
13. Game 7, October 15, 1946, Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Cardinals
Harry Walker vs. Bob Klinger. Change in Championship Probability: 31.95 percent
With Ted Williams due to follow DiMaggio to the plate, his game-tying double actually put the Red Sox in an even more advantageous position than the math suggested. But the all-time Red Sox great had been having a bad World Series, when with the lead run in scoring position he popped out, sending the game into the bottom of the eighth.
Boston manager Bob Klinger called on his bullpen ace, Bob Klinger, to navigate those final outs and hopefully preserve the tie. Enos Slaughter gave Cardinal hopes a boost with a clean single to center, but Klinger retired Whitey Kurowski and Del Rice, Slaughter anchoring at first.
The next hitter, Harry Walker, and bounced back from a sub-standard regular season to persistently nettle the Red Sox. He had hit safely in each of his four previous Series starts, and earlier that afternoon had driven in one run and scored another.
With Slaughter running on the pitch, Walker drove what looked like a clean single fielded in center field by Leon Culberson. Slaughter raced toward third, then without braking barreled toward home. His aggression perhaps caught shortstop Johnny Perky, handling Culberson’s throw, by surprise. Pesky’s momentary indecision was all Slaughter needed to slide home safely with the go-ahead – and eventual winning – run.
Brecheen still had to navigate a ninth inning that turned precarious. But with two out and runners at second and third, he retired Tom McBride on a groundout to wrap up the Series for St. Louis.