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Heartbreak
Boston Globe, September 23, 1938
RED SOX LOSE HEARTBREAKER
Veteran Hoyt Allows Three Runs In Tenth
WASHINGTON--After the Red Sox scored twice in the top of the tenth inning, the Senators responded with three runs of their own to defeat the Red Sox, 4-3. Venerable Waite Hoyt was the Boston hurler of record, and he perhaps deserved a much better fate in what was almost certainly his final appearance on a major league diamond.
The game's starting pitchers--rookie Jake Winters of Washington and veteran Jim Weaver of Boston--treated a large, vocal crowd to a sparkling demonstration of pitching skill before leaving the game for pinch-hitters. Weaver pitched particularly splendid ball, allowing only a pair of hits in eight innings.
The Red Sox got to Washington reliever Red Anderson for a pair of scores in the tenth frame, courtesy of a leadoff home run by Mel Almada and a two-out RBI double by Bobby Doerr. Bill Carrigan entrusted the two-run lead to Hoyt, who had pitched effectively in the ninth inning.
Hoyt, alas, weakened in his second inning of work. With one out, Hoyt walked pinch hitter Roy Johnson, who steamed to second when Hoyt's first pitch to Buddy Lewis sailed high over catcher Josh Gibson's head. Lewis then slapped a ground ball to second, moving Johnson to third.
Leadoff batter John Mihalic coaxed a second walk from Hoyt, and promptly stole second base. The next batter, Carl Sumner, drilled the decisive hit, a sharp single to center field that scored Johnson and Mihalic. Dejected, Hoyt left the mound with his head bowed, and refused to speak to reporters after the game.
The Red Sox' lost takes on deeper significance because the New York Yankees pounded the Indians, 8-2, in Cleveland yesterday. The Yankees now lead the Red Sox by a game, and each team has three games remaining to play.
Should the Yankees' lead hold up, Red Sox manager Bill Carrigan might be forever questioned about his decision to place the fate of the team's season in the hands of Waite Hoyt, rather than calling on a younger, less battle-weary hurler. After the game, Carrigan defended his choice steadfastly. "Waite has been throwing well lately," he claimed, an assertion that is certainly supported by the facts. In his last seven appearances, covering eight innings, the lefthander had allowed only four hits and two bases on balls.
Today, the Red Sox return to Boston for a single game against the Philadelphia Athletics, while the Yankees entertain the Senators. King Carl Hubbell will toe the rubber for the Red Sox against Tony Freitas, while Gotham ace Mace Brown faces the Nats' Dick Coffman.
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