PASSEAU SHINES ON MOUND, AT PLATE
Cubs Rout Reds in Season Opener
CINCINNATI, April 16 (AP) – Claude Passeau starred on the mound and at the plate, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 10-1 rout over the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field in the season opener for both clubs. Passeau tossed a complete game four-hitter, allowing a single unearned run, while striking out six. He also homered twice and drove in four runs, as part of an 18-hit Cubs attack. Every member of Chicago’s starting lineup had at least one hit in the game and eight of the nine managed two safeties.
The Cubs blew the game open early, and Reds starter Joe Beggs was unable to complete the third inning.
After a scoreless first, Chicago seized control with three second inning runs. Andy Pafko and Marv Rickert opened the inning by drawing consecutive free passes from Beggs and, one out later, Lennie Merullo doubled, scoring Pafko with the game’s first run and leaving runners on second and third. After Passeau flied to shallow center, Stan Hack’s two-out two-bagger drove home both baserunners to give the Cubs a three-run advantage.
Any hopes of a comeback were effectively doused in the top of the third. Singles off the bats of Phil Cavaretta and Pafko left runners on first and second with no outs. Rickert’s base hit down the left field line brought Cavaretta home and put runners on the corners. Mickey Livington then grounded a single to left, scoring the game’s fifth run and leaving runners on first and second. Merullo flied to left for the first out, but Passeau delivered the coup de grace with a home run just inside the left field foul pole, making it 8-0. After Hack walked, Beggs was replaced by Ewell Blackwell, who avoided further damage, but the contest was all but over.
In the fourth, Livingston’s double scored Pafko, who has led off with a single, increasing Chicago’s lead to 9-0.
Cincinnati finally got on the board in the seventh. Grady Hatton reached on first baseman Cavaretta’s error and ultimately scored on Al Libke’s double.
Seemingly annoyed, the Cubs got the run back in the eighth when Passeau hit his second long ball of the game, this one off reliever Harry Gumbert, capping the scoring.
If anything, the nine-run margin of victory didn’t do Chicago’s dominance justice. The Cubs stranded 16 baserunners in the game. In addition to the 18 hits allowed, Reds pitchers issued 10 walks in the contest. Passeau, meanwhile, allowed only five Cincinnati batters to reach base safely.
4/16/1946, ChN46-Cin46, Crosley Field
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
1946 Cubs 0 3 5 1 0 0 0 1 0 10 18 2 16 0
1946 Reds 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 6 2
Cubs AB R H BI AVG Reds AB R H BI AVG
Hack 3b 3 0 2 2 .667 Clay cf 3 0 0 0 .000
Sturgeon ss 0 0 0 0 .000 Frey 2b 4 0 0 0 .000
Johnson,D 2b 6 0 2 0 .333 Hatton 3b 4 0 1 0 .250
Lowrey lf 4 0 2 0 .500 Miller,E ss 4 1 1 0 .250
Cavarretta 1b 5 1 2 0 .400 Haas 1b 4 0 0 0 .000
Pafko cf 4 3 3 0 .750 Libke rf 4 0 1 1 .250
Rickert rf 5 2 2 1 .400 Lukon lf 4 0 1 0 .250
Livingston c 5 1 2 2 .400 Mueller c 3 0 0 0 .000
Merullo ss 6 1 1 1 .167 Beggs p 0 0 0 0 .000
Ostrowski 3b 0 0 0 0 .000 Blackwell p 1 0 0 0 .000
Passeau p 5 2 2 4 .400 Lamanno ph 1 0 0 0 .000
43 10 18 10 Gumbert p 1 0 0 0 .000
33 1 4 1
Cubs INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Passeau W 1-0 9.0 4 1 0 1 6 148 98 0.00
9.0 4 1 0 1 6 148 98
Reds INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Beggs L 0-1 2.1 9 8 8 3 0 66 37 30.86
Blackwell 3.2 4 1 1 5 1 76 39 2.45
Gumbert 3.0 5 1 1 2 3 55 31 3.00
9.0 18 10 10 10 4 197 107
ChN: Sturgeon inserted at ss in the 9th
Ostrowski inserted at 3b in the 9th
Cin: Lamanno batted for Blackwell in the 6th
E-Cavarretta, Ostrowski. 2B-Hack(1), Livingston(1), Merullo(1), Libke(1).
HR-Passeau 2(2). RBI-Hack 2(2), Rickert(1), Livingston 2(2), Merullo(1),
Passeau 4(4), Libke(1). K-Johnson,D, Rickert 2, Merullo, Clay 2, Frey,
Miller,E, Haas, Mueller. BB-Hack 3, Lowrey 2, Cavarretta, Pafko 2, Rickert,
Livingston, Clay. WP-Blackwell.
GWRBI: Merullo
Temperature: 78, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 11 MPH.
Attendance: 32,894
Game Time: 2:33