Imperial Valley press., 1939-09-29
:cincy Wins Championship
Of National League
Reds Down Cards
ToPuf Clincher
On Pennant Race

NEW YORK, Sept. %.
(UP)-The Cincinnati Reds
are champions of the Ma
tional league, and they got
there the hard way-by de-
Tending their lead against one of
the greatest August September
drives ever put on by challenger.
On Aug. l the Cardinals were IL
games from the top and only six
games out of seventh place. In a
whirlwind finish the Cards won 43
while losing II. That's the kind of
challenge the Reds had to beat
back.
Foldups have been so frequent in
recent years in the National league
that the Reds gallant stand to
thwart the Cards pennant bid def
initely marks the men of Bill Nc
Kechnie as a stouter-hearted club
than they were credited with be-
| ing. When National league lead
er starts to slip slightly in August
and September. that usually means
curtains as it did for the Pirates
last season. the Cubs in 1887, the
Cardinals in 1885 and the Giants
in 1884.
Reds Hold On
But the Reds saw the Cards
coming for two long months and
they hung on. The Reds 12-game
lead of July 30 melted to 51a games
by Sept. and the Cards had plen-
ty of time to overhaul them. But
through the dangerous days of
September Cincinnati doggedly held
on to its lead until the Reds put
over the pennant-clincher yester-
day by throttling the Cards, 5-3.
The mainliners of the Reds
climb to the National league
heights for the second time in 20
years were the two strong arm
boys. Pitchers Bucky Walters and
Paul Derringer; First Baseman
Frank Mccormick. leading hitter
of the Reds regulars; Outfielder
Ival Goodman: and the muchly-
maligned second base combination
of Lonnie Frey and Billy Myers.
There were other valuable con-
tributions but these six did the
heavy work Walters, with 81 vic
tories, and Derringer, with 25, did
the greatest two-man pitching JOB
in the majors since Grove and
Earnshaw copped 50 for the Athle-
tics in 1891. During their fiercest
battle to defend first place in Sep
tember, Derringer and Walters
paced the Reds with Il victories
and only two losses.
Bill McKechnie, who led the Reds
from last to first place in two
years, achieved another personal
triumph for himself when he be-
came the first major lague manager
to win three pennants with sep
arate clubs. He piloted the Pirates
to the title in 1925 and the Cardi-
mails in 1928. His Pittsburgh club
won the Worlds title but he suf-
fered the ignominy of losing in four
straight to the Yanks in 1923.
Interest in the waning days of
the two major league seasons will
center on the battles for third place
between the Cubs and Dodgers in
the National league and the In
dians and White Sox in the Amer
ican league.
Cubs Fight
With half-game lead over the
Dodgers, Chicago opened its final
three-game series against the Car
dinals with big Bill Lee slated to
defend the Bruins hold on the No.
3 spot. Brooklyn lost an opportunity
10 pass the Cubs yesterday by split
ting twin bill with the Bees. Dick
Erickson pitched four-hitter to
win the first game, 81, while the
Dodgers won the nightcap. 80.
Battling to hold its half-game
lead over the White Sox, Cleveland
had a twin bill scheduled against
the Tigers today.
The Yanks won their lO5th game
by defeating the Athletics. "a, but
lost the nightcap, 5-4, when Sam
Chapman hit homer. Lefty Grove
won his 18th game as the Red Sox
beat the Senators, Az. Dutch Leo
nard hurled his 20th victory in
giving Washington the nightcap,
6-l.
The Giants won two from the