Quiet Thriller

Reds at Braves, June 8, 1949

Quiet Thriller

Ever had one of those games where it seemed like nobody would ever score?

I have them all the time in my 1908 replay.

However, they feel a little bit more special when they come in 1949 — even if the offensive futility is probably more due to bad batting than good pitching.

Neither the Boston Braves nor the Cincinnati Reds are going anywhere. Boston, who were technically still in the hunt in real life, are lingering around 5th place, and probably couldn’t catch the New York Giants without a 10 foot ladder at this point. The Reds are even worse, if you can believe it.

However, their pitchers defied the odds in this one, mowing down hitters left and right like there was nothing to it.

Ken Raffensberger, probably the closest thing to an “ace” that the Reds have, sent down Boston batters with a fury that set the crowd on edge. Sure, Ken walked 5 in his 9 full innings of work. He wasn’t much worse for the wear, however, holding the Braves to a mere 4 hits and striking out 9 in the process.

37-year-old veteran Nels Potter, meanwhile, was just as mysterious to the Reds batters, though he accomplished this task in far fewer pitches. Potter made it through 10 full innings, allowing only 3 hits and 3 walks in the process.

It was a game that called for sacrifice hits — and call for them I did. The Braves weren’t able to put any down successfully, however.

It wasn’t until Bob Elliot led off the bottom of the 10th that something finally happened:

Sure, it wasn’t the fanciest game I’ve ever played. I didn’t record it, largely because neither team is all that good.

But it sure was memorable.