The New York herald., 1921-04-17
BABE RUTH TAPS
HARRIS FOR HIS
FIRST '21 HOMER
One by Meusel Also Con
tributes to Yankee
Victory.
BASE HITS HARD TO GET
Bill Piercy Holds the Athletics
to Three-ScOre Is
Three to One.
BASE HITS HARD TO GET
By WILLIAM II. HANNA.

Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel each
made home run at the Polo Grounds
Yesterday. the first this season for
each. The two homers were an in
tegral and essential part of a 10 |
victory OF the Yankees over the
scrappy Athletics; the game, as II was
played, wouldn't have been won with
out them-not in nine innings. 1t
would have been a tie
To Ben Harris, tall and spindling
chap. who pitched with great deal Of
cunning and skill. fell the honor of
having Ruth's first homer OF 1921
made OF him, and here's trusting Ben
Harris is as appreciative as he is
tall and spindling-whic he PROBABLY
isn't. He pitched well and with stout
heart, and so did young Bill Piercy OF
the Yankees.
A good pitchers battle, with Piercy
in several dangerous predicaments. on
the brink of fightiness seemingly. but
pitching himself out of them by nerve
in a pinch which enabled him to make
the most of his considerable amount Of
stuff. He was often in the hole, with
the As waiting him out and his curve
getting away betimes and keeping
Schang on the jump, but he mixed a
whale Of curve with low fast one
and had no thought other than tri-
umphing over predicaments.
F~.. ~
Piercy three The former had the
sharper support. Dugan was wizard
around third. Dugan Is in a fair way
10 be the best third baseman In baseball
this year He's that now. whatever he'll
be later Bra7ll's work at first was fine
and Pipp's the same without being
snowy
Piercy Begins Well.
Bill Piercy began his work for the
Yanks by striking out Jimmy Dykes.
and as two accessible flies followed. the
Athletics were set down summarily In
the FIRST inning. The lean, but not slip
pered. Harris put UP one which Chick
Feweter bunted safely. In addition.
Harris threw II away and Fewster
sa shayed to third The infield stayed
back, and Fewster scored on Peck's
scooter to Dykes. Ruth and Pipp hit
high. far ones. but they were nabbed
by alert patrolmen.
Meusel. in the second, took pro-
digious swiag at the hrst pitch and II
drilled the daylight over the fence-the
left field fence and far away. Homer
for long Bob Bode singled. but Ward
lined to Dykes for a tough luck double
play. Schang. still 10 make his maiden
hit. went up and funked on called
third strike.
IN three innings nine men faced
Piercy-no more. no less. One arrived
at first and that because Piercy didn't
have his foot on the base In covering
that bag This forward citizen was
caught mapping a moment later.
Some trouble was fomented for Piercy
in the fourth. Peck made a costly error
on Witt with one out. IL turned out
costly for Walker was hit and Brazills .
hot single sent Witt home. with the
runners moving up. An ugly situation,
and Plercy plainly worried. He struck
out Dugan. however. Then he had Per-
kins 10 contend with. He stalled with
and two grabbed his hopper and heaved
him out
Harris Rallies In the Bos.
Ruth put high foul in the stand in
the home half which was foul by Til
OF an inch. Then he flied to the next
county. where witt was watching and
waiting and caught the ball The Yam
kee offence fared poorly. Two men were
out stealing by yards and the hitting
was nil with men on bases. Harris had
rallied we'll after a poor start and AS
sassin's Ensemble wss 20 in name only
The Athletics infielders we're switched
around 80 far TO the right on Ruth In
the sixth that they were IN line with
the South Pole. NeverthG-,s. the Babe
caught one on the end OF MS bat and
hit his first home run OF the year. The
drive went high and far into the upper
gra ndstand. and the crowd Of $4,000 was
tic<led beyond words. The same old
boyish grin from the Babe as he crossed
the platter and raised his cap. DuRan
made grand stop and throw on Meu-
sci in The seventh. ese Robert the
Long would have had another hit.
Then Galloway killed Bodie with a
scrumptious stop.
The pitching was 40 tight that IN tho
last two innings not a Yank reached
first on Harris. and in the last three
not an "A" negotiated that landing on
Piercy. The score:
PHILADELPHIA tAll NEW YORK a.