TROUT, BURNS STOP KNIGHTS, 3-1

Dizzy Trout got past a shaky first inning to return to his dominant self, outdueling Bucky Walters along the way, as the Montgomery Burns defeated the Harlem Knights, 3-1, to win the first game of the 1944 World Series.

The festive mood was dampened somewhat by the War, but there was still excitement all around as these two DBS powerhouses squared off in the post season for just the second time.

The Knights started off the game in the right mood, drawing first blood on Burns' hurler Dizzy Trout. Trout, 16-6 in the regular season, gave up a lead-off single to Stan Spence to start the bottom half of the first inning. After Dixie Walker moved him to second with a slow ground-out, Nick Etten doubled to score Spence and give the Knights a 1-0 lead. However, that was the last base runner Trout would allow, as he set down the next twenty batters he faced.

A two-out double by Tommy Holmes in the third inning scored Jim Russell to knot the game at one run apiece. Harlem ace Bucky Walters (21-7 during the regular season) kept Montgomery from taking the lead until the 7th, when Mark Christman and Oris Hockett scored on hits by Dizzy Trout and Snuffy Stirnweiss, respectively. The 3-1 score would stick.

Burns' reliever Mike Ryba came in to pitch the 8th, retiring the first two he faced to make it 22 Knights set down in order, broken up by pinch hitter Al Zarilla.

The Series will continue tomorrow, when Montgomery's Mort Cooper (18-5) goes up against the Knights' Ken Raffensberger (17-7).

10/5/1944, MON44-HAR44, Wrigley Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1944 Burns             0  0  1  0  0  0  2  0  0     3 10  0     6  0
1944 Knights           1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     1  4  0     3  0
 
Burns                AB  R  H BI   AVG    Knights              AB  R  H BI   AVG
Stirnweiss        2b  4  0  2  1  .500    Spence            cf  4  1  1  0  .250
Russell           rf  3  1  1  0  .333    WalkerD           lf  4  0  1  0  .250
Holmes            cf  4  0  1  1  .250    Etten             1b  4  0  1  1  .250
McCormick         1b  4  0  0  0  .000    Nicholson         rf  4  0  0  0  .000
Litwhiler         lf  3  0  0  0  .000    Kurowski          3b  3  0  0  0  .000
Kerr              ss  2  0  0  0  .000    Bucher            2b  3  0  0  0  .000
 Bergamo          ph  1  0  0  0  .000    Camelli           c   3  0  0  0  .000
 Guerra           c   1  0  0  0  .000    Newsome           ss  2  0  0  0  .000
Christman         3b  4  1  2  0  .500     Zarilla          ph  1  0  1  0 1.000
Owen              c   2  0  1  0  .500     Mayo             ss  0  0  0  0  .000
 Hockett          ph  0  1  0  0  .000    Walters           p   2  0  0  0  .000
 Busch            ss  1  0  0  0  .000     Dallesndro       ph  1  0  0  0  .000
Trout             p   3  0  2  1  .667     Zoldak           p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Ryba             p   1  0  1  0 1.000                         31  1  4  1
                     33  3 10  3
 
Burns                            INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Trout            W 1-0           7.0  2  1  1  0  5  90  61  1.29
Ryba             S 1             2.0  2  0  0  0  0  30  18  0.00
                                 9.0  4  1  1  0  5 120  79 
 
Knights                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Walters          L 0-1           8.0  9  3  3  3  3 108  70  3.38
Zoldak                           1.0  1  0  0  0  0  11   6  0.00
                                 9.0 10  3  3  3  3 119  76 
 
MON: Bergamo batted for Kerr in the 7th
     Hockett batted for Owen in the 7th
     Guerra inserted at c in the 7th
     Busch inserted at ss in the 7th
HAR: Zarilla batted for Newsome in the 8th
     Dallesndro batted for Walters in the 8th
     Mayo inserted at ss in the 9th
 
2B-Holmes, Owen, Etten. CS-Stirnweiss 2. K-Litwhiler, Owen, Trout, 
Kurowski 2, Camelli 2, Walters. BB-Russell, Litwhiler, Hockett. 
GWRBI: Trout
Temperature: 62, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 30 MPH.