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4 Series aces for Cards: Gibson, Porter, Eckstein, Freese

Posted in Games, Hitters, Pitchers on October 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Dec. 7, 2024)

One of the most exclusive Cardinals clubs is the one in which membership requires a World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Four Cardinals have earned the honor: Bob Gibson (twice), Darrell Porter, David Eckstein and David Freese.

Because a World Series most valuable player first was named in 1955 (Dodgers pitcher Johnny Podres), that left out Cardinals candidates from St. Louis’ World Series championship teams of 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944 and 1946.

Gibson is one of four players to twice be awarded a World Series MVP. The others: Sandy Koufax (1963 and 1965), Reggie Jackson (1973 and 1977) and Corey Seager (2020 and 2023).

In chronological order, a look at the Cardinals’ World Series MVP Award winners:

BOB GIBSON, 1964

Key stats: Three starts, 2-1 record, 3.00 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Behind the numbers: In winning Games 5 and 7, Gibson relied on his fastball. He struck out 13 Yankees in 10 innings in Game 5 and nine in Game 7.

Fun fact: Gibson established a record with his 31 strikeouts in a World Series, breaking the mark of 28 set by Bill Dinneen of the 1903 Red Sox. Gibson struck out Mickey Mantle five times during the Series.

Best quote: “I was committed to this fellow’s heart more than anything else.” Cardinals manager Johnny Keane to the Associated Press, explaining why he stuck with a tiring Gibson in Game 7.

BOB GIBSON, 1967

Key stats: Three starts, 3-0 record, 1.00 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Behind the numbers: Gibson held the Red Sox to a total of 14 hits in winning Games 1, 4 and 7. The 14 hits allowed were the fewest for three complete games in a World Series since Christy Mathewson yielded the same with the 1905 Giants.

Fun fact: Gibson hit a home run in Game 7.

Best quote: “Nothing. I gave the ball to Gibson.” _ Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst to the Associated Press when asked what he said to his team before Game 7.

DARRELL PORTER, 1982

Key stats: .286 batting mark (8-for-28), five RBI.

Behind the numbers: In the sixth inning of Game 2, the Brewers led, 4-2, and were close to clinching a second consecutive win in St. Louis. But Porter produced a two-out, two-run double, tying the score, and the Cardinals rallied to win the game. Porter hit a two-run home run in Game 6 and his run-scoring single in the eighth inning of Game 7 gave St. Louis a crucial insurance run.

Fun fact: Two years earlier, in the 1980 World Series while with the Royals, Porter batted just .143 (2-for-14).

Best quote: “I haven’t had a drink in two and a half years, or any pot or pills. I feel wonderful. I think I’ll go fishing.” _ Darrell Porter to United Press International.

DAVID ECKSTEIN, 2006

Key stats: .364 batting mark (8-for-22), four RBI, three runs.

Behind the numbers: In Game 4, with the Tigers ahead, 3-2, Eckstein led off the seventh with a double and scored the tying run. An inning later, in what Sports Illustrated described as a “Series-changing at bat,” he broke a 4-4 tie with a two-out double that scored Aaron Miles from second with the winning run. In the decisive Game 5, Eckstein gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead with a RBI-single in the third, drove in the winning run in the fourth and scored in the seventh.

Fun fact: Eckstein became the third player to start at shortstop for two different World Series champions (2002 Angels and 2006 Cardinals). The others: Dick Groat (1960 Pirates and 1964 Cardinals) and Everett Scott (1915, 1916 and 1918 Red Sox and 1923 Yankees).

Best quote: “He’s the toughest guy I’ve ever seen in a uniform.” _ Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, describing Eckstein to the Associated Press.

DAVID FREESE, 2011

Key stats: .348 batting mark (8-for-23), seven RBI, five walks, four runs.

Behind the numbers: His two-run triple with two outs in the ninth inning of Game 6 tied the score, 7-7, and his home run leading off the 11th gave St. Louis an epic 10-9 victory. In Game 7, his two-run double with two outs in the first tied the score, 2-2, and sparked St. Louis to the championship.

Fun fact: Freese hit safely in 16 of his 17 postseason games in 2011.

Best quote: “No dream is as good as this.” _ David Freese to USA Today.

Recalling his Game 6 walkoff homer in an interview for the 2016 Cardinals Yearbook, Freese said, “Right when the ball left, I remember telling myself to slow down and soak this all in. I wanted to enjoy it with my teammates and the fans … I remember rounding second, peeking into the dugout and seeing how fired up all the guys were coming to home plate … It was just an incredible feeling to have everybody waiting for you, and seeing that kind of excitement from grown men. That takes it to a whole new level.”

As for spiking his batting helmet as he approached the plate, Freese said, “I was so pumped up that I just wanted to make some noise somehow.”

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Dane Iorg excelled as World Series DH for Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters on October 25, 2013| 1 Comment »

In 1982, when the Cardinals first used a designated hitter in a World Series, Dane Iorg delivered.

A left-handed batter, Iorg, 32, was a reserve outfielder and first baseman for the 1982 Cardinals. He made 62 starts in the outfield and five at first base that season.

Iorg would have been a pinch-hitter in the 1982 World Series versus the Brewers if not for the designated hitter rule. In 1982, Major League Baseball allowed teams to use the DH in every World Series game.

Used as the designated hitter in five of the World Series games (manager Whitey Herzog went with Gene Tenace in Game 1 and Lonnie Smith in Game 5), Iorg batted .529 (9-for-17) with four runs scored. Five of his hits were for extra bases (four doubles and a triple).

In Game 6, Iorg had a double and triple versus Don Sutton and a double against Doc Medich.

Dave Nightingale, in his story in The Sporting News about that game, wrote, “Dane who? The same Dane Iorg who led all Series hitters in slugging percentage (.929) after six games? The same Dane Iorg who has spent more than a few sleepless nights wondering if he was good enough to play major league baseball; who thinks World Series pressure is a piece of cake compared to the strain of trying to make a ballclub in spring training? Yeah, that Dane Iorg.”

Described by columnist Bill Conlin as the “Cardinals’ sweet-swinging DH hero,” Iorg finished the Series with a slugging percentage of .882, the best of any hitter on either club.

In a 2007 interview with the Topeka Capital-Journal, Iorg said, “I always loved playing in the big game and I always wanted to be up there with the game on the line.”

Cardinals designated hitters batted .429 (12-for-28) in the 1982 World Series; their Brewers counterparts hit .125 (3-for-24).

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Yadier Molina played in 4 World Series for Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Pitchers on October 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Dec. 21, 2024)

In 2013, catcher Yadier Molina became the first Cardinals player in 67 years to appear in four World Series for them.

Molina played in the 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2013 World Series.

In 21 World Series games, Molina batted .328 with 12 RBI. He hit .412 in the 2006 World Series versus the Tigers and .333 with nine RBI in the 2011 World Series against the Rangers.

As importantly, Molina’s strong arm and ability to manage a game on the field were attributes that helped the club become champions.

In an article he did for the 2019 Cardinals Yearbook, Tony La Russa, the manager for the World Series champion Cardinals clubs of 2006 and 2011, said, “I truly believe Yadier Molina was the key guy on both championship teams I managed with the St. Louis Cardinals … It comes down to pitching, and Yadi, along with our pitching coach Dave Duncan, was truly incredible guiding our staff through those Series … making the important calls, giving them confidence and helping to keep them calm. Then there was Yadi’s impact at the plate those postseasons _ his hitting was huge.”

In a November 2019 interview with broadcaster Dan McLaughlin, former Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons said Molina’s throwing skill was comparable to Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk. Simmons called Molina “an extraordinary player” who “runs the game like no other I’ve ever seen.”

“Yadi has the ability to be the hitting instructor, pitching coach, manager and catcher,” said Simmons. “What is extraordinary about him is he could do them all at the same time. I’m not exaggerating.

“He can literally take young pitchers and force them to pitch above their skill set,” Simmons said. “… He will never let a young pitcher just give up. It’s how he makes really special pitchers out of ordinary ones. If a good pitcher pitches to Yadi, he has a chance of being a great pitcher. Yadi makes them do things that they don’t think they can do.”

Simmons also told the 2019 Cardinals Yearbook, “I’ve seen … all the great catchers going back to watching (Yogi) Berra on TV when I was a kid. (Molina) is the best I ever saw, the best defender. I wish I had his ability to throw.”

Until Molina, the last to play in four World Series for the Cardinals were Whitey Kurowski, Marty Marion and Stan Musial. Each played in the World Series of 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1946.

Molina is the 11th player (and first catcher) to appear in four World Series for St. Louis. In chronological order, a look at the 10 others who achieved the feat:

_ Jim Bottomley, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931 World Series: The Hall of Fame first baseman, a career .310 hitter, batted .200 in 24 World Series games for St. Louis. He was spectacular in the 1926 World Series against the Yankees, hitting .345. He was 8-for-61 in the three World Series after that, including 1-for-22 with nine strikeouts in the 1930 matchup against the Athletics.

_ Chick Hafey, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931 World Series: Like Bottomley, this Hall of Fame outfielder mostly was a World Series flop with St. Louis. A career .317 hitter, he batted .205 with two RBI and 19 strikeouts in 23 World Series games for the Cardinals. Hafey did produce five doubles in six games in the 1930 World Series.

_ Jesse Haines, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1934 World Series: The Hall of Fame pitcher was 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA in six World Series games for St. Louis. In 1926, he won Game 3 with a five-hit shutout of the Yankees and he started and won the epic Game 7 in which Grover Cleveland Alexander earned the save. He also recorded a complete-game win against Lefty Grove and the Athletics in Game 4 in 1930. Haines was 41 when he appeared in relief for St. Louis in Game 4 of the 1934 World Series versus the Tigers.

_ Bill Hallahan, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1934 World Series: The left-hander was 3-1 with a 1.36 ERA in seven World Series games for the Cardinals. In 1931, Hallahan earned two wins and a save against the Athletics. He had an 0.49 ERA, yielding one run in 18.1 innings. Hallahan pitched a three-hit shutout in Game 2, won Game 5 with another complete game and got the save in Game 7 when he relieved starter Burleigh Grimes with two outs and two on in the ninth and got Max Bishop to fly out to center.

_ Flint Rhem, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931 World Series: The right-hander was 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA in four World Series games for St. Louis. In Game 4 of the 1926 World Series, Babe Ruth hit two home runs off Rhem.

_ Frankie Frisch, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934 World Series: The Hall of Fame second baseman was player-manager of the 1934 champions. In Game 7 that year, Frisch hit a three-run double off Tigers starter Elden Auker in an 11-0 victory.

_ Ernie Orsatti, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934 World Series: The outfielder, who spent his entire nine-year big-league career with the Cardinals, hit .273 in 13 World Series games for St. Louis. Orsatti, the starting center fielder in 1934, hit .318 with three walks in that year’s World Series.

_ Whitey Kurowski, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946 World Series: In 1946, the third baseman tied with Enos Slaughter for the Cardinals World Series lead in hits, with eight. In 23 World Series games for St. Louis, Kurowski hit .253 with nine RBI.

_ Marty Marion, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946 World Series: The shortstop hit just one home run during the 1943 regular season, but he belted a homer against Tiny Bonham in Game 2 of the 1943 World Series at Yankee Stadium. Marion hit .357 in that Series. In 23 World Series games for St. Louis, Marion hit .231.

_ Stan Musial, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946 World Series: The Hall of Fame outfielder’s best World Series performance was in 1944 when he batted .304 versus the Browns. Musial hit his lone career World Series home run that year against Sig Jakucki in Game 4. In 23 World Series games, The Man batted .256 with 12 walks and eight RBI.

Previously: Yadier Molina: Most RBI in a World Series game by Cards catcher

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How Andy Pafko gave Cardinals inside-the-glove homer

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on October 9, 2013| 5 Comments »

(Updated April 30, 2020)

Stan Musial had such respect for the arm of Andy Pafko he included the National League veteran as part of the best-throwing outfield he’d ever seen.

Because he didn’t use that arm, Pafko committed a blunder that literally handed the Cardinals a comeback victory against the Cubs.

Wild ninth

Pafko was in center field for a Saturday afternoon game, April 30, 1949, against the Cardinals at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

Behind the pitching of starter Bob Rush, who threw what the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described as a “crackling fastball and corner-cutting curve,” the Cubs entered the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead.

With Enos Slaughter on second base and two outs, Rush was on the verge of a victory until Eddie Kazak hit a pitch off his fists and looped a single to short left, scoring Slaughter and narrowing the Cubs’ lead to 3-2. Chuck Diering ran for Kazak and Rocky Nelson, a rookie first baseman, stepped to the plate for St. Louis.

With Pafko shaded toward right for the left-handed batter, Nelson lined the ball to left-center.

“Even though the ball was slicing away from him in a deep part of the park, his quick start and fleet legs enabled him to gain on the drive,” the Post-Dispatch reported. “Pafko lunged to his right, his gloved hand thrust outward in a bid for a backhanded catch.”

Pafko skidded across the grass before he “flung up his hand, clutching the ball, in a gesture of triumph,” the Post-Dispatch noted.

Umpire Al Barlick ruled Pafko trapped the ball, signaling with his hands extended and palms down in a safe call.

Diering and Nelson raced around the basepaths.

Great debate

According to The Sporting News, “Instead of throwing in the ball with his superb arm, Pafko, the ball still lodged in the webbing of his glove, came running in to second base to join the swarm of Cubs who were rushing toward Barlick.”

As Pafko held the ball, Diering scored the tying run and Nelson was waved toward the plate by third-base coach Tony Kauffman.

Pafko, unwilling to believe the no-catch ruling, waited too long before throwing the ball to the plate. The ball hit Nelson in the left shoulder as he was crossing the plate with the winning run.

Cubs fans protested by throwing objects, including cushions, fruit and vegetables, onto the field.

The stunned Cubs were retired in order by closer Ted Wilks in the bottom of the ninth and the Cardinals won, 4-3. Boxscore

The Sporting News summed up the game as probably the first in the history of big-league baseball “decided by what they describe not as an inside-the-park homer but as an in-the-glove homer.”

Two years later, June 1951, Pafko was dealt to the Dodgers, giving Brooklyn an outfield of Pafko in left, Duke Snider in center and Carl Furillo in right.

In his book “Stan Musial: The Man’s Own Story,” Musial said with Pafko, Snider and Furillo “the Dodgers had the best-throwing outfield I ever saw.”

“Andy was a strong hitter, a strong-armed fielder and good defensively,” Musial said. “He was steady, gave you a good day’s work.”

Playing for the Cubs, Dodgers and Braves from 1943-59, Pafko batted .285 with 213 home runs and 1,796 hits. In 258 games against the Cardinals, Pafko hit .273 with 22 homers and 120 RBI.

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How stint in Japan helped sell Cardinals on Ernie Broglio

Posted in Games, Pitchers, Trades on October 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Oct. 7, 2018)

Ernie Broglio was a key player in two Cardinals trades _ the famous one involving Lou Brock and the largely forgotten one that led to him becoming a prominent part of the St. Louis rotation.

On Oct. 7, 1958, the Cardinals acquired Broglio and Marv Grissom from the Giants for Billy Muffett, Hobie Landrith and Benny Valenzuela.

The top names in the deal were relief pitchers Grissom and Muffett. Landrith was a backup catcher, Valenzuela a utility infielder and Broglio a minor-league pitcher.

Referring to managers Solly Hemus of the Cardinals and Bill Rigney of the Giants, columnist Dan Daniel of The Sporting News wrote, “Hemus wanted Grissom and Bill Rigney wanted Muffett, and the rest of it looks like parsley on the boiled potato.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch described the trade as “a can of salmon for a can of salmon.”

Regarding Ernest Broglio, he was “not to be confused either with movie Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine or a plain old imbroglio,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

“Broglio must be suspect because he didn’t make it with the Giants last spring and no club needs pitching more than San Francisco,” the Post-Dispatch concluded.

Dixie delighted

Dixie Walker, who managed Broglio at Class AAA Toronto in 1958, was on good terms with the Cardinals. His brother, Harry Walker, was a Cardinals coach and Dixie worked with Cardinals general manager Bing Devine at Rochester in 1955.

It was on Walker’s advice that Devine pursued Broglio.

In the Giants’ organization since 1956, Broglio had opened the 1958 season with their Class AAA club at Phoenix and posted an 8-1 record. The Giants, though, were seeking a veteran pitcher and they made a deal with Toronto in July 1958 for former big-leaguer Don Johnson. The Giants sent Broglio, along with outfielder Jim King and pitcher Ray Crone, to Toronto.

Broglio, 23, apparently was loaned to Toronto, which wasn’t affiliated with any big-league club.

“Nobody said anything to me at Phoenix except when I was being shipped out,” Broglio said. “I was told I’d be back.”

Toronto throwback

Broglio was an immediate success with Toronto. In his first start for Dixie Walker, Broglio struck out a franchise-record 15 against Buffalo in 11.1 innings. Three days later, Broglio pitched a three-hitter against Montreal.

On Aug. 6, Broglio pitched a two-hit shutout against Havana. The next day, he pitched seven innings in relief.

“A throwback to pitchers of another era _ that is the reputation of Ernie Broglio, workhorse of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ mound corps, who appears to thrive on only two days rest,” Th Sporting News reported.

Broglio was 9-3 for Toronto in the regular season and 2-0 in the International League playoffs. For Phoenix and Toronto combined, Broglio had a 17-4 regular-season record.

Made in Japan

Two weeks after he was traded to St. Louis, Broglio was invited to join the Cardinals on their tour of Japan. The Cardinals were scheduled to play 16 games against Japanese teams in October and November. Broglio took full advantage of the chance to impress his new club.

Described by The Sporting News as “the big surprise,” Broglio was the Cardinals’ biggest winner on the tour, posting a 4-0 record and 1.55 ERA and striking out 30 in 28 innings.

Based on that showing, Hemus tabbed Broglio as the staff’s No. 4 starter entering spring training in 1959.

“I know that wasn’t big-league opposition,” Hemus said, “but he showed me enough to warrant this chance.”

Broglio further impressed the Cardinals by reporting to spring training three pounds under his assigned weight of 195.

“Wildness has been the bane of his six-year career (in the minors),” The Sporting News reported. “If pitching coach Howard Pollet can help Broglio with his control, the Cardinals might have their best rookie pitcher since Johnny Beazley in 1942.”

Broglio earned a spot in the 1959 Cardinals’ rotation and finished the season tied with Larry Jackson for the club lead in shutouts (three). Broglio also ranked second in strikeouts (133) and third in innings pitched (181.1) for the Cardinals.

After losing his first five decisions, Broglio completed the 1959 season at 7-12 with a 4.72 ERA. He was 7-9 in 25 starts and 0-3 in 10 relief appearances.

In six years (1959-64) with St. Louis, Broglio was 70-55, including seasons of 21 wins in 1960 and 18 wins in 1963.

When the Cardinals sent Broglio to the Cubs on June 15, 1964, in a deal involving Brock and others, most thought the transaction favored Chicago, but Broglio hurt his arm and went 7-19 with a 5.40 ERA in three years with the Cubs. Brock became a Hall of Fame player who broke stolen base records, achieved 3,000 hits and ignited the Cardinals to three pennants and two World Series titles.

Previously: Ernie Broglio built great home mark the hard way

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How a B-17 nearly clipped Cardinals in World Series

Posted in Games on October 4, 2013| 5 Comments »

Facing the Bronx Bombers, the 1943 Cardinals got buzzed by the real deal.

During Game 1 of the 1943 World Series between the Cardinals and Yankees at Yankee Stadium, a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber startled players and spectators by passing so low across the ballpark it nearly scraped the top of the flagpoles.

Three months later, the pilot, Lt. Jack W. Watson of the U.S. Army Air Force, made a brave landing of a burning B-17 at an airfield in England.

On Oct. 5, 1943, the Yankees were on their way to a 4-2 victory over the Cardinals when, in the eighth inning, four B-17s suddenly rumbled above the stadium packed with 68,676 fans.

Imagine the sight: The B-17 was a massive Flying Fortress that “bristled with armament,” according to Boeing. It was 74 feet long with a span of 103 feet. Powered by four engines, the B-17 carried about a dozen machine guns and was capable of holding up to 9,000 pounds of bombs.

Surprising stunt

Watson and his crew, along with three other crews, had left a training session in Florida and were flying their bombers to Maine for a stopover before heading to England.

When they reached the New York area and realized the World Series game was still going on that Tuesday afternoon, the crews, led by Watson, decided to buzz Yankee Stadium as a stunt, according to a Web site dedicated to the 303rd bomb group.

All four planes flew in formation over the ballpark, entering above home plate and roaring toward the outfield. Many initially thought it was an authorized show of military might and American pride by the Army Air Force.

But after the four planes rose and flew off, the B-17 piloted by Watson returned for an encore. It made a second pass, and then came back for a third that was alarmingly low, according to the book “Cardinals Journal.” The B-17 “was no more than 200 feet off the ground and hedge-hopped over the roof, narrowly missing the flagpoles.”

An Associated Press report also noted the plane “barely skimmed the flagpoles.”

“The roar of the plane drowned out the nationwide radio broadcast and stopped play as the players stood and watched the aircraft,” wrote John Snyder in “Cardinals Journal.”

Mad mayor

New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who was at the game, told the Associated Press the Flying Fortress “flew right down over the stands” three times.

“If anything had happened, a thousand people would have been killed,” an angry La Guardia said.

The mayor demanded the Army Air Force investigate. “That pilot should be properly disciplined, endangering the lives of the citizenry of New York in that manner,” La Guardia said to The Sporting News.

Upon arriving in Maine, the four pilots were reprimanded and fined $75 apiece for the stunt. But, because the military needed pilots for combat, none were grounded, according to the 303rd bomb group Web site.

A couple of days later, Watson and his crew flew to England to begin bombing missions against the Nazis in Europe.

Described by United Press as a “freckled-face kid pilot,” Watson, of Indianapolis, was 21 years old.

Deadly mission

On Jan. 11, 1944, Watson and his crew, in a Flying Fortress dubbed “Meat Hound,” were part of a massive American-led air bombardment of central Germany. Watson and his crew were assigned to bomb a target in Oschersleben.

Just before he reached his target, the No. 3 engine failed on the B-17, Watson told the Associated Press. “But I stayed in formation,” he said.

Flying on three engines, Watson and his crew dropped the bombs, turned and started to head back to their base in England.

The Nazis, though, unleashed relentless waves of fighter planes to attack the bombers. Watson and his crew were over Holland when they encountered several fighter planes.

Shortly after the tail gunner on “Meat Hound” shot down a Nazi fighter, the B-17 was hit and the No. 2 engine went out, Watson told the Associated Press.

Wrote United Press: “A shell ripped a hole in the left elevator and another smashed between the right wing and the fuselage. A third hit just behind the No. 2 engine and that motor started smoking.”

In a gripping account to United Press, Watson described what happened next:

“I feathered it then and the fire soon appeared to go out. But a little later the left waist gunner reported smoke and flames pouring out of that engine again.

“We were over the sea, so I headed south to allow us to bail out over land.”

Uncertain whether the plane could remain airborne, Watson instructed his crew of nine to parachute out near Isselmeer, Holland.

(Four of the crew members landed in water and drowned. Of the five who survived, four were captured and became POWs. One, Clayton David, eluded capture and made his way back to England in May 1944, according to the 303rd bomb group Web site.)

‘Scared to death’

Alone in the B-17, Watson intended to bail out, too.

“I set the plane’s automatic control, put on my ‘chute and started to crawl out the hatch,” Watson told United Press. “I looked down and all I could see was water. I was scared to death. I didn’t want to go into the Channel. I decided I would rather blow up with the Fortress than drown in the Channel.

“I took a heading in the direction of England and said to myself, ‘Here goes.’ About that time, two enemy fighters buzzed in _ one from each side and both firing away.”

Watson pushed the bomber into thickening clouds and the Nazi fighter planes turned rather than follow him. “Meat Hound” kept flying, though flames were shooting from at least one of the two working engines on the battered bomber.

“It was pretty lonesome up there,” Watson said to United Press. “I radioed to the landing fields, ‘If you see a B-17 with two engines out, you’ll know that’s me.’

“Then I spotted a fighter field near the coast and they radioed, ‘Come on in, big friend.’ They kept calling me ‘big friend’ all the time and it sure sounded funny.”

Watson successfully landed the B-17 at the 353rd Fighter Group P-47 airfield at Metfield, England. It took a fire crew more than two hours to put out the raging flames on “Meat Hound.”

Forgiven

“I wonder whether Mayor La Guardia will forgive me,” Watson said in a radio interview, according to The Sporting News.

Learning of the remark, La Guardia responded to Watson in a cable: “Delighted to get your message. All is forgiven. Congratulations. I hope you never run out of altitude. Happy landings. Will be seeing you soon.”

Watson completed his 35-mission combat tour in June 1944 and was promoted to captain in December 1944.