|
APRIL 26, 1953 . . . The wind was carrying out today more than usual and the weather was warming -- still cloudy and dreary, but near sixty so almost feeling like spring in Chicago. And St. Louis took advantage by roughing up Klippstein for three runs in the top of the first. We got a run back in the bottom of the third, and in the bottom of the fifth we scored our second when Ernie Banks got hit by a pitch to walk in Fondy to make it 2-3 with the bases still loaded. We tied it up moments later on a sac-fly by Jackson that drove Mays home, but Baumholtz batted himself out to end the inning with us knotted 3-3. Klippstein gave up a run in the top of the seventh, but Randy Gumpert came in to pitch in the eighth and put away the batters one, two, three in the eighth and the ninth to keep it a 3-4 ballgame heading into the bottom of the ninth. Max West came in to pinch hit with one out for Gumpert, but he hit it high into the infield for an easy catch to make it two outs with Fondy coming up, top of the order. He hit it successfully up the center field gap, reaching first and bringing up Eddie Miksis as the potential go-ahead run. Miksis then hit it up the same gap, deep to center, reaching first and allowing Fondy to slide safely into third! And that brought up Willie Mays, bottom of the ninth, two men out, two men on, asnd he delivered a 442-foot three-run walk off monster to win the game 6-4!
Of coure that made Mays the rightful hero, as he finished the night with three hits on five at bats, scoring twice and driving in three. Klippstein finished with seven solid innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Gumpert, in two innings of relief, picked up the win with a strikeout, a walk and no hits in 29 pitches.
We improved with this win to 9-2, with a 2-1/2 game lead on the rest of the National League! We get tomorrow off to travel, before a three game road series at Pittsburgh (6-6) to end the month of April. We open the month of May with the road stretch continuing, including two at Brooklyn (May 1-2), three at Philadelphia (May 3-5), two at the Giants (May 6-7) and three at Milwaukee (May 8-10) before we return to Wrigley for 13 straight home games between May 12-26.
|