HODGES RUNS WILD IN BROOKLYN SWEEP
Clubs 4 HRs, Drives in 9
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug 11 (AP) - Gil Hodges hammered a pair of home runs in each
game and drove in a total of nine runs as the Dodgers broke out of their recent
slump with a doubleheader sweep of the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field. With
26 long balls on the season to date the Brooklyn first baseman takes over the NL
lead in home runs.
In the opener, Hodges broke a 2-2 tie with a solo home run into the left field
upper deck off Warren Spahn to lead off the bottom of the fourth. One
inning later Hodges belted a two-out grand slam off Spahn deep into the lower
seats in left, putting the Dodgers on top 7-2.
The Braves got back in the game in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs and
driving Brooklyn starter Ralph Branca from the game in the process. But
the Dodgers blew the game open again with a solo run in the seventh and six more
in the eighth off a tiring Spahn, who was left in to take one for the team as
Boston and its weary bullpen declared the opener over and looked ahead to the
nightcap. Andy Pafko and Jackie Robinson both popped home runs of their
own as part of the late-inning onslaught and the Dodgers went on to win 14-5.
In game two, the Dodgers broke out on top immediately in the first inning, with
Hodges again playing a key role. Braves starter Max Surkont yielded a
leadoff single to Carl Furillo and, after a Pee Wee Reese ground out moved the
runner to second base, Duke Snider singled home the game's first run.
Pafko then walked and Hodges followed with his third home run of the day, a
drive off the upper deck facade in straight away left field, giving Brooklyn a
4-0 lead.
The score was unchanged until the Braves came to bat in the top of the
fifth. Johnny Logan drew a leadoff walk from Dodgers starter Johnny
Schmitz. Surkont flied out but Schmitz then wild pitched Logan to second
and Sibby Sisti followed with a single to center. Logan scored, to break
the shutout, and Sisti alertly took second on the throw to the plate. Sam
Jethroe then doubled past Hodges down the right field line; Sisti scored and the
Brooklyn lead was down to 4-2. Earl Torgeson then belted his 12th home run
of the year over the right field screen onto Bedford Avenue to tie the
game. Schmitz escaped further damage in the inning but the lead was gone.
After a pair of scoreless half-innings the Dodgers retook command of the game in
the bottom of the sixth. Furillo led off with a double off the center
field wall and took third on a Surkont wild pitch. Reese then doubled over
the head of left fielder Sid Gordon to give the Dodgers a lead they wouldn't
surrender. The Dodgers added some insurance. Following a Snider
ground out, which advanced Reese to third, Pafko hammered his second home run of
the day, just inside the left field foul pole, giving Brooklyn a 7-4 lead.
That ended Surkont's day; he was replaced by George Estock, whose first batter
was Hodges. The NL home run leader capped his productive afternoon with
his fourth home run of the day. The solo shot ended the scoring with the
Dodgers on top 8-4. Clem Labine, who had replaced Schmitz on the hill to
begin the sixth inning, pitched four shutout frames of relief to earn the win.
Coupled with the Giants' 7-4 loss to the Phillies, Brooklyn's lead--which had
dwindled to 5 1/2 games--is now seven over New York.
8/11/1951, BoN51-Brk51, game 1, Ebbets Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1951 Braves 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 5 5 1 6 1 1951 Dodgers 2 0 0 1 4 0 1 6 x 14 15 1 5 1 Braves AB R H BI AVG Dodgers AB R H BI AVG Sisti 2b 4 0 2 0 .277 Furillo rf 4 1 1 0 .306 Jethroe cf 5 0 0 0 .305 Reese ss 3 3 2 0 .250 Torgeson 1b 4 0 0 0 .266 Snider cf 5 1 2 2 .300 Elliott 3b 3 1 0 0 .310 Pafko lf 5 3 3 2 .251 Gordon lf 2 2 0 0 .332 Haugstad p 0 0 0 0 .000 Marshall rf 4 2 2 1 .272 Campanella c 4 1 1 0 .328 St.Claire c 3 0 1 1 .259 Walker,R ph 1 0 1 2 .316 Logan ss 2 0 0 2 .237 Hodges 1b 4 3 3 5 .246 Spahn p 3 0 0 0 .120 Cox 3b 5 0 0 0 .285 Holmes ph 1 0 0 0 .188 Terwilliger 2b 3 0 0 0 .196 31 5 5 4 Erskine p 1 1 1 1 .148 Abrams lf 0 0 0 0 .333 Branca p 2 0 0 0 .216 Palica p 0 0 0 0 .313 Robinson,J ph 2 1 1 2 .359 39 14 15 14 Braves INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Spahn L 11-11 8.0 15 14 14 4 5 168 95 3.83 8.0 15 14 14 4 5 168 95 Dodgers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Branca W 12-3 5.2 5 5 5 7 5 110 59 3.58 Palica H 1 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 4.75 Erskine H 1 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 20 13 4.85 Haugstad 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 12 9 4.29 9.0 5 5 5 7 6 144 82 BoN: Holmes batted for Spahn in the 9th Brk: Robinson,J batted for Palica in the 6th Robinson,J moved to 2b in the 7th Walker,R batted for Campanella in the 8th Walker,R moved to c in the 9th Abrams inserted at lf in the 9th E-Jethroe, Terwilliger. 2B-Marshall(10), St.Claire(10), Snider(24), Pafko(7). 3B-Hodges(3). HR-Pafko(20), Hodges 2(24), Robinson,J(12). RBI-Marshall(30), St.Claire(26), Logan 2(14), Snider 2(80), Pafko 2(54), Hodges 5(80), Robinson,J 2(62), Erskine(1), Walker,R 2(22). CS-Sisti. K-Torgeson 2, Elliott 2, Spahn, Holmes, Snider, Campanella, Terwilliger 2, Branca. BB-Sisti, Elliott, Gordon 2, St.Claire, Logan 2, Furillo, Reese 2, Hodges. PB-St.Claire. GWRBI: Hodges Temperature: 75, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: left to right at 7 MPH. Attendance: N/A Game Time: 2:26 8/11/1951, BoN51-Brk51, game 2, Ebbets Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1951 Braves 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 5 0 9 1 1951 Dodgers 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 x 8 14 1 9 0 Braves AB R H BI AVG Dodgers AB R H BI AVG Sisti 2b 4 1 1 1 .276 Furillo rf 5 2 2 0 .307 Jethroe cf 4 1 1 1 .304 Reese ss 5 1 3 1 .254 Torgeson 1b 4 1 1 2 .265 Snider cf 5 1 2 1 .301 Elliott 3b 5 0 1 0 .308 Pafko lf 4 2 2 2 .254 Gordon lf 2 0 1 0 .332 Hodges 1b 5 2 2 4 .248 Marshall rf 4 0 0 0 .269 Walker,R c 2 0 2 0 .326 Mueller,R c 4 0 0 0 .164 Cox 3b 4 0 1 0 .284 Logan ss 1 1 0 0 .236 Terwilliger 2b 3 0 0 0 .194 Hartsfield ph 1 0 0 0 .281 Robinson,J 2b 0 0 0 0 .359 Surkont p 2 0 0 0 .103 Schmitz p 2 0 0 0 .091 Estock p 0 0 0 0 .500 Thompson,D ph 1 0 0 0 .193 Holmes ph 1 0 0 0 .176 Labine p 1 0 0 0 .000 Chipman p 0 0 0 0 .000 37 8 14 8 32 4 5 4 Braves INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Surkont L 10-10 5.1 12 7 7 4 1 114 67 3.62 Estock 1.2 2 1 1 0 0 19 13 3.82 Chipman 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 7 3 6.26 8.0 14 8 8 4 1 140 83 Dodgers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Schmitz 5.0 4 4 4 4 2 95 51 5.52 Labine W 4-0 4.0 1 0 0 2 1 59 32 0.00 9.0 5 4 4 6 3 154 83 BoN: Hartsfield batted for Logan in the 8th Holmes batted for Estock in the 8th Sisti moved to ss in the 8th Hartsfield moved to 2b in the 8th Brk: Thompson,D batted for Schmitz in the 5th Robinson,J inserted at 2b in the 9th E-Cox. 2B-Jethroe(18), Elliott(25), Furillo(26), Reese(10). HR-Torgeson(12), Pafko(21), Hodges 2(26). RBI-Sisti(24), Jethroe(59), Torgeson 2(58), Reese(48), Snider(81), Pafko 2(56), Hodges 4(84). SB-Cox(3). K-Jethroe, Torgeson, Surkont, Schmitz. BB-Sisti, Jethroe, Torgeson, Gordon, Logan 2, Pafko, Walker,R 2, Terwilliger. SH-Surkont. HBP-Gordon. HB-Schmitz. WP-Surkont, Schmitz. GWRBI: Reese Temperature: 75, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: left to right at 7 MPH. Attendance: 32,009 Game Time: 2:17