Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-20
NOW DEEMED BEST
OF YOUNG SACKERS
Not Apt to Be 0usted by
Judge-Griffs Score FL
Win Over Tigers.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

TX base prospect to come up
- to the American League
in years"
That's what Walter Johnson,
manager of the Nationals, said
when he first saw Joe Kuhel in
action last season, and other good
judges of ball players have eX-
pressed similar opinions after see
ing the young fellow perform
around the initial sack for the
Washington club this year.
Looks as though the Nationals
made a great buy when they pro-
cured KuheI from the Kansas City
club for $4,000 and three players.
Taking over the first-base job on May
2. the day after the veteran Joe Judge
was stricken by appendicitis in Boston,
Kuhel Immediately went to work like
a seasoned performer at the station and
since has given his club every reason
to be glad it has a first baseman of his
class around.
Though still little more than rookie
Kuhel today is far more finished play
others who have been in the big show
longer. There are rough spots in his
work yet to be Smoothed out but Kuhel
seems to be doing the smoothing rapid
ly and it should not be long before he
is recognized as the finest fielding first
baseman in the circuit.
Kuhel now shows few faults mechani-
cally. He is wonder at shifting around
the sack, stepping about with the grace
ao~iIt &x,0 9 kAa 10 DC
did at stretching for the wide or short
throws-and he has had plenty of
stretching to do since taking over the
jobs rangy enough to haul down
many high throws, possesses a good arm
and covers much ground.
Joe can get fouls with the best of
them and comes in we'll for buntS. He
had trouble for time charging in for
Short-hopping grounders, but seems to
be rapidly overcoming this.
His main faults have been matters OF
judgment, faults that only experience
can eradicate. But Joe is bright ball
player and before long he probably will
not have to lose that precious moment
in sizing a situation. He'll be making
the right play instinctively and then
he'll be just about the best fielding
first baseman in the business.
At bat, Kuhel has plenty of power,
but he still does not swing as freely
as he should, according to those who
have been coaching him. Yet he has
the happy knack of getting hits often
when hits are needed and he has i'm
proved to such an extent in the past
month that he is close to the 300 mark
as batter. Manager johnson believes
.Kuhel will go well above 800 before
the season ends.
WVYTrrI T,doa wall ,,o l., III. on,s a.
w appears that Kuhel will retain
,the first base job that came to
him so suddenly through the illness of
the veteran. Kuhel. but 25 years old,
strong and possessing lot of action, is
not likely to be set aside for the vet
eran, even though Judge now is in trim
for service if called upon. The young
ster has been going too good to be
lifted from the lineup
Kuhel is a product of the Cleveland
sandlots on which he first gained prom
inence as first baseman when II years
old. So good was he his first year out
in class c that the next year he adj
vanced to class A in the city that has
the best Sandlot base ball in the coun-
try.
When 10 years CID Joe signed with
Flint of the Michigan Ontario League
and in the Fall of 1925 was sold to
Kansas City. The Blues farmed him
to Springfield Of the Three-I League
the following year. but he was back in
the American Association in 1927 and
remained with Kansas City until July
20 Of last year when he was sold TO
the Nationals.
He has had lot of professional base
ball for a 25-year-old player.
THOSE $500 fans who visited Griffith
i Stadium yesterday we're treated to
fine mound duel between the
left-handed Lloyd Brown of the Ma
tionals and the right-handed Arthur
Herring of the Tigers, with the former
scoring victory by 2 to /.
1t was well Brown got the decision
for the third-place Yankees kicked in
with two wins over the Indians in New
York and now are but five games be-
+, hind the johnson band.
Brown gave up but four hits and a
pass. the pass being issued in the first
inning and the hits being made in the
second. third, sixth and seventh innings.
But for an error by Joe Cronin at short
the left-hander would have scored a
Shutout.
Herring allowed only six hits and two
passes. Three Of the hits were clustered
in the fifth inning, however, and that
meant the ball game.
CUCCESS1VE singles by Hayes, Spen-
~ Ger and Brown upset Herring and
the Tigers. The hits came after
Bluege had been retired at the outset of
the Washington fifth. Browns single
tailed HAYES. and Spencer crossed the
plate as West was thrown out.
The Tigers registered at the plate in
the sixth inning. johnson got to second
base at the start of the round when his
grounder got away from Cronin and
rolled to left field. He moved to third
as Walker was heaved out. and denied
the counting block when Gehringer hit
for a base.
So effective was Brown that the other
Tiger hits were made after two were out
The lone pass of the southpaw went to
Walker. second up in the first inning
and he was Immediately forced out by