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.
A pair of big innings left no doubt that the Chicago Cubs would be advancing to the second round of the 1948 Tournament.
The result of the two outbursts enabled the Cubs to beat the Cleveland Indians 11-0 to claim the third a final contest of the best of three series.
With the victory, the Cubs move on to face the winner of the series between the New York Giants and Philadelphia A’s.
Chicago scored five times in the second against Indians starter Bob Feller (0-1) and then ousted the right hander in the sixth as the Cubs added five more runs. Feller gave up seven of the runs with five being unearned.
Hal Jeffcoat and Roy Smalley drove in the first two runs with singles before Bob Scheffing walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-0.
Bill Nicholson and Andy Pafko added run-scoring singles to cap the rally.
In the sixth, a pair of errors by the Indians helped the Cubs with a run on a miscue against Feller before he was replaced by Satchel Paige. Paige surrendered six hits and four runs, but only one of them was earned.
Peanuts Lowrey, Nicholson and Pafko had run-scoring singles, while Eddie Waitkus added a sacrifice fly and it was 10-0.
Waitkus finished the scoring with a RBI double in the eighth. Steve Gromek tossed a scoreless ninth for the Indians.
Chicago starter Bob Rush didn’t need all of the runs as he allowed just three singles as he blanked the Indians on his way to a complete game.
Rush (1-0) had 10 strikeouts fanning Larry Doby three times and Thurman Tucker twice.
Allie Clark had his single in the fourth for the Indians with Ken Keltner picking up another hit in the seventh. Lou Boudreau‘s had the final hit in the ninth against Rush.
1948 Tournament
First Round Pairings and 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
(N3) Brooklyn Dodgers vs. (A6) St. Louis Browns
(A7) Washington Senators vs. (N2) St. Louis Cardinals
Second Round Pairings
(N1) Boston Braves vs. (A5) Detroit Tigers
(N6) Philadelphia Phillies vs. (A2) Boston Red Sox