Jesse Flores got the opening day start for Philly and Eddie Lake drew the first walk of the season. Pete Fox dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Lake to second. Bobby Doerr popped up and "rookie" Johnny Lazor grounded out to end the inning. Hughson took the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Elmer Valo grounded out to start the game. Jo-Jo White popped up and Eddie Mayo grounded out to end the inning.
Tony Lupien grounded out to begin the top of the second inning before "rookie" Ford Garrison flied out and Skeeter Newsome popped up to end the inning. Hughson kept the pace in the bottom of the second by getting Jim Tyack to ground out to start. Dick Siebert struck out and Pete Suder flied out to end the inning.
Johnny Peacock struck out to open the top of the third and Hughson popped up. Lake flied out to end the inning. Hughson stayed strong in the bottom of the third by getting Irv Hall to pop up to begin. Bob Swift grounded out and Flores struck out to end the inning.
The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth inning when Fox led off with a double. Doerr sacrifice bunted Pete to third and he scored on the Lazor ground out. Johnny's first game and he gets what turned out to be the game winning rbi. Lupien lined out to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 1-0.
More than enough cushion for Hughson as he retired Valo on a ground out to open the bottom of the fourth. White singled but was erased on the force by Mayo. Tyack popped up to end the inning.
The Sox got their last hit of the game in the top of the fifth inning although Garrison and Newsome both flied out. Peacock singled but Hughson watched strike three go by to end the inning. Tex got Siebert and Suder to both fly out in the bottom of the fifth before Hall grounded out to end the inning.
Flores hung tough in the top of the sixth inning as Lake grounded out, Fox popped up and Doerr grounded out to end the inning. Hughson got into some cabbage in the bottom of the sixth as Swift singled to open the frame. Flores dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Swift to second but remained on the Valo ground out. White walked but Mayo flied out to end the inning.
Flores continued to pitch well in the top of the seventh inning as Lazor flied out to begin. Lupien struck out and Garrison flied out to end the inning. The Athletics mustered nothing in the bottom of the seventh as Tyack grounded out to start. Siebert flied out and Suder grounded out to end the inning.
The Sox caught a break in the top of the eighth when Suder went OLE! on a ground ball by Newsome to open the frame. They couldn't capitalize as Peacock flied out, Hughson struck out and Lake flied out to end the inning. The Athletics mounted their most serious threat in the bottom of the eighth although Hall grounded out to start. Swift walked and Johnny Welaj pinch ran for him and Bobby Estalella pinch hit for Flores. Hughson picked off Welaj and had him in a run-down but Lake threw the ball away, allowing Welaj to reach second. Hughson recovered to strike out Estalella but Valo and White both walked to load the bases. Mayo grounded out to end the inning and the threat.
Roger Wolff came in the game to pitch and Hal Wagner took over behind the plate for the top of the ninth. Fox flied out, Doerr popped up and Lazor grounded out to end the inning. Hughson came back to finish his work in the bottom of the ninth. Tyack popped up and Siebert grounded out, but Suder singled. Felix Mackiewicz pinch ran for Suder but Hall flied out to end the game. Hughson had tossed a complete game, 3 hit shut-out on Opening Day.
Hero of the Night is Tex Hughson. The big man tossed a complete game 3 hit shutout, walking 4 and striking out 3.
The Good:
Bobby Doerr was 2 for 4.
Johnny Peacock was 1 for 3.
The Bad:
Eddie Lake was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.
Tony Lupien was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Skeeter Newsome was 0 for 3.
The Ugly:
Pete Fox was just 1 for 5.
Johnny Lazor was 0 for 3 but walked.
Ford Garrison was 0 for 3.
Final Thoughts:
Who needs Ted Williams when you have the rbi bat of Johnny Lazor and who needs Lefty Grove when you have Tex Hughson? Well at least one of those statements is true and Tex certainly stepped up on Opening Day. The offense on paper looks like total monkey crap but games aren't won on paper. After all, they just beat the Athletics with just 2 hits. The losses of Williams, Pesky and Dimaggio are going to hurt so its up to Doerr to carry the load by himself this season, which is unfair and impossible. Still, for one day the Sox were winners. Tomorrow Joe Dobson makes his season debut opposite Russ Christopher tomorrow afternoon.
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