Evening star., 1927-05-31
FANS CHEERED BY WORK
OF Johnson AND HADLEY
Barney Yields But Three Hits in Banking Red Sox
in 1927 Debut and Youngster Shows En-.
couraging Form i'm bios Win.
RY JOHN II. KELLER.

GE and Youth both had theil
n fling in Clark Griffith Stadium
n Yesterday and both were tri
umphant. too. Age. in the
person of Walter Johnson
old only in a base ball scnse-SaNt
the more impressive performance, but
Youth, as represented by Irving ilad'
lev, even though cuffed bit While
achieving / = success, probably gained
the confidence that will carry him 10
greater heights as time rolls on.
The brilliant 3-to-0 defeat of the Red
SoX in the first game of the Memorial
day double header by the veteran who
will celebrate his fortieth birthday an
niversary next November chcered
those in charge of the Nationals and
also their followers. BY holding the
men of Boston to three hits while
scoring the 18th shut-out of his long
career in the American League John,
son, in his 1927 debut, clearly demon
strated that the injury TO his leg,
sustained during early March while
the Nationals were in training III
Florida, is not to impair his pitching
ability and that he may reasonably
he expected TO turn in his share OF
victories as long as his right arm re-
tains irs strength and cunning.
Hadley's Effort Pleasing.
Following Johnson's remarkable
comeback. Hadley's effort failed to
arouse any great enthusiasm among
the fans, but il was more than pleas
ing to the heads Of the Washington
club Ordinarily, his 13-to-5 win would
he given much consideration by the
Nationals supporters. too. While the
24-year-old recruit. starting game
for only the third time this season and
going the route for the first time, was
wild, he was no wilder than several
more experienced members of the
mound staff often have been this wear
and he allowed the enemy but seven
safeties. Frequently in this campaign
holding the opposition TO as few as
seven slams would have been hailed
as splendid achievement by Ma
tional pitcher.
Watching Johnson yesterday, it was
difficult to realize that one was look
ing upon a pitcher starting his
twenty-tirst campaign as major
Lacquer. a player who in his time with
the Nationals had seen many stars of
the diamond game rise and set. He
worked with the smoothneSS of a
much younger athlete, never wasting
effort. And in his pitching stride
IF the bone-shatterinG blow his left
leg sustained during a batting drill at
Tampa on March 8.
johnson naturally did not have the
binding speed of other years. Time
has taken some toll of his arm. But
he still retains enough power to pro-
pei a mighty good fast ball and APP
parently has developed to a greater
extent deceptive curve. The vet
eran frequently reSorted to the curve
yesterday and, varying his pitching
pace occasionally, had all but two of
the Red SoX completely baffled.
Only Two Solve johnson.
Russell RollingS, a 2o-yearold re-
cruit. and Ira FlagStead, a 33-year-
old veteran, were the only members of
tho Red Sox to drive Johnsons pitches
to safety. Rollings, second up in the
opening inning, lashed the ball to right
field and it got away from Sam Rice
for two-baSe hit. AS Phil Todt was
thrown out, Rollings reached third
base, the only one of his team to get
that far on the runway during the
fray.
Two were out in the fourth frame.
when Flagstead drove a single to left
field. He was Immediately forced out
the ninth when Rollings again hit
safely. this time whipping the ball un-
der johnson to center for single.
But the young fellow got nowhere, as
Todt was tossed out by Bucky Harris
to end the game.
But two other Red Sox got on the
paths, both of them doing so in the
sixth session. Topper Rigney's wild
heave let Tony Welzer make second
base at the outset of the round. Tony.
however. was an easy out at third
base, when Johnny Tobin grounded
TO Rigney, then Tobin was shared off
first for double play after Rice made
a sensational catch of Rollings' liner.
Only 80 batters faced Johnson dur
ing the engagement and not one of
them had better than. q two-and-t two
count, so good was the veterans con-
troll. He struck out but one man,
Jacobson, swinging for the final out
in the seventh inning. But Walter
did not have to fan the opposing bat
ters. He simply let most of them
swing at his offerings and tap easy
chances to his supporting cast.
Hadley Scatters Safeties.
In the second game, Hadley spread
his seven hits over four innings. Once
the Red SoX clustered three hits in a
round in which they got as many
markers and once they punched two
Safeties and two runs. He Yielded
nVe passes, cut loose a wild pitch and
mt two batters, pinking both of them
IN one of the innings in which he was
round for tallies. But Irving was
handed healthy lead before the game
was very old and was not forced to
toll especially hard. Under high pres.
sure, he might have come through
with a more impressive performance
WelZer went the route for the Red
SoX in the first game and gave John
son good argument. He allowed
only hVe hits and three passes, but
once a Red SoX error helped the Ma.
tlonals toward tally and they
punched two hits and pass for a
couple OF runs in another frame.
1t was Muddy Ruel's single. Buddy
Myers bum chuck after fielding Rig.
neys grounder and Ossie Bluege's in
held out that produced the Nationa
marker in the second session. In the
sixth, Speaker singled and after Judge
walked cne-baser by Ruel sent
SPOKE to the plate. Judge. who hat
reached third on the hit, tried a dua
theft with Muddy. The latter was
trapped on the runway, but Joe gor
home before Muddy was run down.
Delmar Lundgren began the pitch
ing for the Red SoX in the late till
and took terrific lacing in the sec
ond inning. Seven hits, including
triples by Ruel. Rice and Judge, ant
a double by Goose Goslin, with {
couple of passes were good for eigh
runs. All hands except Rieney anC