Evening star., 1941-03-10
Gain Runs in Bunches
Against Champions
REGULAR Pitchers
Rookie Cunninghum's
Mound Performance
Delights His Boss
BY Staff Correspondent Of The Star.

BY Staff Correspondent of The Star.
ORLANDO, Fla, March 10.-Hav-
ing brought the world champion
Cincinnati Reds to their knees with
quartet of jittery rookie pitchers
the Nationals spent today pinching
themselves and hoping they wouldn't
wake up
That was one for the book The
Reds were playing on their home
field. They already had walloped
the Red Sox, and against the Mats
they used four regular pitchers,
Junior Thompson, Johnny Wander
Nicer, Joe Beggs and Monte Pearson.
But the final score was to 5. and
even if these early games mean
nothing the decision can't be taken
away from Uncle Clark Griff1th's
pore little seventh-place boys.
The Mats introduced a new tech
nique which Griffith is hoping will
become a habit. They scored runs
in punches. The Reds scored in
five separate innings. The Mats
scored in only two frames, but in
punches of three. 1t was some fun.
Leonard, Chase to Debut.
1t was an aWeSome procession of
nonentities who baff1ed the Reds in
the box by holding them to a mere
II hits and nine bases on balls.
Walter Masterson started and was
followed by somebody named Sam
Cunningham, somebody named
Agapeto Mayor and somebody
named Alexander Zukowski. The
possibilities now are staggering to
consider. Tomorrow, when the
Giants invade Orlando for a two
game series, Griffith's big boxmen
Hudson, Leonard, Chase, MacFay-
den. ct al.-will see action. If the
Reds can be whipped by four Joes
the Giants are in for tough stand
In the opener against the Giants
the pitcher at the outset will be
Rookie Joe Beck, out of difference
to the box Office. With an eye on
the cash drawer Griffith will start
Beck because the youngster pitched
for Orlando in the Florida State
League last year. But after Joe
will come Dutch Leonard and Ken
Chase. In Wednesdays game the
Washington hurlers will be Sid Hud-
son, Danny MacFayden and Arnold
Anderson, all flrst-f1ight pitchers.
1t isn't pitching, but the power
they display. that has heretofore in
different camp followers wonder
ing about the Griffs. They only
made nine hits, but these came |
when they counted.
Win Tonic to Griff.
Cecil Travis banged two singles
and double, the latter with two
runners on the bases. Ben Chap
man singled and tripled. both times |
with runners on. George Case be- |
haved as if he owned the Reds |
pitchers.
When the Reds took a 2-to-0 lead |
against Masterson the Mats came
charging back In the fifth to forge
ahead, 3-2 When the Reds tied |
it the Griffs went on another spree |
and sent three more runs across in
the eighth against Wander Nicer. |
For the most part they didn't act |
like the team which was nosed out |
for the 1910 pennant by a matter of |
26 games.
Griffith. who got out of a sick bed |
at the last minute to make the trip,
returned a we'll man. He still was
joshing the correspondents here to-
day. IF the Reds were the world
champions" he beamed, what does
that make us? And who said this
club didn't have any power?"
Cunningham Impresses.
Grif was delighted with the |
pitching performance of Cunning
ham, the left-handed dark horse"
of the training season. Of the four
throwers yesterday, Cunningham
easily was the most impressive.
Eve may have something in this
fellow" Griffith predicted. Re
member he's only pitched a few
games in his life. Year before last
he did little work in a class D
league. Last season, after he was
in five or six games for Charlotte,
he got sick and went home. He
learns fast, just like Hudson"
Cunningham doesn't knock the
bat out of anybody's hand. In fact,
he lacks a fast ball. But Griffith
cackles as he points out that Hudson
doesn't blow high, hard one past
anybody, either.
After Masterson and Cunningham
had worked their three-inning shifts,
Manager Bucky Harris sent in
Mayor, a little Cuban southpaw
from Greenville. Mayor is an added
starter here, brought to camp on
the sudden insistence Of Scout Joe
Cambria. For one inning he was
terrific. Then, in the eighth, he
walked three straight hitters with
one down and Harris put in Zukow-
ski on the theory that he could do
no worse.
Alex got the side out on double
play pitch, but in the ninth he did
little walking himself. He walked
four Reds to force across a run.
Then, with the bases loaded and
hit meaning the game, he finally
made Pep Young ground to Buddy
Lewis.