The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-10-05
TWO BAD PLAYS
COST REDLECS
INITIAL CAME
B erger and McKechnie
Guess Wrong to Beat
Own Pitcher
BY GEORGE KIRKSEY
UNITED Press Staff Correspondent

\OuACcu xEcSS Otau correspondent
New York, Oct. 5-(UP)-Give the
Yankees an inch Of daylight and
they'll storm the cellar doors and
make of with the family jewels.
Two lapses in the Reds defense
yesterday, ana the Yanks were one
up today. Paul Derringer. pitching
one of the finest games ever hurled
against the Yanks in the World
Series, was beaten by two plays.
!. Wally Berger's failure to throw
to the right base on Babe Dahlgren's
double in the fifth inning. That
lapse enabled the Yanks to tie the
score, Ill N.-
2. Ival- Goodman's momentary
halt in racing after Charley Keller's
well-smacked fly near the 4OO-foot
mark In the ninth. 1t went for a tri-
pie and produced the Yanks' win
ming run.
Hard Luck.
Derringer had no right to lose the
wey he did on the basis of the kind
OF game he pitched. If he can dupli-
cate his opening game performance
IN his next start against the Yanks
IN Cincinnati Sunday he'll win-pro-
viding, Of course, that his defense
does not let those ever-alert, always
relentless Yanks see an inch of day.
light.
With a 10 lead, Derringer might
have charged through to victory if
Wally Berger, playing on an injured
toe. hadn't made futile throw to
the wrong base in the fifth. With
one out, Joe Gordon dashed a single
to left on the first pitch. Babe Dahl
gren, the .234 hitter who replaced
the hapless Lou Gehrig at first this
season, also clouted the first pitch
to left. The ball went between Wer-
Der and third base and rolled into
the left field corner near the box
seats. Berger raced over and scooped
up the ball while Gordon charged for
third and Dahlgren headed for Sec
ond.
Misplay
For some unhappy reason Berger
whose throwing arm is VIGOROUSLY
weak, chose to make the longer
throw to second base. 1t was weak
and disastrous effort. AS soon as
Berger made his move to throw to
second, Art Fletcher, Yankee coach
at third, waved Gordon home. Lon
ME Frey went out to meet Bergers
throw and relayed it to catcher Err
nile Lombardi at the plate. Some of
the experts say that If Frey had
made a perfect throw, and not a
high and wide one, Lombardi would
have caught Gordon. Others say that
lombard should have blocked Cor
don of the plate and got him, any,
way. But Gordon should never have
had a chance to slide into home on
Dahlgren's double. BY making the
shorter and safer throw to Werber
Berger could have held Gordon at
third.
So much for Berger's mental lapse
which deadlocked the game, IL. II
was Goodman's failure to catch Kell-
er's high, hard fly to left-center that
ruined Derringer. The Reds outfield
was playing Keller, a left-handed
hitter, as left field hitter. Harry
Craft and Goodman both ran for the
ball, but Goodman got there first
He could have made the catch with
out difficulty If he hadn't hesitated
He apparently took his eye off the
ball, either fearing he was near a
collision with Craft or near the CEN
ter fiedl barrier. That split second
hesitation was Just enough to cause
him to lose the ball. He got his hands
on 1t, down below his knees, as il
came down. but he couldn't hold it.
Heart-broken oyer his failure t.
make the catch, Goodman refuses tt
alibi his mistake. Even Manager
Mckenzie admits the ball should
have been caught. In bitter disap.
pointment Immediately after thu
] game Derringer said, II coulds
caught that one myself"
The moral Of the first game is yo,
can't make any mistakes and beat
the Yanks You've got to be perfect
| to do it.