PESKY AMASSES 7 HITS, YORK HITS SLAM & FOR CYCLE

5-Run 16th Gives BoSox 4th Straight ‘W’

 

PHILADELPHIA, July 5 (AP) – Johnny Pesky set a new major league season high with seven hits in a game and Rudy York hit for the cycle, including his second grand slam in the span of a week, as the Boston Red Sox won their fourth consecutive game on the strength of a five-run top of the 16th inning, defeating the Philadelphia Athletics 12-7 at Shibe Park.  On a scorching hot day, the two teams slogged their way through a four hour and 51 minute marathon, 45 minutes longer than the next most extenuated game of the major league season.  Few of the 8,744 that had been in attendance made it to the final out.

 

The Red Sox overcame a 7-1 deficit after five innings, drawing to within one run in the seventh on York’s slam and finally tying the contest in the top of the eighth.  Both teams had numerous chances to break the tie before Boston blew the game open in the 16th, as evidenced by the combined 39 runners left on base.  The clubs combined for 45 hits, a new single game high in the majors this season, and for 20 bases on balls. 

 

For all the offensive fireworks, it was the Red Sox bullpen that emerged as the collective unsung hero of the contest; Bill Butland, Earl Johnson, Bob Klinger and Mike Ryba combined to toss 11 2/3 scoreless innings.

 

Pesky finished the game 7-for-9, with a double, six singles and three runs scored.  York became the first big leaguer this season to hit for the cycle when he tripled during Boston’s 16-inning rally.  He finished 4-for-7, with three runs scored, seven runs batted in and a pair of walks.  Rip Russell finished with four hits, including three doubles, and drove in a pair of runs.  Ted Williams reached base safely six times in nine plate appearances, including a pair of hits, including a solo home run in the second, four walks and three runs scored.

 

Jack Wallasea of the A’s finished with three hits, including a three-run home run, and five RBIs.  Sam Chapman and Pete Suder both added four hits for Philadelphia, with Chapman socking his 17th home run of the season in the bottom of the first, a two-run shot.  Williams countered with a solo homer in the top of the second and the A’s led 2-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

 

Wallaea’s three-run homer in the fourth gave Philadelphia a 5-1 lead, and his two-run double in the fifth put the A’s ahead 7-1.

 

The Boston comeback began in the sixth, with Russell’s RBI double and really gained traction in the seventh.  Pesky led off with a single and back-to-back walks to Dom DiMaggio and Wiliams loaded the bases, bringing York to the plate.  He wasted no time, driving an opposite field home run off the light station in right field for a grand slam.  It had been only six days since York cracked a third inning slam off Walt Masterson of the Washington Senators.  DiMaggio’s double in the eighth scored Pesky, who had singled, to tie the game at seven.  The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out, but Russell bounced into a double play to end the inning.

 

The A’s got the potential winning run to third with one out in the 11th, but Wallasea flied to shallow center and Jesse Flores struck out.  The Red Sox had runners on second and third and one out in the 13th.  Hal Wagner was walked intentionally to load the bases and Pinky Higgins hit into a twin killing to end the inning.  In the top of the 14th, Klinger singled and was sacrificed to second by Leon Culberson.  Pesky followed with a single to center, but Barney McCoskey gunned Klinger down at the plate.

 

Finally, in the top of the 16th, the Red Sox broke through.  George Metkovich pinch hit for Klinger leading off and singled.  Culberson sacrificed Metkovich to second and Pesky rapped out his seventh hit of the game, singling to right, with Metkovich holding at third.  With the infield playing in double play depth up the middle and the corners in, DiMaggio grounded to Wallasea at short, who kicked the potential double play ball for his third error of the contest.  Metkovich scored, finally breaking the deadlock that had stood since the eighth inning.  Williams then reached on an infield single, loading the bases and York ripped a triple into the right field corner, clearing the bases and putting Boston top by four runs.  Russell followed with his third two-bagger of the contest, scoring York, with Russell thrown out at third.  The Red Sox took a 12-7 lead into the bottom of the 16th

 

Ryba came on and pitched around a single and a walk to close out the game.

 

The Red Sox have won 14 of their last 17 games and have beaten the A’s in nine of 10 head-to-head contests thus far this year.

 

 

7/5/1946, BoA46-PhA46, Shibe Park (A)

 

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12

1946 Red Sox           0  1  0  0  0  1  4  1  0  0  0  0

1946 Athletics         2  0  0  3  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0

 

                      13 14 15 16     R  H  E   LOB DP

1946 Red Sox           0  0  0  5    12 25  0    22  4

1946 Athletics         0  0  0  0     7 20  4    17  3

 

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

Culberson         rf  8  0  2  0  .288    Valo              rf  5  0  2  0  .336

Pesky             ss  9  3  7  0  .350    McCosky,B         cf  5  0  2  0  .313

DiMaggio,D        cf  8  2  1  2  .206    McQuinn           1b  4  1  0  0  .239

Williams,T        lf  5  3  2  1  .311     Hall             ph  1  0  0  0  .195

 Ryba             p   0  0  0  0  .000    Chapman,S         lf  8  1  4  2  .323

York              1b  7  3  4  7  .324    Rosar             c   8  1  2  0  .280

Russell,R         3b  8  0  4  2  .247    Majeski,H         3b  5  2  2  0  .219

Wagner,H          c   6  0  2  0  .225     Handley,G        ph  2  0  1  0  .254

Carey             2b  4  0  0  0  .000    Suder             2b  8  1  4  0  .302

 Higgins,P        ph  4  0  1  0  .247    Wallaesa          ss  7  1  3  5  .214

Dobson            p   2  0  0  0  .071    Fowler            p   4  0  0  0  .140

 Butland          p   2  0  0  0  .000     Christopher      p   0  0  0  0  .091

 Johnson,E        p   2  0  0  0  .091     Armstrong        ph  1  0  0  0  .000

 Klinger          p   1  0  1  0  .222     Flores           p   2  0  0  0  .364

 Metkovich        ph  1  1  1  0  .253     Griffeth         p   0  0  0  0  .000

                     67 12 25 12           Stainback        ph  1  0  0  0  .237

                                                               61  7 20  7

 

Red Sox                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Dobson                           4.1 11  7  7  2  2  93  57  3.67

Butland                          2.1  3  0  0  2  2  47  31 10.57

Johnson,E                        4.2  5  0  0  2  4  81  46  4.70

Klinger          W 2-0           3.2  0  0  0  2  0  47  26  1.63

Ryba                             1.0  1  0  0  1  0  21  13  6.75

                                16.0 20  7  7  9  8 289 173

 

Athletics                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Fowler                           7.1 12  7  7  5  5 153  91  2.68

Christopher                      2.2  2  0  0  1  1  33  22  3.95

Flores           L 1-5           5.2 11  5  4  5  2 108  59  2.32

Griffeth                         0.1  0  0  0  0  0   5   2  4.50

                                16.0 25 12 11 11  8 299 174

 

BoA: Higgins,P batted for Carey in the 9th

     Russell,R moved to 2b in the 9th

     Higgins,P moved to 3b in the 9th

     Metkovich batted for Klinger in the 16th

     Metkovich moved to lf in the 16th

PhA: Armstrong batted for Christopher in the 10th

     Handley,G batted for Majeski,H in the 11th

     Handley,G moved to 3b in the 12th

     Hall batted for McQuinn in the 12th

     Hall moved to 2b in the 13th

     Suder moved to 1b in the 13th

     Stainback batted for Griffeth in the 16th

 

E-Valo, Wallaesa 3. 2B-Pesky(22), DiMaggio,D(8), York(18), Russell,R 3(5),

Wallaesa(2). 3B-York(3). HR-Williams,T(20), York(9), Chapman,S(17),

Wallaesa(4). RBI-DiMaggio,D 2(29), Williams,T(55), York 7(56),

Russell,R 2(12), Chapman,S 2(54), Wallaesa 5(13). CS-Valo. K-Culberson 2,

DiMaggio,D, York 2, Russell,R, Carey 2, McCosky,B, McQuinn, Chapman,S,

Majeski,H, Suder, Fowler, Armstrong, Flores. BB-DiMaggio,D, Williams,T 4,

York 2, Wagner,H 3, Higgins,P, Valo 3, McCosky,B 2, McQuinn 2, Wallaesa,

Hall. SH-Culberson 2, Russell,R, McCosky,B, Handley,G. HBP-Metkovich.

HB-Griffeth. WP-Butland, Ryba.

GWRBI: DiMaggio,D

Temperature: 104, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: left to right at 7 MPH.

Attendance: 8,744

Game Time: 4:51