With two games to play in the 1948 season, the Yankees were one game back of the Indians for first place in the American League. They were tied with the Red Sox, who they just happened to be facing in Boston in the final two games of the season. While the Yankees still needed Cleveland to drop at least one of their last two games against the middling Tigers, their fate was still partially in their hands.
In the penultimate game of the season, the Yankees started Tommy Byrne. While this was neither the year he made the All-Star team nor the one he got MVP votes in, this was arguably Byrne’s best season.