Evening star., 1927-05-24

pionship. With record OF
four victories and three defeats to
show for their series with the league
leading Yankees. tho latest victory .he-
ing registered yesterday hy Il 3-to-2
count. the Washington club is the
only one giving Miller Higgins gang
Of pitchermaulers n real battle thus
far.
The licking the Yankees took yes
terday aftcr getting away TO a fine
start in the first inning. when With
two out Babe Ruth propelled the ball
into the farthest reaches of the con-
crete sun parlor back Of center field
for his eleventh homer Of the season
and Lou Gehrie sent it over the right
field wall for his tenth round.trinper
this year, left them with only three
game lead over the runner.up White
SoX and reduced their advantage over
the Nationals to five and Onehalf
games
At this stage of the season that's
not so far back of the leading outfit.
and with four more games TO be play
ed with the Yankees on Friday and
Saturday in New York, the Nationals
have fine opportunity to reduce ma
terially that lead. Manager Harris
will have Hollis Thurston, who pitch
ed most of the way against the Hug
men here yesterday; Horace Lsenbee,
who has scored over them twice this
season; Walter Johnson. ready for his
season debut, and Irving Hadley. in
prime condition for the quartet of tilts
to be played in the big stadium.
Johnson Tested Today.
Johnson was to get his waI1n-up
for one Of the New York games this
afternoon, when the Nationals faced
the Baltimore International Leaguers
IN an exhibition engagement in the
Maryland metropolis. The big fellows
appearance on the hill against the
Orioles was to be his first since his
left leg was broken by a drive from
Joe Judges hat during a clubbing drill
at the Tampa training camp on
March 8.
The leg gave Walter no trouble in
his many workouts while with the
club on its recent Western tour, and
his arm appeared to be in fine form,
so the trial this afternoon may be re-
garded as a fair test of his ability
The pitcher and the Washington club
expect to learn from it just how use
full the great veteran is likely to be to
the Nationals this season.
:. Off days in the past having proved
harmful to the Nationals in some
ways, President Clark Griffith is let
ting his outfit loaf on only one Of the
three days this week that were not
given over to games by the American
League schedule makers. After the
match at Baltimore this afternoon the
Nationals will move to New York.
Tomorrow they will cross the Hudson
Tor game with the Jersey City
Skeeters, then enjoy a day of rest be-
fore starting their week end schedule
of two double-headers with the Yam
KEGS.
If they carry into the contests in
New York, the, Same spirit they re-
vealed in the struggle here yesterday,
the Nationals ought to fare pretty well
in Col. Jake Ruppert's big stadium.
They We're on their toes all the time
in the game, took chances that they
had not been taking in recent engage
lnents, and fought with an assurance
that made light of the vigorous at
tack the Yanks had launched in their
opening inning.
> ThurstOn Good i'm Pinehes.
Hollis Thurston, who had defeated
the New Yorker here Nav 4, again
opened fire, but again failed to go the
route. This time, however, he was
removed from the game solely because
Manager Harris wanted to strengthen
the clubs attack, for Hollis had
pitched well for six innings after that
got three safeties, all singles, and two
passes off lhe National starter after
that two-hit first frame.
One of the hits and both of the
passes were clustered in the third
session, but it was then that Hollis
rose to his greatest pitching heights.
Myles Thomas single at the outset
was followed by pass to Earl Combs,
and Mark koenig neatly sacrificed
tho PoVohinn Na-hn hal
,clouted the homer in his previous trip
ITO the plate, but this time Ruth foul
ed a pitch, swung at another, then
let third strike go by. Gehrig's walk
filled the sacks, but all Cedric burst
gould do was loft to iris Speaker in
center.
{. After that Topper Rigneys tumble,
Followed by Pat Collins SINGLE made
the going a trifie rough for Thurston
in the fourth, but he braced immedi-
ateiy to get out of the trouble, and in
the seventh that Collins opened with
"a single, only to be forced out by
Thomas. A remarkable catch by
Goose Goslin checked the Yankee on
slaught. At other times Thurston was
supreme.
Ollie Tucker batted for Thurston in
the seventh, when the bases were fill
ed, and drew a free ticket to first,
thus forcing across the plate what
proved the decisive tally, so Garland
BraXton was on the slab when the
eighth began. Garland might have
gone TO the finish but for a battle of
managerial wits between Harris and
HugginS.
= Pilots Make Shift.
= When Higgins sent Ben Paschal up
ito bat for burst after Ruth had
reached third base with two out in
the eighth, Harris had Fred Marberry
relieve BraXtOn. Higgins countered
by recalling Paschal and substituting
Ray Morehart. And Ray left the po.
tential tying run at third by tanning.
Marberry got into tough situation
in the ninth when with one gone Du-
gan doubled and Collins drew pass.
But Fred struck out Pitchbatter John
Grabowski and Combs forced out
Pinchrunner Julian Vera, ending the
fray.
The Nationals had to work harder
than the Yankees TO get their runs.
Thomas, who started for HuGgins
iteam, was invincible in the first two
frames, but RiGney reached him for n
triple at the start of the third, and
burst backed against the left.feld
stand for a spectacular catch Of Ossie
Bluege's drive. Thurston and Harris
'also hit in this round. but the former
was ninped at the plate when he tri I'd
Ito tally from second on Bucky 5
single.
During the next three rounds one
pass and one single were all cleaned
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m N N a m n m N n IN m A