Spring Fever

The Red Sox were red-hot, and Bostonians caught the fever. A third of a million fans in two weeks saw the Sox win 14 straight games, a phenomenal string. Then the Sox put on their traveling shoes, proudly eyed their fat batting averages (two were above .400) and headed for Yankee Stadium.

There had never been anything quite like it. Throughout the streak, Red Sox pitching, never too good, was no better than usual; third base was still a problem; and the Sox were not too fast. Manager Joe Cronin had the answer: "We're just hitting."

Baseball's second largest weekday crowd in history (64,183) jammed the Yankee Stadium to see a hitting match between Joe Di Maggio and Ted Williams. Joe, who had been doing so poorly that the crowd had booed him the day before, hit a home run with the bases loaded. Williams couldn't hit a thing, but the Sox won victory No. 15 anyway.

Next day the Yanks' Ernie Bonham pitched a two-hit game, to break the American League's longest winning streak in 15 years.

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