FELLER OUTDUELS GROVE COURTESY OF 2 EDWARDS DINGERS
Starters Combine to K 26
CLEVELAND, July 7 (AP) – Hank Edwards belted a three-run game-winning homer in the bottom of the 14th inning, turning around a 2-1 deficit and making a winner of Bob Feller, as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-2 in the first game of a doubleheader at Municipal Stadium. The White Sox rebounded behind Eddie Lopat’s complete game effort in the nightcap, earning a split with a 5-1 victory.
In the opener, Feller worked the full 14 innings—the longest stint in the major leagues thus far this season—fanning 14 batters while allowing just six hits and three walks. But the Indians still found themselves trailing entering the bottom of the 14th. Chicago starter Orval Grove matched Feller throughout, fanning 12 batters and allowing six hits and four walks, in 13-plus innings. But the bottom of the 14th was his undoing.
Edwards, who entered the game with just one home run, popped two, and drove in all four of Cleveland’s runs. He opened the scoring with a solo blast off of Grove in the bottom of the second. Edwards was the only batter on either team to advance past first base until the fourth inning. Les Fleming reached on an error to open the bottom of the fourth, and, two batters later, moved to second on Lou Boudreau’s ground out. But Pat Seerey struck out to end the inning.
Feller took a no-hitter into the sixth, when he walked George Dickey to open the frame and, one out later, surrendered a base hit to Thurman Tucker, with Dickey advancing to third. The White Sox took advantage of their first safety of the contest when Luke Appling flied to center, with Dickey tagging and scoring to tie the game. Tucker was thrown out trying to steal second, ending the inning.
The Indians had a mild threat in the bottom of the seventh when Boudreau led off with a base on balls and moved to second on Seerey’s sacrifice. Ken Keltner grounded to second, with Boudreau taking third, but Frankie Hayes bounced to third to end the inning.
Chicago had a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth. Tucker and Appling smacked back-to-back singles with one out, and they advanced to second and third when Bob Kennedy rolled out to first. Taffy Wright then grounded to second to end the threat.
The best chance to score prior to the 14th came in the top of the 12th, when Appling led off with a double and took third on Kennedy’s fly to right. Feller walked Taffy Wright intentionally to put runners on the corners with one out. Cleveland brought the corners in, but positioned for a double play up the middle. Hal Trosky grounded to Keltner at third who came home to cut down Appling, leaving runners on first and second with two outs. Don Kolloway then struck out to end the inning.
Neither manager ever seemed to seriously contemplate pulling his starter, as no one ever got up in either bullpen.
The White Sox finally broke through in the top of the 14th. Tucker led off with a base hit and advanced to second on Appling’s hit-and-run grounder to first. Kennedy rolled out to second, with Tucker taking third on the play. That brought Wright to the plate and he looped a ball to shallow center. Seerey made a diving attempt, but trapped the ball, and Tucker crossed home plate with the go-ahead run, before Trosky flied to center for the third out.
When the Indians came to the plate in the bottom of the 14th, they had been shut out since the second, a span of 11 innings. But Jimmy Wasdell, making his Clevland debut after signing on July 1 as a free agent following his June 18 release by the Philadelphia Phillies, led off with a pinch-hit single hit to left. Steve Gromek ran for Wasdell and moved to second when Fleming drew a three-pitch walk. That brought Edwards to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, he drilled Grove’s offering into the grandstand in right field for a game-winning three-run homer.
Feller became just the second major league pitcher this season to strike out 14 batters in a game, with the White Sox being the victims both times. Hal Newhouser of the Detroit Tigers fanned 14 Chicago hitters in a 5-4 victory at Briggs Field on May 13.
7/7/1946, ChA46-Cle46, game 1, Cleveland Municipal Stadium
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1946 White Sox 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
1946 Indians 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 14 R H E LOB DP
1946 White Sox 0 1 2 6 2 6 1
1946 Indians 0 3 4 6 1 6 1
White Sox AB R H BI AVG Indians AB R H BI AVG
Tucker cf 6 1 3 0 .298 Case lf 6 0 1 0 .235
Appling ss 6 0 2 1 .299 Conway 2b 5 0 0 0 .220
Kennedy,Bo lf 6 0 0 0 .231 Wasdell,J ph 1 0 1 0 .304
Wright,T rf 5 0 1 1 .273 Gromek pr 0 1 0 0 .143
Trosky 1b 6 0 0 0 .260 Fleming,L 1b 5 1 1 0 .275
Kolloway 2b 5 0 0 0 .247 Edwards,H rf 5 2 2 4 .308
Wells 3b 5 0 0 0 .151 Boudreau ss 4 0 1 0 .317
Dickey,G c 4 1 0 0 .136 Seerey cf 4 0 0 0 .217
Grove p 4 0 0 0 .200 Keltner 3b 5 0 0 0 .226
47 2 6 2 Hayes,F c 4 0 0 0 .233
Feller p 5 0 0 0 .095
44 4 6 4
White Sox INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Grove L 7-5 13.0 6 4 4 4 12 188 122 3.01
13.0 6 4 4 4 12 188 122
Indians INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Feller W 13-7 14.0 6 2 2 3 14 187 117 1.88
14.0 6 2 2 3 14 187 117
Cle: Wasdell,J batted for Conway in the 14th
Gromek ran for Wasdell,J in the 14th
E-Appling, Kolloway, Boudreau. 2B-Appling(12). HR-Edwards,H 2(3).
RBI-Appling(20), Wright,T(15), Edwards,H 4(33). SB-Case(13). CS-Tucker,
Boudreau. K-Tucker 2, Wright,T, Trosky, Kolloway 4, Wells 2, Dickey,G 2,
Grove 2, Conway 2, Fleming,L 2, Seerey 3, Keltner, Hayes,F, Feller 3.
BB-Wright,T, Dickey,G, Grove, Fleming,L, Edwards,H, Boudreau, Hayes,F.
SH-Seerey.
GWRBI: Edwards,H
Temperature: 75, Sky: cloudy, Wind: left to right at 7 MPH.
Attendance: N/A
Game Time: 3:04