Saturday, August 3, 1957- Sly and the Family Stone’s classic hit song “Hot Fun in the
Summertime” could very well have been written about this ball game. The Tigers and the Senators would both send 5 pitchers each into a 17 inning, 4 hour and 24 minute marathon on a blistering 98 degree, humid August day in D. C. The Senators scored early, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Tigers plated runs in the top half of 6th and 7th innings to tie the score. The Tigers would them manufacture a run in the top of the 16th with a Steve Boros single, a Red Wilson bunt out and a Johnny Groth single to bring in Boros off of submarining Dick Hyde. The Senators would return the favor in their half of the 16th, starting with a Roy Sievers single, a Julio Becquer sac bunt, putting Sievers on 2nd, and a Lou Berberet single to score Roy from second. The Nats would send 7 men to the plate in that inning against the tiger Al Aber.
Roy Sievers
The Nats Ted Abernathy would get the Tigers in 1-2-3 order in the top half of the 17th. However, the way the Senators started the bottom of the 17th, it looked like they would be playing into the evening. Al Aber would get Faye Thronberry on a pop fly to right fielder Al Kaline and Jim Lemon on a week groundout to second baseman Milt Bolling. Sievers, who had started the rally in the top of the 17th, now strode to the plate with every intention of ending this sauna bath. He took the first Aber fast ball he saw deep into the left field bleachers, much to the delight of the team and too the very few Senators fans who had remained throughout the marathon. “Boy, it was hot!” said Roy. “I just wanted to get it over with so we could take a shower.”
That would be the third of Roy’s five dramatic walk off home runs for the year. It would also be home run #30, which once again set a Senators franchise home run record. Roy would hit 12 more that year to take home the home run title (42), the RBI crown (114) and lead the league in total basses (331.) From 1954 through 1960, Roy was in the top 10 in home runs.
Needless to say, he got a raise out of Calvin Griffith in 1958.
Washington Senators 4, Detroit Tigers 3
Day
Game Played on Saturday, August 3, 1957 (D) at Griffith Stadium
DET A 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 3 15 4 WAS A 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 - 4 13 0
BATTING
Detroit Tigers AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Kuenn ss 5 0 2 0 0 0 2 6 Samford ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Tuttle cf 8 0 2 0 0 0 6 1 Bolling 2b 8 0 1 0 0 1 7 5 Kaline rf 8 1 2 1 0 1 3 0 Boone 1b 7 0 1 0 0 0 18 2 Philley lf 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Boros 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 2 3 Wilson c 5 1 2 0 0 0 10 0 Finigan 3b 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 Maxwell ph,lf 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Groth pr,lf 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 Hoeft p 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 Maas p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sleater p 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Byrd p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Aber p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 62 3 15 3 0 6 50 26
FIELDING - DP: 3. Kuenn-Bolling-Boone, Bolling-Kuenn-Boone, Tuttle-Boros. E: Kuenn (17), Boone (10), Boros (3), Hoeft (2).
BATTING - 3B: Boone (2,off Kemmerer). HR: Kaline (7,6th inning off Kemmerer 0 on 1 out). SH: Sleater (1,off Clevenger); Byrd (2,off Byerly); Wilson (5,off Hyde). SF: Hoeft (1,off Kemmerer). HBP: Wilson (3,by Kemmerer). Team LOB: 13.
Washington Senators AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Yost 3b 8 0 2 0 0 2 2 2 Usher cf 3 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 Courtney ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Throneberry cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 Lemon rf 8 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 Sievers lf 7 3 2 1 1 0 7 0 Schult 1b 3 0 1 2 0 0 6 0 Becquer ph,1b 3 0 0 0 0 1 12 1 Fitz Gerald c 6 0 2 0 0 0 5 0 Ramos pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Berberet c 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 Bolling 2b 7 0 3 0 0 0 4 6 Bridges ss 6 0 0 0 1 1 6 5 Kemmerer p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Clevenger p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Snyder ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Runnels ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Byerly p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Plews ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hyde p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Schoonmaker ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Abernathy p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 61 4 13 4 3 7 51 21
BATTING - 2B: Usher (5,off Hoeft); Bolling (7,off Sleater); Fitz Gerald (6,off Byrd); Throneberry (6,off Byrd). HR: Sievers (30,17th inning off Aber 0 on 2 out). SH: Kemmerer (6,off Hoeft); Becquer (2,off Byrd). HBP: Courtney (7,by Maas). GDP: Usher (5,off Hoeft); Bolling (10,off Hoeft). IBB: Sievers (7,by Hoeft); Bridges (4,by Sleater). Team LOB: 13.
PITCHING
Detroit Tigers IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP Hoeft 7 7 2 1 1 2 0 28 Maas 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Sleater 0.2 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 Byrd 7 3 1 1 0 4 0 24 Aber L(2-3) 1.1 2 1 1 1 1 1 8 Totals 16.2 13 4 3 3 7 1 67
Hoeft faced 2 batters in the 8th inning HBP: Maas (3,Courtney). IBB: Hoeft (1,Sievers); Sleater (6,Bridges). Inherited Runners - Scored: Maas 2-0; Sleater 3-0; Byrd 2-0; Aber 1-1. .
Washington Senators IP H R ER BB SO HR BFP Kemmerer 6.1 8 2 2 0 4 1 28 Clevenger 2.2 2 0 0 0 1 0 10 Byerly 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 21 Hyde 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 5 Abernathy W(2-9) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 Totals 17 15 3 3 0 6 1 67
HBP: Kemmerer (2,Wilson). Inherited Runners - Scored: Clevenger 2-0. .
Umpires: HP - John Rice, 1B - Eddie Rommel, 2B - Johnny Stevens, 3B - Larry Napp
Time of Game: 4:24 Attendance: 4601
