Editor’s note: The 1948 Tournament games are being played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. Injuries will only be used during the game when they occur. For this tournament, the rules include a three-man pitching rotation using the best lineups available. The first and second round series will be the best two of three games. The semifinals are best of five, while the championship series is the best of seven.
It took 14 innings, but game five of the best of seven championship series in the 1948 Tournament came down to one swing.
Andy Seminick‘s walk-off single gave the Philadelphia Phillies a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
By sweeping all three of the contests in Shibe Park, the Phillies now lead the series three games to two. The teams head back to St. Louis for the sixth affair with the Cardinals hoping to stay alive as Howie Pollet (2-2) takes the mound against Philadelphia’s Robin Roberts (3-1).
The bottom of the 14th began with a triple by Philadelphia’s Dick Sisler. Seminick was the next batter to face Cardinals pitcher Ted Wilks (1-1) and he drilled his game-winning single to bring home Sisler.
Sisler knocked in the other run for the Phillies with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning of St. Louis starter Harry Brecheen.
Phillies starter Dutch Leonard blanked St. Louis until the top of the ninth as the Cardinals were able to tie the contest sending it to extra innings.
Stan Musial led off the ninth with a triple. Leonard retired the next two hitters on ground balls to third, which prevented Musial from scoring.
Ron Northey was able to get the job done for the Cardinals with a RBI single.
Both starting pitchers were still on the mound in the 10th.
Leonard got in a little trouble and Blix Donnelly (1-0) came on to get the final out of the frame to keep it at 1-1. He went on to pick up the victory as he gave up two hits over the last four innings.
Brecheen got through the 10th before Wilks replaced him in the 11th.
1948 Tournament
Championship Series
G1 – (N2) St. Louis Cardinals 11, (N6) Philadelphia Phillies 6
G2 – (N2) St. Louis Cardinals 5, (N6) Philadelphia Phillies 3
G3 – (N6) Philadelphia Phillies 8, (N2) St. Louis Cardinals 5
G4 – (N6) Philadelphia Phillies 3, (N2) St. Louis Cardinals 0
G5 – (N6) Philadelphia Phillies 2, (N2) St. Louis Cardinals 1, 14 innings
G6 – (N6) Philadelphia Phillies at (N2) St. Louis Cardinals
G7 – (N6) Philadelphia Phillies at (N2) St. Louis Cardinals
Semifinal Results
(N1) Boston Braves vs. (N6) Philadelphia Phillies
Phillies win series 3-1; 0-8, 8-4, 3-2, 4-0.
(N8) Chicago Cubs vs (N2) St. Louis Cardinals
Cardinals win series 2-1, 5-8, 4-3, 4-0, 2-0
Second Round Results
(N1) Boston Braves vs. (A5) Detroit Tigers, Braves 15-6, 9-2
(N6) Philadelphia Phillies vs. (A2) Boston Red Sox, Phillies 11-3, 4-3
(N8) Chicago Cubs vs (N5) New York Giants, Cubs 5-2, 3-0
(N3) Brooklyn Dodgers vs. (N2) St. Louis Cardinals, Cardinals 5-4, 5-3
First Round Results
(N1) Boston Braves vs. (A8) Chicago White Sox, Braves 12-4, 5-0
(A5) Detroit Tigers vs. (N4) Pittsburgh Pirates, Tigers 11-4, 1-0
(A3) New York Yankees vs. (N6) Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies 6-2, 5-2
(N7) Cincinnati Reds vs. (A2) Boston Red Sox, Red Sox 20-1, 3-4, 9-5
(A1) Cleveland Indians vs. (N8) Chicago Cubs, Cubs 4-0, 1-3, 11-0
(N5) New York Giants vs. (A4) Philadelphia A’s, Giants 5-2, 6-1
(N3) Brooklyn Dodgers vs. (A6) St. Louis Browns, Dodgers 5-0, 6-3
(A7) Washington Senators vs. (N2) St. Louis Cardinals, Cardinals 3-0, 5-4