Evening star., 1929-06-30
SWATT|NG HONORS
LOST BY YANKEES
Both MackS and Tigers Have
Gone Ahead of Former
SIugging Kings.
BY JOHN B. FOSTER.

A MEXICAN LEAGUE batting is
~ giving students of base ball
"A form the blind staggers. The
4 4 Yankees no longer are the
sluggers of the league, both
Philadelphia and Detroit having sur
passed them The fact that the
Yankees may have heme-run record
doesn't attract more than passing at
tention as long es they are not In the
lead. Thus it may be that the home
run thing isn't as big as folks thought
it was.
Philadelphia fans are debating
whether it will be AL Simmons or jim
Foxx who will win the batting cham
pionship this season. and it may be
quite SO fast after the Fourth of July
Lazzeri Is Dangerous.
The really dangerous batter In the
league is Tony Lazzeri of the Yankees
He hits well in the Spring, has been
hitting just as we'll or better in early
Summer and apparently will not sag
much as the dog days come.
He is playing better at second base
and when the season is finished will
have one of the best all-around records
in major league base ball if there is
nothing TO befall him TO put him out
of the running.
Gordon Cochrane of the Athletics
should be given credit, as well as SIM
mons and Foxx. Nor will it do to over
look Heinie Manush of the ST. Louis
Browns. He is one of the most fire.
qucnt hitters in the American League
His total of singles will probably be as
large, or larger than that of any other
American League player at the end Of
the season.
Those who figured that Lou. Gehrig
would lead the league in batting this
year, and there were some who did, are
not likely to see their expectations
realized. Ruth is not batting with the
assurance that he had last season and
when Ruth doesn't bat Gehrig is SYM
pathetically weak He leans on Ruth
for encouragement, but he will have
to learn to lean on the ball alone some
day.
One of the batsmen of the American
League who should have more than
he is getting is Charlie Gehringer Of
Detroit. He has been playing a lot
better base ball all this year. If West
ling turns out to be much of short
stop, Gehringer and Westling will oe
an in1ield combination that will be for
great good in base ball. Alexander is
going to stick around at first base for
the Tigers and what they need is a
SOOQ LHlrQ DaSelnan TO give OeJfOlL
fast infleld in 1890 and that team will
start TO threaten any other club in the
league before. the players have their
uniform on for the first time.
Larry Fails as Fielder.
Lyn Larry of the Yankees seemed to
be mussy batter when he began in
the Spring, but the little chance he
has had in the big show has been good
for him. He hits well up. Oddly
enough he f1utters in fielding and when
he was in California they thought out
that way that they had one of the
greatest infelders in the history of base
ball. .
Jimmy Dykes is doing well this wear
and that is helping Philadelphia. Note.
too, that Bill Dickey. the tall sapling
behind the bat for the YANKEES, has
proved that he can hit. Just now he is
outbatting Ruth. but Ruth hasn't been
so much what with one thing and an
other. An old timer who is doing un-
usually we'll because he is sticking it
out longer than usual is Lew Fonseca
of Cleveland. Harry Heilman will 90 Up
and Alexander will dog right around
at his heels. There is another pair like
the Ruth-Gehrig pair or the Foxx-Sim-
| mons pair.