September 5, 1948
Even when they don’t play, the Indians seem to lose a little in the American League standings.
Today the Indians were rained out in St. Louis. What was supposed to be a four-game series in the Gateway City was cut short at just three, with the Browns taking two of the games. The two teams will make up today’s rainout next Saturday in Cleveland as part of a doubleheader. The two teams will play a twin bill on back-to-back days in a 48-hour four-game series.
Meanwhile, both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox won their games today. The Red Sox were 4-3 winners in ten innings in Philadelphia while the Yankees were 5-3 winners at home against the Washington Senators. New York has won eight games in a row while the Red Sox have won five straight. The two victories drop the Indians three and a half games back of Boston and three games back of New York with 25 games remaining on the Tribe’s schedule.
Today’s scheduled starter, Gene Bearden (13-6, 2.74) will instead pitch the first game in tomorrow’s Labor Day doubleheader in Chicago. Indians manager Lou Boudreau will send the newly-improved Bob Feller (14-14, 4.19) in the second game. Originally Boudreau intended to pitch Feller and Bob Lemon, but the skipper will give the Tribe ace an extra day and push him back to a Wednesday start at home with Detroit.
The last place White Sox will send right-handers Joe Haynes (7-9, 3.71) and Randy Gumpert (2-5, 4.42) tomorrow. Haynes will pitch the first game with Gumpert following in game two. Chicago swept the Indians in a doubleheader two weeks ago in Cleveland, starting their late-summer tailspin. Feller and Bearden were the losing pitchers on August 22 and may now be pitching for Cleveland’s pennant lives tomorrow. Trailing first place by more than they have at any point all season, the Tribe has to get a pair on Monday.
Boston and New York trade places in their Labor Day doubleheaders. The Red Sox will travel to Washington to take on the Senators while the Yankees will host the Philadelphia Athletics. Cleveland used to feel that their heavy home schedule in September against lower division teams would work to their benefit against New York and Boston, but now many Indians’ players wish they had more head-to-head games remaining against the two foes in front of them.
Instead, the Tribe will have to take care of their business against the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox in 20 of their remaining 25 games. Cleveland now hopes the Yankees and Red Sox split their remaining eight games against each other and allow the Tribe to charge back into the race.
Photo: Courtesy of Missouri State Archives
