NORTHEY’S 3 HRS LEAD PHILS PAST DODGERS

Phils Snap 5-Game ‘L’ Streak

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 16 (AP) – Ron Northey belted three solo home runs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies past the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-4 at Ebbets Field.  The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Phillies and was just the club’s second win in the last 12 games.  Northey becomes the sixth major league player this year—and only the fourth National Leaguer—to hit three home runs in a single game.  This was the third time in the last eight days that a player has hit three home runs in a game.  Eddie Lake of the Detroit Tigers performed the feat five days ago and Grady Hatton of the Cincinnati Reds did so on August 8.  No team has lost a game in which a player has hit three home runs.

The clubs exchanged first inning runs.  Northey belted his first homer of the contest with two outs and the bases empty in the top of the first.  Carl Furillo’s base hit scored Pee Wee Resse in the bottom of the frame, knotting the score.

But the Philles exploded for five runs in the top of the second, knocking Dodgers starter Rube Melton out of the game and taking the lead for good.  Del Ennis drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on Andy Seminick’s base hit to left.  Emil Verban’s bunt single loaded the baseS and then Oscar Judd, the Phillies starter and one of the best hitting pitchers in the NL, lined a single to right, scoring Ennis and Seminick.  Right fielder Dixie Walker’s throw to the plate was wild, allowing a third run to score in the form of Verban and permitting Judd to take second.  Now leading 4-1, Philadelphia’s Ryan Hughes sacrificed Judd to third, and Johnny Wyrostek’s fly to left was deep enough to score the baserunner.  Northey then capped the second inning scoring with a drive onto Bedford Avenue for his second long ball of the game and a 6-1 lead.  Hank Behrman replaced Melton and eventually got out of the inning without allowing any further damage, but his club now trailed by five runs.

The Dodgers drew to within three in the bottom of the third on Bruce Edwards’ two-run double, but Northey’s third homer of the game, in the top of the fourth, made the score 7-3.  Northey thus became just the third player this season, joining Bennie Warren of the New York Giants and Lake, to hit three home runs in three consecutive plate appearances in a single game.

Behrman’s base hit in the fifth scored Carl Furillo with the fourth Brooklyn run of the contest, but that was all the Dodgers had left in them.

Northey walked in his fourth plate appearance, in the top of the seventh, and the Phillies added an insurance run in the eighth when Johnny Wyrostek singled home Judd.  Northey had one more chance to hit his fourth home run of the context, but struck out at the hands of Behrman to end the eighth.

8/16/1946, PhN46-Brk46, Ebbets Field

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP

1946 Phillies          1  5  0  1  0  0  0  1  0     8 12  0     7  0

1946 Dodgers           1  0  2  0  1  0  0  0  0     4 12  2    11  1

Phillies             AB  R  H BI   AVG    Dodgers              AB  R  H BI   AVG

Hughes,R          ss  3  0  0  0  .252    Stanky            2b  5  0  2  0  .259

Wyrostek          cf  5  0  1  2  .274    Reese             ss  5  1  1  0  .292

Northey           rf  4  3  3  3  .205    Reiser            lf  5  0  1  0  .245

 Gilbert,C        rf  0  0  0  0  .237    Walker,D          rf  5  1  2  0  .330

McCormick,F       1b  5  0  2  0  .285    Furillo           cf  5  1  3  1  .338

Tabor             3b  5  0  1  0  .284     Hermanski        pr  0  0  0  0  .200

Ennis             lf  4  1  0  0  .291    Miksis            3b  4  1  0  0  .171

Seminick          c   4  1  1  0  .240    Edwards,B         c   4  0  2  2  .310

Verban,E          2b  4  1  2  0  .255    Schultz,H         1b  2  0  0  0  .327

Judd              p   3  2  2  2  .290    Melton            p   0  0  0  0  .091

                     37  8 12  7           Behrman          p   3  0  1  1  .118

                                           Hatten           p   0  0  0  0  .077

                                           Ramazzotti       ph  1  0  0  0  .217

                                           Casey            p   0  0  0  0  .000

                                                               39  4 12  4

Phillies                         INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Judd             W 11-8          9.0 12  4  4  3  7 143  91  4.41

                                 9.0 12  4  4  3  7 143  91

Dodgers                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Melton           L 2-2           1.2  6  6  6  1  0  48  28  2.80

Behrman                          6.0  6  2  2  3  2 109  66  3.53

Hatten                           0.1  0  0  0  0  1   3   3  3.02

Casey                            1.0  0  0  0  0  0  11   8  1.56

                                 9.0 12  8  8  4  3 171 105

PhN: Gilbert,C inserted at rf in the 8th

Brk: Ramazzotti batted for Hatten in the 8th

     Hermanski ran for Furillo in the 9th

E-Walker,D, Behrman. 2B-Tabor(12), Verban,E(5), Edwards,B(8).

HR-Northey 3(15). RBI-Wyrostek 2(34), Northey 3(50), Judd 2(8), Furillo(39),

Edwards,B 2(23), Behrman(3). K-Northey, Tabor, Seminick, Stanky, Reese 2,

Reiser, Walker,D, Miksis, Schultz,H. BB-Hughes,R, Northey, Ennis, Judd,

Miksis, Schultz,H 2. SH-Hughes,R.

GWRBI: Judd

Temperature: 65, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 12 MPH.

Attendance: 31,677

Game Time: 2:32