Evening star., 1919-08-26
NATIONALS SUFFER
FROM BAD BREAKS
Final at st. Louis Typical of
Inopportune Happenings
to Griff'S Team.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

BUFFALO. N. Y. August 2s--An in
stance typical of the manner in which
the Nationals suffer from bad breaks
of luck was furnished in the last and
decisive inning Of the game they
dropped, 4 to 3, to the Browns yester-
day in St Louis on their final appear
ance Of the campaign in the west.
With Griffs leading by a count of 3
to 1, three Browns on the bases and
two out, Johnson was sent in to re-
lieve Shaw. williams, the first man
to face johnson, started a swing and
tried to check it. but the ball hit the
handle of his bat and bounded all the
way to Judge, who gathered it in and
stepped on first, for what he supposed
was the putout that ended the game
Instead Umpire Chill ruled the ball
had hit Williams on the fingers and
he was allowed to take first, forcing
in a run and bringing up Tobin.
whose single scored two more. enough
to win. 1t was one of Johnson's fast
balls that williams struck at, and it
is safe to say that if it had struck
his fingers hard enough to send the
ball back as far as Judge he would
If the ball hit Williams hands at all
it was after it struck the bat. in
which case Williams was not entitled
to be given his base.
> Shaw passed up perfectly good
chance to get himself out of the hole
earlier in the round through failure
to use his noodle, so is not entitled
to much sympathy for being charged
with the defeat. After Sisler had
singled and hobbled to first because
<,f ha h. leo m
to lay of recently Austin whacked
the ball straight at Shaw. Jim had
all the time in the world to whip
the ball to Shanks and start a double
and contented himself with tossing
to Judge.
Hal Janvrin left his teammates
when the train reached Buffalo today
under orders to report to the Buffalo
club of the International League.
The conditions governing MS transfer
are not known, it being assumed he
change for some player or players
Manager Griffith is to get from the
Buffalo team. 1t Is understood that
Griffith has asked for waivers on
st Louis to the effect that the Cardi- :
nails of the National League had
claimed him.
Judge opened the battle with sin
gle to right, and got as far as third
on Fosters sacrifice and Milan's out,
only to be left by Rice. Shaws single
in the third was unsupported. In the
fourth Menosky made a mighty eff
fort for home run with terrific
drive to deep center, but. tiring badly
in the last quarter of his sprint
around the sacks, was hagged by
inches on Williams relayed throw to
the plate
Il was the latter who showed Mike
how it should be done in the fifth,
when he hoisted one of ShaWs 1ast
balls into the right-field bleachers Tor
the circuit. Up to this time only one
nit had been made of ]. Aloysius-a
pop fly by Gedeon in the fourth that
Leonard and Judge allowed to fall
between them.
The Browns retained their lead but
q short time. as the Griffs came right
back in the sixth and showed over a
counter on q pass to Judge and SIN
giles by Milan and Rice With the lat
ter pair on third and second, through
Menosky's retirement, Shanks had a
chance to do something for his coun-
try, but his best on this occasion was
q foul hoist to SEVERED. Gerber, with
a rap deep to Shanks in the eighth.
was the only athlete to get on the
bases in the next two rounds. and he
promptly was doubled up with
Severeid.
Shanks was not found wanting in
the ninth, however, when after Rice
reached first safely by a great exhi-
bition of sprinting following his
bounder to jacobson. and Menoskv
had fouled to SEVERED m trying to
bunt, he blaxed a liner to right center
for three bases. registering Rice and
counting himself a moment later on
Leonard's sacrifice fly to Smith.
With q two-run lead at this stage
of the game and Shaw displaying such
sterling form, it appeared the Griffs
were destined to win this one series
OF their sojourn in the west, but the
uncertainties of the national pastime
never were better illustrated than in
what transpired. First Sisler, for
Shocker, lined a single to center.
Austin was set down, and after
Gedeon got a safety Shaw famed ia
cobson and walked Demmitt. another
emergency batsman. to fll the bases.
Mcbride yanked Shaw at this juno
ture and sent johnson to the mound.
Williams, the first man to face Wal
ter. was hit by the pitched ball, fore
ing one run over. Tobin then singled
over second, sending two more
Browns home and giving St Louis the
verdict