1948 Tournament: Pirates at Tigers G2

Virgil Trucks with the St. Louis Browns on his 1953 Bowman baseball card.

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.

Baseball games can come down to one miscue.

The Detroit Tigers found that out as a passed ball provided the only tally in a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates during the opening round of the 1948 Tournament.

With the victory, Detroit advances to the second round to meet the Boston Braves in a best of three series.

Scoreless until the bottom of the eighth, the Tigers we able to apply enough pressure on Pittsburgh starter Bob Chesnes to get a run.

Bob Swift walked to begin the frame. Chesnes fanned Eddie Lake, but then allowed a single to George Kell that moved Swift to third.

Chesnes tossed a pitch that got past Pirates catcher Ed Fitz Gerald as Swift raced home.

The Pirates mounted a threat in the top of the ninth against Detroit starter Virgil Trucks.

Wally Westlake and Ralph Kiner singled with one out before Trucks finished off the Pirates as Johnny Hopp grounded into a double play.

Trucks (1-0) went the distance giving up just five hits with two strikeouts.

Chesnes (0-1) also threw a complete game allowing five hits with three strikeouts.

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
(N7) Cincinnati Reds vs. (A2) Boston Red Sox
(A1) Cleveland Indians vs. (N8) Chicago Cubs
(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