Monday, May 30, 1949
Memorial Day
Boston (AL) (H) 10 Philadelphia (AL) 4 (GM 1)
Eddie Joost led off the game with a homerun and the Athletics came out of the box hitting, adding two doubles and a triple to their three-run first inning explosion. Boston starter Joe Dobson (2-3) made some adjustments, held the A's bats quiet thereafter, and waited for his teammates to respond which they did in short order. Vern Stephens added two homeruns (#13, #14) on a 4-for-5 game and Ted Williams had three RBI's as he went 3-for-4 and the Red Sox punished a series of Philadelphia pitchers to come back for the win.
Boston (AL) (H) 8 Philadelphia (AL) 3 (GM 2)
The Boston offense continued to pound Philadelphia pitching, with Vern Stephens hitting homerun #15 and pitcher Mel Parnell (8-1) chipping in with a 2-for-3 day with a run and an RBI. First baseman Billy Goodman had three RBI's on the day, including two in the eighth that put the game out of reach.
Chicago (AL) (H) 2 Detroit 1 (GM 1)
Detroit and Chicago both started the day with identical 18-19 records and both are hoping for better than a split in today's doubleheader. Center fielder Jerry Scala led off the White Sox first with a homerun as Chicago scored a run in each of the first two innings and Max Surkont (2-1) and Clyde Shoun made that lead stand up. Johnny Groth led off the top of the ninth with a triple, but Shoun got three outs and left Groth standing on third.
Detroit 2 Chicago (AL) (H) 1 (GM 2)
Another 2-1 game, but this time Hal Newhouser (6-3) and the Tigers came out on top over Bill Wight (5-1) and the White Sox. Both pitchers were on their game today, with their being only nine hits coming out of this one.
St. Louis (AL) 8 Cleveland (H) 5 (GM 1)
Cleveland scored two unearned runs in the first, but Gene Bearden (2-5) had control problems and St. Louis exploited this and responded with eight runs. Starter Ned Garver (4-4) had two run-scoring singles to key the Browns comeback. The Indians did respond when reliever Mike Garcia drove home three unearned runs with a double in the sixth, but Garver set them down from there.
Cleveland (H) 4 St. Louis (AL) 0 (GM 2)
After having finished the previous game Mike Garcia (4-2) just stayed on the mound and shutout the Browns, limiting St. Louis to four hits in the game. Cleveland had lost four in a row and was happy to get one back in the win column.
New York (AL) 2 Washington (H) 1 (GM 1)
Washington starter Walt Masterson (3-2) gave up seven hits and eight walks but only two runs. Meanwhile, Yankees start Tommy Byrne (3-3) only allowed one run as he limited his own well-documented control issues to only one bad inning and came away with the win.
Washington (H) 5 New York (AL) 4 (12) (GM 2)
Third baseman Eddie Yost led off the Washington first with a double and then Sherry Robertson and Bud Stewart hit back-to-back homeruns to give the Senators a quick 3-0 lead. By the end of the third the Yankees had knotted the score at 3-3, and there the score stood until the twelfth inning. Yogi Berra hit a homerun to give the Yankees a lead, but in the bottom of the inning Allie Reynolds (3-4) loaded the bases and gave way to Joe Page. Shortstop Sam Dente drove Page’s first pitch into the gap and drove home two, giving Sid Hudson (3-4) and Washington a split in the doubleheader.
Brooklyn 8 New York (NL) (H) 6 (GM 1)
Brooklyn scored four times in the second, but couldn’t hold the lead as the Giants did what they do best - wait for a walk and a homerun, and by the end of the fourth the score was 4-4. Giants starter Monty Kennedy (4-4) hit the first of those homeruns, a two-run shot to "deep center field." Knowing the configuration of the Polo Grounds, that must have been quite a shot. The Dodgers recaptured the lead shortly thereafter and held on to take game one of the doubleheader.
Brooklyn 8 New York (NL) (H) 2 (GM 2)
Jackie Robinson hit his second homerun of the day and Brooklyn pounded the Giants and claimed a doubleheader sweep over their crosstown rivals. Ralph Branca (6-2) didn’t allow a run until the seventh and went all the way for the win.
Philadelphia (NL) (H) 2 Boston (NL) 1 (10) (GM 1)
The score was tied at 1-1 after the third and there it stood until Stan Lopata doubled home Del Ennis with the game-winner in the bottom of the tenth. Ken Heintzelman (3-3) got the win over Bill Voiselle (3-3).
Boston (NL) 16 Philadelphia (NL) (H) 1 (GM 2)
Boston was leading 4-1 after the fifth, but then went on an offensive explosion once they got into the Phillies bullpen. Marv Rickert had a 2-for-6 day with five RBI's, all in support of Johnny Antonelli (1-2) who went all the way for the win. All three of Antonelli's starts have come in the second game of doubleheaders, Boston's way of breaking in the nineteen-year-old.
Chicago (NL) 11 Pittsburgh (H) 3 (GM 1)
Andy Pafko hit homerun #12 and Ralph Kiner hit homerun #14, but the big hit was the Hal Jeffcoat three-run homerun in the Cubs five-run seventh that put the game out of reach. Bob Rush (2-3) welcomed the run support as he went all the way for the easy win.
Chicago (NL) 5 Pittsburgh (H) 3 (GM 2)
Chicago opened the top of the first with four unearned runs and the Cubs were hopeful for a doubleheader sweep in Pittsburgh. Starter Cal McLish retired the first ten Pittsburgh batters he faced, but then he gave up two singles and a three-run homerun to Wally Westlake and just like that, the Pirates were back in it. The Cubs added one more unearned run in the fifth, and then Chicago bullpen took over and shut down the home team for the remainder of the game and Chicago had their sweep.
Note: Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish - you can look it up.
St. Louis (NL) (H) 6 Cincinnati 5 (GM 1)
Cincinnati went ahead early, then St. Louis led, then the Red, and then third baseman Eddie Kazak hit a two run homerun in the fifth to put the Cardinals ahead 5-4. Gerry Staley then gave up a game-tying homerun to second baseman Jimmy Bloodworth and it was off the extra innings. The Cardinals didn’t waste any time as Kazak singled and then scored on a two-out double from Enos Slaughter.
St. Louis (NL) (H) 7 Cincinnati 0 (GM 2)
The St. Louis express continues on with a doubleheader sweep of Cincinnati. Howie Pollet (4-2) went all the way for the shutout as he held the Reds to only five hits in the game.
Tuesday, May 31, 1949
It's a travel day as the AL eastern teams take the train westward and the NL western teams move eastward. Since they are home already, the NL eastern teams will continue their current series', so there are two games today and then back to a full schedule tomorrow.
New York (NL) (H) 10 Brooklyn 8
Brooklyn scored twice in the first and four times in the second and led 7-2 after the fourth, but then their bullpen imploded. The Giants scored three in the sixth thanks to a Johnny Mize homerun, and then soon after recaptured the lead with four runs in the eighth. Left fielder Whitey Lockman hadn't hit a homerun all season but had two today to get off the schneid.
Philadelphia (NL) (H) 5 Boston (NL) 4
The game was scoreless until the fifth when Boston scored four times and then Philadelphia answered with three of their own. The Phillies tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth, and then took the lead in the eighth when a passed ball allowed Eddie Miller to come in from third with the eventual game-winner. Jim Konstanty (2-1) pitched three innings in relief and got the win for the Phillies.
Wednesday, June 1, 1949
May is over, the Memorial Day doubleheader extravaganza is over, and a long travel day is completed, so now it is time for all teams to play some baseball
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| Bill Nicholson |
Note: Boston (AL) announced the second baseman Bobby Doerr will miss the next two weeks due to leg injuries. Similarly, Philadelphia (NL) announced the right fielder Bill Nicholson will likely miss the next two weeks as well.
New York (AL) 9 Chicago (AL) (H) 3
New York and Chicago swapped leads back and forth, the score eventually being 3-3 at the end of the seventh. Then the Yankees got into the White Sox bullpen and exploded for a five-run eighth and Vic Raschi (5-5) cruised home for the win.
Cleveland (H) 6 Boston (AL) 3
Cleveland jumped off to an early lead and led 5-0 after the fourth and Bob Feller (4-1) took care of business from there. Feller also went 3-for-4 with a run, an RBI, and a double to help his own cause.
Philadelphia (AL) 6 Detroit (H) 2
With Philadelphia's recent doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, the Athletics were knocked from fourth place down to sixth place in one fell sweep. With this win over Detroit, and with Chicago's loss, Philadelphia was back in sole possession of fourth place. Joe Coleman (3-5) has had a rough year but pitched well today, not allowing a run until the eighth inning. Sam Chapman, the Athletics version of an RBI machine, had three RBI's on the day to take his season total to 42.
St. Louis (AL) (H) 3 Washington 0
In the battle of #7 versus #8, it was St. Louis that jumped to a 3-0 lead after the second inning, thanks in part to a two-run homerun by first baseman Jack Graham (#10). Red Embree (2-6) held the Senators to five hits and shutout the visitors.
Boston (NL) (H) 8 Pittsburgh 3
Boston went ahead early, but Pittsburgh fought their way back into it, tying the score at 3-3 at the completion of the sixth. However, with Boston now facing the bullpen of the Pirates, the Braves exploded for five runs in the seventh and picking up a win for Vern Bickford (6-4).
St. Louis (NL) 6 Brooklyn (H) 3
Brooklyn scored two in the first, but quickly squandered the lead and St. Louis tied it up at 2-2 after the fourth. In the fifth, the Cardinals scored a run to take the lead, got a couple of runners on base, made a couple of outs, so I paused to ponder bringing in a reliever. There were already two outs, so I decided to leave the starter in against a weaker hitter and boom, a three-run homerun and the Dodgers woes continued. Al Brazle (4-2) got the win as Marty Marion's three-run homerun put the Cardinals well ahead to stay.
New York (NL) (H) 8 Chicago (NL) 2
New York scored twice in the fourth and then blew it open with a four-run fifth, supporting reliever Andy Hansen (2-0) in his first start of the season. Willard Marshall and Sid Gordon both came through with three RBI's on timely hitting.
Philadelphia (NL) 9 Cincinnati (H) 0
Philadelphia starter Hank Borowy (4-3) held Philadelphia to one hit as the Reds cruised to an easy win over the Reds. Third baseman Willie Jones had four RBI's and a homerun and Del Ennis contributed two late RBI's that put the game out of reach.
Thursday, June 2, 1949
Chicago (AL) (H) 9 New York (AL) 4
Center fielder Cliff Mapes hit a three run homerun in the second and Eddie Lopat appeared to have this one well in hand. Reliever Joe Page had a bad day though as he walked five of the eight batters he faced and the White Sox rallied for six runs in the eighth to win coming from behind fashion. Left fielder Bud Souchock drove in four runs for Chicago, including a three-run double in the critical eighth inning.
Boston (AL) 8 Cleveland (H) 2
Cleveland starter Bob Lemon (3-3) made his first appearance in almost three weeks and was rudely greeted by a Ted Williams three-run homerun (#11) before he could record an out. Lemon settled down from there, but the Red Sox piled it on at the end as Vern Stephens added a late two-run homerun (#16) to give Ellis Kinder (7-1) a little bigger cushion.
Detroit (H) 11 Philadelphia (AL) 2
Philadelphia scored twice in the second, but that was all Ted Gray (4-5) gave up today as the Tigers roared back to take an easy win. George Kell went 3-for-3 to keep his average at .421, plus he drove in three runs. Second baseman Don Kolloway, acquired from Chicago a month ago, had a 4-for-5 day, scored four runs, and upped his average to .337.
St. Louis (AL) (H) 6 Washington 4
First baseman Jack Graham hit a two-run homerun (#11) in a three-run first to get St. Louis a quick lead, although Washington soon responded with a three-run third. Both teams then scored single runs, and then the Browns scored two in the fifth to take the lead for good. Bill Kennedy (2-1) and Cliff Fannin combined for five innings of scoreless relief for St. Louis.
Boston (NL) (H) 6 Pittsburgh 5 (10)
With a two-run lead and two outs in the sixth Boston starter Warren Spahn pitched around Ralph Kiner only to give up three-run homerun to Wally Westlake and suddenly Pittsburgh was back in the game. The Pirates added one more, but in the bottom of the ninth Kiner kicked one in the outfield and allowed two runs to score, sending the game in extra innings. Pittsburgh scored one in the top of the tenth, but the Pirates bullpen collapsed in the bottom half and the Braves pulled out the win.
St. Louis (NL) 3 Brooklyn (H) 1
Third baseman Eddie Miksis hit a solo homerun in the third to get Brooklyn an early 1-0 lead, but in the top of the fourth Pee Wee Reese's second error of the game opened the door for St. Louis to take the lead. Red Schoendienst added a solo shot in the eighth to give Harry Brecheen (9-0) a little breathing room and the Brooklyn fans left the game scratching their heads at their run bad luck.
New York (NL) (H) 3 Chicago (NL) 1
New York scored a run in each of the first two innings and Sheldon Jones (8-2) didn't allow a run until the sixth inning and picked up the win. Chicago starter Dutch Leonard (1-5) allowed only three runs in seven innings of work and deserved a better fate.
Philadelphia (NL) (H) 5 Cincinnati 3
Cincinnati scored three runs in the top of the first, but by the end of the fifth Philadelphia had slowly but surely recovered and tied the score at 3-3. In the seventh, the Phillies shortstop Granny Hamner singled to start the inning and then after two outs catcher Andy Seminick singled to center and after the Reds stopped throwing the ball all over the park two runs had scored and Philadelphia had the lead. Schoolboy Rowe (2-0) entered the game in the first in long relief and held Cincinnati to only two hits the rest of the way.
Friday, June 3, 1949
New York (AL) 3 Chicago (AL) (H) 2
The score was 2-1 after the first and there it stood until Chicago first baseman Gordon Goldsberry hit his first homerun of the year in the fifth to tie the score at 2-2. The Yankees recaptured the lead in the ninth when Yogi Berra singled home Jack Phillips, and then the Yankees held on for the win by throwing a runner out at home in the bottom of the ninth and then picking another runner off third to escape with the one-run lead intact.
Boston (AL) 9 Cleveland (H) 3
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| Lou Stringer |
The Red Sox express rolled on, taking their second of three from Cleveland. The hitting star was backup second baseman, Lou Stringer, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a homerun, scored twice and drove in three. Joe Dobson (3-3) went all the way for the win, not allowing a run after the third inning.
Philadelphia (AL) 5 Detroit (H) 2 (19)
At the end of the sixth, the score was tied at 2-2. At the end of the eighteenth, the score was tied at 2-2. Philadelphia finally broke through with three in the top of the nineteenth, all runs having been unearned due to a Don Kolloway bobble at second base. The inning also featured Kolloway and right fielder Vic Wertz colliding in short right field, getting hurt, and allowing the final two runs to score.
Washington 4 St. Louis (AL) (H) 0
Washington starter Paul Calvert (3-5) held St. Louis to only five hits and went all the way for the shutout victory. The Senators only had five hits as well but took advantage of some timely hitting and a Brown's error to score their runs.
St. Louis (NL) 10 Brooklyn (H) 0
St. Louis extended their winning streak to seven as they completed a three-game sweep in Brooklyn. Gerry Staley (2-0) limited the Dodgers to only three hits as the Cardinals blew open a close game with a six-run eighth, scoring runs off of three different Brooklyn pitchers.
New York (NL) (H) 7 Chicago (NL) 4
Aided and abetted by some sloppy Chicago fielding New York scored four runs in the third inning, but the Cubs rallied back and tied the score at 4-4 after the seventh, aided and abetted by some sloppy New York fielding along the way. The Cubs then committed two more errors in the eighth which led to the three more runs for the Giants and Dave Koslo (1-0) held on to pick up the win in relief.
Philadelphia NL) (H) 2 Cincinnati 0 (GM 1)
Philadelphia starter Robin Roberts (4-3) held Cincinnati to two hits today and went all the way for the shutout victory. Reds starter Eddie Erautt (1-3) was the hard-luck loser in this one. Reds outfielder Hank Sauer made a pinch-hit appearance, his first appearance in a week or so. Sauer had gotten off to a tremendously hot start (nine homeruns in the first two weeks of the season), but had grown cold recently and had lost his job to younger (and nimbler) players.
Cincinnati 7 Philadelphia (NL) (H) 4 (17) (GM 2)
After a slow start the teams went back and forth in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, and then with the score tied at 4-4, it was extra innings in game two. After eight scoreless innings, the Reds got on the scoreboard with three in the seventeenth. Frank Fanovich (2-0) pitched five scoreless innings in relief and got the win.
Saturday, June 4, 1949
Washington 3 Chicago (AL) (H) 1
Chicago pushed across a run in the second, but Washington answered back with three in the fifth, and that was all the scoring in this one. Eddie Yost poked a two-run double in the fifth to be the big hit the Senators were looking for. Walt Masterson (4-2) outdueled Bill Wight (5-2) for the win in this one.
Cleveland (H) 2 Philadelphia (AL) 1
Philadelphia only had four hits in the game. Starting pitcher Dick Fowler (5-3) had the first three, including two doubles. The fourth hit was a double by Hank Majeski that drove home Ferris Fain that scored the first run of the game. Fowler got two outs in the ninth before Mickey Vernon tripled home Joe Gordon with the tying run, and then Mike Hegan blooped single to give the Indians the come-from-behind win.
Boston (AL) 4 Detroit (H) 3 (10)
Detroit scored two unearned runs in the first, but by the end of the fifth Boston had regained the lead, 3-2. The Red Sox couldn’t add to that lead though and Vic Wertz tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a long homerun. Ted Williams put Boston back in front with homerun #12 and in what turned out to be his final ML appearance Dave Ferriss (1-0) got the win by keeping the Tigers off the board.
New York (AL) 6 St. Louis (AL) (H) 3
St. Louis out-hit New York 12-8 and out-homered New York 2-0, but the Yankees bunched their hits and made them count to get the win. Tommy Byrne (4-3) got the win with the help of three crucial double plays behind him, plus Byrne got three hits on the day and scored two runs.
Boston (NL) (H) 2 St. Louis (NL) 1
St. Louis scored a run in the first to get things started, but that was the only run Johnny Sain (5-4) would allow today. The only question was whether the Braves would score any, and they finally did when Al Dark drove home two runs with a single in the sixth inning. Howie Pollet (4-3) was the hard-luck loser in this one.
Brooklyn (H) 6 Pittsburgh 2
Brooklyn has lost four games in a row, but Pittsburgh has lost six, and both teams were looking to get healthy at the expense of the other. Pittsburgh got off to a fast start with two in the first, but Brooklyn starter Rex Barney (3-3) settled down from there, only allowing one more hit in the remaining eight innings and not allowing any more runs. The Dodgers put up a three-spot in the third, added on from there, and ended their losing streak and extended Pittsburgh's.
Cincinnati 14 New York (NL) (H) 5
Cincinnati brought their hitting shoes to New York and pounded the Giants pretty well with Jimmy Bloodworth and Ted Kluszewski both driving in four runs on the day. Reds starter Herm Wehmeier (2-2) went all the way and gave the Cincinnati bullpen a much needed day of rest.
Philadelphia (NL) (H) 6 Chicago (NL) 1
Philadelphia starter Ken Heintzelman (4-3) held the Cubs to four hits and one unearned run and cruised to an easy win. Both teams had three errors on the day, with four of the seven runs scored unearned.
Sunday, June 5, 1949
After a Memorial Day Monday that featured eight doubleheaders to start the week it is now doubleheader Sunday, with five doubleheaders to be played today, including four in the AL.
Chicago (AL) (H) 10 Washington 7 (GM 1)
Washington got off to an early lead but Chicago kept it close thanks to an outstanding 6+ inning long relief performance from Max Surkont (3-1). The White Sox then exploded for a six-run eighth and got the easy win for Surkont. Right fielder Dave Philley had a 3-for-5 day with four RBI's to spark the White Sox offense.
Washington 5 Chicago (AL) (H) 3 (GM 2)
Similar to game one, Washington scored first and the Chicago regained the lead. Sid Hudson (4-4) kept the White Sox in control though and this time it was the Senators who responded late with a come from behind victory to split the doubleheader.
Cleveland (H) 4 Philadelphia (AL) 2 (10) (GM 1)
Eddie Joost led off the game with a homerun and Philadelphia starter Bill McCahan didn’t allow a Cleveland run until the seventh and the Athletics took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Mickey Vernon tripled and scored on a single by Jim Hegan to tie the score, although Hegan was then thrown out trying to score on a pinch-hit double by Johnny Berardino, so off to extra innings it was. Joe Gordon knocked a two run homerun in the bottom of the tenth and Cleveland had their come-from-behind game one victory.
Philadelphia (AL) 4 Cleveland (H) 0 (GM 2)
Philadelphia scored early again but there would be no Cleveland comeback this time as Carl Scheib (3-3) held the Indians to two hits and went all the way for the shutout. Cleveland rested several of their veteran players in game two.
Detroit (H) 2 Boston (AL) 1 (GM 1)
Detroit took the lead with a run in the fifth, and Virgil Trucks (5-6) kept Boston off the scoreboard until the eighth when it was his own error that got the Red Sox on the scoreboard. Johnny Groth singled home Neil Berry in the bottom of the ninth, spoiling a fine outing by Boston's Joe Dobson (3-4).
Boston (AL) 5 Detroit (H) 4 (11) (GM 2)
Detroit led 4-2 after the fifth and had a chance to sweep the doubleheader, but the Red Sox tied the game with two in the eighth and the game went into extra innings from there. In the eleventh Birdie Tebbetts singled home Al Zarilla to put Boston ahead and Chuck Stobbs (3-0) took home the win.
New York (AL) 22 St. Louis (AL) (H) 2 (GM 1)
New York didn’t score any runs in the second and fifth inning and scored two or more runs in the other innings as they pasted St. Louis in game one. Vic Raschi (6-5) didn’t allow a run until the eighth inning and got the easy win. Tommy Henrich hit two homeruns (14) and drove in four runs, and Yogi Berra and Hank Bauer also drove in four runs.
St. Louis (AL) (H) 9 New York (AL) 2 (GM 2)
St. Louis got a modicum of revenge for their game one pounding by doing some pounding of their own and earning a split in the doubleheader. Catcher Sherm Lollar hit a three run homerun in the fifth that blew the game open for the Browns, and Al Papai (2-3) didn’t allow a run until the eighth and got the win.
Note: So no change in the AL standings as all four AL doubleheaders result in a split.
Boston (NL) (H) 7 St. Louis (NL) 6
St. Louis led 4-1 after the seventh, but Boston then scored three times in the eighth to make it close. The Cardinals added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, but in the bottom of the ninth Stan Musial booted two balls in right field and all of a sudden the Braves had the lead and the win.
Brooklyn (H) 13 Pittsburgh 4
Brooklyn scored five times in the first and seemed to have things well in hand, but then Pittsburgh catcher Clyde McCullough hit a grand slam in the fourth inning to make it close. This time the Dodgers offense took care of business, knocking around a series of Pirates pitchers to get a win for Ralph Branca (7-2).
Note: Ralph Kiner had another error, giving him ten errors for the season. He actually had seven errors in 1949.
Cincinnati 10 New York (NL) (H) 5
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| Hank Edwards |
Cincinnati knocked Larry Jansen (5-4) out of the box as they built up an early 5-0 lead. The Reds added five more in the sixth, allowing Johnny Vander Meer (4-3) to cruise home for the easy win.
Chicago (NL) 14 Philadelphia (NL) (H) 4 (GM 1)
Chicago got off to a fast start with four in the first and then they knocked out Hank Borowy (4-4) when they scored five times in the second. The Cubs also had a five-run fifth, allowing Johnny Schmitz (5-4) to pick up the complete game victory. The hitting star was right fielder Hank Edwards who went 3-for-5 for the day with a double, a homerun, and eight RBI's.
Philadelphia (NL (H) 17 Chicago (NL) 7 (GM 2)
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| Willie Jones |
Hank Edwards drove in two more runs, giving him ten for the day, as the Cubs moved off to a quick 5-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth Phillies third baseman Willie Jones hit a three run homerun to make it close, and then Jones added a grand slam in the fifth to put the Phillies ahead. If that wasn't enough, Jones added another three-run homerun in the eighth, giving him ten RBI's for the day.
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