Vern Stephens highlights 32-10 offensive display in Rod Caborn’s replay

This comes from Rod Caborn who had quite a game in his Great Teams of the Past replay. –Tom

In all my years playing APBA, had an offensive explosion to match this game. Came in my 1940s Great Teams replay.

The 1948 Boston Red Sox came into the game 56-46, a half-game behind the league-leading 1943 Washington Senators (integrated with the ’46 Newark Eagles). The 1940 Detroit Tigers, hampered by a poor defense and pitching not quite equal to the quality of the rest of the league, started the contest with a 39-66 record, in last place 19 games behind the Senators.

August 3 matchup Briggs Stadium between Boston’s Jack Kramer (9RZ, 8-5, 2.78) and Detroit’s Bobo Newsom (16RX, 10-10, 3.55).

The scoring started early when Boston’s Vern Stephens hit a three-run HR in the first. In the second, the Red Sox poured over six runs, highlighted by Dom DiMaggio  three-run HR, to drive Newsom from the game. Boston proceeded to score three more off reliever Tom Seats, to make it a nine-run inning.

Detroit, meanwhile, scored three in the bottom of the third to make it 12-4 in favor of the Red Sox.

After catching their breath, the Red Sox heated up again in the fifth. Dizzy Trout, on in relief for Detroit, walked the first three batters, and the Red Sox then reeled off five straight hits, scoring six runs. Exit Trout and enter Johnny Gorsica for Detroit, who fanned Stan Spence, but then surrendered a three-run HR to Vern Stephens, his second 3R HR of the game. Gorsica then retired Billy Hitchcock and 1b Jack Jones to end the inning. Boston led, at this point, 21-7.

In the fifth, Gorsica retired Wally Moses on a ground out to third base. The Red Sox then ran off another five hits in a row, at which point Vern Stephens hit his third three-run home run of the game. The Detroit bench, weary of making trips to the mound to change pitchers, left Gorsica in. The Sox banged out more hits, making it eight in a row, and Red Sox RF Wally Moses slammed another three-run HR, Boston’s fifth three-run home run of the game. Score Boston 30, Detroit 7.

In the bottom of the sixth, with Tex Hughson (1R) in long relief for  the Tigers Barney McCoskey triped in a run and 2b Scat Metha, in for Charlie Gehringer, singled McCoskey home. Score Boston 30, Detroit 9.

In the bottom of the seventh, Detroit RF Bruce Campbell hit a home run to put the Tigers into double figures. Score Boston 30, Detroit 10.

With Archie McKain, Detroit’s fifth pitcher of the game pitching in the ninth, the Red Sox strung together four more hits in a row, including Hughson’s second RBI single of the game, to make it Boston 32, Detroit 10. The Tigers were held scoreless by Hughson in the bottom of the ninth, mercifully bringing the game to and.

Highlights of the ’48 Red Sox blowout win over the ’40 Tigers:

• Vern Stephens, 3-5 with three 3R HRs, 9 RBIs and a BB.
• Dom DiMaggio 5-8, a three-run HR, 6 RBIs.
• Wally Moses 4-6, a three-run HR, 6 RBIs and a BB.
• Johnny Pesky, 4-7, 4 RBIs, including an RBI double.
• P Tex Hughson, who came on in relief to pitch the final six innings for Boston) 3-4, 2 RBIs, 3 runs scored.
• Boston had three nine-run innings, in the second, fifth, and sixth).
• Both teams combined for 42 runs, 50 hits (Boston 32 hits, Detroit 18 hits). 
• Boston had eight straight batters reach base in the fifth inning (3 BB followed by five straight hits) before Gorsica, in relief, struck out Stan Spence, the first batter he faced. The second batter faced by Gorsica, Vern Stephens, hit his second 3R HR.
• Boston had nine straight hits off Gorsica in the sixth inning, climaxed by Wally Moses three-run HR

I may have carpel tunnel after keeping the box score.

Thanks for sharing, Rod!  Everyone can see the box score on this pdf.