MINNER'S PERFORMANCE A WHOLE-BODY EFFORT
Shuts Out Reds on Mound; 3 Hits, 2 RBIs at Plate
CHICAGO, April 19 (AP) - Paul Minner did it all for the Chicago Cubs in a 5-0
whitewashing of the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. The left-hander,
making his first start of the season, shutout the Reds on just four hits,
walking none and drove in a pair of runs while going 3-for-4 at the plate.
Minner retired the first nine batters he faced before surrendering a leadoff
single to Bobby Adams to open the fourth. That was the only inning during
the contest in which Cincinnati had more than one baserunner. Adams was on
second with two outs when Ted Kluszewski singled to center field, but Andy Pafko
gunned Adams down at the plate. At the time it kept the Reds from tying
the game.
The Cubs had taken the lead in the second. Dee Fondy led off with a base
hit and advanced to second on Roy Smalley's hit-and-run groundout to
second. One out later, Minner came through with his first hit of the game,
a double to left-center off Cincinnati starter Willie Ramsdell.
After Pafko's throw to the plate in the top of the fourth allowed the Cubs to
retain their 1-0 lead, Chicago gained some insurance in the bottom half of the
frame. Once again, Minner delivered the key blow. Smalley led off
with a single and took second on Rube Walker's sacrifice. Minner then
sprayed a ground ball between short and third for his second hit of the
game--and his second run batted in, as Smalley scored to make it 2-0.
Back on the mound, the Cubs starter was cruising, retiring another nine
consecutive Reds after the Kluszewski single in the fourth. Joe Adcock
broke the string with a leadoff base hit in the seventh but was immediately
erased when Johnny Pramesa bounced into a 6-4-3 double play.
Chicago effectively put the game away in the eighth. Ramsdell clipped Bill
Serena with a pitch and then Kluszewski booted Pafko's weak roller to put
runners on first and second with none out. Fondy dropped down a perfect
sacrifice but, which left runners at second and third with one gone.
Ramsdell worked ahead of Smalley 0-2 and then made the horrific mistake of
trying to slip a fastball past the Cubs shortstop. Smalley deposited that
mistake into the left field bleachers for a three-run home run and a 5-0 Chicago
lead.
The only drama remaining was whether Minner would complete the shutout.
Virgil Stallcup led off the ninth inning by rolling out to Wayne Terwilliger at
second. Pinch hitter Wally Post then slapped a ground ball over the third
base bag for a double. Adams followed with a soft roller to third that
Serena handled, with Post slipping over to third, but Minner ended the suspense
by retiring Bob Usher on another grounder to Terwilliger.
4/19/1951, Cin51-ChN51, Wrigley Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1951 Reds 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2 2 1951 Cubs 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 x 5 10 0 7 1 Reds AB R H BI AVG Cubs AB R H BI AVG Adams 2b 4 0 1 0 .154 Terwilliger 2b 4 0 0 0 .000 Usher cf 4 0 0 0 .083 Baumholtz rf 4 0 2 0 .500 Hatton 3b 3 0 0 0 .273 Ramazzotti ss 0 0 0 0 .000 Kluszewski 1b 3 0 1 0 .091 Sauer lf 3 0 0 0 .143 Adcock lf 3 0 1 0 .250 Serena 3b 3 1 1 0 .286 Pramesa c 3 0 0 0 .143 Pafko cf 4 1 1 0 .143 Wyrostek rf 3 0 0 0 .300 Fondy 1b 3 1 1 0 .167 Stallcup ss 3 0 0 0 .364 Smalley ss 4 2 2 3 .286 Ramsdell p 2 0 0 0 .000 Borkowski rf 0 0 0 0 .000 Blake p 0 0 0 0 .000 Walker, R c 2 0 0 0 .200 Post ph 1 0 1 0 .500 Minner p 4 0 3 2 .750 29 0 4 0 31 5 10 5 Reds INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Ramsdell L 0-1 7.1 10 5 4 1 3 115 72 4.91 Blake 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0.00 8.0 10 5 4 1 3 118 74 Cubs INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Minner W 1-0 9.0 4 0 0 0 2 86 57 0.00 9.0 4 0 0 0 2 86 57 Cin: Post batted for Blake in the 9th ChN: Ramazzotti inserted at ss in the 9th Borkowski inserted at rf in the 9th E-Adams, Kluszewski. 2B-Post(1), Minner(1). 3B-Baumholtz(1). HR-Smalley(1). RBI-Smalley 3(3), Minner 2(2). K-Wyrostek, Ramsdell, Sauer, Serena, Walker, R. BB-Walker, R. SH-Fondy, Walker, R. HBP-Sauer, Serena. HB-Ramsdell 2. GWRBI: Minner Temperature: 53, Sky: clear, Wind: out to left at 7 MPH. Attendance: 10,066 Game Time: 1:52