| 'Xtra, Xtra!... Read All About It!... Indians Win Pennant! Old Newspaper Clipping, Boston, Oct. 4, 1948, Special to "The New York Times" by John Drebinger. Actual Wording. "Cleveland is to have its first world series in 28 years. This became an actuality today as the Indians, fired by the inspirational leadership of their talented skipper, Lou Boudreau, crushed' Joe McCarthy's Red Sox in a single game that had been found necessary to break the deadlock in the AL 1948 pennant scramble. The playoff, first in history of the junior circuit and witnessed by a crowd of 33,957, was decided by an 8-3 score. As a consequence the Indians will oppose the Boston Braves when the world series opens here Wednesday. It marked only the second AL flag to be won by Cleveland and the first since 1920, when Tris Speaker, led the band of Indians to a pennant as well as a subsequent world championship. Behind the stout-hearted five-hit hurling of Gene Bearden, 27 year old southpaw freshman, Manager Boudreau blazed the trail with two home runs. Ken Keltner blasted another with two comrades aboard to spark a bruising four-run fourth inning, and that about tells the story. Boudreau's play throughout was phenomenal. Playing his own position at shortstop flawlessly, Boudreau still found time not only to larrup two homers over the left field barrier, but added two singles, each of which figured in further scores. In a surprise move McCarthy started righthanded, Denny Galehouse, and lived to regret it for Denny was put to rout with the Keltner's three-run homer. Even the renowned Ted Williams cast a rather sorry figure in this sudden death struggle. The "Kid's" (Ted Williams)mighty bat connected for only one single in four tries. To add further to the woes of the disconsolate Boston fans, Williams capped his day by muffing a fly ball that gave the Clevelanders their tally in the eight inning. Bobby Doerr alone remained about the only "hero in defeat". Doerr whacked his 27 homer of the year in the sixth. And so the Indians, after nearly three decades of bitter disappointments and in in the third year of Bill Veeck's spectacular tenure as club president, at long last brought a second pennant to Cleveland." Baseballhistorian.com - archives Research Dept. 1948 AL Pennant Baseball History | 
