WILLIAMS LEADS BOSOX TO DH SWEEP OF A’S

Reaches Base 9 Times, Extends On-Base Streak to 12 PAs

PHILADELPHIA, July 4 (AP) – Ted Williams reached base safely in nine of 10 plate appearances on the day, extending a streak to a major league season high 12 consecutive plate appearances reaching base safely over two days and three games, to lead the Boston Red Sox to an Independence Day doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park. Boo Ferriss tossed a complete game in the opener, picking up his big league high 13^th victory of the season, as the Red Sox won the opener 8-2. Bill Zuber walked nine batters in the nightcap, in just six innings of work, but held the A’s to only ne run as Boston completed the sweep with an 8-4 victory.

The Red Sox have now won nine of their last 10 games and 13 of their last 16, immediately following a stretch where they dropped eight of nine contests. Boston is now in first place in the American League, currently three games ahead of second place Detroit.

Williams was five-for-six in the doubleheader, with two doubles, a triple and four walks. He scored three runs and drove in three more. In his last 10 games, Williams is batting .389 with seven extra base hits, including three home runs, 13 runs scored, 11 RBIs and 13 walks.

Boston never trailed in either half of the twin bill. The Red Sox plated two runs in the first inning of the opener on Johnny Pesky’s run-scoring single and Williams’ RBI double, then seized firm control with a three-run sixth, featuring a two-run double from Pinky Higgins and Ferriss’ run-scoring fly to center. Williams tripled home a run in a three-run seventh, which also included RBIs off the bats of Rudy York and Higgins.

In the nightcap, Williams led off the second inning with a double and scored on Boby Doerr’s base hit to give Boston a 1-0 lead. The Red Sox sent 12 men to the plate in a four-run fourth. Williams led off with a walk and later scored on York’s single. Rip Russell applied the coup de grace with a three-run homer. Wiliams singled home another run in the top of the fifth, putting Boston on top 6-0, and later walked in the seventh. Leon Culberson had a two-run single in the eighth, which was the inning that finally saw the end of Williams’ streak when he lined to center to the third out.

Williams’ streak of reaching base safely surpassed the previous mark of 11 set by Tommy Holmes of the Boston Braves back in late May. The Williams streak started on July 3. The Red Sox left fielder drew a walk in the sixth, and belted a game-tying one-out solo home run in the top of the ninth off Bill Bevens of the New York Yankees. Williams then drew a free pass in Boston’s three-run top of the tenth that saw the Red Sox eventually win, 5-2. Williams had reached base safely three straight times entering the July 4 twin bill, then proceeded to reach base safely all five times in the opener and four more times in the second game, before finally failing to reach base in his final plate appearance of the day.

7/4/1946, BoA46-PhA46, game 1, Shibe Park (A)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP

1946 Red Sox 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 8 8 1 7 2

1946 Athletics 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 8 1 5 0

Red Sox AB R H BI AVG Athletics AB R H BI AVG

Culberson rf 3 1 0 0 .286 Valo rf 4 0 1 0 .339

Pesky ss 4 2 1 1 .339 McCosky,B cf 4 0 1 1 .309

Williams,T lf 3 1 3 2 .305 McQuinn 1b 4 1 1 0 .243

Doerr 2b 3 0 0 0 .214 Chapman,S lf 4 0 2 1 .314

York 1b 5 1 1 1 .320 Rosar c 3 0 0 0 .286

DiMaggio,D cf 4 2 0 0 .209 Harris,L p 0 0 0 0 .000

Higgins,P 3b 4 1 3 3 .247 Konopka ph 1 0 1 0 .200

Partee c 4 0 0 0 .278 Majeski,H 3b 3 0 0 0 .200

Ferriss p 4 0 0 1 .324 Stainback ph 1 0 0 0 .242

34 8 8 8 Hall ss 4 0 1 0 .196

Suder 2b 3 1 1 0 .294

Marchildon p 2 0 0 0 .100

Armstrong c 1 0 0 0 .000

34 2 8 2

Red Sox INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA

Ferriss W 13-5 9.0 8 2 2 0 4 126 78 2.91

9.0 8 2 2 0 4 126 78

Athletics INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA

Marchildon L 4-7 7.0 8 8 7 7 2 129 65 3.39

Harris,L 2.0 0 0 0 1 1 18 11 3.60

9.0 8 8 7 8 3 147 76

PhA: Armstrong inserted at c in the 8th

Konopka batted for Harris,L in the 9th

Stainback batted for Majeski,H in the 9th

E-Doerr, Marchildon. 2B-Williams,T(8), Higgins,P(3), Suder(14).

3B-Williams,T(6), McQuinn(7). RBI-Pesky(37), Williams,T 2(53), York(48),

Higgins,P 3(21), Ferriss(3), McCosky,B(19), Chapman,S(51). CS-Doerr.

K-Culberson, Partee, Ferriss, McCosky,B, Chapman,S, Marchildon, Armstrong.

BB-Culberson 2, Pesky, Williams,T 2, Doerr 2, DiMaggio,D. WP-Marchildon.

GWRBI: Pesky

Temperature: 87, Sky: clear, Wind: in from right at 9 MPH.

Attendance: N/A

Game Time: 2:06

7/4/1946, BoA46-PhA46, game 2, Shibe Park (A)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP

1946 Red Sox 0 1 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 8 9 0 8 1

1946 Athletics 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 4 7 3 11 1

Red Sox AB R H BI AVG Athletics AB R H BI AVG

Culberson rf 5 0 2 2 .292 Valo rf 2 0 0 0 .333

Pesky ss 5 1 1 0 .337 Stainback ph 1 0 0 1 .239

DiMaggio,D cf 5 0 1 0 .208 McCosky,B cf 5 0 2 0 .311

Williams,T lf 3 2 2 1 .309 Konopka 1b 4 0 0 1 .158

Doerr 2b 4 1 1 1 .215 Suder ph 1 0 0 0 .292

Carey 2b 0 0 0 0 .000 Chapman,S lf 3 1 2 1 .318

York 1b 5 1 1 1 .318 Rosar c 4 0 0 0 .281

Russell,R 3b 4 2 1 3 .222 Majeski,H 3b 3 1 1 0 .206

Wagner,H c 2 1 0 0 .222 Handley,G 2b 3 0 0 0 .250

Zuber,B p 3 0 0 0 .000 Caulfield ss 2 0 0 0 .292

Johnson,E p 0 0 0 0 .111 Savage p 1 1 1 0 .250

36 8 9 8 Christopher p 1 1 0 0 .091

Wallaesa ph 2 0 1 1 .203

32 4 7 4

Red Sox INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA

Zuber,B W 2-0 6.0 3 1 1 9 3 121 60 6.88

Johnson,E S 2 3.0 4 3 3 1 1 41 25 5.54

9.0 7 4 4 10 4 162 85

Athletics INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA

Christopher L 4-5 6.0 6 6 4 2 3 102 59 4.09

Savage 3.0 3 2 2 4 0 67 34 3.48

9.0 9 8 6 6 3 169 93

BoA: Carey inserted at 2b in the 9th

PhA: Wallaesa batted for Christopher in the 6th

Wallaesa moved to ss in the 7th

Stainback batted for Valo in the 8th

Stainback moved to rf in the 9th

Suder batted for Konopka in the 9th

E-Caulfield 2, Christopher. 2B-Pesky(21), Williams,T(9), McCosky,B(15),

Savage(1). 3B-Chapman,S(3). HR-Russell,R(2), Chapman,S(16).

RBI-Culberson 2(10), Williams,T(54), Doerr(52), York(49), Russell,R 3(10),

Konopka(2), Chapman,S(52), Wallaesa(8), Stainback(5). SB-Pesky(4).

CS-Caulfield. K-DiMaggio,D, Doerr, Zuber,B, Konopka 2, Caulfield, Wallaesa.

BB-Williams,T 2, Doerr, Russell,R, Wagner,H 2, Valo 2, Chapman,S 2, Rosar,

Majeski,H 2, Handley,G, Caulfield, Christopher. SH-Johnson,E.

GWRBI: Doerr

Temperature: 87, Sky: clear, Wind: in from right at 9 MPH.

Attendance: 16,632

Game Time: 2:36