Yankees rookie Bill Bevens, 28, retires the first 18 Red Sox batters before giving up a walk and a double to Bob Johnson, the only hit for the Sox. Bevens wins, 7 – 1, defeating Boo Ferriss who was trying for his 21st win.
A moment in American history takes place in Brooklyn as Branch Rickey meets with Jackie Robinson to share his plans to integrate the major leagues. During the three hour meeting, the Dodgers’ president will shout racial epithets to ‘test’ the 26 year-old ballplayer’s mettle to withstand the abuse which will come with being the first player to cross the color line this century.
Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians makes his first appearance since his return from military duty
Detroit’s Hal Newhouser shuts out the A’s, 4 – 0, for his 20th win of the year. Hank Greenberg has his 15-game hitting streak stopped, but Roy Cullenbine and Doc Cramer add home runs.
Dodger shortstop Tommy Brown becomes the youngest player (17 years, 8 months, and 14 days) in major league history to hit a home run. The round-tripper by ‘Buckshot’, who started his career as a 16 year-old high school student, will be the only run Brooklyn scores off 30 year-old Pirates southpaw Preacher Roe, who goes the distance in the 11-1 rout of the home team at Ebbets Field.
On August 15, 1945, Commissioner Happy Chandler negotiates a contract to have Gillette become the sponsor of the World Series, replacing Ford Motot Company. The razor company pays a record $150,000 for its affiliation with the Fall Classic, surpassing the $100,000 price tag previously paid by Ford, which had been the World Series sponsor since…
Cleveland’s Lou Boudreau suffers a broken right ankle in a collision at second base with Dolph Camilli, but the Tribe beats the Red Sox, 3 – 0, behind Jim Bagby’s three-hitter.
1945 – Branch Rickey becomes the principal stockholder of the Dodgers. He and associates Walter O’Malley and John Smith acquire the 50 percent interest of the Ebbets estate for a reported price of $750,000.
Mel Ott leads the Giants to a pair of wins over the Reds‚ 3 – 2 and 6 – 5. Ott hits a pinch 3-run homer in the 8th of the nitecap after his homer and another by Danny Gardella leads the way in opener. The Reds’ Bill McKechnie‚ desperate for hitting‚ selects P Joe Bowman to pinch-hit for Vern Kennedy in game 1. Bowman is 0-for-42. He will hit .088 for the season.
At Pittsburgh, Pirate catcher Bill Salkeld is 5 for 5, including hitting for the cycle, and drives in all five runs, but his Bucs lose, 6 – 5 to Cardinals reliever Harry Brecheen. Salkeld hits his only triple of the year in the cycle, half his career total. His offensive effort offsets a curious defensive stat: he has no putouts or assists in the game.
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