RUFFING RECOVERS FROM ROUGH 1ST TO RETIRE FINAL 25 BATTERS
Yanks Post Snowman in 7th to Secure Comeback ‘W’
NEW YORK, May 1 (AP) – Red Ruffing shook off a difficult first inning and retired the final 25 batters he faced, leading the New York Yankees past the Cleveland Indians 9-2 at Yankee Stadium. Cleveland starter Allie Reynolds shut New York out for the first five innings but surrendered a run in the sixth and then completely imploded in the seventh in absorbing the defeat.
Making his first start of the year, Ruffing was nicked for a pair of runs in the opening frame. George Case led off with a single and, one out later, Hank Edwards’ base hit put runners on first and second. Les Fleming then doubled to right, scoring Case and advancing Edwards to third. Ken Keltner’s fly to center brought home Edwards to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.
The Yankees finally cut that margin in half in the sixth. Joe DiMaggio led off with a base hit and advanced to second one out later when Harry Etten walked. Another free pass, this one to Joe Gordon, filled the bases, and Bill Dickey’s long fly to center scored DiMaggio before Ruffing ended the inning by grounding back to Reynolds.
Reynolds had walked five batters through six innings, but his control disappeared completely in the seventh. With one out, Snuffy Stirnweiss and Tommy Henrich drew back-to-back free passes, and DiMaggio’s infield single loaded the sacks. Charlie Kellerthen bounced a single through the box, scoring Stirnweiss and Henrich to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead, with DiMaggio moving to third. Etten drew the third base on balls of the frame to reload the bases, and Reynolds was replaced on the mound by Don Black. It didn’t matter. Black immediately walked Joe Gordon, upping New York’s lead to 4-2. Bill Dickey’s roller was booted by second baseman Ray Mack, allowing another run to score. Ruffing then broke the game open with a two-run double to right-center. The Yankees now led 7-2, with runners on second and third and still only one out. Phil Rizzuto made it 9-2 by lining a base hit to left-center. Black finally wriggled out of the inning, but the damage had been done. Eight New York runs had scored, and the Yankees now led 9-2.
Ruffing, after walking Lou Boudreau and Frankie Hayes in the top of the first, had left the bases loaded when he retired Mack to end the inning. No Cleveland hitter reached base again. Ruffing methodically mowed down the Indians, and set a season-to-date record in the process, setting down 25 consecutive batters. The previous high had been 18, by Joe Beggs of the Cincinnati Reds on April 21 against Pittsburgh.
5/1/1946, Cle46-NYA46, Yankee Stadium
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
1946 Indians 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 4 3 0
1946 Yankees 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 x 9 7 0 12 0
Indians AB R H BI AVG Yankees AB R H BI AVG
Case lf 4 1 1 0 .229 Rizzuto ss 5 0 2 2 .219
Lemon cf 4 0 0 0 .167 Stirnweiss 3b 3 1 0 0 .404
Edwards,H rf 4 1 1 0 .308 Henrich rf 3 1 1 0 .271
Fleming,L 1b 4 0 1 1 .275 DiMaggio,J cf 5 2 2 0 .317
Keltner 3b 4 0 0 1 .262 Keller lf 5 1 1 2 .200
Boudreau ss 2 0 0 0 .405 Etten 1b 2 1 0 0 .246
Hayes,F c 2 0 0 0 .138 Gordon,J 2b 2 1 0 1 .226
Black p 0 0 0 0 .000 Dickey,B c 4 1 0 2 .162
Mack 2b 3 0 0 0 .205 Ruffing p 5 1 1 2 .200
Reynolds p 2 0 0 0 .000 34 9 7 9
Hegan c 1 0 0 0 .000
30 2 3 2
Indians INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Reynolds L 0-2 6.1 4 6 6 8 4 150 82 9.35
Black 1.2 3 3 2 2 2 53 28 10.80
8.0 7 9 8 10 6 203 110
Yankees INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Ruffing W 1-0 9.0 3 2 2 2 4 114 67 2.00
9.0 3 2 2 2 4 114 67
Cle: Hegan inserted at c in the 7th
E-Fleming,L, Boudreau, Hayes,F, Mack. 2B-Fleming,L(4), Ruffing(1).
RBI-Fleming,L(6), Keltner(5), Rizzuto 2(2), Keller 2(11), Gordon,J(6),
Dickey,B 2(2), Ruffing 2(2). K-Lemon, Edwards,H, Hayes,F, Mack, Stirnweiss,
Keller, Gordon,J 2, Ruffing 2. BB-Boudreau, Hayes,F, Stirnweiss 2, Henrich 2,
Etten 3, Gordon,J 2, Dickey,B. HBP-Gordon,J. HB-Black. WP-Reynolds.
GWRBI: Keller
Temperature: 53, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 17 MPH.
Attendance: 25,249
Game Time: 2:27