The Washington times., 1938-04-04
DeShong
Gets Mound
Assignment
HARRIS HAPPY
Ump'S BIunder on Foul
Robs GnffS of Win
Over Detroit
BY FRANK BUCK" O'NIELL

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, April
+The Griffs invaded st. Peters
burg today to tackle the st. Louis
Cardinals. Bucky Harris is in more
optimistic mood since the game
with Detroit at Orlando yesterday.
Washington lost, AZ, it is true, but
on the sheerest fluke due to an
honest but deplorable mistake by
Steve Basil, American League UNI.
pire.
The Griffs played better ball
than at any time this spring.
Jimmy De Shong Is due to pitch
today. He has not worked since
facing the Tigers in Lakeland on
Wednesday.
Dutch Leonard, thanks to his
remarkable work In exhibition
games is to be reckoned as a start
ing pitcher. His knuckle ball yes
terday had the Tigers, swinging
wide and with little success.
1t is too bad that the Griffs did
not play the Tigers at Griffith
Stadium yesterday. If they had
zeke Bonura would have romped
off the field a great hero. He
would have hit a home run in
the ninth inning with the bases
loaded. The Griffs would have
won instead Of losing, and Steve
Basil, the umpire would not have
been decorated with the order Of
goat horns.
PICKS OFF FENCE
Bonura hit terrific smash of
Harry Eisenstat, which Pete Fox
picked off the right field fence.
The ball would have cleared the
wall at Griffith Stadium by q
good 20 feet. The hit would have
scored Buddy Myer, Buddy Lewis
and Cecil Travis. AS it was, only
Myer scored.
If the game had been played
on the home Of the Griffs, Steve
Basil would have seen the marker
on the left field foul line, and
Hank Greenberg's drive over the
fence. which was foul by six feet,
would not have been ruled home
run.
Basil admitted after the game
that he could not see the foul
marker, which is partially OBJ.
scured by shrubbery. The umpire's
view was further blocked bv a
light pole and the foul marker.
line. about fifteen feet from the
fence, Greenberg's, drive curved
into foul territory between the
light pole and the foul farker,
Basil walked down to the fence
after the game and admitted vol.
UNFAIRLY that he had erred.
COULDN'T HIT
This is water over the dam
now, and the Griffs must be ar.
ralgned on a charge of feather
buster hitting. Up to the ninth
they had made three scattered
singles off the left handed pitch.
ing of jake Wade. Stone singled
with two out in the second; Bonura
singled with two out in the fourth,
and Simmons, who opened in the
sixth with a single, was rubbed
out in double play. Not a Griff
got to second base in the first eight
innings.
Scoring their only runs in the
ninth. Washington added to its
remarkable record for scoreless
innings. The Griffs have scored 3
runs in their last AZ inings against
major league competition.
Monte Weaver pitched five beau.
t1fm innings, shutting out the
Tigers with two hits in that time.
REACHED IN SIXTH
He encountered difficulties In
the sixth, being maced for TRIPLES
by Wade and Fox. Basil's acknowl-
edged blunder on GreenberR's
drive added to Monies difficuI.
ties. Lutch Leonard pitched three
shutout innings.
Weaver won the acclaim of the
crowd in the first and fourth in
nings by striking out Greenberg,
dropping perfect curves across the
Tiger batsman's knees for third
strikes.
Christman made the play of the
game in the fourth inning.
Cecil Travis hit a drive directly
over second base, as safe a blow
as ever left a bat, it seemed.
ChriStman got the jump on the
ball, raced into position and shot
a fine throw to Greenberg for a
putout.
When you hear Cecil Travis
yelling across the infield, Hurry,
hurry, hurry" and note him
shouting to Buddy Lewis, you
know that the Bonura influence
is at work. Time was when Travis
stood out there for weeks with
never a chirrup to the rest Of the
boys.
Travis made a beautiful running
! pickup of Christman's wallop in
the sixth inning and stopped the
rally of the Bang.alls. Cecil seems
to be breaking faster on grounderS
than he has been heretofore.
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