Tiny Bonham is the last known pitcher to retire the side one three pitches. The unique feat, which has only been recorded as having been done three times total, came to a pitcher whose career and life was brief.
The New York Yankees were up three games to one on the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941, and looking to put it away in game five. Having comeback and won game four, they didn't want to give Brooklyn any life. Bonham went out and pitched a gem. The Brooklyn faithful at Ebbets Field were going home disappointed!
The Yankees tallied twice in the top of the second. A wild pitch scored Charlie Keller. A single by Joe Gorden scored Bill Dickey. Whitlow Wyatt had given up three hits at this point, but settled down after this and New York got only one more runs and three more hits. It was up to Bonham to slam the door on the Dodgers.
Wyatt himself led off the bottom of the third with a double, and scored on Pete Reiser's sac fly. It was 2-1, now. Brooklyn though, would not score again on Bonham. Having given up two hits here, and an earlier triple to Reiser, Bonham would give up just one more hit from here on in!
The game was not going to be a boring affair from here anyways. New York got two on via bases on balls in the top of the fourth, but failed to score. Bonham got Brooklyn 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame, but it was not on three pitches. In the top of the fifth, Bonham's team did score.
Tommie Henrich went yard with the bases empty and one out. Old Reliable had given the Bronx Bombers the breathing room they needed. Wyatt got the next two batters out, but not without drama. Before Wyatt retired the great Joe DiMaggio himself, he had intimidated him. Some brushbacks were thrown by Wyatt during the at-bat. And by the time Joe flew out to Reiser in centre, he was mad. Wyatt and him exchanged some verbal volleys, and both benches empties. Fortunately, order was restored. Joe and Whit stayed in the game.
Wyatt seemed to feed of that exchange. The Yankees would get three more men on-base, but two of them would be retired when the very next batter grounded into a double play. Phil Rizzuto singled with two down in the top of the sixth, so the Dodgers couldn't turn two. Bonham was the batter and Wyatt fanned him. In the seventh and ninth inning, Whitlow got 'em 1-2-3.
Bonham also got 'em 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth. And the bottom of the seventh was one of the quickest half innings ever seen in World Series play.
Pee Wee Reese was the first batter. Swinging on the first pitch, he popped out to Johnny Sturm at first for the first out. The next batter was Mickey Owen. Swinging on the first pitch, he went out on a grounder to short. Augie Galan came to the dish as a pinch hitter. Again, the batter swung on the first pitch. And again he was retired. Sturm made his third putout of the inning on another pop fly.
Bonham gave up a single in the bottom of the eighth, but the Dodgers did not score. And when he again got the side 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth, New York won the game, 3-1. They also had won the 1941 World Series, four games to one.
Bonham had finished the game on a fine four-hitter. It proved to be, however, the only Fall Classic game he ever won. He stayed with the Yankees until 1946, after which he was traded to Pittsburgh. His career had started with some promise, and he posted an ERA of less than three in his first five seasons. In 1942, he topped the junior circuit with and W% of .808 courtesy of a 21-5 season. He was never that good again. He died during the 1949 season.
While Bonham may not have had a long career or life, he produced over 100 wins. And his World Series career featured a clinching-game victory over the hated Dodgers. And a nice 1-2-3 pitch seventh inning!
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. Mar. 06. 2014.
Baseball Almanac Inc. “Three Pitch Innings.” Three Pitch Innings, www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/3_pitch_inning.shtml.
The New York Yankees were up three games to one on the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941, and looking to put it away in game five. Having comeback and won game four, they didn't want to give Brooklyn any life. Bonham went out and pitched a gem. The Brooklyn faithful at Ebbets Field were going home disappointed!
The Yankees tallied twice in the top of the second. A wild pitch scored Charlie Keller. A single by Joe Gorden scored Bill Dickey. Whitlow Wyatt had given up three hits at this point, but settled down after this and New York got only one more runs and three more hits. It was up to Bonham to slam the door on the Dodgers.
Wyatt himself led off the bottom of the third with a double, and scored on Pete Reiser's sac fly. It was 2-1, now. Brooklyn though, would not score again on Bonham. Having given up two hits here, and an earlier triple to Reiser, Bonham would give up just one more hit from here on in!
The game was not going to be a boring affair from here anyways. New York got two on via bases on balls in the top of the fourth, but failed to score. Bonham got Brooklyn 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame, but it was not on three pitches. In the top of the fifth, Bonham's team did score.
Tommie Henrich went yard with the bases empty and one out. Old Reliable had given the Bronx Bombers the breathing room they needed. Wyatt got the next two batters out, but not without drama. Before Wyatt retired the great Joe DiMaggio himself, he had intimidated him. Some brushbacks were thrown by Wyatt during the at-bat. And by the time Joe flew out to Reiser in centre, he was mad. Wyatt and him exchanged some verbal volleys, and both benches empties. Fortunately, order was restored. Joe and Whit stayed in the game.
Wyatt seemed to feed of that exchange. The Yankees would get three more men on-base, but two of them would be retired when the very next batter grounded into a double play. Phil Rizzuto singled with two down in the top of the sixth, so the Dodgers couldn't turn two. Bonham was the batter and Wyatt fanned him. In the seventh and ninth inning, Whitlow got 'em 1-2-3.
Bonham also got 'em 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth. And the bottom of the seventh was one of the quickest half innings ever seen in World Series play.
Pee Wee Reese was the first batter. Swinging on the first pitch, he popped out to Johnny Sturm at first for the first out. The next batter was Mickey Owen. Swinging on the first pitch, he went out on a grounder to short. Augie Galan came to the dish as a pinch hitter. Again, the batter swung on the first pitch. And again he was retired. Sturm made his third putout of the inning on another pop fly.
Bonham gave up a single in the bottom of the eighth, but the Dodgers did not score. And when he again got the side 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth, New York won the game, 3-1. They also had won the 1941 World Series, four games to one.
Bonham had finished the game on a fine four-hitter. It proved to be, however, the only Fall Classic game he ever won. He stayed with the Yankees until 1946, after which he was traded to Pittsburgh. His career had started with some promise, and he posted an ERA of less than three in his first five seasons. In 1942, he topped the junior circuit with and W% of .808 courtesy of a 21-5 season. He was never that good again. He died during the 1949 season.
While Bonham may not have had a long career or life, he produced over 100 wins. And his World Series career featured a clinching-game victory over the hated Dodgers. And a nice 1-2-3 pitch seventh inning!
References
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. Mar. 06. 2014.
Baseball Almanac Inc. “Three Pitch Innings.” Three Pitch Innings, www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/3_pitch_inning.shtml.
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