Boston’s Ted Williams rounds third base after blasting his 33rd home run of the season against the Detroit Tigers young ace Jim Bunning. Williams’s homer would be the only run of the game from both teams who had zero hopes of an American League pennant. The Tigers at this point of the season are 18 games behind the New York Yankees while the Red Sox are doing slightly better being 14.5 back of first place.
And Williams’s seventh inning home run was really the only blemish on what was otherwise a fine pitching performance by Bunning, up to that point he had held the Red Sox to just one hit and the home run would be the only other hit he would give up in the game, despite taking the loss that dropped his record to 15-7 on the season.
The pitching victor would be the lanky Frank Sullivan, who would get the shutout despite giving up ten hits. But the Hollywood native, who stood 6’6’, would counter the double-digit hitting by the Tigers with near-perfect control by walking none. The win would improve his record to 11-9 while dropping his ERA down to an impressive 2.82.
Despite the star power of Williams, little more than 8,000 came out to see this Wednesday afternoon contest, played in just one hour and 52 minutes.
As for the 38-year-old Williams, the 1957 season would be one of this finest as he would finish the season with 38 home runs and a .388 batting average, good enough to win him his fifth batting crown and earn him second place in the MVP voting behind the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle.
-Ron A. Bolton
Photo and Info Source – Jay Gauthreaux
Other Info Source – Baseball-Reference.com
