Evening star., 1939-04-22
Harris Hopeful for Esty,
But West Gets His Job
Till Further Notice

swinging for keeps. In seven official
trips to the plate he has famed
three times and on another occasion
drilled into double play. Further,
he hasn't lifted a ball past the in
field and Harris is in no mood to
await Esty's first hit Of the campaign
with studied indifference.
West an Early Starter.
West, on the other hand, has es-
tablished a reputation of being q
particularly dangerous spring hitter.
When traded to the Mats last June
for Melo Almada he was swatting at
a neat 800 clip and, usually, not until
the sweltering sun of August catches
up with Sammy does his average
taper of.
Also prompting Harris decision is
the fact that Estalella, in the past, at
least, has been something less than
a sensation in early games. Bobby,
with Charlotte In the Piedmont
League last year, hit a modest .240
for the greater part Of the spring
season. but at the end Of the year he
had boosted that average to highly
credible 1886.
Il haven't given up on Bobby" ex-
planned Harris. II simply want to
give the kid a chance to become &C.
climated. I don't know how long
he'll be out of the lineup, but when
I think he's ready he'll go back in"
West. given the opportunity, may
see to 1t that Esty doesn't crash that
lineup for some little time, for the
mild-mannered veteran eagerly has
been awaiting chance to regain the
berth he relinquished when the ac-
cent-on-youth policy installed Esty,
George Case and Taft Wright as the
regular outfield and left Sammy
parked on the bench.
Estalella was issued a blunt warn
ing he would swing fruitlessly at the
slants of Goofy Gomez yesterday by
no less a parsonage than Mr.. Gomez,
a pre-game visitor to the Washing
ton dressing room, but that hardly
served to soothe the wounds of his
sorry showing.
"Son oh me gun, Goofy, glad to see
you," greeted Bobby when Goofy
sauntered in to pay his respects.
yeah, well, you won't be in a few
minutes" countered Gomez, who, it
developed, isn't 50 goofy.
Gomez wasn't impressive at the
outset. Goofy, In fact, nearly was
belted from the box In the second
inning, much to the glee Of some
81 900 spectators, but from there in
he was as advertised. After the Yam
KEGS had blasted him into a 6-to-3
lead, at which figures New York
dealt the Mats their second defeat in
as many starts, Gomez stifled the
Washington bats through the simple
medium of allowing only three scat
tered safeties in the last seven
innings.
Griffs Capture Lead.
The Mats had grasped q 81 lead
In the second after the Yankees had
scored run In the first on Jake
Powell's inf1eld hit and Joe Di
Maggio's looping double to center.
They manufactured their total of
runs for the day when Charley GEL
bert, Ossie Bluege. Rick Ferrell and
Joe Krakauskas smashed successive
hits, but their hopes were squelched
when the Yankees got around to
unleashing a portion Of their power.
It all started innocently. Frankie
Crosetti was on second with two
out when Di Maggie selected one of
Krakky's dinky curves and rammed
it among the customers in the CEN
ter field bleachers. The chunky
washington southpaw then went to
pieces, walking Lou Gehrig and Bill
Dickey before pitching another
home run to Rookie Joe Gallagher.
who caromed his hit OF the left
feld boxes. The ball ricocheted
past Estalella and rolled to the left
field barrier.
"Krakky still has his stufI." said
Harris later. HE simply blew up
after Di Mag plastered that curve.
That particular curve cost us five
runs and unbalanced Krakky, but
he'll be all right after he gets
squared away"
Pete Appleton replaced Krakaus-
kas on the mound for Warrington,
starting the fourth inning and
throttledx y the Yankees, neatly
SPREADING the four hits he yielded
In six iSa1ngs.
But the damage had been done,