Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-08-10
AVERAGES IN AMERICAN
LEAGUE ARE CLIMBING UPWARD

CHICAGO, Aug. 8 (P-The Amer
ican league now has hard hitting
trio like the three Pittsburghers OF
the National league, but the three
Yankees lack one step of being at
the top of the batting column. AL
Simmons of the Athletics sits serenely
On the throne there, though he has
been on the bench the past week
Right behind his chair, though, arc
Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and Bob
Meusel, a first baseman, and two
outfielders, the same as the Pirate
trio of old Joe Harris, Paul Waner
and Clyde Barnhart.
Meusel joined his two mates iii
averages compiled today, including
Wednesdays games, with a great
hitting rally which ran his percentage
from 1863 to .371, eleven hits in SIX
! games. Earl Combs doubled Meu
sells gain to make the fourth Yankee
in the first ten batsmen, displacing
Johnny Meun, the Detroit first sacker.
Still sliding, Ty Cobb, who a month
! ago was in the first ten, today is
down to 22nd place, but Iris Speaker
still hangs around in fifth place.
The Detroit pair, Harry Heilmann and
| Bob Fothergill, who used to be battl-
| ing for leadership, also are still in the
first ten but well down the list.
George Sisler is still waiting for
an opportune vacancy among the
! leaders, but meanwhile continues to
add to his stolen base string which
now totals 20. Meun has displaced
his teammate, Tavener, as runner-up,
with 18, a gain of two.
Lou Gehrig is only two home runs
behind Babe Ruth's pace in the 1921
record year and led Babe by three
on Wednesday night. Lou had 81
and Babe "a.
With all the New York batting
power behind his, Waite Hoyt still
holds the leadership of the regular
moundSmen of the league with
mark of ID victories to four defeats.
4 Ted Lyons of the White Sox has
the most wins, II, but is charged
with eight defeats.
Leading American league batters:
Simmons, Philadelphia, 1894; Gehrig.
New York, .387; Ruth, New York,
.373; MeuSel, New York, .371; Speaker,
Washington, 369; e. Miller, st. Louis,
!! 1863; Heilmann, Detroit, 1867; Schang,
st. Louis, 1854; Fothergill, Detroit,
,351.
1 frankie Frisch, who broke up the
Pirate trio at the head Of the Ma
tional leagues Fbatting list three
weeks ago, threatens to do it again.
He was the only one of the leaders,
! with the exception of Harvey Hend-
ricks of Brooklyn, to make on out
standing gain in percentage, in to-
: days figures. He is but one point
behind Clyde Barnhart, the trailing
member of the Pirate trio.
/ Hendricks, who held a middle seat
in the first ten for several weeks,
a month ago and then dropped out,
returned to his accustomed spot today
displacing Eddie Farrell of the Braves.
4 The Fordharn flash, as they used
to call F'risch in New York before
he was traded to ST. Louis, didn't
steal any bases this week but his
mark of 81 is a dozen higher than
the former base stealing leader, Kiki
Cuyler of Pittsburgh.
/ The home run honors of the elder
league still rest upon the brow of
old Cy Williams. He would have
had one more than his mark of q
if the hickory hadn't given way in
~ SdIlE ectSdlIlOI GIlC OuDSs W11CIl OllC
bat broke the ball, instead of sailing
cut into the bleacher, dropped weakly
back to the infield. Cy had 20
Wednesday.
Rogers Hornsby, the crown prince
of the Giant squad, was the first
National leaguer to cross the century
mark in runs, with Frisch close be-
hind him. Gehrig turned the trick
i'll the American league two weeks
ago and Paul Warner, the Pirate
] star. was just on the Threshold
Wednesday night, with 80 runs.
Rube Benton, on the Giants sue,
I cessful western tour. slipped in be-,
tween Lee Meadows and Carmen Hill.
the two Pittsburgh pitchers who have
! been sharing the league honors, and
Hill dropped to third. Meadows leads
the regulars with IA victories and
five losses. Charley Root of the
Cubs has IS victories but nine de.
featS.
J, Leading batters of the National
. league: P. Waner, Pittsburgh, 1856,
Harris, Pittsburgh, ..378; Z, Barnhart,
Pittsburgh, 1913; Barnhart, Pittsburgh,
366; Frisch, St. Louis, .365; Harper,
/ New York, $40; Hornsby, New York,
.346; Hendrick,, Brooklyn, .344; Hafey,
st Louis, .343; Stephenson, Chicago,
1888; Traynor, Pittsburgh, 1888.