Mauch Goes Deep
Plus: Day In Review, June 4, 1949
Mauch Goes Deep
This one really took me by surprise.
Gene Mauch managed a total of 5 home runs in his entire career.
He came up in the top of the 9th inning of a 4-1 game at Philadelphia. The bases were loaded, but it seemed of no concern to Ken Heintzelman, who was waltzing his way to another victory.
And up came Gene:
I never would have thought that the 1949 Cubs could bring so much joy.
Chicago scored again in the top of the 9th, batting around in the process. The Cubs took a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the 9th, but things started to fall apart.
With two men on and one out, Willie Jones came to the plate:
Hamner is a fast runner, and I stand by my decision to send him.
Up next was Dick Sisler:
That left it up to Richie Ashburn. Ashburn had driven in the first Phillies run with a bunt in the 4th inning, and had delivered another key bunt earlier in the game. But, with two men out, there wasn’t much more I could do than have him swing away:
This was a classic case of the Phillies snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory.
The Phillies should have waltzed their way to the finish line. Instead, they came up lame, and lost the whole thing.
Other Action
Red Sox 5, Tigers 3: The Tiger Stadium crowd went away disappointed, as Boston came out to a big lead that it never relinquished. Ted Williams hit his 10th home run in the top of the 8th to put the result out of doubt. Watch the game here.
White Sox 6, Senators 4: At Comiskey, the White Sox wind up on top of a back and forth game with the Senators.
Indians 5, Athletics 0: The Cleveland faithful were rewarded by a stellar Bob Feller performance. Rapid Robert gave up only 1 hit as the World Champion Indians made short work of the Athletics. Watch the game here.
Browns 4, Yankees 2: The hometown St. Louis crowd walked away happy after this one. New York came back to tie in the top of the 7th, but the Brownies went ahead for good in the bottom of the 8th. Watch the game here.
Dodgers 4, Pirates 1: Ebbets Field might be a hitter’s park, but Rex Barney was able to keep the explosive Pittsburgh offense at bay. Barney wound up with 10 strikeouts against only 2 walks in a complete game victory.
Braves 3, Cardinals 2 (13): Pitching dominated at Braves Field, as the Braves and Cardinals played a tense extra inning game. St. Louis scored once in the top of the 9th, gave up a run in the bottom of the 9th, missed numerous chances to put the game away, and finally gave up a run in the bottom of the 13th. Read the summary here.
Cubs 6, Phillies 5: At Philadelphia, see above.
Giants 10, Reds 1: The Polo Grounds faithful were rewarded, as the Giants scored 5 in the bottom of the 1st and never looked back. Monte Kennedy pitched a complete game, giving up only 6 hits in the process. Watch the game here.
Standings
The New York Giants just keep winning in the National League. Brooklyn is trying to come back, but they’re still a long way away.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians have come from out of nowhere to take charge in the American League. And can the Yankees stay relevant?