Page 18 - Contrast1960v4n1

each trip back I felt steadier. I had held the Tigers to one hit and
no runs. "Wild Man" Donovan, though, had his stuff and we didn't
have any runs either.

In the sixth the Tiger's left-fielder led off with a single. Hank
Greenburg, the clean-up man, was up. I felt a butterfly in my stomach.
The score 0-0. What if he should powder one? He already had more
than forty homers for the season. A drop of sweat fell on my eye. I
winked; it was gone.

Gabby called for a curve, low and away from the plate. As I
wound up I lost my balance and the ball slipped as I threw. It was
headed right down the middle of the plate. Greenburg leaned back
and really hit it. "Oh Lord, No!" I said as I saw our left fielder racing
back to the wall. "Whew! It's going foul." A deep sigh didn't help.
I was scared. My fear of Greenburg showed as my next two pitches
bounced in front of the plate and another two were outside. Green-
burg had walked, putting runners on first and second. I got their
next batter, Ruffing, to hit into a double play and Klein struck out.

As I started back for the dugout, Dizzy came out and patted me
on the shoulder shouting that he could be heard above the crowd,
"Great going! Great going! No Dean's going to let them 'bushing'
Tigers score on him, is he?"

"No, Diz, I don't think they are," I replied. This was the best
answer I could give that might shut him up, but if he knew how I
really felt ....

I set down the Tigers in the seventh and the eighth without a
hit and my confidence was beginning to come back.

Pepper Martin started the bottom of the eighth off for us by
dragging a bunt past their third baseman, but our second batter
struck out, and Johnson followed by flying out to center field. I was
up and, because of my poor batting record, Martin must have thought
it time to take things into his own hands. On the first pitch Pepper
stole second and spiked the Tiger shortstop in the left leg. When the
play was over and the pitcher started surveying the situation, Martin
began prancing and jumping around taking a lead of thirty feet off
of second.

"What's he think he's doing? He doesn't think he can take third,

does he?"
Sure enough! As Donovan started his wind up, I caught a glimpse

of Martin streaking for third. "Good God, No! He's throwing away
our chance." But their catcher dropped the ball and Pepper slid

safely into third.

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