Evening star., 1935-05-07
CALLED I TIMES,
GET .O91 AVERAGE
KuheI, With Pass, Only One
of Five to Figure in
Winning Rally.
BY JOHN b. KELLER,


ut. LOUIS, May 7.-Defensively
the Nationals are right we'll
equipped with reserves. but
when there is crying need for
pinch -batters Bucky Harris band is
more likely than not to be found
wanting.
The weakness of the Washington
pinch h-batting corps is so pronounced
that it might be better for the club if
the manager did not have to call it
into action in the series with the
Browns here or throughout the re-
mainder of the Western invasion.
Maybe another week or two will find
the reservists able to step to the plate
and give the leather a good larruping.
They certainly have done nothing like
that so far. Seventeen times WASH
ington pinch-batterS have swung in
emergencies to produce only one hit.
Through the generosity of opposing
pitchers, pinchbatters of the Ma
tionals have managed to get six passes.
And once an error put an emergency
batter on the runway. Only twice has
pinch-batter driven a run across
and only once has pinch-batter
toted across run.
Collectively. Washington's pinch
batters have done nothing to get them
1irst-rate notices. The emergency
corps has batted for exactly 091.
There is nothing In those figures to
disturb the opposition's pitching in
pinches.
Three Used Often.
Red KreSs, Fred Sington and Jack
Redmond have done the pinch-swing-
ing on all but two occasions. Jack
Stone and Joe Kuhel have been called
into action once each. Being left
hand swingers they had idled in a
Yankee game while there was south
paw on the hill.
Kuhel was a great help to his club
in New York. Although Lefty Gomez
had been rushed to the rubber in the
ninth inning of the final game of the
Yankee series. Manager Harris pre-
ferred to send to the plate the more
experienced Kuhel instead of the
righthand swinging Sington. There
were two on and two out. Kuhel
drew a base-fllling pass and later
came across with the decisive run.
The only other pinch batter to fig
ure in Washington scoring has been
KreSS, who has driven across two tai
lies. Red got credit for sending in
one score. although two crossed, when
Joe Cronin made an error that
brought down on his head the wrath
of the Boston rooterS. Red was called
on when there were runners on third
and second bases and one out in the
ninth inning. He swung on one of
Yves Ferrell's pitches to drive the ball
directly at Cronin. The shortstop
booted and two runs went across to
tie the game. Kress was forced out
In the next play by Cronins throw,
made while the $4,000 in Fenway Park
still were vigorously booing their
manager-shortstop.
Has Failed Other Times.
y RESS sent across another score
n in the Yankee series when he
made the only safety on the
record of the pinch batting brigade.
With one on and two out he got to
Johnny Broaca for a double.
10 tlSC OilSllb
kress' eight trips to the plate as a
pinch batter. Four times up at the
start of an inning, he has walked.
flied out to the left fielder and struck
out twice. The pass he got off George
Walberg, the fly of Jack Welch-both
Red Sox pitchers-and he was struck
out by Ferrell and the rising White
Sox star, John Whitehead.
Kress wangled pass out OF
Whitley Wilshere when he went up
with one on and one out while this
Mack pitcher was putting across his
two-hitter on the Nationals. In Chi
cago last Saturday, Red went up with
runners on first and third bases and
one out. Whitlow Wyatt was pitch
ing. A hit would at least have tied
60 by.
1t was in this same Chicago team
that Redmond followed Kress as a
pinch batter. And his best was a
pop to the shortstop. Redmond also
took a pinch-batting turn against
Whitehead in the White Sox series
and grounded to the first baseman.
Jack had a real chance to help his
club when it faced Ferrell in Wash
ington. He was ordered to take a
batting turn in the ninth with two
men on the paths and one retired.
But Jack rolled a weak grounder to
the second sacker
Sington Gets Walks.
CNGTON has made the runway
y three times in the four he has
been tried as an emergency hit
ter but when he had a chance to
get his club in the ball game he blew
Fred has drawn walks from Walberg
Ferren and Whitehead. When he
went up against WEIGH in Washing
ton, however, with two runners await
ing aid and only one out, he bounced
to the first baseman
Stones lone turn as pinch-batter
came in the only game in which the
Nationals beat the Yankees. There
were two on and one out when Jack
was ordered to hit against Pat Malone.
Stone proceeded to loft to the left
fielder and not deep enough to ad-
vance his mates.