From Zero to Hero
Indians at Yankees, May 11, 1949
From Zero to Hero
It’s early, but this mid-May Yankees - Indians series might have pennant implications. The Yankees are still on top in the American League, but they’re sinking quickly — and the Indians are rising right behind them.
And, as usual, this one was close going into the late innings.
New York had a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the 7th. However, the Indians managed to load the bases with two out, and reliever Spec Shea fell apart. Jim Hegan, Cleveland’s weak hitting catcher, came up with the bases juiced:
That made it a 5-4 game, and Cleveland was starting to roll.
8th Inning
Ken Keltner led off the bottom of the 8th with a single off new Yankee reliever Frank Hiller, bringing up Lou Boudreau:
Mickey Vernon was up next:
It looked like the Yankees were going to completely fall apart after that wild pitch. Vernon stayed up there, and this happened:
That tied the game at 5, and brought up Larry Doby:
I’m not sure if sending the slow Lou Boudreau home to score was the right idea or not. Next came Bob Kennedy with two on and one out:
That was a huge strikeout for Hiller in a really tight spot. Up next came Joe Gordon, the former Yankee:
And on we went to the 9th.
9th Inning
Dale Mitchell led things off for the Indians against Hiller:
And, well, that brought up Hegan again:
So much for being a weak hitter!
Cleveland had runners on base all day long, and should have scored more than just 6. This win puts Cleveland close to first place, and should have Yankee fans worried.