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MAY 30, 1953 . . . Brodowski gave up his first run as a Cub in the second inning, a solo homer by Bob Borkowski with two outs that was our first hit given up of the game. An RBI single in the bottom of the third made the score 0-2, and hits remained at a premium deep into the game. Brodowski pitched a lights-out eight innings, but our bats were completely mute the entire game, letting him down immensely. Each team had six hits, but the Reds did more with theirs, shutting us out 0-2 in a disappointing first game.
Both pitchers went the full game, with Brodowski falling to 1-1 with a 1.06 ERA through 17 innings. Tonight he only gave up six hits, with two strikeouts and a walk, but the two earned runs were enough to sink us. McCullough led the batters with two hits in three at-bats while walking once as well. Cavarretta, Mays, Miksis and Brodowski contributed our other hits, though nothing came of them. Sauer had another no-hit day and I sat him in the second game for Max West, who started only his second game of the year in left field. And Warren Hacker got the start from the mound as we hoped he’d remain in top form.
Randy Jackson hammered a grounder through the gap to center, driving Willie Mays around to score in the top of the fourth, giving us the first run of this game, and Toby Atwell hit his first homer of the year to score two runs and make it a 3-0 lead! Hacker came into the bottom of the fourth inning on only his 22nd pitch of the game and he remained perfect through 11 more pitches in the fourth, no hits, no walks, no errors. The perfect game ended with a walk given up in the top of the sixth on his 51st pitch, and he walked a second batter with two outs, but was able to get the final out without giving up a hit or a run. But the no-hitter and the shutout both ended in the 7th inning on pitch number 69, when Willard Marshall hit a solo homer over the center field wall to cut the lead to 3-1. With the same lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, I had Klippstein ready in the bullpen but let Hacker keep the ball to try and close things out, But I brought Klippstein in after a runner reached first on an error, and then a single to left put a runner in scoring position with two outs. And Hacker may never speak to me again ... Klippstein walked a batter and then surrendered a f---ing walk-off grand slam, costing us the game, the series, and all the morale in the locker room.
Hacker pitched 8.2 innings and gave up only two hits and the one earned run, with three strikeouts and two walks, his ERA improving to 2.24 overall. Klippstein took the loss, falling to 2-2 (5.45 ERA), blowing his second save by giving up a hit and two runs without even getting the out we brought him in to get. Jackson led the team with three hits for a run and an RBI, while Willie Mays had two hits in three at-bats, scoring a run. Toby Atwell is still celebrating his first homer of the year as well, refusing to let the ending to the game bring him down.
This is going to eat at me all the way to St. Louis -- bullpen management is going to be the death of me.
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