[jksander]

SEPTEMBER 11, 1953 . . . We are now 3-1/2 games out of first, a full game behind the Dodgers in the pennant race. In the AL, the Yankees (95-44) have officially clinched, while the magic number for Milwaukee is still 12 games, so even Philly, 9-1/2 games back in fourth, is still technically in the conversation. Thankfully we’re all rested following three days off, and with 11 home games left and just four on the road we’re in a good position to grind things out and stay in the race to the bitter end.

Today we start a two game set against the Giants. Bob Rush took the mound, and we took the lead 1-0 in the second inning on a throwing error by the Giants that allowed Miksis to reach second. Rush gave up a run of his own in the top of the third, keeping things tight as we went into the bottom of the third with the top of our lineup batting. Willie Mays hit a groundout to second that drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the third, but Rush couldn’t buy an out in the fourth, giving up two runs to flip-flop us yet again. Rush gave up a solo homer in the top of the sixth. We got one back with a solo bomb by Willie Mays in the bottom of the eighth, and Consuegra kept us in the game by getting six outs in the eight and ninth, so it all came down to the bottom of our order in the bottom of the ninth. We pinch hit Max West for Baumholtz but he grounded out to first. Randy Jackson came in to pinch hit for Miksis, and he hit a hard fly to left, reaching second! Hank Sauer then came in to pinch hit for Consuegra, with Vern Fear warming up in the bullpen, but he struck out. So it all came down to Fondy ... who also struck out. Another hard-to-swallow one-run loss.

Rush took the loss and fell to 12-11 with a 4.25 ERA, thanks to nine hits and four runs in seven innings, striking out four and walking no one. Consuegra had two excellent innings, with two hits two strikeouts and no runs, but he wasn’t able to turn things all the way around. Fondy had three hits in five at-bats, scoring once. Chapman also hit twice and scored a run, while Willie Mays had a single hit for a run and two RBIs.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1953 . . . Hacker gave up a two-out three-run homer in the top of the first in this one, setting our offense up for a struggle right from the word ‘go’ as we seem intent on collapsing here in September. In the bottom of the inning Ernie Banks walked the bases loaded with one out, and Max West sacrificed himself to center in order to bring Cavarretta home to put us on the board. Hacker doubled in the second with two outs, and Fondy added a double to drive him home and make it a one-run deficit. Hacker gave up a solo homer in the top of the sixth, and he gave up another run in the eighth to make our job even more difficult. Vern Fear came in to get the final out of the inning and we went into the bottom of the eighth trailing the Giants 5-2. Chapman singled to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth, and Ernie Banks scored moments later on an error that allowed McCullough to reach first safely and keep the bases loaded. Randy Jackson then hit a line drive to left that almost went to the corner, scoring a run, though the potential game-tying run, Chapman, was tagged out at home. Baumholtz came in to pinch hit for Fear with two men on and two outs, driving it hard to right, just by the ear of the first-baseman, tying it up 5-5 before Fondy grounded out to third to end the inning.

Fred Baczewski came in and got three quick outs, bringing the top of our order up to bat with a chance to walk it off! Cavarretta walked, then Willie Mays was hit by an errant pitch, and Banks hit into a fielder’s choice, making it to first and sending Cavarretta to third with just one out. Hank West hit a single that almost made it past the shortstop, but he was able to catch it and throw Cavarretta out at home. But Chapman got himself a hit to deep left, driving the go-ahead run in and winning the game for us in dramatic fashion 6-5! What a comeback win, just when we needed one.

Baczewski took the win, improving to 2-2 with a 5.01 ERA, with no hits in his one inning. Hacker lasted 7.2 innings but gave up nine hits for five runs, with four strikeouts but also three uncharacteristic walks which ran up his pitch count. We outhit the Giants 13-9, with Mays, Chapman, McCullough and Jackson all winding up with two hits apiece.