Another Brooklyn Loss
Plus summary for games on May 4, 1949
Another Brooklyn Loss
The 1949 Dodgers continue to have hard luck in this replay.
Luck is a funny thing, though. Bad luck is usually something that we create for ourselves, whether we like it or not.
This was a 2-2 game before Brooklyn starter Preacher Roe faced Jimmy Bloodworth with two on and two out in the top of the 7th:
Brooklyn did start to come back after this, but, you know, it’s not easy to make up a 3 run deficit so late in the ballgame.
How Did This Fail?
The way that Brooklyn lost this game, however, was quite remarkable.
Brooklyn came up with one run in the bottom of the 8th, and entered the bottom of the 9th down 5-3. They faced Herm Wehmeier, who wasn’t exactly the best pitcher in the world in 1949.
Gene Hermanski, pinch hitting for Roe, started things off:
That brought up Marv Rackley, who has been hitting very well:
Even as I write this again, I have this feeling that Brooklyn simply must win. Jackie Robinson was up, and the heart of the order was behind him, all with nobody out.
That walk to Robinson loaded the bases.
Now, I know that the sabermetricans will tell us that a walk is as good as anything else in this situation. However, the walk does serve a strategic purpose for the defense, especially when the rest of the team isn’t hitting that well. You’d rather just put the big hitter on and load the bases than give that guy a chance to win it all himself.
Up came Pee Wee Reese:
That made it a 5-4 ballgame. Eddie Erautt came in to pitch for Cincinnati. Nobody was out. Brooklyn really should have won here.
Up came Duke Snider, precisely the man you want up there:
Now there was one out, and the bases were still loaded. The score was still 5-4, and here came Gil Hodges:
That made two infield grounders in a row. The bases were still loaded, but there were now two outs, and it was all down to Billy Cox. Cox isn’t the guy you want up in this situation, of course, but there really wasn’t much else to choose from.
Yep, and there you have it.
There’s no reason why the Dodgers should have lost this one — not with that lineup. I can’t even say that nobody is hitting. Rackley is hitting well, Snider is hitting well, and Robinson is hitting fairly well, though not at the level he played at in real life.
I guess you can call it bad luck. Looks more like bad execution than bad luck to me, though.
Other Action
Tigers 6, Red Sox 1: At Detroit, the Tigers explode all over poor Red Sox pitching. Watch the game here.
Senators 12, White Sox 3: At Chicago, the White Sox commit 6 errors in all, including 3 in the top of the 1st.
Athletics 5, Indians 4: At Cleveland, the surprising Athletics vault themselves back into the American League pennant race by keeping the World Champions at bay. Read the summary here. Watch the game here.
Yankees 6, Brown 5: At St. Louis, the Browns comeback falls just short. Read the summary here. Watch the game here.
Reds 5, Dodgers 4: At Brooklyn, see above.
Braves 7, Cubs 1: At Boston, Tommy Holmes broke this game open in the bottom of the 5th:
Pirates 7, Giants 3: At New York, the Pirates destroy poor Giant pitching. Watch the game here.
Phillies 2, Cardinals 0: At Philadelphia, Willie Jones provided the difference in the bottom of the 8th:
Standings
It’s still a two horse race in the National League. The American League, meanwhile, is starting to get really exciting. I never would have thought that the 1949 Philadelphia Athletics would lead the league in runs scored.