Raffensberger's Great Game
Plus Day In Review, May 17, 1949
Raffensberger’s Great Game
I’ve been meaning to vary my results posts a little bit.
The formula gets a little bit stale, after all. Writing about games in chronological order is fun, but it’s not always easy to do. It’s not very artistic.
I don’t think I’ll be able to say many pretty things about this one, however. I’ll make it blunt: Ken Raffensberger pitched a great game.
He also almost lost it.
Raffensberger pitched very well against the defending National League champions, giving up only 2 runs and 5 hits against an offense that is quite good. He outdueled Warren Spahn, reaching for his holster just a touch faster, striking out 9 compared to Spahn’s 2.
In the end, though, it was this play by Virgil Stallcup with one on in the bottom of the 8th that made the difference:
Sometimes being great isn’t enough. Sometimes you need just that little bit of luck to bring you over the top.
Yes, I know the Reds outhit the Braves by a huge margin. Remember, though, that it’s the runs that count. If it were a game of extra base hits, the Reds would have won by a huge margin, tallying 5 to Boston’s 1. But it’s a game about runs, and that’s what counts in the end.
Other Action
Red Sox 8, White Sox 7: At Boston, this game wasn’t quite as close as it seemed. Both teams combined for 18 walks in a really ugly affair. The White Sox scored 2 in the top of the 9th to make it look close, but it wasn’t really all that close. Watch the game here.
Yankees 3, Indians 2: At New York, the Indians turned 5 double plays in a losing effort. Watch the game here.
Tigers 7, Senators 4: At Washington, Hal Newhouser threw a complete game to defeat the Senators.
Athletics 8, Browns 5: At Philadelphia, both teams combined for 19 walks and 4 errors. This one was ugly.
Dodgers 6, Cubs 4 (11): At Chicago, the Dodgers managed to find a way to win. Read the summary here.
Reds 3, Braves 2: At Cincinnati, see above.
Giants 8, Pirates 4: At Pittsburgh, Monte Kennedy struck out 10 Pirates as the Giants continue to roll. Watch the game here.
Phillies 8, Cardinals 1: At St. Louis, the Phillies won big.
Standings
