On July 9, 1948, At Cleveland Stadium, Satchel Paige makes his major league debut for the Cleveland Indians. Paige relieves Bob Lemon in the fifth inning, becoming the first black pitcher in American League history. Paige pitches 2 innings and gives up 2 hits and no runs in Cleveland’s 5-3 loss to St. Louis. After…
At Boston, Johnny Sain becomes the National League’s first 11-game winner, beating Robin Roberts and the Phils, 13 – 2. Alvin Dark has three hits, running his hitting streakto 21 games. In the 4th inning Dark triples off reliever Ken Heintzelman, then steals home.
The Reds’ Ewell Blackwell strikes out 13 Cubs at Wrigley Field, as Cincinnati wins, 4 – 0.
On July 7, 1948 The Indians stun the baseball world by signing Satchel Paige, veteran Negro League pitcher. The move is ridiculed by some as a Bill Veeck publicity stunt, and J.G. Taylor Spink in The Sporting News editorializes, “Veeck has gone too far in his quest for publicity. To sign a hurler at Paige’s…
Despite a hitless day by Ted Williams, the Red Sox sweep the Yankees, winning 6 – 5 and 8 – 7. Denny Galehouse wins the opener, then saves the win in game 2. But his 9th inning sacrifice bunt results in his tripping over 1B and he will be out of action for three weeks.
The Cards’ Gerry Staley picks up a pair of wins in relief over the Cubs, winning 6 – 3 and 5 – 2 over Ralph Hamner and Johnny Schmitz. Staley pitches two innings in the opener and 2 2/3 innings in the nitecap. It is the second time in three weeks that the Cubs have lost a doubleheader to a single reliever.
Ralph Kiner hits three home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the visiting Reds, while teammate Stan Rojek hits the first of his two major league homers, connecting off rookie Herm Wehmeier. Kiner teams up with Johnny Hopp and Wally Westlake in the outfield for a record 19 putouts in the 10 – 3 first game win. The Reds score three in the 9th to take the nitecap, 6 – 4.
Braves rookie Johnny Antonelli, 18, makes his debut in the 8th inning of a 7 – 2 loss to the Phils, giving up one run on two hits. The Phils also win game two of the doubleheader.
Led by Roy Campanella’s first two major league homers, the host Dodgers edge the Giants, 13 – 12, in a wild game lasting 3 1/2 hours. 37 players see action, 20 by Brooklyn, as both teams score four times in the 9th.
Ted Williams faces three pitchers in the 7th inning, a first in American League history, as Boston snaps a 5 – 5 tie by scoring 14 runs to beat the visiting Philadelphia Athletics, 20 – 8. A’s pitcher Charlie Harris retires one batter in 14 and coughs up 12 runs, before Bill McCahan takes over. Williams, who makes the final out in the inning, and Bobby Doerr, tie records by drawing two walks apiece. Pitcher Ellis Kinder has two hits, off Harris and McCahan. The 14 runs in one inning is a record, but five years later they will do even better with 17 in one inning.
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