Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-02
Pennanf Almost
Conceded Reds,
Still Stredking
Situation in Bigtime
Races Is Reverse
OF Usual Order
BY JUDSON BAILEY,

.
Big league baseball enters the
home stretch today with the two
races in an almost unprecedented
situation--the National League ap-
parently decided and the American
League in confusion.
There were lot OF red hot teams
as the boys bounced out for their
Labor Day labors, but the only one
that counted was the World Cham
pion New York Yankees, who have
their junior circuit rivals frantic.
They pumped up their latest win
ming streak to seven yesterday by
taking a pair of games from WASH
ington. 80 and 80. They now
have won IS of their last IA games
and 20 of their last %.
The result of this seemingly ir-
resistible surge has been to reduce
the margin between them and the
league-leading Cleveland Indians to
four and one-half games and to
only one between them and the
desperate Detroit Tigers, In second
place.
Western Swing to Decide.
Whether the champions got 60
ing too late will be decided on their
last Western swing this month. After
today they have only five more
games at home while both Cleveland
and Detroit have the bulk of their
remaining games at home.
Cleveland conquered the Chicago
White Sox again, IA. 1t was the
18th time in 10 games. The In
dams punched old Ted Lyons for
dozen hits, but the really vital
factor in the Tribes triumph was
one-hit pitching by Joe Dobson for
f1ve Of the middle innings.
The Tigers, however, stumbled
over the st. Louis Browns, who have
created more havoc among the top
notchers than any other club in
the league. John Niggeling allowed
the Detroit sluggers only four hits
and Harlond Cliff contributed a
2-run homer toward the 80 victory.
The Boston Red Sox were rained
out at Philadelphia.
Redlegs About Home.
In the National League the Cham
plon Cincinnati Reds swept a double
header from the Chicago Cubs. 6-5
and 81, apparently to insure reten-
ton OF their pennant. The club
probably will announce acceptance
OF World Series reservations II 1t
comes through the holiday fireworks
unscathed, for it has won 8 of its
last 10 games and is tx in front of
the second-place Brooklyn Dodgers.
Both games yesterday were as
tight as the scores indicated. In
the opener the Cubs outhit the
Reds 1878, but couldn't quite catch
the Rhinelanders, who had tailed
all they needed in the first five
frames. The nightcap was a pitch
ing duel with each side limited to
f1ve hits and Whitley Moore getting
credit for the decision, although he
walked three men in the eighth and
was hustled off the mound.
The Dodgers sewed up second
place by extending their winning
string to four in a double header
against the New York Giants. Lefty
Lee Grissom allowed only five hits in
the first game for his first victory
as a Dodger, Al, and Whitlow
Wyatt rationed seven safeties for a
7-3 verdict in the nightcap. Dixie
Walker, who hit three doubles in
three trips to the plate Saturday.
batted five for five, including two
two-baggers, in this nightcap.
Frisch Protests Game.
The Pittsburgh Pirates padded
their current winning streak to four
games by shutting out the st. Louis
Cardinals, 100, in the first game
of double header with Ken Heint-
zelman scattering four hits and get
ting four himself. The second game
resulted in a SIS tie because of the
Pittsburgh curfew and was played
under protest by Manager Frank
Frisch after Umpire George Mayer
kurth reversed decision. Yes,
Frisch was chased again.
All of the Cardinal runs scored on
Johnny Mics 38th home run and
another roundtripper by Terry
Moore.
Jim Tobin and Nanny Salvo pro-
duced two fine Shit pitching per-
formances as the Boston Bees bat
tered the Phillies, 81 and 100. The
only run off Tobin in the first game
was a homer by Ben Warren.