REDS SCORE SIX IN 9TH, BEAT CUBS
Rush Takes 1-Hitter Into Final Inning, No-Decision
CINCINNATI, Sept. 7 (AP) - For the second time this year, the Cincinnati Reds
overcame a five-run ninth inning deficit to win a game. The Chicago Cubs
were the victims this time; they fell to the Reds, 7-6, at Crosley Field.
On April 21, Cincinnati trailed the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 entering the bottom
of the ninth only to rally for six runs and a 6-5 victory.
On this day, the Cubs took a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Chicago had benefited from five Reds' errors and knocked starter Ken
Raffensberger out of the box in the sixth. Three miscues led to a pair of
runs for the Cubs in the third and Randy Jackson's 13th home run of the season
leading off the fourth made it 3-0. Chicago pushed the lead to 6-0 in the
sixth on Jackson's RBI double, a run-scoring fly ball off the bat of Gene
Hermanski and Mickey Owen's RBI double.
Cubs starter Bob Rush, meanwhile, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning
before surrendering Lloyd Merriman's leadoff double to to right. Merriman
scored two outs later on Johnny Wyrostek's ground ball, but Rush didn't allow
another baserunner through the eighth inning.
The Cubs entered the bottom of the ninth holding a 6-1 lead. Merriman's
double was the only blemish on Rush's record to that point; he had retired 24 of
the 25 batters he'd faced. The home half of the ninth started innocently
enough when Rush retired Johnny Premesa on a routine fly to left for the first
out. Pramesa was the last Cincinnati batter not to reach base. Pinch
hitter Danny Litwhiler bounced a single through the box. Merriman then
rolled a ground ball into right field, putting runners at first and
second. Connie Ryan followed with a sharp single through the middle,
filling the bases. Wyrostek then lined a single to right-center, scoring
both Litwhiler and Merriman to make it 6-3, with runners on first and
third. Suddenly, the potential tying run was at the plate. Rush was
replaced on the hill by Johnny Klippstein, but it made no difference. Ted
Kluszewski laced a double into the right field corner, scoring Ryan, with
Wyrostek advancing to third. Now the tying run was in scoring position
with the potential winning run standing at the plate. Hank Edwards looped
a single to shallow left, scoring Wyrostek with Kluszewski stopping at
third. Edwards--the winning run--left for pinch runner Jim Bolger.
Virgil Stallcup followed by grounding a single into right field.
Kluszewski scored with the tying run. Bolger charged for third and right
fielder Gene Hermanski came up throwing in an attempt to gun the runner
down. His throw was off-line and got past Jackson at third and Bolger
trotted home with the winning run.
Seven consecutive Reds had reached base after one man was retired in the ninth,
and six of them scored. The six-run outburst tied for the largest ninth
inning comeback of the year, and it was the Cincinnati Reds who had done it both
times.
9/7/1951, ChN51-Cin51, Crosley Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1951 Cubs 0 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 6 9 1 7 0 1951 Reds 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 7 8 5 1 1 Cubs AB R H BI AVG Reds AB R H BI AVG Miksis 2b 5 0 0 0 .251 Merriman cf 4 2 2 0 .233 Baumholtz cf 5 0 1 0 .314 Ryan 2b 4 1 1 0 .235 Borkowski cf 0 0 0 0 .218 Wyrostek rf 4 1 1 3 .296 Edwards,B 1b 4 1 0 0 .207 Kluszewski 1b 4 1 1 1 .283 Sauer lf 5 1 2 0 .235 Edwards,H lf 4 0 1 1 .262 Jackson 3b 4 2 2 2 .261 Bolger pr 0 1 0 0 .000 Hermanski rf 3 0 0 1 .291 Stallcup ss 4 0 1 1 .223 Smalley ss 2 1 1 0 .222 McMillan 3b 3 0 0 0 .267 Cusick ph 2 0 1 0 .132 Pramesa c 3 0 0 0 .228 Owen c 4 0 1 1 .216 Raffensberger p 1 0 0 0 .117 Rush p 4 1 1 1 .253 Blackwell p 0 0 0 0 .397 Klippstein p 0 0 0 0 .037 Meeks ph 1 0 0 0 .267 38 6 9 5 Byerly p 0 0 0 0 .000 Litwhiler ph 1 1 1 0 .273 33 7 8 6 Cubs INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Rush 8.1 5 5 5 0 8 109 77 4.54 Klippstein BS 3, L 3-11 0.0 3 2 1 0 0 7 4 5.24 8.1 8 7 6 0 8 116 81 Reds INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Raffensberger 5.2 6 6 5 1 2 84 59 3.21 Blackwell 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2.99 Byerly W 4-3 3.0 3 0 0 1 1 46 24 4.09 9.0 9 6 5 2 3 133 86 ChN: Cusick batted for Smalley in the 6th Cusick moved to ss in the 6th Borkowski inserted at cf in the 9th Cin: Meeks batted for Blackwell in the 6th Litwhiler batted for Byerly in the 9th Bolger ran for Edwards,H in the 9th E-Hermanski, Ryan, Wyrostek, Edwards,H, Stallcup, McMillan. 2B-Baumholtz(30), Jackson(20), Smalley(5), Owen(3), Rush(5), Merriman(19), Kluszewski(28). HR-Jackson(13). RBI-Jackson 2(52), Hermanski(23), Owen(13), Rush(10), Wyrostek 3(65), Kluszewski(94), Edwards,H(19), Stallcup(30). K-Miksis, Smalley, Rush, Ryan, Edwards,H, Stallcup 2, McMillan 3, Raffensberger. BB-Edwards,B, Hermanski. Temperature: 83, Sky: clear, Wind: in from right at 3 MPH. Attendance: 6,544 Game Time: 2:20