Evening star., 1938-05-15
TWO OUT AS BLOW
ENDS 1Q9 BATTLE
Simmons Pair of Homers,
Triple, Single Wasted
as HurIerS Skid. 4.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN.
Stan Correspondent Of The Star.


"Cinderella pitching staff" today and
in II dramatic innings Of home runs
and objectionable hurting the Boston
Red Sox scored 10-to-9 victory over
the Nationals and climbed into first
place in the American League
Bucky Harris collection Of bald and
gray-haired has-beens, sensations Of
the slab since the season started, blew
sky-high this cloudy, chilly afternoon
and threw away their third game in
their last four starts to drop into Sec
ond place.
The end came in a manner which
set $4,000 inmates Of Fenway Park
hysterical with Joy. With two out in
the 1lth inning, nobody on base
and dusk rapidly settling, James EN-
ory Foxx Of Sudlersville, Md, walked
up to the plate and lined screaming
home run into the center field bleach
ers, 400 and some odd feet from the
plate.
Two Strikes, Then Foxx Hits.
Southpaw Elon Hogsett Of the Mats
was pitching at the time. Southpaw
Hogsett, 33-year- fugitive from the
st. Louis Browns, quickly slipped
across two strikes on Foxx, who missed
Hogsett's first pitch by a good foot
Then Hogsett tried to whip a third
pitch across, instead of throwing the
conventional waste ball" Foxx was
ready, met it with a resounding crash,
and 1t was all over.
Thus the Red Sox scored their sew
enth straight victory and became the
fourth leader in the American League
in week. With Is wins as against
nine defeats the Bostons forged ahead
of the Nationals, Yankees and In
dians. Washington dropped to second
place, half game behind the Sox,
and the Yankees and Indians, rained
out, remain tied and in third place,
half game behind Washington.
Today's defeat came as a bitter
blow to the Mats. With Al Simmons
putting on one of the great all-time
individual shows, they led all the way
until the ninth inning, when Joe
Cronin sent long single crashing
against the center field fence to score
two runs and give the Red Sox a SO
tie. That was the hit that broke the
Griffmen. They staggered along on
even terms for two more innings, but
they never were dangerous. They
were whipped.
"Cinderella" Pitchers Fade.
Harris "Cinderella" pitchers, Dutch
Leonard, Pete Appleton, Harry Kelley
and Hogsett. were unequal to the
task before them and it was no hard
task. Simmons, driving out two home
runs and a triple in the first nine
innings, batted across six runs and
scored three himself. It should have
been easy for the Griffs.
But Leonard wasn't good today and
he retired in the fifth inning. leaving
the bases loaded with two out. Ap-
pleton ended the inning in great style,
but Pete got into trouble in the ninth
and Harris thumbed him out. This
brought Kelley on the scene and
Harry was worse. It was OF Kelley
that Cronin tied the score. Then
came Hogsett and Foxx's home run,
longest Of six round-trippers ham
mered out today.
The game today should have been
. story Of Simmons and his home
runs. triple and single. Instead it is
story Of pitching which will doom
the Mats If continued. The mantle
Of greatness slipped from the elderly
shoulders of Messrs Leonard, Apple
ton, Kelley and Hogsett, the bargain
counter sensations, and revealed four
veterans, two bald-headed and two
graying, who were unable to stem the
tide of enemy base hits.
Simmons Starts With Homer.
Starting in the outfield for the first
time' in weeks, Simmons walked up
to the plate in the first inning and
drove a wind-swept fly over the short
left field fence for a home run. Fritz
Ostermueller, southpaw who pre-
viously had shut out the Mats, was
pitching. 1t was Simmons first hit
in II times at bat
It was not entirely Leonard's fault
that Boston overcame this lead in
its half Of the first inning. True,
Cramer and Chapman singled to start
the Sox of, but after Vosmik went
out pitch of Leonard's got away
from Catcher Rick Ferrell and Cramer
scored. Then Foxx tried to bunt and
score Chapman. Rushing in with
the pitch, Zeke Bonura scooped up
the ball and then threw wildly past
Ferrell at the plate, allowing Chap
man to score.
Leonard and Ostermueller settled
down after these starts and pitched
good ball until the Washington nth.
Then, with one down, Rick Ferrell.
Leonard and Mel Almada singled in
succession, filling the bases.
AL Clears Filled Sacks.
Ostermueller lost control and walked
Lewis, forcing across a run. Here
Simmons walked up and slammed q
drive over the left field fence. scoring
Leonard, Almada and Lewis ahead
of him and making the score to in
favor of Washington. It also meant
the end Of Ostermueller and the
entrance Of Archie McKain In the
ball game.
Prosperity and the Leonard who
pitched today were mismatched pair.
In the Boston half of the nth inning,
Gene Desautels led of with home
run, third Of the day. Then, after
McKain had lined out, Cramer
followed with . single. Chapman
popped up, but Vosmik and Foxx
singled, scoring Cramer, and Leonard
walked Cronin.
This WAS enough for Dutch and
Appleton, hero Of half dozen
games 80 far as . relief. pitcher,
entered the box. He got Higgins
on . fly, ending the inning with
Washington still leading by Ga.
= Desautels' home run must have
given the Bostons some ideas. In
the seventh, with two out, Joe Vosmik
blasted one Of Appleton's pitches
over the fence in left field. making