The times-news., 1937-04-20
QUAKER CITY'S TAIL ENDERS,
OPENING SEASON AHEAD OF
TIME TOP BOTH LEAGUES
Grand Opening Today, All
But Two Major Clubs
in Action
By GEORGE KIRKSEY
United Press Staff Correspondent

NEW YORK, April 20. (UP)-
And the last shall be first.
For a day, at least, Philadel-
phia's two last-place clubs, the
Phillies and Athletics, hold undiS-
puted sway in the two major
leagues. That feat may not hap
pen again in a generation.
Opening the season a day in ad-
vance, the Phils Monday beat the
Bees twice in Patriots day cele-
bration double header at Boston,
2-1 and 10 and the Athletics
turned back the Senators, 4-3, in
a 10-inning game at Washington
before $4,000 fans including
President Roosevelt.
The grand opening will take
place today with all eight Ameri,
can league clubs in action, and all
National league clubs except the
Phils and Bees. More than 225,-
600 persons are expected to see
the seven games, with more than
$4,000 attending the opening OF
the world champion New York
Yankees against Washington at
Yankee stadium.
The Phils, rated by the experts
as the major leagues weakest
team, were pushed to beat the
Bees. They had to go IL innings
to win the morning game, FL,
before a crowd of S,l27. In the
afternoon game a crowd OF "a
936 saw Bucky Walters outducl
Danny MacFayden in a brisk
pitching battle, 10. -.
Morris Arnovich, 22-ycar-old
outfeldcr from the Hazclton New
York-Pennsylvania league club,
hit a home run off Guy Bush in
the 18th inning to give the Phil
lies the opening victory. Pitcher
Sylvester Johnson's single drove
in the tying run in the seventh
which sent the game into extra
innings.
WAYNE Lancaster, rookie south
paw from Louisville, relieved
Johnson in the ninth inning with
two men on and one out. The
next two batters, Jordan and Cue
cincllo, popped out, and he went
on to win the game, holding the
Bees hitless.
Walters and MacFayden each
allowed four hits in the second
game. MacFayden famed eight,
and walked only two. waters
struck out one and walked one.
The Phils scored their lone run on
one hit. Atwood was safe on war
stler's bobble, went to third on
Norris single and scored when
Scharein forced Norris at second
Rockies also shone in the Ath,
letics' triumph. Catcher Earl
Brucker, S0-year-old rookie from
Portland, doubled in the 10th
with two out, driving in Bob
Johnson, who had walked, with
the winning run. AL Williams
strappling 21-ycar-old right-hand-
er from the Atlanta Southern as
sociation club, relieved Edgar
Smith, another recruit who was
wild, in the third inning and held
the Senators to four hits to WIN
his major league debut. Joe Cas-
carella went the route for wash
ington, allowing nine hits.
Bill Cissell, who had a $l23,OVo
price tag on him when he made
his major league debut with the
White Sox nine years ago, played
brilliantly at second base for the
Athletics. He made two singles
and a double, drove in run and
handled seven chances perfectly
Connie Mack reclaimed him dur
ing the winter via the waiver
route from Baltimore.
Now, the champion Yankees
and Giants and all the rest of the
clubs have to set out in pursuit
of the Phillies and Athletics, who
in lust one day turned last years
standings upside down.