[jksander]

June 13, 1947: Fred Sanford (2-4, 4.71 ERA, 72.2 IP, 21 K, 1.53 WHIP) got the start in our first game against the Yankees on their field this weekend, facing Joe Page (8-2, 3.06 ERA, 67.2 IP, 37 K, 1.24 WHIP). We’ve been snakebit against the Yankees, having only beaten them once in eight tries, so we went into this one looking to exorcise some demons. But the Yankees took the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI single by Phil Rizzuto, and our batters continued to look completely overmatched early. We fought hard in the third and fourth innings, however, and in the fifth it finally paid off with a sac-fly by Vern Stephens getting Fred Sanford in to score from third, having been walked in the leadoff spot! With two outs, Jackie Robinson hit one into center to drive Stephens to third, and he took second in the process, giving us two in scoring position! New York then walked Arky Vaughn, and just like that we had ourselves a real chance to do damage. But Joe Schultz popped out to shallow center and we had to settle for the 1-1 tie midway through the inning. And that didn’t last ... Sanford gave up a double to Joe Gordon, a triple to Hank Majeski, and (after a pop-out to right) a double to their pitcher, Page, and just like that we were down two runs and fading fast. Sanford still appeared fresh, just a victim of bad luck, but after he led off in the sixth by letting Yogi Berra homer and then gave Joe DiMaggio a single, we had to bring out Ned Garver. Garver got us thorugh the inning on four pitches, with a pop-out and a 6-4-3 double play, and we loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, getting a run back when Joe Schultz walked one in ... but we couldn’t pile on, going into the stretch still trailing 4-2, and that’s how it stayed in another tough loss. Sanford took the loss, falling to 2-5 with a 4.87 ERA after eight hits, a walk, two strikeouts and four earned runs in his five innings. Garver was solid though with three innings and just a hit, a walk and a strikeout, improving his ERA to 2.97 through 30.1 innings. The Yankees outhit us 9-6, Jackie Robinson leading with two hits and nothing else.

June 14, 1947: Tom Seats (7-4, 3.67 ERA, 83.1 IP, 26 K, 1.50 WHIP) pitched in today’s game, battling Red Munger (7-3, 3.52 ERA, 94.2 IP, 47 K, 1.28 WHIP). In the top of the third, Vern Stephens hit one that nearly left the park over the short porch, but instead caromed off the wall and led to an RBI double! With him on second and Cavarretta on third, they walked Wally Judnich, bringing up Arky Vaughan, who promptly hit one deep into right for a two-RBI single ... now we’re talking! Richie Ashburn hit into a double play to squelch what could have turned this into a rout, but we’d made them notice us. In the top of the seventh Harry Walker hit a solo homer to add on, and Seats completed the shutout as we won this one 4-0! Each team had six hits, ours led by Arky Vaughan who hit three times with two runs batted in. Seats improved to 8-4 with a 3.31 ERA, allowing six hits and a walk with two strikeouts, nobody scoring on him. This was his second six hit, one walk, two strikeout game this season, following our May 27th win against the White Sox!

June 15, 1947: Diomedes Olivo (5-7, 3.64 ERA, 94.0 IP, 45 K, 1.10 WHIP) pitched against Randy Gumpert (5-2, 6 SV, 1.23 ERA, 73.0 IP, 23 K, 0.95 WHIP) in our third game against the Yankees, and it would be really great to steal the series win on our way out the door. We scored first, off a Vern Stephens sac-fly, to go up 1-0 in the top of the first, and Wally Judnich hit an RBI single moments later to add on. We then unleashed on them in the top of the third -- Robinson scored off a groundout by Cavarretta, Harry Walker scored off a wild pitch, and Wally Judnich hit a two-run slam out of left to make it a 6-0 lead! The rout was on ... three more runs scored in the top of the fifth, and Olivo would have had a complete game shutout had it not been for a garbage-time homer by Allie Clark in the botom of the ninth to spoil it. Still, a 9-0 win on the road is a win indeed, and we’ll take it as we hit the road for Boston ahead of tomorrow’s off day. Olivo allowed just five hits, no walks, with five strikeouts and the one earned run as he improved to 6-7 with a 3.41 ERA. Meanwhile, we outslugged them 13-5, led by Judnich, who hit three times for two runs with three more batted in ... he’s now hitting .280 with four doubles, two triples and seven homers, coming alive after a bit of a cold spell in May.
 
June 17, 1947: Dutch Leonard (6-5, 3.14 ERA, 106.0 IP, 36 K, 1.23 WHIP) got the start in Boston this afternoon, facing Mickey Harris (3-5, 5.80 ERA, 68.1 IP, 37 K, 1.80 WHIP). We dueled it out for four innings, and in the top of the fifth we struck, scoring off a Dutch Leonard RBI single to take the 1-0 lead. Vern Stephens hit a solo homer in the sixth to add on, but Leonard got shelled in the bottom of the eighth, and it happened fast -- Johnny hopp scored off a single by Ted Williams, and then Frank McCormick hit a two-out, three-run homer to put them up 4-2. With two outs in the ninth, runners on first and third, Richie Ashburn came up to the plate and struck out swinging ... there would be no miracle comeback tonight, as we lost the heartbreaker by that same 4-2 margin. Leonard fell to 6-6 with a 3.24 ERA, allowing just seven hits and two walks in his eight inning complete game. But he only struck out two, and that three-run homer killed him. We outhit them 9-7, led by Leonard himself with two hits and an RBI, but sometimes luck plays as much a role in this game as anything else.

June 18, 1947: We moved Amos Watson (1-1, 6 SV, 0.71 ERA, 25.1 IP, 12 K, 0.91 WHIP) into the number three starter spot for today’s game, moving Fred Sanford (2-5, 4.87 ERA) into the bullpen to handle long relief. Watson faced Tex Hughson (4-10, 5.04 ERA, 119.2 IP, 69 K, 1.65 WHIP), and in a hell of a performance, Watson lasted five innings and gave us everything he had while holding on to a scoreless tie. Fred Sanford relieved him in the bottom of the sixth, and he blew the shutout, letting Boston take the lead on a bases loaded walk by their pitcher Hughson. But he got us out of the inning trailing by just the one run, though it took him 34 pitches to do it and he walked every one of his baserunners ... his night was over. But he wouldn’t get the loss! Wally Judnich hit a towering slam over the Green Monster, tying the score with his eighth homer of the year leading off in the seventh, and just like that we had a ballgame. Jack Kramer took the ball in the bottom of the seventh, and with two outs we surrendered the lead when Frank McCormick hit a screaming double into center and Harry Walker made a rare miss when throwing to the cutoff man, letting Ted Williams score all the way from first base. But again we answered, when Vern Stephens hit a clutch bouncing drive into right field with runners on first and second, driving in the tying run with a single ... advancing along with Cavarretta into scoring position when Robinson made the choice to slide in safe at home. In the top of the ninth, with two outs and Vaughan on second, Les Moss pinch-hit for Kramer, but on a full count he popped up to center and kept the score knotted up. So Ned Garver took over needing to get the outs to let our bats have another chance. He lived dangerously, walking Johnny Hopp and Bobby Doerr back to back, but Hank Thompson grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, keeping our hopes alive ... with first baseman Frank McCormick stepping up to the plate with Doerr on third just a few short feet away from breaking our hearts. But he struck out swinging, and this one went on to extras! Alas, that was our last real chance ... our bats stayed quiet in the top of the 10th, and with two outs in the bottom of the inning Mark Christman singled and then Leon Culbertson hit a double off the monster that allowed Christman to score, beating us 3-2 in the process.

That was a tough loss ... Amos Watson pitched brilliantly for five innings, allowing four hits with a strikeout, no runs or walks, improving his ERA to 0.59 through 30.1 innings. Garver wound up with the loss, pitching 1.2 innings with two hits, two walks, a strikeout and the one earned run that mattered. They outhit us just 7-6, in a true ten inning duel, and Jackie Robinson, with three hits and a run scored, was the man who kept our offense firing. It just wasn’t enough.