Evening star., 1933-01-27
GETS HIS RELEASE,
SIGNS IN SAME DAY
Dodgers Plug Gap at First
Sack in Obtaining Vet.
To Play Regularly.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

IT'S Joe Judge of the Dodgers
now. Officially released at
10 o'clock this morning by
the Washington Club with
which he had been since 1915, the
first baseman hooked up with the
Brooklyn Club.
Information that the veteran
had signed contract with the
Dodgers was conveyed in an As
sociated Press dispatch from New
York.
Judge left here yesterday to visit
Brooklyn officials for his second confer
ence with them. His first negotiating
with the National League club was
done in New York last month while the
major leagues were holding their an
nual meetings At that time. President
Clark Griffith of the Washington club
gave the veteran permission to place
himself
In getting Judge, the Brooklyn club
plugs gap at first base that it tried
to fill unsuccessfully all last year after
Del Bissonette was injured in Spring
training. Judge is to be played regu-
larly by the Dodgers for New York
report states that Bissonette recently
underwent another operation for his
heel injury and it is doubtful if he will
be in shape to play this year.
The Washington club recently asked
waivers on the first baseman for the
second time since the close of last sea-
son. No club claimed Judge the first
h,If GrifHfh
retained the player because no position
could be landed by the veteran at the
time.
JUDGE leaves the Nationals after
serving them in 18 seasons. Through
Is campaigns, Joe was the Wash
ington clubs regular first baseman and
one of the greatest firstsackers afleld
base ball has known.
Joe came to the Nationals on August
%, 1915. from the Buffalo club OF the
International League along with Charley
Jameson, pitcher and outflelder who
later was sent to Cleveland. The re-
ported price for Judge was $4,000 and
two players.
With the Nationals, Judge got his
first real big league trial, although he
had been with the Red Sox the year
before That club, though. shipped him
to Lewiston of the New England League
early in 1914, and after recalling him
the next year sold him to Buffalo
In most Of his early campaigns with
Washington, Judge was handicapped by
leg weakness. He had leg broken
during a game in Detroit in 1917 and
it was years before he really recovered
from the injury Detroit was jinx
town for Joe, for he suffered another
severe injury there in 1925. Then he
was hit on the head by ball pitched
member of the Nationals. That blow
meant two weeks in a hospital for
Judge.
TOES hurts, though, did not mar his
work around the first sack. Fer
eight seasons he was the ranking
first baseman of the American League,
a record unequaled by any other initial
sacker in the history Of the circuit.
Judge has major league batting aver
age of 29e, and in the two world
series the Nationals played he clubbed
at .266 rate.
Judge was the regular first baseman
of the Washington club up to May /,
1881. Then during a game IN Boston
he suffered an appendicitis attack and
the initial sack work was turned over
to Joe Kuhel. The youngster continued
at the post through the remainder Of
the season. Again last Spring Judge
started at first base, but after suffer-
ing knee injury during contest in
st. Louis early in the campaign he
gave way to Kuhel once more. There
after, he did little work afield.
4 S Judge was let out, the Nationals
IA took on a new player. He is Ellis
worth Hazard, a right-hand pitch
er with no professional experience. His
signed contract was received by Presi-
dent Griffith this morning.
Hazard was the leading pitcher Of
the University of Illinois nine in 1881.
Then he signed with the Boston Braves,
but never reported. Barred from play
ing college ball last Spring, he joined a
semi-pro club in Chicago, his home.
Several who saw him work on the
Windy City lots recommended him high
ly to Griffith and the Washington chief
decided to add him to the Nationals
roster.
According to Griffith, his new hurler
Is sizeable Statistics given out by the
Washington headquarters state that
Hazard is feet in height and weighs
180 pounds.