8.31.2009

TIGERS FIND NEW RECIPE FOR VICTORY

A PINCH OF CVENGROS, A TRIPLE SHOT OF ELSH, AND MAKE IT SLOPPY

By Calvin J. Butterworth
Detroit Free-Enterprise

July 2, 1924

Up to this mid-season point, the White Sox have been swimming almost daily with the mermaids of luck. It is a pleasure to announce, then, that these fair, half-amphibian ladies are suddenly washing out with the morning tide.

Triples from Hooper and Ray Morehart helped give the Sox a 3-0 lead at Navin Field today with their ace hurler Sloppy Thurston at the helm against the often browbeaten Ken Holloway. Yet these Detroiters are coming off an excellent June, appear to be launching an even more boisterous July, and the directions of these two fighting ships certainly seem to be on opposite sides of the compass.

Holloway calmed down after the 2nd and stifled the Chicago sticks with shutout pitching for the next five frames. A Heilman force-out brought home one run in the 3rd, and a pinch Wingo triple in the 7th another. Thurston retired the first two Bengals in the last of the 9th, the Navin nabobs all on their feet, securing hats on heads while they sadly eyed the exits. But Bob Jones got another pinch-hit, this a single, and after Rigney drew a wide free ticket to first, hope poured onto the field from the rafters. Lu Blue, a very solid batsman when he's healthy enough to play, picked out a Sloppy offering and lined it into the gap to tie the game! Southpaw Mike Cvengros entered to face our lefty Manager, who made out on a 1-for-5 day and propel the contest into extra time.

Now Mostil was already hurt for Chicago, a rare event this year in itself, but when Archdeacon also left the game with an ailment back in the 7th, horrible glove man Roy Elsh was forced to take his place in center field. It was a fateful omen, indeed, for after Cvengros walked Manush with one out in the 10th, Larry Woodall hit for Bassler and rifled a ball deep in his direction. Elsh turned east instead of west, changed his mind again, did a spastic's jig and the ball flew over his head and rolled to the fence. Here came Heinie, there went Woodall into third base for a winning triple, Detroit's third pinch dagger of the game!

We are now just one notch to the rear of the White Sox, with Rip Collins winding up for his hopeful 12th win tomorrow against Robertson. As the Tiger players no doubt can admit at this moment, the scent of second place is powerful, and rather sweet.

CHI 210 000 000 0 - 3 11 1
DET 001 000 101 1 - 4 12 0

Other American League games today:

at ATHLETICS 9-12-1, YANKEES 2-6-3
I imagine holding the multi-injured Athletics to less than ten runs can be viewed these days as some kind of small triumph for New York, but dropping two full games below the .500 mark certainly is not. Sad Sam Jones trails 4-0 before the Yanks even produce one hit, a solo homer by Meusel. Ruth finally contributes a double with two outs in the 8th, but Baumgartner's ninth win has been long decided. Will New York ever win again? Pennock takes the hill for them tomorrow against Rommel, for those fans who still have a crumb of faith in their trouser pockets.

at SENATORS 3-8-3, RED SOX 0-3-1
Meanwhile, the Nats continue to do no wrong. Ogden throws a brilliant shutout and singles in the winning run himself in the 2nd, as three Washington errors are never cashed in by sinking Boston.

at INDIANS 2-10-0, BROWNS 1-8-0
A severely frustrating day for the Tribe that still ends splendidly for them. Cleveland leaves 12 men adrift and grounds into two killing double plays against Wingard, but St. Louis can do even less with Shaute, who knocks in the winning runs with a single in the 6th. Readers? We now have a thrilling three-way tie for fifth place.










AMERICAN LEAGUE through Wednesday, July 2
Washington Senators 5126.654
Chicago White Sox 4332.5737
Detroit Tigers 4334.5588
New York Yankees 3638.48613.5
Cleveland Indians 3343.43417.5
Philadelphia Athletics 3343.43417.5
St. Louis Browns 3343.43417.5
Boston Red Sox 3144.41319

2 comments:

  1. wow! who would have ever thought the Athletics would beat up on the Yankees for three straight games?

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  2. Actually, the way the Yanks are playing right now the Greensboro Grasshoppers could beat them up. When I replayed 1959 some time ago, though, the supposedly third place Yankees won the World Series for me, so this could just be payback.

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