Walt Masterson steps to the rubber, this day he will be facing fire-balling Bob Feller. It has been a good year, but not a great year for Feller. Masterson is having a good year despite his record of 8-13.Jim Hegan breaks the tie in the second with a two run home run. In the fourth Hegan’s two out single plates Larry Dody giving the Tribe a three run lead. Ken Keltner adds a home run in the six. Washington’s big hopes come in the ninth. Gil Coan leads off with a single to center. Feller walks Al Kozar but then strikes out Sherry Robertson. Bud Stewart delivers with a double to center that allows Kozar to score. This brings Mickey Vernon up. Washington is just three runs down and a hit here can make it close. But Vernon flies out to Lou Boudreau. Eddie Yost follows with a groundout third to first and Washington earns their 94th lost of the season. Washington is 40 1.2 games behind Cleveland.
Player Profile – Walt Masterson
In December 1947, the Yankees wanted to add a hard throwing fierce competitor to their pitching staff. They wanted Walt Masterson. A rumor was leaked that he had been traded but this proved to be false. The bespectacled right-hander has become a reliable starter for Washington. Walt is also known for his outstanding pickoff move, he calls it his jitterbug step.
Masterson was born in Philadelphia. He was a good athlete in High School. He played for the Landreth Seed Company in Bristol, PA where in the summer of 1938 he was discovered and signed by Joe Cambria. He spent the last month of the 1938 with Washington, but did not play. Walt made his debut on 8 May 1939 with Washington; he was just 18 years old. He has played in the All Star game in 1946 and 1947. Don’t let the glasses fool you. Masterson is an intense competitor and will speak his mind. But his teammates also know that he has a very good sense of humor.
Did you know? Walt’s biggest thrill in baseball was striking out Bill Dickey after both players had returned from the war. Dickey was Masterson’s commanding officer in the Navy.
The 1948 Project
The 1948 Project will be a winter long project Karen and Kevin Flynn will be running in conjunction with a bigger project the folks over at DidTheTribeWinLastNight.com are running this winter.
Did The Tribe Win Last Night is a wonderful website that covers everything about the Cleveland Indians baseball club. Starting September 22, 2013 they are going to start winter project where they are retelling of the Cleveland Indians 1948 World Series Season.
