Front Office Gazette
In a stunning display of speed and power, the Phillies simply ran through the Boston Braves in the seasons opening series, sweeping the 3 games in very impression fashion.
Monte Irvin, a renowned Negro League outfielder, led off the opener for the Phillies and made an indelible mark on the games history by sending the very first pitch he saw from Braves ace Ernie White over the center field fence, in excess of 400 feet, for a home run. The rest of the affair carried the same tone as the Phillies never let up on the Boston team. Each Phillie starter, all negro, collected at least one hit, while the team as a whole totaled a whopping 3 home runs and 5 stolen bases.
On the mound it was much of the same as 37 year old Satchel Paige, widely considered one of the all time greats on the mound, finally got to flash his stuff against major league bats in something other than a barnstorming affair. The result was tremendous for Satch as he threw 7.1 innings of one run baseball.
The atmosphere in Boston was electric, both with excitement and fear. But the clashes between the colors were few and far between, one could even say that the two mingled in joyous celebration, not so much at the games outcome, but rather that it was being played at all.
GAME 1: Box Score
Spoiler
Code:
Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Braves
April 1, 1944
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
Phillies (PHI) 1 1 0 1 2 0 0 4 0 9 12 1
Braves (BSN) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 1
PHILADELPHIA ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
Monte Irvin (CF) 4 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 .250
Willie Wells (SS) 5 1 0 0 0 2 3 1 .200
Ray Dandridge (3B) 5 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 .400
Josh Gibson (RF) 5 1 0 1 0 1 3 0 .200
Roy Campanella (C) 3 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 .333
Dick Seay (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Luke Easter (1B) 5 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 .400
George Suttles (LF) 4 2 0 2 1 2 1 1 .500
Lorenzo Davis (2B) 4 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 .500
Ron Northey (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Satchel Paige (P) 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000
Dick Barrett (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Ken Raffensberger (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 38 12 4 9 3 8 13 5
2B: Ray Dandridge (1)
3B: Ray Dandridge (1)
HR: Luke Easter (1), Monte Irvin (1), George Suttles (1)
DP: Luke Easter 2, Lorenzo Davis 2, Willie Wells 2
E: Ray Dandridge
PHILADELPHIA ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
Satchel Paige 7.1 7 1 1 1 1 7 108 1.23
Dick Barrett 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 0.00
Ken Raffensberger 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 1 21 0.00
TOTALS 9.0 7 2 1 1 1 8 133
BOSTON ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
Eddie Joost (3B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000
Max West (1B) 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .667
Phil Masi (C) 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333
Tommy Holmes (CF) 4 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 .250
Chet Ross (LF) 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 .000
Chuck Workman (RF) 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .250
Bama Rowell (2B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Damon Phillips (SS) 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250
Ernie White (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Walt Lanfranconi (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Johnny McCarthy (P) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
George Estock (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 32 7 2 1 1 1 8 0
2B: Damon Phillips (1), Johnny McCarthy (1)
HR: Tommy Holmes (1)
GDP: Tommy Holmes 2
E: Max West
BOSTON ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
Ernie White 7.0 11 2 3 8 7 11 118 9.00
Walt Lanfranconi 1.0 1 1 0 1 1 1 20 9.00
George Estock 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 1 13 0.00
TOTALS 9.0 12 4 3 9 8 13 151
WP: Satchel Paige (1-0)
LP: Ernie White (0-1)
Temperature: 45F
Wind: 5 MPH (right to left)
Attendance: 27,294
Time: 2:40
Game two was a closer affair but the offensive power from Philadelphia was still on clear display. Lorenzo Davis and Luke Easter each collected 3 hits and the team as a whole stole another five bases. Leon Day struggled through 7 innings but reliever Al Gerheauser picked up the slack, shutting down Boston over the final 2 innings.
GAME 2: Box Score
Spoiler
Code:
Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Braves
April 2, 1944
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
Phillies (PHI) 1 0 0 1 2 4 0 0 0 8 13 0
Braves (BSN) 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 5 8 1
PHILADELPHIA ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
Monte Irvin (CF) 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 .125
Lorenzo Davis (2B) 4 3 1 3 0 0 1 1 .625
Ray Dandridge (3B) 5 2 0 2 1 4 0 0 .400
Luke Easter (1B) 4 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 .556
Roy Campanella (C) 5 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 .250
Josh Gibson (RF) 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .100
George Suttles (LF) 5 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 .444
Willie Wells (SS) 3 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 .250
Leon Day (P) 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000
Ron Northey (P) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
Al Gerheauser (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 39 13 2 8 1 8 7 5
2B: George Suttles (1)
3B: Lorenzo Davis (1)
HR: Ray Dandridge (1)
DP: Lorenzo Davis, Willie Wells, Leon Day
PHILADELPHIA ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
Leon Day 7.0 8 1 1 5 5 4 88 6.43
Al Gerheauser 2.0 0 1 0 0 0 1 25 0.00
TOTALS 9.0 8 2 1 5 5 5 113
BOSTON ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
Eddie Joost (3B) 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000
Max West (1B) 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 .333
Phil Masi (C) 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .143
Tommy Holmes (CF) 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 .375
Chet Ross (LF) 3 2 1 1 1 2 0 0 .286
Chuck Workman (RF) 4 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 .375
Bama Rowell (2B) 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .125
Damon Phillips (SS) 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .250
Jim Tobin (P) 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
TOTALS 33 8 2 5 1 5 5 0
2B: Damon Phillips (2), Chuck Workman (1)
HR: Chet Ross (1)
GDP: Damon Phillips
CS: Bama Rowell
E: Bama Rowell
BOSTON ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
Jim Tobin 9.0 13 2 1 8 5 7 164 5.00
TOTALS 9.0 13 2 1 8 5 7 164
WP: Leon Day (1-0)
LP: Jim Tobin (0-1)
SV: Al Gerheauser (1)
Temperature: 46F
Wind: 2 MPH (out to left)
Attendance: 20,218
Time: 2:36
Game three was an unbalanced a tilt as ever there was. The Phillies lineup scored 12 runs on 12 hits and 4 Brave errors. Meanwhile, on the mound, Phillie pitcher Hilton Smith needed only 116 pitches to blank Boston, scattering 6 hits and 2 walks.
Ray Dandridge and Luke Easter provided the yomans amount of the damage in the middle of the order as they combined to get on base 7 times and drove in 5 runs. One thing is certainly clear, this team of black superstars now has the attention of the entirety of the baseball world.
GAME 3: Box Score
Spoiler
Code:
Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Braves
April 3, 1944
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
Phillies (PHI) 0 1 9 1 0 0 1 0 0 12 12 0
Braves (BSN) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 4
PHILADELPHIA ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
Monte Irvin (CF) 4 2 1 1 0 2 1 0 .250
Buster Adams (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Lorenzo Davis (2B) 4 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 .583
Dick Seay (P) 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Ray Dandridge (3B) 3 1 3 1 0 2 0 0 .385
Luke Easter (1B) 3 1 2 2 0 3 0 0 .500
Roy Campanella (C) 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 .250
Joe Antolick (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Josh Gibson (RF) 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 .154
Ron Northey (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
George Suttles (LF) 5 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 .357
Willie Wells (SS) 3 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 .273
Eddie Miller (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Hilton Smith (P) 5 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 .400
TOTALS 37 12 10 12 0 11 3 4
2B: Luke Easter (1), Hilton Smith (1)
GDP: Luke Easter, Roy Campanella, George Suttles
CS: Monte Irvin
DP: Luke Easter, Lorenzo Davis, Willie Wells
PHILADELPHIA ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
Hilton Smith 9.0 6 2 0 0 0 6 116 0.00
TOTALS 9.0 6 2 0 0 0 6 116
BOSTON ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
Eddie Joost (3B) 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 .000
Max West (1B) 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .222
Phil Masi (C) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .182
Tommy Holmes (CF) 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .417
Chet Ross (LF) 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .182
Chuck Workman (RF) 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .250
Bama Rowell (2B) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167
Damon Phillips (SS) 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .273
Lou Fette (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Walt Lanfranconi (P) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
Max Macon (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 32 6 2 0 0 0 6 0
2B: Walt Lanfranconi (1)
GDP: Chet Ross
DP: Max West 3, Bama Rowell 3, Eddie Joost 4, Tommy Holmes
E: Eddie Joost 2, Damon Phillips, Walt Lanfranconi
BOSTON ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
Lou Fette 3.1 11 5 0 11 8 2 95 21.60
Walt Lanfranconi 3.0 1 3 0 1 0 1 63 2.25
Max Macon 2.2 0 2 0 0 0 0 38 0.00
TOTALS 9.0 12 10 0 12 8 3 196
WP: Hilton Smith (1-0)
LP: Lou Fette (0-1)
Temperature: 40F
Wind: 2 MPH (left to right)
Attendance: 20,218
Time: 2:56