Evening star., 1939-04-23
Wright C|inches
Triumph With
Fine Triple
Hits Ball to Center
Wall to Bring in
Two TuIIies
By BURTON HAWKINS.

ny oOn1O MA w hlNS.
The butterfly ball of semi-bald
Emil CDutch) Leonard and the con-
centrated if not prolific clouting of
the Nationals formed a clicking
combination yesterday at Griffith |
Stadium and Washington registered
its first victory of the current cam
paign, 81, over the New York Yam
KEGS.
Expertly sandwiching what |
Catcher Rick Ferrell termed his
feriest fast ball of the year with
a f1uttery f1oater, Leonard muffled
the big guns in the New York bat
ting array, allowing only six hits.
1t was a case of that mildewed
axiom which says something to the
effect of If at first you don't sue
ceed, etc." justifying itself, for four
times previously the mellowing
Leonard had dropped decisions to
the Yankees and not until yester-
day did he finally get around to
trimming them.
But Dutch salvaged some solace
for those previous shellackings. He
handed the Yankees their first de-
feat OF the recently christened sea-
son, Inundated most of their hitters
and established himself as the bell
COW of the Washington curving
corps.
And he did it against a superior
brand of hurting, for the volcanic
tempered Oral Hildebrand, who
graduated from the st. Louis Browns
to the Yankees last fall, was allow
ing few liberties with his sweeping
curves. Hildebrand, in fact, yielded
only four hits, but the Mats manu-
factured the winning margin off
three of them.
Leonard Spreads Bingles.
Leonard spread the six New York
hits over as many innings, but the
right-handed Hildebrand was less
fortunate, for the Mats pounced on
him for three hits and all their
runs in the third inning.
The Yankees had grasped a 10
lead in their half of the third.
Sparky Frankie Crosetti was issued
one of the two walks Leonard
allowed after Sammy West had
made a spectacular leaping snatch
of Hildebrand's lengthy drive to deep
left field and the 10000 customers
emitted q collective sigh when Red
Rolfe forced him at second, Ossie
Bluege to Cecil Travis.
Rolfe possibly could have scooted
to second when Travis, attempting
q double play, threw wild past
Bluege at first base, but Red tripped
over the bag and sprawled in the
dust. He soon was crossing the
plate, however, for Tommy Heinrich
blasted a tremendous triple to the
center field corner. Heinrich perished
there, though. for Joe Di Maggie
popped to Buddy Myer to end the
inning.
Smarting under successive defeats
by the Athletics and Yankees, the
Mats finally summoned batting
strength in their half of the third.
Hits Single Of Gehrig's Mitt.
Ferrell smashed a single off the
outstretched glove of numbering Lou
Gehrig to start the uprising and
romped to second when Leonard
sacrificed, Hildebrand to Gehrig.
Case walked and Ferrell moved to
third after Buddy Lewis had backed
Di Maggie deep into center field for
his drive.
West, who replaced Bobby Esta-
leila in the lineup, insured his re-
manning in the sunfield today
when he whacked sizzling double
past Gehrig's glove down the right
field line, scoring Ferrell and send
ing Case to third.
Taft Wright then presented con-
crete evidence of why Manager
Bucky Harris elects to have him
swing in the cleanup spot. He
carressed one of Hildebrand's
pitches probably as hard as he ever
has hit any ball. 1t sailed on
line for the signboard in the center
field corner, dented the wall half
way up to the amplif1ers. and won
the ball game, for Case and West
scored and the curly haired, chunky
Wright wound up on third base.
Wright was stranded when Myer
was thrown out by Crosetti, but later
developments proved that relatively
unimportant, for only two men ad-
vanced to second on Leonard there
after, and one of them was erased
shortly after arrival there.
That was when Heinrich sliced a
double down the right field line to
open the sixth inning. Di Maggie
flied to West and Leonard wiped
out the threat at second base when,
while pitching to Gehrig, he detected
Heinrich taking lengthy lead.
Dutch wheeled quickly, shot an ac-
curate throw to Travis and Umpire
Pipgras with majestic upswing of
his right arm declared Heinrich
picked of.
Hildebrand Tough Picking.
The Yankees again advanced a
man to second in the eighth when
Crosetti slashed a single to center
with one out. He sprinted to second
as Myer tossed out Rolfe, but that
was as far as he went, for Heinrich
fouled to Bluege to terminate the
scoring gesture.
Meantime, the Nationals weren't
having a field day at Hildebrand's
expense. Wright, in fact, was the
only Washingtonian to reach first
base after the third inning, when
he drilled a single through the box
In the eighth.