One late-game swing is memorable. Two in one afternoon is something else entirely.
Stepping into action on June 17, 1943, Red Sox player-manager Joe Cronin delivered pinch-hit home runs in both games of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia A’s. His blast in the opener proved decisive in a Boston win, while his second long ball briefly pulled the Sox back into the nightcap. At 37, Cronin wasn’t just managing the lineup — he was still rewriting it himself. It was a reminder that baseball’s veterans could still change a game with one swing.
🕵️ Inside Today’s Original Newspaper Coverage:
Baseball’s “elderly” shortstops still making noise
Cronin and Luke Appling defying baseball age norms
Three pinch-hit homers in four games for Cronin
The original newspaper coverage of this moment is just below.
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