Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-19
BABE GETS HOMER |
WITH NEW STANCE
Helps Yanks to 7-3 Win Over
Red Sox in Delayed
Seasons Opener.
BY WILLIAM J. CHAPMAN.
Associated Press Sports Writer.

w whatever the fate of the
Y "a ! Yankees in their fourth quest
NM for the rainbow's end and
its pot of pennant gold,
American League pitchers
are due to spend many anxious after
moons trying to circumvent Babe
Ruth bent upon battering down the
fences in left field instead Of right.
Employing an entirely new stance at
the plate, with his left foot swung back
almost out of the batter's box, the big
Bambino opened his 1929 campaign
with a home run in his first attempt
yesterday and so started the Yankees
toward a 7-to-3 triumph over the Bed
SoX in the first game at the Yenkee
Stadium
Admittedly something of problem
to pitchers at times in the past, Ruth
in his new stance presents an entirely
different puzzle to pitchers who already
had decided that his only weakness was
a base on balls. With the Babe stand
ing back and firing at the left side,
feeders also may have their troubles
playing for the big slugger. Bill Carri-
gan's system of playing him straight"
may be the best after all.
The Yankee opening was Ruth's very
own. With his bride of day stationed
in box near the New York bench. the
Babe started the season right with his
left-field homer, and after that every
thing he did was right. Lou Gehrig hit
his homer in the sixth, but the fans
remained the Babes.
The cold weather kept the opening
day crowd down to $4,000 hardy clients,
but a good half of these mobbed the
home run king in friendly but vigor-
Gus fashion at the close. He was rather
well done up from none too gentle Slaps
on the back as he gained the sanctuary
of the Yankee dugout.
All the usual frills, and few more,
marked the Yankee debut. Judge
Lands presented the Huggmen with
wrist watches, emblematic of the world
championship. Col. Jacob RUPERT and
E. S. Barnard. president of the league.
led members of both teams to the flag
pole where the usual three banners were
unfurled. and ball game was played.
George Pipgras carried his wildneSs
into the championship season. and
Miller Higgins yelled enough with one
out in the sixth, the bases full of Red
Sox, the Yanks only one run ahead and
two balls called on the batter. The
curve ball star had given only three
hits but had decorated them with nine
bases on balls Fred Heimach halted
the. disturbance. Gehrig hit his homer,
and the Yankees went on to win.
Charlie Ruling and Milton CASTOR
worked for the Red Sox. Charlie was
good for the Babes homer, and Milt
for LOUIS.
The Browns won their third straight
from the White Sox by 4 to l, and the
Cleveland Indians made it two out of
three from Detroit with an 8-to-4
victory.
The Eastern opening of the National
League was just as frostbitten as that
of the American, and more dismal. The
Giants gave an unkempt display in de-
feating the Phillies by IL to 9, and the
less said about Boston's 13-to-l2 victory
over Brooklyn, the more charitable 1t
will be for all oncerned-including the
5000 venturesome Bostonese who paid
to see it.
AS the Giants, with Larry Benton in
the box, Sagged before Philly rally in
the ninth. distant rumbleS drifted from
the Chicago front where Bruin howitzers
again were blasting path through
Pirate defences. The Cubs won by IL
to / behind Sheriff Fred Blake, and
made it two out of three from the Buc-
cancers.
Jesse Haines .outpitched Adolfo Luque
at Cincinnati to give the champion
Cardinals two out of three against the
Reds so far in the opening series. The
score was 3 to