Evening star., 1923-09-20

truly remarkable number.
The record already set testifes to
the brilliant defensive quality of the
Nationals play this year. True, they
have found it difficult, to win con-
sistently because of Weaknesses in
other departments of their work but
most OF the other clubs have found it
quite task to break through the
Nationals bulwarks to victory
Inner Defense Sensational.
The inner defense - Joe Judge
Bucky Harris. Roger Peckinpaugh
and Ossie Bluege-has been the field
ing sensation of Ban Johnson's cir
cult. 1t has been responsible for in
augurating l2l OF the two-ply kill
ings. most of them started by par
ucularly brilliant plays.
Peek heads the list of double play
starters, having opened forty-nine, "a
new mark for American League
shortstops. Harris at second has be-
gun forty just seven shy of the rec
ord for American League middle
sackers he set last year, although he
mas been out of action several times
IN the campaign. Bluege has started
twenty four, all but one of them from
third base. Judge, even though miss
ing from the lineup for more than d
month, has paved the way to eight.
The outhelders have contributed
generously to the record. Sam Rice
has begun eight and once he com,
pIeted one of them, too Goose Cos
I'm has inaugurated four and Memo
beibold two. Bushs pitchers have
proved fast tielders by starting seven
teen double plays. -Four inaugurais
are credited to George Mogridge,
three each to walter johnson and
Jez Zachary, two each to Allen Rus
sell and Cy Warmoth and one each
TO Paul Zahniser, Grier. Friday and
Kenneth Sedgwick. the last two
mentioned hurlers not being with the
club at present.
opened four of the two-ply killings
OF the utility. force. Joey Evans has
started FIVE, Pat Charity three and
Dick Wade one. Players not now on
the National pay roll earned places on
the list of starters. Jimmy ONei
began two double plays and Bill Conroy
and George Fisher one each.
Record Made I'm 90 Games.
These fielding feats have been
crowded into 96 of the 141 games
played by the Bushmen in the cham
ptonship campaign. Four times have
the diamond athletes under the direc-
tion of the pygmy pilot jammed a
Quartet of dual erasures into a fray
Fifteen times three double plays have
been accomplished in game and
thirty-one times two have been in
serted into a fray. That is fielding
with a capital r. '~'r.
The Nationals also have to their
credit this season a triple play made
ut Cleveland August % against the
Indians the crew due TO open three
game series here tomorrow This
final set Of yeaga gemleentss $, With, Iris
Speakers men promises to be
thriller, with the Bushmen fighting
for a money position in the league
race and the Indians striving to turn
the tables on one. of the only two
clubs in the circuit having an edge
over them for the year. Bushs
athletes have won ten of the nineteen
games played with the Tribe.
Western clubs have found the Griff s
tough foeinen this season. The
Tigers really were. fortunate to get
an even break by taking eleven
games, the White Sox must sweep
to finish ahead. while the Browns
left yesterday stung by their thfr-
teenth trouncing in twenty-five
starts against the Georgia avenue
men. None can recall a former sea-
son in the American League when
Washington club scored over a St
Louis outfit over the stretch of a
campaign
Browns arc Easy Victims
With George Mogridge, veteran
Southpaw finger. in fine fettle and
Dixie Davis. the Browns usually de-
pendable hurler against the Nation
ais, wild as a March hare and his
teammates wobbiy afield there was
little to the game vest terday, once the
home clan began it's run-making
MogrldSe gave up nine Safeties and
one pass. but kept the Browns bats
idle when hits meant anything. Davis
was nicked for seven swats. but
brought about his downfall mainly
through walking eight batters.
Wayne Wright, who relieved Davis
after-two- were out in the seventh
was we'll bombarded in the eighth
inning.
Two hits and Brownie error net
ted the Griffs tally in the fourth
and one safety mixed with three
passes and a double steal accounted
for a quartet of runs in the fifth.
Davis went wild again in the seventh
a nd was hit. too, the Nationals get
tfag a trio of markers before Wright
appeared on the scene. The new
conner was Smacked for a triple and
two doubles. and more scores in the
last trip of the Bushmen to the plate.
9But two scoring chances were of
fared the Browns. With two down
in the second inning, Mogridge was
nfpked for three successive singles,
but Whaley, attempting to score from
SECOND on the last one, was nipped
aFjthe plate. In the eighth the first
tRp men up singled off George.
Take third, however, broke up the
r&lly bv rolling into a double play.
y