CHISOX OUTLAST TRIBE IN 17 INNINGS
Kuhel Plates Appling with Game-Winner
CHICAGO, Aug. 7 (AP) – Joe Kuhel’s one-out single scored Luke Appling from second base in the bottom of the 17th inning to give the Chicago White Sox a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Comiskey Park in the longest major league game of the season to date. Appling doubled with one out off Cleveland’s Bob Lemon to set the table for Kuhel’s dramatic base hit. Gordon Maltzberger was credited with the win following five innings of shutout relief for the White Sox.
Appling’s game-winning run was the first Chicago tally since the White Sox scored three runs off Cleveland starter Allie Reynolds in the bottom of the first. Reynolds—who pitched 11 frames—Joe Krakauskas and Lemon then combined to toss 15 scoreless innings, prior to Kuhel’s dramatics.
The big first inning for the White Sox, a three-run rally, all of it coming with two outs, seemed to presage an easy victory. After Thurman Tucker and Appling were retired, Kuhel reached on an infield hit and advanced to second on Taffy Wright’s looper to center. Frankie Hayes reached on another infield single, loading the bases, and Bob Kennedy cleared them with a triple to the gap in right-center.
But the Indians narrowed the deficit to a single run in the top of the third, aided by a miscue. Jim Hegan drew a leadoff walk from Chicago starter Johnny Rigney, and took second when Reynolds dropped down a bunt single. Second baseman Cass Michaels then kicked Goerge Case’s potential double play grounder, filling the bases with no outs. George Conway grounded into a force at second, allowing Hegan to score, and a base hit to right off the bat of Pat Seerey plated Reynolds to make the score 3-2. Rigney avoided further damage, but any hope of a laugher was retired.
The one-run lead remained intact until the top of the eighth, when Joe Caldwell replaced Rigney, who had departed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh when a White Sox scoring threat came up empty. Heinz Becker drew a one-out walk and was replaced on first base by pinch runner Steve Gromek. A wild pitch moved Gromek to second and he advanced to third on Lou Boudreau’s ground out. On a 2-2 pitch, Ken Keltner came through with a line drive single to center, scoring Gromek to tie the game. Hegan then grounded out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the tenth, Kuhel drew a two-out walk from Reynolds and stole second, but was stranded when Wright grounded to short to end the inning.
Facing Krakauskas in the 12th, the White Sox had a two-out threat when Appling walked and advanced to third on Kuhel’s single to right, but Wright grounded out to snuff out the would-be rally.
In the top of the 17th, the Indians finally moved another runner into scoring position when Boudreau lined a leadoff single and Keltner dropped down a successful sacrifice. But Hegan popped to second and Lemon flied to left, ending the inning.
Lemon retired Tucker on a ground ball to open the bottom of the 17th, but Appling followed with his fourth hit of the game, a double to right. That brought Kuhel to the plate, and on the very first pitch he saw, he lined a base hit down the right field line. Appling scored without a play and the White Sox had finally put an end to the season’s longest game.
8/7/1946, Cle46-ChA46, Comiskey Park
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1946 Indians 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1946 White Sox 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 14 15 16 17 R H E LOB DP
1946 Indians 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 2 9 3
1946 White Sox 0 0 0 0 1 4 14 2 13 2
Indians AB R H BI AVG White Sox AB R H BI AVG
Case lf 7 0 0 0 .218 Tucker cf 8 0 0 0 .271
Conway 2b 6 0 1 1 .240 Appling ss 7 1 2 0 .309
Seerey cf 7 0 1 1 .221 Kuhel,J 1b 7 1 4 1 .250
Edwards,H rf 7 0 1 0 .297 Wright,T rf 7 1 2 0 .290
Becker,H 1b 2 0 0 0 .271 Hayes,F c 4 1 1 0 .225
Gromek pr 0 1 0 0 .182 Whitman,F pr 0 0 0 0 .200
Fleming,L 1b 3 0 0 0 .269 Dickey,G c 1 0 0 0 .164
Boudreau ss 7 0 2 0 .316 Kennedy,Bo lf 7 0 3 3 .215
Keltner 3b 6 0 1 1 .248 Lodigiani 3b 6 0 1 0 .203
Hegan c 6 1 1 0 .184 Michaels 2b 7 0 1 0 .296
Reynolds p 4 1 1 0 .224 Rigney,J p 2 0 0 0 .045
Woodling ph 1 0 0 0 .290 Platt ph 1 0 0 0 .219
Krakauskas p 0 0 0 0 .000 Caldwell p 1 0 0 0 .091
Wasdell,J ph 1 0 0 0 .266 Curtright ph 1 0 0 0 .196
Lemon p 1 0 0 0 .141 Maltzberger p 2 0 0 0 .000
58 3 8 3 61 4 14 4
Indians INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Reynolds 11.0 9 3 3 3 5 175 106 3.52
Krakauskas 3.0 2 0 0 1 2 48 30 4.60
Lemon L 2-3 2.1 3 1 1 1 0 35 23 3.95
16.1 14 4 4 5 7 258 159
White Sox INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Rigney,J 7.0 5 2 1 3 6 113 71 3.39
Caldwell BS 1 5.0 1 1 1 1 3 61 38 1.15
Maltzberger W 1-2 5.0 2 0 0 0 4 62 43 3.18
17.0 8 3 2 4 13 236 152
kUH
Cle: Gromek ran for Becker,H in the 8th
Fleming,L inserted at 1b in the 8th
Woodling batted for Reynolds in the 12th
Wasdell,J batted for Krakauskas in the 15th
ChA: Platt batted for Rigney,J in the 7th
Whitman,F ran for Hayes,F in the 11th
Dickey,G inserted at c in the 12th
Curtright batted for Caldwell in the 12th
E-Boudreau, Reynolds, Lodigiani, Michaels. 2B-Appling 2(19),
Kennedy,Bo 2(10). 3B-Kennedy,Bo(2). RBI-Conway(12), Seerey(36), Keltner(59),
Kuhel,J(11), Kennedy,Bo 3(23). SB-Kuhel,J(3). CS-Lodigiani. K-Case, Conway 2,
Seerey, Edwards,H, Becker,H, Keltner 2, Hegan 2, Reynolds 2, Fleming,L,
Tucker 2, Wright,T, Hayes,F, Lodigiani, Caldwell, Dickey,G. BB-Conway,
Becker,H 2, Hegan, Appling, Kuhel,J, Hayes,F, Lodigiani, Dickey,G.
SH-Keltner. WP-Rigney,J, Caldwell.
GWRBI: Kuhel,J
Temperature: 68, Sky: cloudy, Wind: in from left at 24 MPH.
Attendance: 6,988
Game Time: 4:06