Evening star., 1933-10-04
CR|FFS QUESTION
ABILITY TO REPEAT
Victory in Sight When Terry
Speared GosIin's Smash
Labeled a Hit.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.
Sports Editor Of The Star.

n / CW 4oAsAA, OSoSSSA -
M Those Giants today were a
/ Y cocky lot as they entered
the second stage of the
battle for base balls highest
honors and the certified checks
that 20 with them. And with
good reason. Hadn't they grab
bed No. l of the four verdicts
needed by the comfortable margin
of 4 to 2 behind characteristic
curving of the renowned Carl
Hubbell just as the wagering fra
ternity had predicted and as even
m any Washington supporters
feared?
In the process hadn't they routed
Walter Stewart, one Of the Nationals
first-string moundsmen, while accumu-
lating just twice as many as the five
hits eked out by the Griffmen?
And hadn't they shown that Melvin
OFT, the big punch of their regular cam
paign, was just as potent a performer
extensively with the big series pressure
on through demonstrating the ability
to single -handedly blast them to VIC
tory with a home run and three sin
giles in four trips to the tee?
Can't Pitch Every Day.
~HEY had! So what? Nothing ex-
cept that they'll have to win
three more games before they can
bank the big end of the monetary
spoils, that Hubbell not only can't pitch
every day, but won't necessarily be so
effective on subsequent appearances;
that they still have to beat hurlers
every bit as good or better than Stew
art In Alvin Crowder and Monte
Weaver, not to mention Earl Whitehill.
And that there would be no element Of
novelty involved in a snappy Senatorial
comeback after getting off on the
wrong foot. This Cronin's crew demon
strated too many times while anneXing
the league banner to admit of any
doubt.
So far as the exhibition given by
Hubbell is concerned, the industry's
leading exponent of what it chooses to
call the screw ball fully lived up to all
the fanfare and trumpeting done in ad-
vance in his behalf.
AS a matter of fact, when he took
Myer, Goslin and Manush on strikes
right at the outset your correspondent
began to wonder about the record for
consecutive whiffs which he vaguely be-
lieved he saw established by Hod Eller,
a shine-ball expert with the Cincinnati
Reds against Chicago's ill-famed Black
Sox in the malodorous series Of 1919,
said total being five.
Bunch Hits in Two Frames.
TOE CRONIN'S single to start the
second took that little detail Of
- worriment off our mind, but as
the Giants fork -fsted ace continued to
victimize the Griffs and approached the
double-figure mark for whiffs by fam
ming all of the regular Griffs save Cro-
ing down for the count, we set about
cudgeling our skull to recall whether
Howard Ehmke's 13 against the Cubs
in '29 was the top mark. We still don't
know, definitely, but there was one an
gle to the Hubbell job that may prove
significant. Hits can be punched of
him as the Griffs proved in the fourth
and mines frames. And, with the line
they have obtained on his stuff. he is
not likely to be so devastatingly effec-
tive next time out.
luC ~ 10 llldU Wv lOA OIL CAAOA 6y
Critz on Manush'S roller, Sandwtched
between bingles by Nyer and Schultz in
the fourth. and Ryan's bobble in the
ninth with Manush again the benefl-
ciary, followed by second safeties from
Cronin and Schultz and useful in
field retirement. Hubbell wouldn't have
had his slate marred by even an un-
earned run. But the daddy Of the
"downer," as his pet flip also is termed,
was on the brink of disaster on more
than one occasion and had to have
some good breaks along with his abll-
1ty to earn brackets.
There was the eighth inning, for in
stance, when Hubbell weakened to the
extent Of passing Sewell and Pinch
Hitter Harris in succession with one
gone Ryan, after committing an out
and-out tumble Of Myers bewhiskered
whack, crafty paved at the ball, final
ly batting it with his glove directly into
the hands of Critz, standing on second
base, for force-out. Just crazy, fool
luck Then Goslin brought gasp from
the partisan patrons by walloping into
the right-field stand only to have 1t
land on the wrong side of the foul line.
And, finally. there was Goslin's second
bid for an extra-base blow. 1t was
tagged "hit" when it left the bat and
only a running, jumping clutch with
one fist by Terry prevented further
Senatorial scoring.
Giants Have Anxious Moments.
"HEN in the final frame, with the
hassocks glutted with Grifts and
nobody out. Terry, Hubbel and
Co had some more anxious moments.
A smack into that inviting right field
stand by Kuhel, or into the little more
distant left field seats by Bluege or
Sewell would have put the Grltfs IN
front. To the great credit Of the CHAP
whose name rhymes with trouble-for
Washington-none of them succeeded
in getting a ball out of the infield, but
next time who knows?
Those two Giant runs in the opening
spesm when, with Moore on by reason
Of the first of Myers three mlscues,
OFT opened his 100 per cent batting
orgy with circuit clcut, Wouldn't nave
materialized in the Capital Of our Ma
rion for the right field barrier at Grih
Stadium is a full niblick shot farther
away.
The two tallies the enemy picked up
in the third, however, were fully earned,
as the successive singles by Critz. Terry
and OFT that ended Stewart's tenure OF
the hill were clean-cut affairs.
Twas then Jack Russell hove on the
scene impressively to hurl through the
seventh, with AL Thomas performing
effectively in the Giants eighth ana
final batting turn.
The inability of Cronin's crew really
to get started initiated against the I'M.
portance Of the RUSSELL Thomas act, OF
course, but that was yesterday. This Is
another day, and so will be tomorrow
and-well, wait and see.