Evening star., 1935-09-07
HURL|NG PICKS Up
AS ROCK CATCHES
Bill Also Scores at Bat,
Although Griffmen Lose
Two to Browns.
BY FRANCIS e. STAN.

ELL, as DdSe Dall CUaCIleS
A have been droning ever
Wv since Abner Doubleday laid
out the first diamond, 1T
only takes one to hit it,
Take the case of Bill Starr, for in
stance. He had two strikes on him.
figuratively, when he reported to the
Nationals several weeks ago during a
dire moment when the catching staff
was reduced by injuries to Sam Hol-
brook.
In the first place. nobody ever
heard of Starr, including Manager
Bucky Harris. In the second place,
he came from Harrisburg, of all places.
In the third place, he was slower than
Moe Berg carrying Sophie Tucker on
his back.
But Bill still had that big one left" ;"
The kid could catch, and would, if he
ever got a chance, and the vagarieS
of base ball never were better illus
trated at the moment than in STAIRS
case.
First of all. he chased Holbrook
to the bench. Then he ran Jack Red
mond into the background. Now, be-
lieve it or not, he's raising his bid
and Is in a position to worry Cliff
Bolton, who returned to the fold yes
terday.
Rated Best Griff Receiver.
IT SOUNDS almost too good to be
- true, but a lot of pitches have
thudded into Starr's glove since he's
been wearing a Washington uniform
and there is no longer any doubt in
Harris mind that the boy can catch.
"I honestly believe" quoth Bucky to-
day, that he's the best receiver on
the squad right now"
AS a matter of fact, Bucky was
ready to believe this quite a few days
ago. In Boston early in the week
he made Bill Werber resemble a SELL
ing platter on the bases by throwing
him out twice in the same game and
BY the proverbial mile. He catches
pop flies without Bottoms jig and
dance. For a boy who never played
higher than class A ball, he handled
lQe plUCIleTS I6IldI hduly.
Bucky was not the only National to
see STAIRS ability Earl Whitehill and
Buck NeWsom, aces of the slab staff,
more or less have been openly vel
coming his presence behind the bat.
But there was that little matter OF
hitting that naturally kept Harris
tongue in his cheek. Today the sur
prising Master Starr promises to make
good at the bat as we'll as behind it.
Tags Andrews for Three Hits.
MOT to grow hysterical because the
fella makes a few hits in one
game, but Starr looked good yester-
day, If anybody or anything could look
good, while the Nationals were losing
a double header to the Browns and
sliding back to seventh place.
He caught the 10-inning second
game and pounded out three successive
hits off Ivy Andrews, which is quite
a feat for a Washington player. con-
sidering that Andrews now has beaten
our side four times in a row. Ivy gave
up ony eight hits in the 2-to-1 st.
Louis victory.
Perhaps it is only coincidence and
then again maybe it isn't. but the
nightcap was quite pitching duel be-
tween Andrews and Buck Newsom,
marking another of the increasing
number of these well-pitched games
for the Nationals. Yesterdays hap
pened to be the third such that Starr
has caught in row.
When Newsom pitched to that
thrilling 3-to-2 victory over Lefty
Grove last Sunday it was Starr who
handled his delivery during the IA
innings The next day in Boston the
veteran Whitehill got 3-to-2 victory
in 13 innings and again Starr was
catching.
Counting yesterday, in the last 90
innings caught by Starr, only five runs
have been scored by the opposition.