Evening star., 1932-05-14
SWIFT EARLY PACE
BY HURLER BOOSTS
al Handicap to 1881 Club at
0utset-BIanks Tigers
in FIashy Effort.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

-Ie Nationals are in the
van, and one of the big reasons
fer their success to date is the
veteran pitcher, Al Crowder.
Last year the General couldn't
do thing in the early going, and
that handicapped his club seri-
ously. But with Al Steaming
along at top speed from the get
away this time, the Nationals
seem to be going places in a big
way.
I'm in the best of shape ever for
the start of a season. believe I'll show
'em somethin' this Spring" Crowder
talking, ladies and gentlemen, right
after his return from Dixie training
last month. And the General has been
making good.
To date. Johnson's charges have
played % games and won 49, OF those
18 victories, CroWder has pitched g..
How different from last year In its
first % games played to a decision III
1881, the johnson band scored but II
victories. Not one was pitched by Crow
der.
In the current campaign Crowder
already has a record Of wins against
defeats. He has been in games,
started and hurled complete ones.
He has licked the Red SoX. Yankees,
White SoX and Tigers and trimmed the
Athletics twice. The Red SoX and the
AS have defeated him. He has turned
in his last victories in row.
Last year, the General did not win
ball game until May "a when he trim
med the Red SoX. Before that he had
been trimmed times. Not until July
2 in. st. Louis did he turn in his sixth
victory of the season. But by that
time he also had lost games.
In less than a sixth of the present
season Crowder has been credited with
6 wins. 1t took him about half of last
season to get as many. And the Gen
eral finished the 1881 campaign with
record of 18 wins against IL losses. He
always has been a great fnisher, but
this season is his first to be a good
starter in many.
In excellent pitching condition from
the outset, Crowder certainly has been
of great value to the Washington Club.
nITCHING for the Nationals yester-
IL day in their first engagement of
the year with the Tigers, Crowder
produced a masterpiece of mound work
Those hitherto hard-hitting Detroit
batters were limited to two hits, both
singles, and those were made in the
first two frames of the game that went
WashingtonS way, to O.
With two out in the first inning
Stone rammed one-baser to left only
to wait at first base and watch Gehr-
unger thrown out. Two were out in the
second session when Richardson raped
a single to center, but Hayworth, next
up. skied to the centertelder.
But one other Tiger got on the runway.
After one was out in the sixth inning,
bobble of a grounder by Cronin at
shortstop permitted johnson TO- to reach acIl
first base. Rogell, though, flied out
without advancing his teammate and
stone let a third strike go by.
OF the 80 batters to face Crowder
during the fray, nine were disposed OF
by. the Washington outfield and 10 by
the infield Two fouled to Berg, the
ctacher, and Crowder struck out six.
johnson and Stone were struck out
twice, Johnson swinging both times.
Davis and Hayworth were CroWders
other strikeout victims.
In the eighth, Manager Harris sent
IN two pinch-batters and neither was
able to drive the ball past the infield.
White picked up Hayworth's bat only
TO ground to Bluege, while big Alex
ander, fence-buster extraordinary. bat
ted for Wyatt and grounded to Cronin.
Only twice was it necessary for
CroWder's support to come to his re-
lief with exceptional plays. In the first
after Stone had singled, it took a great
stop by Myer to cut down Gehringer.
The second baseman ran far back on
the grass to get the Tigers smash and
throw him out. In the sixth, after
Cronin's error gave johnson life,
Rogell sent a tremenduouS loft to right,
but Reynolds ran back to the score
board for a brilliant catch.
At other times CroWder himself took
fine care of the situation. His was a
well pitched ball game.
TO get their fourth straight win and
J. their tenth in the last II starts,
the Nationals hoped on the offer
fngs Of Detroit's ace right-hander,
Whitlow Wyatt. at the outset. They
whacked him for five hits and three
runs in the first three frames, then
sent him on his way in the seventh
with a two-hit attack that brought an
other marker. In the eighth they
Knocked Arthur Herring far and plenty
" duu lOII lllbS anu LLliCt Iullo W tiICll
totals.
Both hurlers were off in control
Wyatt gave UP eight passes and two
were converted into tallies. Herring's
hone pass also was good for a score.
Everybody in the Nationals lineup
excepting ManuSh and Berg hit safely
and drove over a run. As the game
turned out, Vests walk and singles by
Cronin and Reynolds after two retire
ments in the first frame produced the
run sufficient to decide.
Bluege snapped out Of protracted
slump to get a single and a double in
three batting turns. Even Crowder
kicked in with two hits, one a single
that scored Bluege in the second inning
and the other triple that opened the
attack upon Herring in the eighth.
For that triple, though, the General
should thank Walker, the Tiger center
fielder. Walker started after Crowder's
short hoist to center. evidently mis-
Judged It and as he pulled up short the
ball sped by his outstretched hand to
The far reaches of the pasture.
Then a storm Of hits descended upon
the Detroit relief pitcher and before he
finished his turn the game was far be-
yond the Tigers grasp.