Evening star., 1938-05-05
VET EVER MASTER
|N13-|NN|NG FRAY
0uthurIs Fe||er to Earn
10 Victory as Wright
Acts Without Order.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN.

Still a-tingle from the years
greatest baseball drama, which was
that 1-to-0 victory in 13 innings yes
terday, the Nationals moved into the
final game with'the Indians today as
contenders again for the league lead.
On the wings of Dutch Leonard's S
sensational triumph over the Tribe
the Mats moved to third place, just
behind the New York Yankees and
replacing the Boston Red Sox. And,
as they did so, they made for inter-
esting talk
Where, for instance, is Owner Clark
Griffith getting this pitching which
is keeping the Mats in the flag chase?
Wesley Ferrell has won three games.
to be sure. and Monte Weaver and
Jimmy De Shong have kicked in with
victory apiece. But this hasn't
been all.
The answer is that Griffith, search
ing diligently through the baseball
scrapheap, has chosen well some pieces
Of bric-a-brac. Two years ago he
got Pete Appleton in the minor league
draft, paying only $500, He got
more than his moneys worth the first
year and Pete also contributed an i'm
portant victory this season. Last fall
he claimed Leonard in the same draft,
paid the same price, and already Dutch
has stamped himself as the most ef-
fective pitcher on the club. He has
won two games so far and pitched the
only two shutouts.
They're Not Youngsters, Either.
Last but not least is Mr.. Elon Hog
sett. the elderly Chief who was pro-
cured in trade for Eddie Linke last
December. To get Hogsett the Old
Fox gave up pitcher in his early
twentieS for graying veteran of "a
years. He has not found reason to rue
the deal. Hogsett it was who brought
the Mats their only victory in five
games, up until yesterday. by beat
ing the Yankees.
Looking back over the last three
starts made by Messrs. Leonard, Apple
ton and Hogsett the figures are in
teresting. Among the three of them
they have pitched total of 81 innings,
each going the route and Leonard, OF
course, pitching l3 frames yesterday
Over this collective stretch they have
given up total Of seven hits and only
81 runs. against such toughies of the
American League as the pace-settine
Indians. the world champion Yankees
and the improved Red Sox.
They are not young fellows, this
trio. The three were worth, perhaps
$4,000 when they were bought
Appleton now Is -, Hogsett Is the
same age and Leonard is 20.
Almada's Sacrifice Try Fails.
The pitchers Of the Washington
club owe no apologies this year. A.
we'll as they have done so far, the
Mats should have done better. But
this has been the fault of the hitters
strictly. Only slab masterpiece. such
as committed by Leonard yesterday
enabled them to win their first game
from the Indians.
Overlooked in the hysteria that at.
tended the winning of that game ir
the thirteenth inning was the fac,
that Washington left IA runners or
base. The Mats should have won in
regulation innings. If Melo Almada
had been able to lay down sacrifice
bunt in the fifth inning Leonard woulc
have won, l to 0, in nine innings
This would have beaten Bob Feller
who started and worked the first
10 innings for the Tribe.
That really was the only scoring
chance in control of the Mats. In
the ninth they could have scored, but
for a dubious decision by Umpire Ed
Rommell, officiating at first base. This
though, is second-guessing from afar
Rommell called Johnny Stone out on a
close play at first base and the chances
are that Eddie, an old knuckle-ball
pitcher himself, was right.
Harris Thrown Out of Game.
That epic yesterday is worth mulling
over. For 10 innings Leonard and
Feller battled, with the elderly Belgian
having all the better of it. He gave .ur
only three hits and no passes while
Feller walked nine, hit a batsman, and
allowed three hits.
To start the fifth inning, Feller
walked Rick Ferrell and muffed Leon
ards sacrifice bunt, putting two men
on the bases. Here the play was for
Amada to sacrifice, but he failed mis-
erably and finally struck out. The
fact that Lewis followed with a long
fly hurt. On that fly Rick Ferren could
have scored If properly advanced on q
sacrifice.
The Indians got a hit in each o1
the first two innings, another in thu
fifth and then followed q five-inninf
famine. They never advanced q run.
ner past second base, so good wa.
Leonard. In the ninth, when Stone
was called out on the first play, Man.
ager Bucky Harris was elected from
the game by Rommell for protesting
too strenuously.
This worked an unforeseen hardship
on the Mats and made for semi.
/0.> c,- ly r.-> = ~