Evening star., 1939-04-02
Blanks Hubnlen,
Grants 4 Hits
In 7 Rounds
Griff Attack Headed
By Esty, Wright With
Sufeties Each
3, a Staff Correspondent of The Star.

, JOIStlCS LOSu
B, a Staff Correspondent of The Star.
BRADENTON, Fla, April L.
From out of a dark, cloudy back
ground and under gentle weeping
skies Joseph Victor Lawrence Kra-
kauskas pitched ball game today
that brought him closer to the NOM
ination to pitch Washington S
American League opener.
The bow-legged Lithuanian boy
from Hamilton, Ontario, threw so
hard today that batters were falling
away from the plate as the Ma
tionals scored a 6-to-1 victory over
the Boston Bees in the first of an
eight-game series scheduled between
the two clubs. He allowed only four
hits in seven innings and struck out
six in an effort that matched the
one-hit shutout that Joe and Rene
Monteagudo pitched against Mil
Waukee a week ago.
Not until the ninth inning, when
it was so dark it was difficult to
follow the ball, did the Bees prevent
a WhiteWash job. The only run
they scored was against 18-year- old
Walter Masterson, the tall right
handler from Philadelphia. Against
Krakauskas they were helpless.
Krakky Wild. But Effective.
Today showed far different
Krakauskas from the wild, hopeless
looking southpaw of year ago, the
guy whom the same Bees defeated
by getting 10 hits and II bases on
balls. Today, while wild, he showed
more poise, more speed and more
style. One more exhibition effort
to match the two he already has
made and it will be Mrs. Krakraus-
kas' little boy who will receive
biand-neW ball on April II at Grif-
fifth Stadium and be told to pitch
against the Yankees.
And while Krakky and Masterson
were pumping their fast balls
through the darkness and the drip
ping skies. the Nat hitters were
teeing off in their best batting dis
play OF the season. For the first
time, Washington's new power hit
ters," Bobby Estalella and Taft
Wright, put on socking show, max
ing six of the Mats II hits, scoring
half of the runs themselves and
batting across the other half.
Estalella, held to weak grounder
and famed the first two times at
bat, wound up with flourish by
collecting two singles and a Ais
foot home run that was the first
ball to be hit over Bradenton's un-
painted wooden left-fleld barrier this
year. Wright, gradually recovering
from sprained ankle. was no more
modest. He got two singles, a walk
and three-bagger with two on base
in five times at bat.
Turner Found for Run.
Jim Turner, one of the Bees vet
eran rlghthanderS, started in op-
position to Krakky and was charged
with the defeat, although Turner
worked neat Shining stretch in
which he gave only three hits and
one run.
But two of the hits, a double
by Shortstop Charley Colbert and
a single by Jimmy Wasdell, were
punched off Turner in the second
inning and after two out. These COM
bined to give the Mats 10 lead,
which stood until Lief Erickson
another highlander, came out in
the sixth and got his ears pinned
back.
Gelberts two-bagger in the second
was drive that bounced against
the clubhouse in left field, 39l feet
from the plate. Wasdell then
stepped up, slammed Turner's next
pitch for a hit to right and Colbert
raced across.
The Mats were helpless thereafter
before Turner, but when Erickson
entered the game they went on a
batting spree that netted four runs.
Buddy Lewis greeted Lief with a.
double that sent the ancient Aloysius
Simmons running back to the left
field fence again. Estalella beat
out an infield hit and then Wright
walked up and slammed his three
bagger that Simmons, his tongue
hanging out, had to chase down.
FerrelIs Smartness Tells.
There was a momentary lull while
Buddy Myer came to Errickson's
rescue and grounded out, but Gel
bert drew a walk and Wasdell lifted
a short, high pop which fell in left
field before the painting Simmons
could reach it. This scored Wright
and deposited Colbert on third.
When Krakauskas came up he had
chance to be hitting hero, too,
for Ferrell had walked to fill the
bases. But instead of Krakky it was
Ferrells base running which brought
over the fourth and final run of the
inning and ran the count to SO.
Krakauskas slammed a grounder
down to Rookie Otto Huber at Sec
ond base. It was sure tag-the-
runner, throw to- first double play,
but Ferrell did not run. Instead
he induced Huber to throw out
Krakauskas and before the Bees
could run Rick down Colbert had
crossed the plate.
Estalella personally accounted for
the sixth Washington run by blast
ing the first drive to clear Braden-
tons left-field fence this season. 1t
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