Evening star., 1932-08-06

~ hit game, Walter Johnson
holds. He should get no
help from the opposing club, ac-
cording to the Nationals manager,
and JohnSons belief quite likely
Snatched from Tom Bridges grasp
yesterday a perfect game record.
Two were out in the ninth inning of
the tusSle with the Tigers in which not
q National had reached the runway
and it was the turn of Bob Burke,
pitcher, at the plate. Had Burke bat
ted, Bridges probably would have had
his perfect game. but Johnson lifted
Burke sent up Dave Harris, and Har-
ris cracked the first pitch to him for
q line single to left.
Johnson was freely criticized for his
use of a pinch-batter for the weak
hitting hurler With the game 13 TO
against them, it was the contention OF
the Bridges SympathizerS that the Ma
tionals had nothing to gain by sending
I'D a stronger batter than Burke. Their
argument was-why not let Bridges
get the glory OF the perfect game?
more than 5000 fans in the stands
when he ordered Harris to take Burke's
place at the plate in the ninth. And
Harris came in for a generous boolng,
too. when he lined out his hit.
johnson defended his move in eX-
pressing his conviction that pltcher
must earn such a record without any
favor granted by the opposition. The
Washington manager felt he might
have been subject to criticism had ne
allowed Burke to take his regular bat
ting turn, not by Bridges, sympathizers
of course, but by others who might
point out that johnson had made 1t
easier for the Detroit hurler to reach
his goal by letting the weak-hitting
Burke go to bat.
As to Harris, a defense was built by
a few words. Said Dave after the
game
why should I hep EN-? Thev amt
givin' me nothin' up there"
RR1DeEs may y well ..,1, feel proud proud Of ia
failure to get the perfect game.
That hit of Harris was all the Ma
tionals got off the slightly built right
handler. Sam Rice followed Dave to
roll to the first baseman and be retired
when Bridges ran over to cover the
sack.
Only one hit of him and but % at
bat against him made that game the
best piece of pitching done in the
American League this season.
other than Harris single, only seven
pitches were driven to the Detroit out
field. Eight infield grounders were hit
and only one was difficult to stop, that
smacked by Ossie Bluege at the outset
of the ninth inning. Then Richardson,
the Tiger third baseman, Iungeo 10 ms
right for a fine stop and followed WIN
a sparkling retiring throw. There were
three pop-ups to infielders, one foul,
and two fouls to the catcher.
Bridges control was of high order.
He had seven strike-outs in four OF
them the b.. ter swinging for the tnlrd
strike And only to three batterS did
he pitch as many as three balls. Brown
went to a three and-two count IN the
third inning before lofting out and so
did West in the eighth before skylng 10
the rightfielder. Rice, before oecom-
ing the final out of the game went u
a three-and-one count
Without the perfect game record, there
was enough glory in the tussle LOT
Bridges.
DRIDGES' failure to get that no-nlt
ID mark bad the rival managers re-
calling other games in which pltcn-
ers went down to two out in the nlnth
without yielding hit, only to have tne
next batter sock safely.
Harris. Tiger pilot, spoke OF Ieo
LYONS disappointment in Grlfhth SId-
dium six or seven years ago. men
LYONS went into the washington nlilth
with the White SoX having pig SCOT
and not a hit against MIN Inc HIse
two batters we're disposed Of quickly, put
Rchhv Veach picked up his heavy bat
and with two strikes against nm
dumped a Texas Lacquer in right. ana
the next batter was an easy out.
Johnson told of game Ed Plank, the
great left-hander, pitched for the
Browns after he left the Athletics. 1he
Nationals. playing in Sportsman ParK
in St Louis had gone to two out IN
+he ninth with nothing like hit 10
their credit. Up went Eddie Foster WIN
a fungo bat, evidently not caring 10
make hit But when Eddie swung
the ball went soaring lazily over tne III
field rim for a one-baser.
Harris and johnson then mused over
the only nO-hit game ever hurleo py
walter that against the Red Sox in
Boston in 1920. The Nationals went
down to the home side ninth with
only a 10 advantage. johnson got
two out then Harry Hooper stepped
to the plate and in those DAYS Hooper
was most dangerous batter. He
warned johnson to put all he had INTO
his pitching for Harry intended TO get
that hit if he could.
It was a case where two hits IN
row might mean a run which Wouio
put the Red Sox back in the game
So johnson pitched with all he had
End Hooper swung with all ne mad:
Crash, hot drive over first base and
lust inside the foul line. JcH Judge,
playing first. took a dive at tEe pail,
knocked it down with his b0dv, re-
covered 1t quickly and got to flrst Just
ahead OF the feet Hooper. Johnson
no-hit game was in,
Il scored the run in that game.
Harris adGed- but I also made the
error that kept a perfect game from
Walter"
CWINGING their bats freely. the
- Tigers more than made up for the
hitting the Nationals didn't do IN
yesterdays fitting. All told th7y col
lected IS hits of the combined pitching
of LLOYD Brown and Bob Burke and
had two big scoring bees.
Held at bay for three rounds, the
Tigers broke through in the fourth 20
get seven runs. Five hits and pass Cit
Brown resulted in his withdrawal, then
Burke was reached fer two hits and a
many passes before the inning ended.
Al, = H. hggr