SOX SNEAK BY TIGERS, 4-3
Pilarcik single wins in 9th, Larsen quells late Tiger rally
By RICHARD DOZER, Chicago Tribune Press Service
Off to a good start
Lead-off man Luis Aparicio started the festivities with a single off Paul Foytack; one stolen base later, Roy Sievers singled him home to give the Sox an early lead. Starting pitcher Cal McLish tamed the Tigers with perfect 1-2-3 innings in the 1st and 2nd. Then in the top of the 3rd, after McLish and Aparicio subsequently grounded to second baseman Jake Wood, Nellie Fox, who stunned the Tiger faithful with 2 home runs in a memorable opener in the pennant year of 1959, had that old bat come alive again, taking Foytack to right for a 2-0 lead after 2-1/2.
"Cashing" in on McLish
McLish allowed a one-out triple to shortstop Chico Fernandez in the 3rd, then began the 1st of many successful "Houdini-type" escapes, striking out Foytack, then walking Wood, who stole second and getting Braves refugee Bill Bruton to fly to left. Then in the 4th, Al Kaline singled, stole 2nd before McLish got Rocky Colavito to ground to Sievers, moving Kaline to 3rd. Former Sox slugger Norm Cash(3) then turned McLish's fastball to mere putty, landing in the upper deck and tying the score at 2-2. The purring Tigers weren't done, Steve Boros then tripled, scoring on another ex-Brave Dick Brown's single. McLish had enough of all that Tiger purring, getting Fernandez out on a 6-4-3 double play.
Minnie ties it, then leaves it up to Larsen
Minnie Minoso homered off Foytack with one out in the 6th, tying the game at 3 and setting the stage for another McLish escape, allowing a lead-off single to Colavito, then a walk to that pesky Cash and a single to Boros for a bases-loaded mess. McLish got Brown and Fernandez to whiff, then Foytack grounded feebly to Fox to end the threat and McLish's day. Enter "Mr. Perfection of 1956" Don Larsen, who started the inning by whiffing Jake Wood, Bruton then singled, followed by a perfectly executed hit-run single by Kaline. Larsen then decided it was time to send Colavito and Cash back to their cage, the dejected pair snarling after striking out to end the latest threat. Larsen got the side out 1-2-3 in the 8th, setting up the late dramatics.
Pilarcik comes through
After Sievers popped out to Fernandez, JC Martin broke an 0-12 slump with a single to left. Jim Landis then bunted Martin to 2nd, setting up Al Pilarcik, in for the ailing Al Smith, who whizzed one up the middle, just scoring Martin with the eventual winning run, which was validated by the 1-2-3 pitching of Turk Lown in the bottom of the 9th, getting pinch-hitter Dick McAuliffe to line to Fox, Wood popping out to Andy Carey, a defensive replacement for Martin and before that Tiger threesome of Kaline/Colavito/Cash got one last chance to roar, Bill Bruton feebly grounded out to Sievers, giving the plucky South-Siders their 3rd win in 5 games and Paul Foytack a complete-game heartbreak.
Lucky Larsen
CWS 4-7-0 DET 3-10-0
WP-Larsen(1-0) LP-Foytack(0-1) SV-Lown(2)
HR-Fox(1) Cash(3) Minoso(1)
Pilarcik single wins in 9th, Larsen quells late Tiger rally
By RICHARD DOZER, Chicago Tribune Press Service
DETROIT, Apr 15-He may have been "perfect" in '56, but Don Larsen was good enough to snuff out those potent Tiger bats in the 7th, setting the stage for Al Pilarcik's run-scoring single in the top of the 9th as the White Sox tamed the Tigers, 4-3 in front of a festive Saturday crowd that wanted to see their heroes even their record. What they saw instead was opportunistic Sox bats and arms turn the promising Tigers into an early disappointment at 1-3.
Off to a good start
Lead-off man Luis Aparicio started the festivities with a single off Paul Foytack; one stolen base later, Roy Sievers singled him home to give the Sox an early lead. Starting pitcher Cal McLish tamed the Tigers with perfect 1-2-3 innings in the 1st and 2nd. Then in the top of the 3rd, after McLish and Aparicio subsequently grounded to second baseman Jake Wood, Nellie Fox, who stunned the Tiger faithful with 2 home runs in a memorable opener in the pennant year of 1959, had that old bat come alive again, taking Foytack to right for a 2-0 lead after 2-1/2.
"Cashing" in on McLish
McLish allowed a one-out triple to shortstop Chico Fernandez in the 3rd, then began the 1st of many successful "Houdini-type" escapes, striking out Foytack, then walking Wood, who stole second and getting Braves refugee Bill Bruton to fly to left. Then in the 4th, Al Kaline singled, stole 2nd before McLish got Rocky Colavito to ground to Sievers, moving Kaline to 3rd. Former Sox slugger Norm Cash(3) then turned McLish's fastball to mere putty, landing in the upper deck and tying the score at 2-2. The purring Tigers weren't done, Steve Boros then tripled, scoring on another ex-Brave Dick Brown's single. McLish had enough of all that Tiger purring, getting Fernandez out on a 6-4-3 double play.
Minnie ties it, then leaves it up to Larsen
Minnie Minoso homered off Foytack with one out in the 6th, tying the game at 3 and setting the stage for another McLish escape, allowing a lead-off single to Colavito, then a walk to that pesky Cash and a single to Boros for a bases-loaded mess. McLish got Brown and Fernandez to whiff, then Foytack grounded feebly to Fox to end the threat and McLish's day. Enter "Mr. Perfection of 1956" Don Larsen, who started the inning by whiffing Jake Wood, Bruton then singled, followed by a perfectly executed hit-run single by Kaline. Larsen then decided it was time to send Colavito and Cash back to their cage, the dejected pair snarling after striking out to end the latest threat. Larsen got the side out 1-2-3 in the 8th, setting up the late dramatics.
Pilarcik comes through
After Sievers popped out to Fernandez, JC Martin broke an 0-12 slump with a single to left. Jim Landis then bunted Martin to 2nd, setting up Al Pilarcik, in for the ailing Al Smith, who whizzed one up the middle, just scoring Martin with the eventual winning run, which was validated by the 1-2-3 pitching of Turk Lown in the bottom of the 9th, getting pinch-hitter Dick McAuliffe to line to Fox, Wood popping out to Andy Carey, a defensive replacement for Martin and before that Tiger threesome of Kaline/Colavito/Cash got one last chance to roar, Bill Bruton feebly grounded out to Sievers, giving the plucky South-Siders their 3rd win in 5 games and Paul Foytack a complete-game heartbreak.
Lucky Larsen
CWS 4-7-0 DET 3-10-0
WP-Larsen(1-0) LP-Foytack(0-1) SV-Lown(2)
HR-Fox(1) Cash(3) Minoso(1)
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