The Pecan Park Eagle

(1947) Buffs Climax Great Year as Class of Dixie (Series)

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Epps, Beers Aces to Finish;

Houston’s ’47 Attendance Reaches 475,637

By Johnny Lyon, Houston, Texas

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Houston’s greatest baseball season is history.

Finis was written on the 1947 books at 10:22 PM, October 3, when Hal Epps, Houston’s most popular performer, smacked a base hit into center field with two on, two out and two strikes on him in the inning to give the Buffs a 1 to 0 victory over Mobile and the Dixie Series title in six games.

For the 10,675 spectators who watched that final game the conclusion was fitting and just ~ Epps breaking up the duel with a hit and Clarence Beers hurling a shutout in which he spaced four singles and allowed only one Mobile player to reach second base, that on an error.

All season long, it was Epps supplying the stickwork when a bingle was most needed and Beers coming through with superb pitching performances. Hal (Epps) led the team in hitting during the regular season and in the Dixie Series hit .375. A 25-game winner in the regular season, Beers won four and lost one in the Texas League playoffs and Dixie Series, three of the victories being whitewashings.

Everything the Buffs set out to do they accomplished.

When they hopped into the lead for the first time, May 9, they were determined to hold it until July 4 so they could win the site of the All-Star game.

Eight Out of Ten in Last Week

Although there were shaky moments in the drive down the stretch, the Buffs remained in front, displaying their mettle by taking eight of ten in the past week to shade Fort Worth by one-half game.

Tulsa bowed in four straight games in the playoffs and Dallas a victim in six contests in the (Texas League) finals. The Buffs really broke the backs of the (Dallas) Rebels in the fifth game when, held hitless and runless for six innings, and trailing, 6 to 0, they rallied in the last three frames for an 8 to 6 triumph.

Mobile went ahead of the Buffs in the Dixie Classic, two games to one. But the Buffs again had the bounce and took the next three, with Jack Creel and Beers fashioning shutouts in the fifth and sixth games.

The Dixie Series Players’ Pool was $25,681.90 with $15,415.14 going to the winning Buffs. This was the largest pool since 1931 when Birmingham won in seven games over the Buffs, who boasted one of the game’s great turnstile magnets, Dizzy Dean.

From the opening game in April until October 3, when the Dixie Series ended, Houston attracted 475,637 cash customers for its 86 games. This included 382,275 for its 77 Texas League games at home, almost 100,000 better than the loop record set in 1946 by San Antonio, 51,577 for home league playoff games, and 29,952 for three Dixie Series clashes.

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STANDINGS AT CLOSE OF 1947 DIXIE SERIES

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Houston Pitching and Batting Statistics for the 1947 Dixie Series

Reference Sources:

An article by Johnny Lyon, The Sporting News, October 1, 1947, Page 25.

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle