Evening star., 1941-07-03
Runs Batted In,
C|outing Leads
Neared by Joe
Maintains Homer Edqe
By Rap in 45th Tilt
In Row With Safety
BY JUDSON BAILEY,
Associated Press Sports Writer.


Poker-faced Joe Di Maggie, the
greatest player, excluding pitchers.
in the present era of baseball, has
reached his goal of a new all-time
major league record for hitting in
As consecutive games and now can
try shooting for another prize-the
triple crown Of batting"
This bauble is a three-way cham
pionship in percentage hitting, home
runs and runs batted in, and is one
of the most elusive batting honors in
the game.
In the last IS years it has been
won only by the immortal Lou
Gehrig, who, incidentally, is to be
memorialized by the New York
Yankees and fans in a ceremony
in Yankee Stadium before tomor-
rows double-header Gehrig cap
tured all three in 1884 when he hit
1863, collected 40 home runs and
batted in 165 tallies.
Babe Ruth never was able to hit
this target. Rogers Hornsby did it
twice in the National League in
1922 and 1925. Other heroes of the
past might have achieved it, eX-
cept that runs batted in were not
recorded until the last two decades.
Anyway, it is coveted prize which
only a really great, all-around hit
ter can hope to win.
Good Chance at Triple Crown.
Di Maggie has a chance. His blow
yesterday to break the 44-year- old
mark of Willie Keeler for hitting
in the most consecutive games was
a sizzling home run, his 18th of the
season, and preserved his leadership
in this department.
In batting in three runs to help
the Yanks rip open the Boston Red
Sox, 8-4, he also lifted himself
within four "r. b. l." of the League
leader, Teammate Charley Keller,
who hit his 18th homer in yester-
days game.
Joe's batting average of .348 is
So points behind the .401 pace of
Bostor's Ted williams. but their
marks have been sliding closer to-
gether for weeks, and Di Maggie.
in boosting himself from a .306
percentage when his streak started
May Is. definitely has come within
range of the lead.
Yesterdays victory was New
York's 9th straight and Goth in "a
games in a furious surge that has
made the rest of the league groggy
and given the Yanks lead of three
full games over the Cleveland In
dians. who were idle yesterday.
Di Maggio's homer came with one
on in the fifth inning and so un-
settled the Sox that New York was
able to score six times on three hits
in that one frame and give Lefty
Gomez margin for his sixth victory.
although the 95-degree temperature
forced him out the next inning.
Newsom Takes Slab Duel.
In the other American League
tussles the Philadelphia Athletics
clipped Washington, 7-6. in 10 in
nings and Detroit nosed out the
Chicago White Sox, 10. in a spec
tacular night-game pitching duel
between Bobo Newsom and Bill
Dietrich.
The tottering Tiger ace allowed
just three scattered hits in one of
the best performances of his varied
career and preserved the one-run
given him in the first in
ming by Pat Mullins single and
Rudy York's double. Dietrich gave
only five hits in losing
In the National League the
Brooklyn Dodgers punished the
Phils for Tuesdays setback by TAX
ing a 9-3 decision and chopping the
lead of the idle st. Louis Cardinals
to half game. Dixie Walker led
a 12-hit attack with two triples and
a single, batting in five runs.
Pittsburgh beat the Cincinnati
Reds, 8-3, for Paul Derringer's 10th
loss of the season as Maurice Van
and Elbie Fletcher came
through with timely hits.
The Boston Braves and New York
Giants divided a double-header with
two four-hit pitching exhibitions.
Dick Erickson and Tom Farley
shared the mound assignment in
winning the first game, 5-4, and
Bill Lohrman retaliated with a
60 shutout in the nightcap.