Brooklyn scored in each of the first five innings, building up an 11-1 lead. Carl Furillo hit a three run homerun (#16, 74) and Roy Campanella added a two-run shot (#16, 66) to lead the offense, making way for Preacher Roe (16-7) to claim the victory.
St. Louis (NL) 4 Cincinnati (H) 3
St. Louis third baseman Tommy Glaviano hit a three run homerun in the top of the fourth and the Cardinals continued their march toward the NL pennant. Al Brazle (14-6) bested Johnny Vander Meer (6-13) as Vander Meer made the one crucial mistake that turned the game in the St. Louis way.
Pittsburgh (H) 16 Chicago (NL) 4
Pittsburgh led 7-1 through the sixth inning but added seven more runs in the eighth to thoroughly pound the visitors. Tom Saffell and Pete Castiglione both had three RBI's and lead-off hitter Stan Rojek went 5-for-6 and scored four runs.
Saturday, September 10, 1949
 |
| Fred Hutchinson |
Note: Boston (AL) has three games in Philadelphia his weekend, second place Cleveland has two in St. Louis, and Boston's magic number is down to four. Boston is on (another) ten-game winning streak, so if not this weekend, it won't be too much longer either way.
Detroit 11 Chicago (AL) (H) 1 (No-Hitter)
Detroit starter Fred Hutchinson (6-9) no-hit Chicago despite allowing a run to score. Hutchinson did walk four, including Luke Appling in the bottom of the fourth. Appling advanced to third on an error by shortstop Eddie Lake and then scored on an infield out by Johnny Ostrowski. Detroit was ahead 7-1 at that point, with four of those runs coming home on the bat of Vic Wertz who tripled home two in the first and two more on a homerun (#19, 106) in the fourth.
New York (AL) (H) 3 Washington 1 (GM 1)
New York has played the fewest games of all the teams to this point but they have doubleheaders at home against Washington today and tomorrow to start to rectify that. New York built an early lead and Vic Raschi (18-10) kept Washington off the scoreboard until the eighth and the Yankees had a game one win. Joe DiMaggio hit a homerun (#18, 61) in the eighth to give Raschi a little breathing room heading into the ninth.
New York (AL) (H) 5 Washington 1 (GM 2)
New York starter Tommy Byrne (13-7) walked eight but only allowed three hits and the Yankees swept the doubleheader. Byrne went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored to help his own cause.
Boston (AL) 7 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 1
Boston scored five times in the fourth to blow the game open and Mel Parnell (21-7) went all the way for the victory. Parnell not only went 3-for-5 on the day but also had the big hit in the fourth when he singled up the middle to drive home two and then Sam Chapman kicked it and allowed a third run to score.
Cleveland 6 St. Louis (AL) (H) 5 (10)
St. Louis first baseman Jack Graham cracked homeruns in his first three at-bats (#28, 80) but hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the ninth, allowing the game to go in extra innings. The Browns led most of the game but Cleveland scored once in the eighth to get close, once in the ninth to tie it, and then once in the tenth to capture the win.
Boston (NL) (H) 8 Philadelphia (NL) 3
Philadelphia led 2-1 after the second, but then Warren Spahn (22-6) buckled down and the Boston offense came alive to win in a walkover. Rookie first baseman Ray Sanders went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI's to key the offense.
New York (NL) 7 Brooklyn (H) 4
New York led 1-0 through the fifth inning but then jumped on Don Newcombe (18-7) for three runs in the sixth. Bobby Thomson had the big hit, a two-run homerun (#29, 110) in the sixth, but Bill Rigney's three run homerun (#9, 67) in the eighth was what truly secured the win for Monty Kennedy (15-6).
Cincinnati (H) 5 St. Louis (NL) 1
Cincinnati starter Howie Fox (10-12) threw a four-hitter and the Reds beat St. Louis for the fourth time this season. Jimmy Bloodworth hit a two run homerun in the fourth to give Fox a lead he would not relinquish.
Chicago (NL) 7 Pittsburgh (H) 1
Chicago starter Dutch Leonard (7-16) didn't allow a run until the ninth inning (unearned) as the Cubs continue to attempt to climb out of the NL cellar. It was a close game until Smoky Burgess hit a two-run pinch-hit homerun in the seventh and give Leonard some breathing room.
Sunday, September 11, 1949
This past week has been a curious mix of off days and mid-week doubleheaders as teams are starting to finish up their home/road series against opponents. Today is a doubleheader Sunday of course, with four doubleheaders in the docket.
Chicago (AL) (H) 3 Detroit 1
Chicago catcher Don Wheeler came through with a two-out two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to put the White Sox ahead to stay and Bill Wight (15-10) did the rest. Virgil Trucks (13-17) only had the one bad inning, but that was enough.
New York (AL) (H) 9 Washington 0 (GM 1)
New York starter Allie Reynolds (11-12) got the complete game shutout at home against Washington as both teams took advantage of the blowout to clear the benches. Second baseman Jerry Coleman had three crucial RBI's to get the Yankees offense started and Joe Collins made his first start of the season at first and came through with a 3-for-4 day that included two runs and two RBI's.
New York (AL) (H) 9 Washington 8 (GM 2)
Washington scored four times in the third to take a 5-0 lead, but the Yankees answered back with three runs in the third, fifth, and sixth innings to overcome some shaky pitching and earn a doubleheader sweep. Spec Shea (2-2), just recalled from Newark, got the win in relief and Joe Page pitched two shutdown innings to get the Save (18).
Note: Where was this New York team all year? Or was it just a case of playing Washington? Regardless, despite sweeping two doubleheaders at home against the Senators the Yankees have already been eliminated from pennant contention in the AL.
Philadelphia (AL) (H) 9 Boston (AL) 6 (GM 1)
Boston led 6-2 through five full innings and appeared to be cruising, but then Philadelphia got into the Red Sox bullpen and scored six times in the sixth and held on for the game one win. Catcher Mike Guerra had a two-run double in the sixth inning that charged the comeback and allowed Joe Coleman (16-9) to get the game one win. Vern Stephens hit a two run homerun (#42, 143) as part of Boston's early charge.
Boston (AL) 12 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 6 (10) (GM 2)
Boston led 3-0 early, only to see Philadelphia storm back and take a 5-3 lead after the fifth. The Red Sox scored once in the eighth to make it close, and then took the lead with two in the top of the ninth. Mel Parnell (22-7) was given the chance to pick up the save, but blew it, only to see Boston explode for six runs in the tenth and end up with a gift win. Vern Stephens had the big hit in the tenth, a two-run single that blew the game open. Ted Williams went 3-for-5 and drove in four runs with a double and a homerun (#49, 164).
Cleveland 6 St. Louis (AL) (H) 4
This game went back and forth until Bob Kennedy, playing third base today, hit a three run homerun and the Indians held on for the win. Satchel Paige (4-3) picked up the win in relief.
Note: ATMgr has Johnny Berardino starting at shortstop for Cleveland but Baseball-Reference.com shows Ray Boone.
Philadelphia (NL) 3 Boston (NL) (H) 1 (GM 1)
Philadelphia right fielder Bill Nicholson hit a three run homerun in the sixth and the Phillies has what they needed for a game one win. Ken Heintzelman (14-10) got the win with Curt Simmons coming in to pick up the save.
Philadelphia (NL) 7 Boston (NL) (H) 5 (GM 2)
 |
| Jack Banta |
Game two was a back and forth affair that Philadelphia finally took control when third baseman Willie Jones hit a two run double in the seventh to give the Phillies the lead for good. Jones has been pretty quiet during most of the second half of the season but his 2-for-4 day with a double, a homerun, and three RBI's was the spark the Phillies were looking for to earn the doubleheader sweep in Boston.
Brooklyn (H) 1 New York (NL) 0 (No-Hitter!)
Brooklyn starter Jack Banta threw a no-hitter against crosstown rivals New York, the fifth no-hitter of the season and the second of the week. Jackie Robinson drove in the only run in the sixth inning and Banta, who only walked three, took over from there. Sheldon Jones (17-6) only gave up four hits and was the unlucky loser.
St. Louis (NL) 5 Cincinnati (H) 4 (GM 1)
Cincinnati first baseman Ted Kluszewski hit a three run homerun (#13, 61) in the third and then added another RBI in the fifth and the Reds had a 4-0 lead that lasted through the sixth. Then St. Louis began their slow but inevitable comeback, scoring three times in the seventh and then twice in the eighth to take the lead. Ted Wilks (7-2) got the win in relief.
St. Louis (NL) 7 Cincinnati (H) 4 (GM 2)
Once again Cincinnati took an early lead and once again St. Louis came back for the win. The Reds scored three in the first off Howie Pollet (16-8), but that was about all they would get today. Stan Musial homered (#36, 126) in the third to regain the lead for the Cardinals and Pollet did the rest.
Cincinnati knew that St. Louis had pounded every Reds pitcher they saw but maybe they thought they should pitch someone they hadn't seen before, so Harry Perkowski (0-1) was brought up from Syracuse for some end of season work with the big club and got the start today.
Pittsburgh (H) 5 Chicago (NL) 4 (12)
An exciting game to end the week as both teams know they have an off day tomorrow and both benches and bullpens were pretty much emptied in this one. Ralph Kiner got the scoring started with a solo homerun (#48, 142) in the fourth, but Hank Sauer got the Cubs a 4-3 lead with a two-run homerun (#29, 85) in the top of the eighth. Pittsburgh tied it back up and then it was off to extra innings. Both teams had runners thrown out at home during the extra frames, but then first baseman Johnny Hopp hit a walk-off homerun to give the Pirates the win.
Comments
Post a Comment