Slaughter's Mad Dash: Difference between revisions

:''This article is {{about |the event in the [[1946 World Series]]. For |the Canadian television game show, see ''[[|The Mad Dash]]''. For |the Xbox launch title, see'' [[|Mad Dash Racing]].}}

The '''Mad Dash''', or '''Slaughter's Mad Dash''', refers to an event in the eighth [[inning]] of the seventh game of the [[1946 World Series]] between the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] and the [[Boston Red Sox]]. Little known fact about the "Mad Dash" is that Slaughter was denying every base coach signal in order to make it past home plate so that he could acutely dump his trousers. He scored, however, he did not make it to the facilities and refused high fives while holding up his shit-filled pants.

The [[1946 Boston Red Sox season|1946 Boston Red Sox]] ran away with the [[American League]] crown by twelve games over the [[Detroit Tigers]] with a 104–50 record, and were heavy favorites in the World Series against the [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. They led the series three games to two as it headed back to [[Sportsman's Park]] in [[St. Louis]] for gameGame six6. The Cardinals won that game six<ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194610130.shtml |title=Boxscore: October 13, 1946 | website=Baseball Reference.com |accessdateaccess-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref> on sensational defense and a brilliant pitching performance by [[Harry Brecheen]] to bring the series to a deciding gameseventh sevengame.

Game seven7 was played in [[Sportsman's Park]] on October 15, 1946. After Red Sox center fielder [[Dom DiMaggio]] drove in two runs in the top of the eighth, the score was tied 3–3.<ref name=retro>{{cite web|title=Retrosheet Boxscore: St. Louis Cardinals 4, Boston Red Sox 3 | url= http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1946/B10150SLN1946.htm |website=Retrosheet |accessdateaccess-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref name=bbref /> DiMaggio pulled a hamstring during the play and was forced to leave the game;<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Red Sox great Dom DiMaggio dies at 92 | url= httphttps://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/2009-05-08-dom-dimaggio-obit_N.htm |website=USA Today | date=8 May 2009 | accessdateaccess-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref> hehis place was replacedtaken by a [[pinch runner]], [[Leon Culberson]], who alsoremained replacedin the game as DiMaggio's replacement in centerfieldcenter field in the bottom of the inning.

Cardinal right fielder [[Enos Slaughter]] led off with a single off of pitcher [[Bob Klinger]]. After a failed [[bunt (baseball)|bunt]] attempt by [[Whitey Kurowski]] and a flyout to leftfieldleft field by [[Del Rice]], Slaughter found himself still on first base with two outs. Left fielder [[Harry Walker]] stepped to the plate and, after the count reached two balls and one strike, Cardinals manager [[Eddie Dyer]] called for a [[Hit and run (baseball)|hit-and-run]].

WhatMuch exactlyof happenedthis whendescription, Peskyhowever, turnedlacks aroundevidence. is still a matter of contention.While Somesome claimclaimed that Pesky, assuming that Slaughter would not be running home, checked Walker at first base instead of immediately firing home, whileand others contendcontended that Pesky was so shocked to see Slaughter on his way to score that he had a mental lapse thatwhich accounted for the delay, none of these claims have withstood later investigative journalism. WhateverThe entire notion that Pesky unnecessarily held the reason,ball has been called into serious question; the delayreplay anddoes anot weakseem to show such hesitation, and rushedother contemporaneous accounts suggest that Pesky promptly executed his relay throw to home allowedplate. In addition, several reports have it that the third base coach was in fact frantically waving Slaughter toaround scorethird, no stop sign in evidence. Either way, Slaughter scored just as Red Sox catcher [[Roy Partee]] caught itPesky's relay up the line from home plate.<ref>https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/pesky-the-man-the-myth-the-truth-d3c24bd5f81c</ref><ref>https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/johnny-pesky/</ref><ref>https://bostonbaseballhistory.com/mr-red-sox-johnny-pesky/</ref><ref>https://baseballguru.com/jholway/analysisjholway31.html</ref><ref>https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-man-behind-peskys-pole/</ref>

Walker's hit was scored as a double,<ref name=retro /><ref name=bbref>{{cite web|title=Boxscore: October 15, 1946 | url= httphttps://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194610150.shtml |website=Baseball Reference |accessdateaccess-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref> butalthough some contend that it could have been scored a single, with himSlaughter advancing to second on Pesky'sthe throw home.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slaughter’sSlaughter's ‘Mad'Mad Dash’Dash' let Cardinals rule in ‘46'46 | url= http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/oct/25/20041025-020550-4575r/ |website=Washington Times | date=25 Oct 2004 | accessdateaccess-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite webmagazine|title=Enos Slaughter’sSlaughter's Mad Dash | url= http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2008/10/21/top-10-world-series-moments/ |websitemagazine=Time | date=21 Oct 2008 | accessdateaccess-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref>

The run put the Cardinals ahead 4–3 and proved to be the winning run of the decisive gameseventh 7game. In Boston, "Pesky held the ball" became a catchphrase, although a soft throw from Culberson (playing in place of the strong-armed DiMaggio) maywas have beencertainly more to blame. Slaughter himself later admitted that if DiMaggio had still been in the game, he never would have thought to try to score on the play.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slaughter, Pesky, and the Power of Myth | first=John | last=Holway | url= http://baseballguru.com/jholway/analysisjholway31.html |website=Baseball Guru | access-date= | accessdate=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Pesky held the ball' a part of BoSox lore | url= http://www.espn.com/mlb/fallclassic/news/story?id=1907568 |website=ESPN | date=22 Oct 2004| accessdateaccess-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://archive.boston.com/sports/baseball/2012/08/13/red-sox-legend-johnny-pesky-dies/4FIyv55aZMCrkTUhkQTsTO/story.html| title=Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky dies| work=The Boston Globe | date=15 Aug 2012 | accessdateaccess-date=11 Oct 2016}}</ref> In St. Louis, a statue depicting Slaughter sliding across home plate at the end of the play stands outside of the current ballpark.<ref>{{cite web|title=Enos Slaughter | url= http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/statues/STUS_Slaughter_Enos.htm |website=The Sporting Statues Project | access-date= | accessdate=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="Country" Slaughter hit .300 in 19-year career | url= http://www.espn.com/classic/obit/s/2002/0812/1416994.html |website=ESPN Classic | date=16 Aug 2002| accessdateaccess-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref> This play was named #10 on the [[Sporting News]] list of Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments by The Sporting News | url= httphttps://www.baseball-referencealmanac.com/bullpenlegendary/Baseball's_25_Greatest_Momentslikodak.shtml |website=Baseball Referencebaseball-almanac.com | access-date=20 |April accessdate=9 Oct 20162023}}</ref>

[[Category:October 1946 sports events in Missourithe United States]]