The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-04-21
GREAT BASEBALL PLEASES 1S1O76 DAY FANS
Dean Shuts Out Reds Dee spite I3 Hits-Walker
 Has "Grand SIam''
By GEORGE KIRKSEY United Press Staff Corresponds


 United Press Staff Correspondent
 New York, April 21.--(UP)-With the promised land way off in Octo- Der, the major league clubs settled down today to win ball games in the 154-game grind.
 Opening day celebrations, with waving flags, marching bands and celebrities tossing the first ball in from a box seat, are over for eight clubs. The other eight clubs will stage their hometown openers F'ri- day.
 :, Evidence that baseball is in for a big box-off1ce year was furnished by yesterdays six openers, which drew a total of 181, ,076 persons. Last years eight opening day crowds to- taled 204,543. This years average was 30,179 compared with 25,568 last year.
 Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox rushed to the lead in the Amer ican league, supplanting yesterdays "early" leader, the Philadelphia Athletics. The Cardinals, champion Giants, and Pirates won their open CTS to join the Phillies, a double winner Monday, as National league pacemakers.
 The big features of opening day were:
 CD Cy Blanton's 5-hit game which gave the Pirates 50 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
 (2) Dizzy Deans masterful pitch ing with men on base which enabled the Cardinals to win a 1O-inning duel from Cincinnati, 20.
 (3 Gerald Walkers grand slam"-homer, triple, double and single-which featured Detroit's 4-3 triumph over Cleveland.
 (N Al Simmons homer and two singles which gave Washington a 3-2 triumph over the world cham pion Yankees.
 (5) Hal Schumacher 5-hit per- formance which outdueled Van Mungo and gave the Giants 8 4-3 victory over Brooklyn.
 Tight pitching figured in five of the six opening games. Three of them were decided by 1-run, two were Shutouts and one went into extra innings. The Boston Red Sox, laying down barrage of 18 hits, shelled the Athletics for the only lop-sided victory, Il to 5. Wesley Terrell was the Red Sox victorious pitcher.
 For the third successive year de- feat clamped its clammy hands on Lefty Gomez, Yankee southpaw. The Senators beat him, 3-2. Last year they beat him, To. The year be- fore the Red Sox beat him, To. Monte Weaver, the old mathematics professor from the University of Virginia, played school master to the Tanks, who couldn't add up hits to runs. They made 10 hits. In the third inning they made 4 straight hits, but made only one run. In the seventh they made 3 hits and walk but failed to score. Lou Gehrig played in his 1909 game, connecting for two doubles and single. Simmons drove in two runs and started the winning rally.
 Detroit beat out Cleveland, 4-3, when old Goose Goslin, coming on to 37, beat Bad News Hale's throw to the plate in the fourth inning for the winning tally. Eldon Auker outhurled Mel Harder, who retired for pinch-hitter in the eighth. Auker gave up Q hits,
 Blanton's pitching and doubles by Paul Waner, Suhr, and Brubaker, and triple by Vaughan sent the Pirates away with a 50 win over the Cubs. Larry French, Cub pitcher, gave up g hits.
 The Cards beat the Reds in the tenth, 20, on doubles by Medwick and Mize. The Reds had IA men left on base. They collected 13 hits off Dean, including doubles but couldn't score. Peaches Davis was the losing hurler, allowing g hits.
 Mancuso's double, Whiteheads bunt-single, and Schumacher's out field fly gave the Giants the win- ming run over the Dodgers in the ninth, 4-3. Schumacher held the Dodgers helpless except in the sec- ond inning when they made runs. Mungo famed nine Giants but gave up 10 hits. A rabid Brooklyn fan hit Dick Bartel with 8 tomato on his first time at bat.
 YESTERDAYS HERO - Gerald Walker, Detroit's chief "G" man who rattled off A for 4" to lead the Tigers to 4-3 win over Cleveland.
 ATTENDANCE