Evening star., 1939-04-21
Tolls Up 10 Form
That Made Him
Star in 1896
Mver Shines at Plate
In 20 Came; Yonks
Here Three Days
By BURTON HAWKINS.

HeIe IHIeS IuyS
BY BURTON HAWKINS.
There was a general inclination to
snicker and sneer at the mention Of
the Washington baseball club today,
but, donning rosy-hued spectacles.
there also are several encouraging
items over which to pause.
First and undoubtedly foremost
is the confirmed suspicion that
twitchy Jimmy De Shong has re-
captured the form that stamped him
as sensational when he won 18
games for the Mats in the 1896 cam
paign. Jimmy collided with a
slightly superior brand of pitching
yesterday at Philadelphia and drop
ped 20 decision to the Athletics,
but Washington officials regard De
Shong's performance in cheerful
vein.
There are indications the Mats
will require polished pitching in the
immediate future, for within the
next 10 days Washington will face
New York in five games, Boston in
three and Philadelphia in two before
journeying West. De Shong has re-
moved himself from the dubious list
and currently is making a de-
termined bid to become the bell COW
of the curving corps.
De Shong in Fine Physical Trim.
It apparently is a vastly improved
De Shong who is laboring for Man.
ager Buck Harris this season and
nobody relishes the reform more
than Mr. De Shong. Last year he
was ineffective at best. but this
season he looms as likely to scribble
a more noteworthy chapter with his
slants.
Philadelphia only got one earned
run off me, but that was enough"
said Jimmy. 1T might as we'll have
been 10 runs the way things de-
veloped, but it's great to know they
aren't knocking my ears off any
more. I feel great and I think I'm
gonna be okay this season"
He's in better physical trim than
last year." informs Manager Harris,
explaining De Shong's improvement
Hes looked good all spring and If
we can get out and get him few
runs he'll probably win us lot of
ball games
Jimmy unraveled neat session
of tossing in the six innings he toiled
as the Mats finally launched their
season. He yielded only three hits
and issued only one walk and one
earned run. but the Athletics
knuckle-balling George Caster was
hotter. Caster sprinkled only four
hits among the Mats and Buddy
Myer collected so per cent Of that
skimpy total
Jimmy Turns in Neat Job.
De Shong gave up an unearned
run in the first inning and then re-
tired seven batters in order. He
allowed another run in the fourth
and then finished up by moving
down the next six batters in order.
In all, his chucking chore was heart
ening.
Myer, incidentally, is displaying
signs of defying the termites of time.
It was his error on Joe Gantenbein's S
grounder that led to the unearned
run of De Shing. but there was
nothing decrepit about the craving
veteran either in hitting or fielding
departments from that point.
Buddy's fielding disposed of the
Athletics in order in the fifth in
ming, but at the plate he was more
impressive. He smashed out a
scorching double in his first trip,
and later drilled a single to right.
worked walk from Caster and fired
a well-kissed liner to Dee Miles.
There are disturbing items on the
other side of the ledger, however,
and the most distressing is the
failure of Buddy Lewis, Bobby Esta-
leila, Cecil Travis and Jimmy Was
dell to lift ball past the infield.
Both Manager Harris and Clark
Griffith dismissed that subject light
ly, however, in view of the fact the
Mats hadn't had a bat in their hands
for four days due to the prolonged
precipitation.
Error Leads to First Run.
The Athletics made the most OF
their three hits and Myers lone
error. Gantenbein, the first man
to face De Shopg, was safe on that
muff and, after two were down
moved to second on a wild pitch
Earle Brucker blasted him across
with a screaming double down the
left-field line.
Their other run trickled over in
the fourth when Brucker and Bob
Johnson opened the inning with sue
cessive singles to center. Brucker
scored when Nick Etten forced John
son at second, Travis to Myer.
Washington manufactured three
scoring threats, but Caster and his
supporting cast squelched them all
Caster allowed few liberties in the
final five innings, however, hurting
hitless ball.
Today, as New York invaded Crit
fifth Stadium for three-game series
Manager Harris was to employ Joe
Krakauskas on the mound against
the Yankees. Tomorrow Dutch
Leonard is slated to toll, with Ken
Chase nominated for Sunday slab
duty.