Tuesday, April 7, 2015 – The Mad Dash
In case you did not see the comment from my sister…
Astros Win!!! Astros Win!!!! Opening Day Win! HB had never been on an airplane until that day in 1946. He never again saw the man from St. Louis with whom he shared the ticket and stayed at their home. (Can you imagine staying in a strangers’ home in this day and time.) But he and the gentleman kept up with each other the rest of their lives through phone calls and postal mail. Pat and I were in San Francisco during the 90’s and arranged, with the help of kids at home, to fly HB out there for a couple of weeks. We took him to a ball game….LA Dodgers vs the SF Giants. He put on his Astro cap and strutted around Giant stadium like he was one of the players. When I took him to make his funeral arrangements, you would have thought he was buying a new car. He knocked on all the caskets and when he finally decided on the one, asked the funeral director if he thought the t.v. reception would be good whereas he could watch his Astros. When I assured him that where he was going he could watch the Astros from above. He grinned from ear to ear and said “That’s right!!!” Play Ball, HB!!!!!
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Even though HB only saw the first two games of the series, the 1946 World Series would be historic. And I am sure he listened to every pitch on the radio.
Game 1
Sunday, October 6, 1946 at Sportsman’s Park (III) in St. Louis, Missouri
The Red Sox won Game 1 when Rudy York hit a home run into the left field bleachers.
Game 2
Monday, October 7, 1946 at Sportsman’s Park (III) in St. Louis, Missouri
Game 3
The Red Sox scored three runs in the first inning on Rudy York’s blast then won by a score of 4–0.
The Red Sox scored three runs in the first inning on Rudy York’s blast then won by a score of 4–0.
Game 4
Thursday, October 10, 1946 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts
This is the only game in World Series history that three players on the same team (St. Louis) had four or more hits (Enos Slaughter, Whitey Kurowski and Joe Garagiola had four each). Red Sox outfielder Wally Moses got four hits as well and second baseman Bobby Doerr hit a two-run home run and would hit .409 in the Series.
Game 5
Friday, October 11, 1946 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts
Ted Williams hit a RBI single, his only RBI of the whole Series. Leon Culberson homered while Joe Dobson got the victory for Boston.
Game 6
Sunday, October 13, 1946 at Sportsman’s Park (III) in St. Louis, Missouri
Game 7
Tuesday, October 15, 1946 at Sportsman’s Park (III) in St. Louis, Missouri
The Cardinals led 3–1 in the eighth inning when Dom DiMaggio tied the game with a two-run double but was pulled from the game and Leon Culberson took his position in the center field. Enos Slaughter scored from first base on a play called the Mad Dash. As the runner started, Walker lined the ball to left-center field, where Culberson fielded the ball. As he threw a relay to shortstop Johnny Pesky, Slaughter rounded third base, ignored third base coach Mike González‘s stop sign, and continued for home plate.
The Mad Dash
What exactly happened when Pesky turned around is still a matter of contention. Some claim that Pesky, assuming that Slaughter would not be running home, checked Walker at first base instead of immediately firing home, while others contend that Pesky was so shocked to see Slaughter on his way to score that he had a mental lapse that accounted for the delay. Whatever the reason, the delay and a weak and rushed throw home allowed Slaughter to score just as Red Sox catcher Roy Partee caught it up the line from home plate.
The run put the Cardinals ahead 4–3 and proved to be the winning run.
- This was the first World Series appearance for the Red Sox since 1918, and it would be their last appearance until 1967, when they would again lose to the Cardinals in seven games.
- The World Series loss snapped the Red Sox’s record of winning their first five postseason series, a feat that would not be matched until the Florida Marlins did it 57 years later in the 2003 World Series.
- Joe Cronin became the fourth manager to take two teams to the World Series (Pat Moran, Bill McKechnie, and Joe McCarthy were the first three) but was the first who did not win with either of them.
- Several sources erroneously reported that Harry Walker hit a single allowing Enos Slaughter to score. It was officially scored a double.
- This was the first World Series in which the final out in Game 7 came with the tying run on third base.[9]
Hall of Famers from those teams and that World Series are: Umpires Cal Hubbard and Al Barlick. For the Cardinals – Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst and Enos Slaughter. Red Sox Hall of Famers are Manager, Joe Cronin, Bobby Doerr and the great Ted Williams. Fans in the Hall of Fame are: Honeyboy Duffey.
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