Evening star., 1933-05-09
CR|FFS ARE HITTING
At .31CL|P IN WEST
Progressively Run BingIe To-
tai From 9 to 20 a Game.
Boken's Homer Cops.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

Nationals came West last
~ week for the first time this
season, they were wondering
how the pitchers out this way
were doing such remarkable
work. Games with low hit totals
had been common occurrences.
After a weeks stay in the inland
sector of the American League,
the Nationals still are wondering
how the pitchers did 1t.
No hill phenoms have crossed their
path. In their five Western games the
Nationals have swatted at $3.50 clip
and had their own pitching generally
been good they now probably would
have a reccrt five wins for the trip
instead of thr> wins against two de-
feats.
The Washington club has been hft-
ting high, far and handsome in the
West and yesterday as they bumped
the Browns, 10 to 8, in 12-mnng
tussle they set season batting mark
for themselves in hammering 20 hits
in and out Of the playing field i'll
SportSman's Park.
Ii the five tits put on thus far in
their first swing around the West this
year Manager Joe Cronin and his
charges have larruped the leather-cov-
cred sphere for a total of SO safeties.
Their attack has progressed steadily,
too. They opened IN Cleveland with
a nine-hit game. In the first of their
three clashes in Detroit they snote the
ball for an even dozen hits. In each
of the next two tussles they got IA hits.
Then came the season record contest
here.
Nothing tough about these Western
twirlers to date, so far as the Nationals
are concerned.
T UNFORTUNATELY the Nationals
~ pitchers have not been proficient
in their work against the West
erners. In the five games Manager
Cronin has been compelled to rush into
the lineup no less than 13 mounds
men. Up to yesterday the only VIC
tories had been recorded by hurlers
who managed to finish what they
started-Whitehill and Stewart. the
southpaws shared in Winter swaps
The staggerers of the Washington
slab staff got away with their hectic
heaving yesterday. but they took plenty
OF punishment before their side copped
in the third extra round of the macinS
matinee. The Browns proved no mean
maulers, gathering grand total OF IS
hits off the collective slabbing of Al
Thomas, Al Crowder and Bill McAfee.
There was nothing skimpy about the
Browns SWatting. Eight of their hits
were of the eXtra-base variety. Three
were two-baggers, four were three-bag-
gers and one was homerun With
four eXtra-base blows, the St. Louis
gang drove Thomas to cover before the
second inning was over and they got
six hits, three of them lengthy, off
CroWder before he retired at the end
of the sixth session. They bumped
McAfee briskly in the ninth to get
tie and the hit that forced the game
into overtime was an eXtra-baser
The Nationals confined their attack
mostly to singles, but they smote two
homerS and three doubles and plugged
away steadily they simply wore down
the st. Louis outfit with sheer power.
Lefty Lloyd Brown opened fire against
his old pals. but was withdrawn after
fourth inning hammering. Sam Gray
couldn't stop the Cronin men, SO Bump
Hadley came on in the seventh to hurl
against the wearers of the uniform he
once sported and he remained to take
the trimming.
IT was Boken day at Sportsman
i Park and the Nationals utility
player, filling in at second base. re-
warded his fellow townsmen of Collins
vile, Ill, gathered to pay him honor,
by bagging the game for his side
With two out and Schultz on first
base in the twelfth frame, Bob banged
his second homer Of the season. send
ing one of Hadley's pitches soaring into
the open stand back of left field to
break the tie.
All told, Boken drove over four runs
during the fray. He showed over the
first of two the Nationals got in the
second session to match brace reg
istered by the Browns at the outset of
hostilities. He drove in the first run
of the sixth inning when the Nationals
scored three times to wrest the lead
from the Browns for the second time.
And in the home ninth, Bob did all
he could to prevent the Browns pulling
up to even terms. He initiated
doutle-play that left the locals with
only a runner on third base. McAfee,
though. proceeded to walk Burns on
four pitches and Storti swiped triple
down the right field line to send In
two tallieS to deadlock the clubs.
But Bob had enough left to get
win for McAfee and the Nationals. 1t
was his day and he made the most